Nia approached the lone librarian who stood behind a desk at the entrance of the library. "Pardon me, but do you happen to have any books written in English?" she asked softly. The librarian, a young man no older than a century or two, looked up from his desk, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the king and queen.
The poor vampire's eyes darted nervously to the imposing figure of King Kiyoshi glaring behind the queen before stammering, "Y-yes, Your Majesty. We have a small foreign literature section." He pointed a shaky hand towards a row of bookshelves at the back of the library. Nia smiled gratefully.
The other vampires hurriedly exited the library to avoid their king's fury. Nia made her way to the foreign literature section. She scanned the titles fruitlessly, struggling, she tried to reach the higher shelves on her tiptoes.
Noticing her difficulty, Kiyoshi wordlessly stepped closer and grabbed one of the higher shelves, pulling it down to reveal a row of books behind it. Turning, she found herself staring up at the tall, broad-shouldered figure of her husband. Nia felt a wave of heat wash over her face as their eyes met, and she quickly looked away, focusing instead on the books in front of her. But he was there, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body, the steady rhythm of his breath against her neck.
"Anything in particular you are searching for?" he asked quietly, his voice deep and husky in her ear. Nia swallowed hard; her thoughts tangled as she tried to think of something to say. "No, not really," she managed to reply, her voice coming out sounding much smaller than she intended.
Nia moved away from her husband, her steps faltering as she wandered aimlessly among the bookshelves. She tried to focus on the titles, to lose herself in the stories and words, but everything seemed to blur together, and she could not stop glancing back at Kiyoshi out of the corner of her eye. She could not help but blush, wondering what he was thinking, why he was being so nice to her all of a sudden.
After departing the library, Nia and Kiyoshi returned to the palace. The tension between them was palpable, their every move and word carefully calculated to avoid further confrontation. Nia knew that she had to tread lightly around her new husband, to gain his trust and respect.
As she strolled down a long hallway back towards her chambers, Lady Elspeth emerged from a side room. The vampire noblewoman's pretty face twisted into a sneer as she took in the sight of Nia and Kiyoshi walking side-by-side. A guard suddenly appeared at Kiyoshi's side, muttering urgent words in his ear. Without a word to Nia, Kiyoshi vanished down the hallway, leaving her standing alone with Lady Elspeth.
"Ah, Her Majesty returns. Did you have your fill of playing peasant in the town square?" Elspeth mocked, her voice dripping with venom. Nia's hands clenched into fists. You brought the stench of the common folk back with you, did not you?" Elspeth's gaze flicked contemptuously toward the book in Nia's hands. "Still trying to impress the king with your intellect, I see?"
"I do apologize if my actions have offended, Lady Elspeth. That was not my intent. But I am queen now, and I will kindly ask you to show proper respect, as is expected." Nia spoke calmly but firmly.
"Respect? You may wear a crown and title, little human, but you will never truly be one of us. You are nothing more than a baby-making machine, here to bear the heir!" Elspeth spat, her pale features twisting into an ugly sneer. Nia's heart raced, but she refused to let the other vampire's cruel words get the better of her.
Nia drew herself upright, eyes flashing dangerously. "Careful, my lady," she warned. "Speak so to me again with such blatant disrespect, and queen or not, I promise you will regret it." The words echoed through the hallway, filling the air with tension.
Elspeth cast her gaze downward before spinning on her heel and storming off. Watching her retreating back, Nia exhaled slowly, her chest rising and falling as she fought to regain her composure.
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