"Your majesty," The red-haired servant called, her head bowed so low, it almost touched the ground, Olive glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, placing his goblet on the table. "Your bath is ready."
"I see…" He murmured before he got up loosened his robe, and stepped in the direction of his bathing room. "What about the queen?"
He felt the poor lady stiffen behind him, the servant and the guards had a habit of freezing whenever he asked them a question, and the only emotion he could feel whenever people were around him was fear.
The only person who didn't fear him was Khalilah and it annoyed him greatly, that a lowly human such as herself, dared to speak to him like they were equals. It was only for the reason of the bonding ritual he hadn't killed her, her thoughts flew around him and they were nothing but insults to the royal family and his prestigious bloodline.
He was trying to be a little bit considerate because he knew she was unaware of her situation, but his patience was also wearing thin, this was the longest he had gone without ever killing someone. Which was the main reason he had reduced meeting with her unless it was necessary.
He also knew that if he killed her on impulse, his curse would be unbreakable, and the title "King of Death" would be his true name, Khalilah is very important to him... well at least that is what the prophecy says.
"You don't know how desperate I'm trying to end this war!" Olive roared at the high priestess, she was also called the eyes of the goddess. She laughed, a type of mocking laughter that made his blood boil.
Olive's white eyebrows drew in together as he wondered what was so funny about their situation, his jaws clenched in frustration, if this weren't such a sacred place he would snap her neck into two, and give her something to laugh about.
"Olive, my prince, do you wish to kill me?" The blind priestess queried with that stupid smile plastered on her face, Olive froze, and due to his curse, no other person could read his thoughts. No one could invade his mind that was why he was crowned the strongest and the most fearsome beast alive... the whites in her eyes stared in his direction and she laughed even more.
"Be rest assured, Your Highness, even though I'm the messenger of the gods, I couldn't possibly hear your thoughts." She answered his unasked questions, yet again. "But your eyes reflect them perfectly."
"You could see the reflection of his eyes when you're as blind as a bat?" Olive asked curiously as he chuckled himself, he hated the priestess, but his father insisted that he come to see her. "I may be blind, but I can see the reflection of your heart clearly, and it is selfish and dark, darker than night itself." The words struck Olive, no one had ever given a perfect description of him. "Nothing could ever change it, you believe being the strongest would give you an advantage to overpower the rest, but hatred only bears hatred and revenge will birth more revenge. You will never conquer this war with swords and spears."
"Women don't understand how politics works." He snapped at the goddess. "Am I supposed to protect the kingdom and our clan with flowers?"
"You can't save us from this war when you can't even save us from yourself." Is that what the gods are telling her? Alternatively, she probably wanted to drive her over the edge to the point where he would lose his mind and kill her, he smirked the thought of killing the priestess pleased him greatly.
"I came here because my father said you would reveal to me a prophecy, but you do want to die today, don't you, old hag?" He queried and the priestess laughed even more showing him how fearless she was.
"You are our future king and we all look up to you as our only hope, don't you think it is high time you stop being the problem and start living up to our expectations?" Even though he hated this woman her words through him.
"So what should I do?" He asked running his hands through his snow-white hair. Any solution will be fine, even if it is a shred of hope Olive wanted to grab onto it with all of his might, he wanted to be a king who surpassed his father and was the only half-breed recorded in the history of their kingdom, he could never live up to that.
"The only way to break your curse is to end the war." She explained, "Since you were born as an unfortunate child, you were cursed along with the rest of us since the person who cursed you was the same woman who birthed you."
She had said this about a thousand times now and Olive was tired of being told he was cursed.
"Appeasing her spirit would make her forgive you, after all, mothers have a soft spot for their children."
"You always make such absurd claims but never tell me how to lift this curse, you have never told me what to do." Olive retorted, his frustration evident in his gritted teeth.
"The solution to your question lies in a human girl, one born with the sun in her eyes," she stated, dropping her staff and lying down on her chair. "You must find this girl and form a union with her."
Olive frowned, thoroughly disgusted by the idea, and in his anger, he scoffed, he was right, she was playing with him.
"You quack! None of your past prophecies were accurate, and yet you still claim to be the eyes of the goddess?" His frustration mounting, he rose from his seat and approached the old priestess with seething rage. "I bet Father wouldn't mind if I snap your neck in half, I am cursed anyways, I don't see anything wrong with getting more curses."
"How dare you suggest that a pure-blooded vampire prince, the pride of my clan, should mate with a weak and lowly human? Do you not realize how much I despise them? They are no better than cattle! You insolent witch!" As he reached out to grab her, he noticed something unusual – she was asleep. His doubtfulness grew.
She dared to fall asleep in the presence of her prince! This would be reason enough to end her life. But she was too still for slumber. Reluctantly, he tapped her, but there was no response. Then he checked her pulse, confirming his suspicion—she was, indeed, lifeless.
Olive took off the robe and stepped into the very hot water, which was almost scalding hot; that was what brought him to find his wife in a human girl. When Khalilah's family offered her instead of one of her older cousins that was promised to him, he was a bit enraged until he met the girl.
It was for a brief moment but he saw flames burning in her eyes, just like the fake prophetess had said, the girl would be born with the sun in her eyes.
A cursed child, who was born as an abomination herself, he chuckled, there was nothing more befitting. The only difference between them was that, she was born into darkness while he was the embodiment of darkness itself. He was curious to find out which one would be stronger, her will or his hatred for her kind.
After all, he is the very popular, King of Death.
He hissed in frustration when the glass slipped out of his hands and broke, the glass shard cut him across the face as the pieces sprawled in the air. His wounds healed up immediately, he chuckled to himself… he had everything.
Immortality, instant regeneration, and the power to control the time of death of anything as long as he willed it.
He stepped out of the bathtub, intentionally stepping on the broken glass because the pain did not affect him, he had never felt any physical pain right from the time he was born. He put on another robe, night had descended suddenly on them and it was time for dinner.
He followed the sweet scent that tickled his nose, and the pounding heartbeat of a human being, he was led to his office, and he opened the door and was met by a skinny blonde serving girl who was cleaning the office; gently turning off the vacuum as soon as the door opened.
She froze when her eyes met with his blood-red eyes that glistened fiercely at her, she tore her eyes away from his, looking at her feet, it was taboo for a servant to look in the face of a royal family and she could see why they were forbidden from looking at him.
She had been given the orders to clean the King's office, even though it was forbidden for the human servants in the palace to move at night. It was suspicious but she couldn't argue with them.
"P-Pardon me, your majesty." She started in a shaky voice, breaking yet another rule of not speaking to the king unless being spoken to.
"What are you doing, being all careless, human?" Olive's canines extended.