Klara kept glancing Lucian's way as we ate our breakfast, while the King and Lucian spoke informally with each other, which surprised me. The King was willing to help Lucian as they were already speaking of how to win this war. I only feared he would ask for something in exchange. Something bad.
"You should stay here until the King dies, then we will take action," the King said. As if waiting for someone's death was a daily occurrence.
"Rasmus? can you stop acting like a King at least until we eat our breakfast?" Klara asked.
Rasmus, Klara, Astrid: their names sounded northern.
"Of course" Rasmus smiled at his sister.
"We have a party tonight. I hope you can attend after you have rested," he then said to me and Lucian.
"Of course" Lucian replied.
"Astrid, why don't you take them to a nice room. I am sure they would like to rest."
I was so tired, but as I laid on the bed next to Lucian all I could do was ask questions.
"You seem to know Rasmus pretty well," I began.
"Yes," was all he said before closing his eyes. He lay on his back while I lay on my side, facing him.
"Why does he call you Draco?"
"It's just a nickname" he said shortly. This wasn't working. I couldn't reach through to him. Maybe he was too tired.
"His sisters are beautiful."
He shot his eyes open and looked my way. He looked at me calculatingly for a while before he replied, "Yes, they are."
"How did you save his sister" I asked curiously. I think I saw a brief smile on his face before it disappeared quickly.
"I didn't. I just spared her life. Our kingdoms were at war with each other few years ago and we won by killing most of their men."
"Are you saying she went to fight in a war?" I asked, surprised. She was a woman, not only that, but a princess, and she went to fight a war?
"Yes, she and her sister. They are warriors and know very well how to fight. After all, their ancestors were Vikings; they have it in their blood." I just listened, fascinated by how these beautiful women could be warriors. I wondered if he was fascinated by them as well. Maybe that's why he spared her life. Maybe he thought she was beautiful. She was at least more beautiful than I was; much more beautiful.
Letting out a sigh, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but then I heard Lucian say, "Thank you for coming with me" in a sleepy voice. Opening my eyes, I looked at him. He was asleep.
I shifted in bed for a while, but I couldn't fall asleep. Sitting up, I swung my legs down off the bed and stood up on the neat sapphire blue carpet that covered the ground.
The whole room was decorated in white and different shades of blue. The walls were a light blue while the doors and the window frames were white. The curtains were a beautiful turquoise adorned with blue crystals at the tips and framed the enormous glass windows that showed a clear blue summer sky.
I looked back at Lucian, who was sleeping peacefully on the royal blue satin sheets. He looked more beautiful than ever while asleep. I slid into a simple dress, fixed my hair and put my shoes on before exiting the room.
I walked through the halls, not knowing exactly where I was when I heard female voices I recognized coming from a room. I stopped to listen.
"Klara, there are a thousand men out there who desire you. Just forget about him"
"I know, but no one is like him. I want him, sister."
"He is married now. Why do you want to be a second wife when you can get any man you want?" Astrid asked, frustration clear in her tone.
"I would rather be with someone I want and become a second wife than be with someone I don't want," Klara said stubbornly.
"He is a man with no position right now. There is no guarantee that he will become the next king of Decresh." A tiny gasp escaped past my lips. Yet it was loud enough for Astrid to hear in the echoing room. They were talking about Lucian.
"Who is there?" Astrid asked as I heard her footsteps coming closer. I quickly hid behind one of the limestone columns in the hall.
"What is it?" Klara asked.
"Nothing. I just thought I heard someone" Astrid said and then I heard the door close. I peeked from behind the column to make sure they were gone and then quickly got away from there.
I rushed through the halls trying to find my way back to the room. My life had become a mess in only a week. First, I got married against my will, then before I got to know my mysterious husband a war knocked on the door, then I fought with my parents and now I was in a kingdom ruled by a bloodthirsty king and his sister who wanted my husband.
While looking for a room I found an exit to a garden. I walked out and found some of Lucian's men chatting there. Some were sitting under the roof, away from the sun resting while some were talking about someone. Me.
"Did you see how she slapped him" a guard with brown hair asked imitating me slapping Lucian. He lift his hand and drew it back before landing a fake slap on another guards cheek.
"Behave yourself, Ky," Lincoln said, sitting with his eyes closed, leaning his back on the wall.
"No seriously. She is brave. I like her." he continued, ignoring Lincoln.
"She shouldn't have slapped him in front of everyone. It was disrespectful toward his highness," another one retorted. Oliver laughed, turning around. He saw me standing there and I thought he would say something to make the men know I was there listening to everything, but he kept quiet and let the men continue talking about me.
"She is a good person," someone defended me. It was the brother of Lisa, the maid who stole my golden hairpin. "She genuinely cares for His Highness," he continued.
"That's true," another one said. Oliver smiled a mischievous smile before saying, "My Lady," finally making my presence known and surprising the guards.
Everyone stood up quickly, "My lady," they said, bowing deeply and then looking at me with fear.
"I apologize for their behavior," Lincoln said, bowing deeply. "Apologize to Her Highness!" he reprimanded, sending the guards a hard glare.
"It's all right." I smiled. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion." They all stared at me in surprise, except Lincoln. His face showed no expression.
I laid in the bathtub filled with hot water, thinking about what the guards had said about me. I shouldn't have slapped Lucian in front of his men. It was disrespectful, and still he hadn't got angry with me. He was asleep when I came back to the room, so I asked a maid to prepare a hot bath for me. The hot water was soothing, relaxing my tense muscles until it felt like a massage and in a moment it made fall into a deep sleep.
I woke up shifting in the bed. The soft satin sheets rubbed against my skin and I realized I was not wearing much. I quickly sat up on the bed and lifted the sheet up. I was only wearing a towel, my shoulders, legs and thighs were bare. It took me a moment to remember that I was taking a bath earlier and fell asleep and now I was here. How?
A sound made me look to my left. Lucian was sitting in a chair, a glass of wine in his hands as he studied me with those extraordinary eyes. He was the only one who could have brought me here, which meant that he had seen me naked. Heat crept it's way up to my cheeks and I grabbed the sheets around me closer as if they would protect me from his gaze or change the fact that he had seen me naked.
"Did..did you bring me here?" I stammered. He put his glass down, standing up he walked toward me.
"Would you prefer someone else did?" he asked standing at the end of the bed towering over me. I felt uncomfortable, so I climbed down from the bed still gripping the sheets around my body and tried to get away from him, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me in for a hug. I gasped and dropped the sheets, standing there in only a towel while he held me so tight I couldn't even breathe.
"Why?" he breathed into my neck as his arms trembled slightly.
"Why?" I repeated, confused at his question. He pulled away and stared at me, "You should dress. The party starts soon" he said and left quickly.
Two maids walked in just after Lucian had left. "My lady, we shall help you prepare for the party."
They showed me several beautiful dresses to choose from. Most of them showed a lot of cleavage which I didn't like, but it seemed to be the kind of dresses they wore in this kingdom. I chose the least revealing one, a black off the shoulder dress with a v neckline that showed only a little cleavage.
When I was done dressing, it was time for hair. The maids styled my hair up beautifully, only letting a few strands of hair fall at the sides of my face. I put some jewelry on, beautiful diamond earrings with a matching bracelet and a ring. I looked at myself in the mirror one last time before the maids led me to where the party would take place.
My eyes scanned the extravagant hall as I walked in. People in fancy clothes, eating, dancing, chatting and drinking filled the hall, their voices and laughter mixed with the music. A perfectly polished floor, scarlet rugs with matching curtains, dining tables and chairs. Two long tables stood at the back of the room where many different grand dishes and drinks were served.
I felt a hand around my waist, turning my head until I found Lucian next to me. His eyes were dark, and he seemed to be in a grim mood. He didn't even look my way as he led me inside.
"How do I look?" I asked, gathering some courage. He paused and looked at me. His gaze softened as his eyes traveled the length of my body, lingering a little longer on my breasts before traveling back up to my face.
"Do you want me to answer politely or honestly?" he asked in a serious tone.
"Honestly" I whispered.
He leaned down to say something, but just then someone spoke from behind him.
"I see you have come" The King walked toward us not dressed as fancy as royalties like to dress, but he still looked good.
"You look very elegant in black, Princess Hazel," he said as he took my hand and kissed it.
"Thank you, your majesty," I responded.
"May I have a dance?" he asked, stretching his hand toward me. I glanced at Lucian and he gave me a reassuring smile. I took the king's hand, and he led me to the dance floor. He danced so elegantly, making us spin and glide over the dance floor with ease.
"I never thought fragile women were Draco's type," he smiled.
I never got described as fragile, but a man with sisters who were warriors would probably think of me as fragile.
"Why do you call him Draco?" I asked, ignoring his remark.
"Do you know what Draco means?" he asked.
"No"
"It means devil. Haven't you heard the legend of Dracula?"
"No" I replied once again.
"The legend speaks of a king who wanted to save his country from intruders but never had enough power, so he made a deal with the Devil. The Devil gave him the strength of a thousand men and an eternal life in exchange for his soul. Therefore, they named him Dracula after the Devil."
I was confused. Why was he telling me this? Noticing my confusion, he continued.
"Your king sent Lucian to war with only 500 men against an army with 2000 men. It's said that Lucian killed hundreds of men on his own and came back home with victory. He was only seventeen at that time. After that, he won every war. People said that the battlefield was his playground and began to believe the rumors about him being the son of the Devil. I, on the other hand, believe he is The Devil."
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