She hid the fear in her eyes. "Yes, Duke Mo. I do mind." She answered. "I am about to get sick."
"Vampires don't get sick." Duke Mo said amusement laced his tone. "But if you insist then… I think I should accompany you. Who knows what kind of sickness a vampire like you would acquire? Perhaps… a deadly one?"
She gulped at his words. His smile reminded her of someone. But she couldn't remember anyone with that face or voice. Perhaps in the previous worlds? "No. It's contagious," she said and instructed the coachman to leave.
"But your highness…"
"Now!" she hissed, heart, pounding against her chest. Seeing that man is more frightening than seeing the king himself. When Lucinia looked back, the Duke was no longer there. She immediately let out a sigh of relief and prayed that she would safely arrive in her castle. Why was that man so scary?
No. The most important question is why was he showing interest in her. Was it because of her ability? Lucinia couldn't help but bit her lower lip as she slowly stroke her chest.
When Lucinia arrived in the castle, she immediately instructed the old man to lock the doors and windows. For some reason, she had a bad feeling about that man. She felt that Duke Mo was not someone that would just give up if he wanted something.
Lucinia paced inside her room as she watched the sun slowly set on the west. From the window, she could see the waves of the sea slowly kissed the sand a few meters away from her room.
"Your highness… one of the princes sent an invitation." She heard Madam Liliana called out from the outside of her room. Lucinia immediately opened the door of her room and accepted the envelope. Then she closed the door, making sure to lock it, without saying a word.
Until now, her heart was still racing, a part of her body was trembling.
"You know that a mere lock won't be able to stop me, right?"
Lucinia froze, eyes turned wide when she felt someone approached her from behind. She felt her skin tingling, face paling as her heart drummed against her chest, threatening to jump out of her rib cage. "Why— Why are you here?" she asked without turning her head towards the man. She doesn't need to see him to know that the man was Duke Mo. She could feel him stand behind her, his hot breath caressed the back of her left ear.
"Seems like you are expecting me to come."
Her eyes darted towards the setting sun. "Duke Mo… you are trespassing my property. Please leave." Just mentioning his name sent shivers down her spine.
"And if I don't?" she didn't miss the amusement in his tone.
"This is not funny."
"It wasn't supposed to be funny," he breathed, his words a little louder than a whisper.
"Then… please leave."
"Why are you scared of me?"
"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "What kind of man would just barge into a woman's room like this? You are more powerful than me, and if you— you could kill me before I could even turn to look at you."
"You think I would kill you?"
She felt his hand slowly traced her neck, down her back. She fought the urged to tremble. Lucinia balled her hands into fists. "Please leave…"
"Lucinia…" he dragged her name. "Nice name."
What was that supposed to mean? However, before she could ask, the latter already disappeared behind her. The opened window was the only thing reminding her that she wasn't dreaming. Lucinia immediately shut the windows, face red as tears pooled in her eyes.
She could feel it. She could feel her body reacting to the man's touch. She sat on her bed and stared at her trembling hands. She couldn't understand why Duke Mo would actually come in here. But one thing is for sure. The man isn't here to kill her.
Then… was he here to use her abilities? The knock on the door almost made her jumped out of her bed. What was wrong with her? She's supposed to be a vampire! Why is she scared of the door?
"Your highness… Prince Kuzma is here to see you."
Prince Kuzma, the second son of the King. He was only twenty years younger than Prince Gavril. According to Lucinia's memories, Prince Kuzma was one of the princes that always made her feel excluded. He was a bully and a huge one at that.
"Alright. I will go down and see him," she said before fixing her appearance, making sure that everything about her looked formal and … intimidating. She knew that this Prince is not bringing her any good news. Lucinia stared at the mirror and looked at her pale appearance. She was already wearing a black gown that emphasized her slender body.
After a few minutes, Lucinia went out of her room. Walking towards the lonely hallway that would lead her to the terrace of the castle, Lucinia already prepared herself for another scheme. She knew that the changes that she showed earlier were abrupt. It must have surprised a lot of people. However, she wasn't expecting that Prince Kuzma would really come here just a few hours after the incident.
"Your highness." Lucinia curtsied. "What brings you to my simple abode?" she immediately asked. She didn't like Prince Kuzma, and she didn't like that he was bringing Zacharia with him.
"To visit you, of course." The man wearing a black ruffled suit smiled at her. "I missed my younger sister."
"You never smiled at me unless you are about to do some mischief." She said coldly. "What is it this time, your highness? You aren't planning to make me drink blood too, right?"
"Oh? It seems that the rumors about your changes were true." He laughed and walked towards the wrought iron chairs. Then he gestured for Zacharia to sat next to him. "Then… let me be as direct as possible." He smiled at her. "Prince Gavril is about to make some chaos. He wanted the throne, and he doesn't want to wait for our father to give it to him. I want you by my side. And to seal that… I want you to marry Zacharia. I know you always had a crush on your knight. I also know you relinquish the vow because you wanted him to realize what he lost. You won, little sister. You finally have our attention."
