บท 20: A Weird Groan

Inside the dining area of the inn, Xenia did not notice how the king gazed at her keenly while eating.

"Slow down, will you?" The King scolded while Xenia scarfed down the food so quickly that she didn't even bother to chew properly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I'm just very hungry," Xenia lied.

In reality, she was actually eating in a hurry because she was desperate to reach the castle before the wedding day. She just knew that her sister Mineah must already be feeling terrified.

Once more, she scolded herself for running away, letting her guilt consume her as she imagined Mineah's pale face. 'She probably feels like a sacrificial lamb getting ready for her death.'

'Damn! Fuck my luck!' she silently cursed. She couldn't believe that her father had decided to continue on with the wedding even after she ran away!

'Did my father take the extreme route of deceiving the Valcrez King by marrying him off to his second daughter instead?' There were too many questions and assumptions circulating inside her head.

"Do you personally know the Vampire King of Valcrez, Your Highness?" Xenia curiously asked The King. She had a feeling that him and the Valcrez King would have already met.

"Hmm, I guess you can say that. Nikolai and I attended the same training facility at Mount Sorel," the King plainly answered. "I can say that his Kingdom and mine have a good relationship."

"I see. Umm… do you think he will make a good husband? After all, he is a vampire who is marrying a human. He won't treat the Princess as his personal blood bank and drain her dry, right?"

That question earned a fit of laughter from The King. Xenia looked at him in awe, as it was the first time that she had witnessed the man laugh so freely.

'How adorable,' she unconsciously thought, but quickly shook her head to erase it from the forefront of her mind. "What's so funny?" she asked with a frown.

"Well, Nikolai… Hmm… How should I put it? He's quite different from other vampires," The King explained.

"He practices veganism, or vegetarianism… or something like that. Ah, I forgot what he used to call it, but he doesn't drink human blood unless it's someone he personally killed. He's more into animal blood, so I'm sure the Princess will be perfectly fine with him," he reassured.

"It is actually advisable for him to marry a human to bear his offspring and increase their bloodline just like his father. It's a tradition of their royal family…"

In the past, she had not even bothered to know more about the Valcrez King. However, she was well aware of his good reputation even if it wasn't enough to convince her to accept the marriage. She simply couldn't live in a Kingdom full of vampires who drink human blood!

"He has Exordium blood since he was born with both Exordium parents so he can withstand the sun, unlike other pure-blooded vampires. Exordiums are the first and most powerful of their kind," The King informed.

"I honestly don't know why he even asked for an evening wedding. Probably because they love and prefer the moonlight of the night instead of the sun," he shrugged.

"Anyway, why do you sound like you're very interested in the Vampire King of the Valcrez Kingdom?" The King scoffed with snapped eyebrows.

"Well, I guess everyone would be interested in him. After all, isn't this wedding nothing but a marriage alliance between kingdoms?" Xenia chided.

"I know. The King of Ebodia seems to be taking desperate measures for some reason. I wouldn't be surprised if he would offer me his second daughter," The King pondered.

"King Stephan… how should I put this… He is a very cunning King, using his daughters as pawns to-"

"No! He's not like that," Xenia cut him off.

"He loves his daughters a lot. It's just that… just that he is willing to sacrifice his own blood for the welfare of his people. That's what a true leader does… Doing something that would benefit his people even if it meant that he has to sacrifice his own blood…"

"Hmm, you're idolizing him too much, aren't you?" the King raised an eyebrow.

"However, I beg to disagree. If I were in his shoes, I simply would make sure that no harm could befall my family in my reign. I would ensure the welfare of my people without sacrificing any of my blood!" he bragged.

Xenia only scrunched her face, not bothering to argue with him since everyone was entitled to their own opinions.

"You seem to be disagreeing?" The King asked with an arched brow.

"Of course, not! I wouldn't dare debate, Your Majesty. If you'll excuse me, I will finish my plate…" Xenia defensively murmured as she ate clumsily, smearing some sauce on her lips.

Hearing her commotion, The King darted his eyes towards her and paused.

"What?" Xenia hissed when she noticed The King staring intently at her. She was still annoyed about their argument and was in no mood to entertain him.

"You do realize that I can have your tongue cut for speaking the way you did and disrespecting me, right?" The King calmly warned, making Xenia gulp in apprehension.

Clearing her throat, she quickly apologized, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I guess I've simply been wandering for far too long that I've forgotten proper etiquette."

The King, still ogling at her, said, "Next time, be careful, especially when there are other people nearby. I may not be as lenient then as I am now."

"I understand, Your Majesty," Xenia mumbled out as she nodded her head.

Inwardly, she berated herself for being so careless and forgetting that she was a servant. However, since they were almost near her kingdom, she would soon be in her safe zone, so she might as well reveal her identity to this brute and brusque King once the opportunity arrived.

'I wonder how he would react if he finds out that I am one of the royals too!'

Looking back at him, he was still staring at her which made Xenia blush. Thus, she politely asked, "Is there something wrong with my face, Your Majesty?"

"You smeared some sauce here," he casually stated as he touched his own lips to show her where the sauce was.

Taking note, Xenia licked her lips with her tongue to get rid of it instead of using a napkin when she suddenly heard a weird groan.

Xenia, with her big eyes, blinked at him and asked, "Did you just growl?!"

"I did. Something's stuck in my throat," The King defended himself, followed by a few coughs.

Xenia no longer commented on it and focused on her food instead but deep inside she could tell that something weird was definitely going on with how the king was acting.