Married to the Vampire Prince

Chapter Nine

Grace

This is the salad fork… and this one is the dinner fork.

Sweat gathered on my brow as I took account of my cutlery and plates and tried to tune out the overwhelming sounds of the ball happening around me.

The Queen had given me a three-day notice about the Fall Ball, and I had immediately requested to have most of my lessons be in etiquette until then so I could get a solid understanding of which forks, spoons and knives to use during the banquet. Savoir vivre was the area in which I found myself to be most lacking. I had never needed to know the proper way to dine before – getting food into my stomach had never seemed like a complicated action to me.

For a society where vampires ruled – vampires who only drank blood wine at such formal events – the court was oddly attached to ensuring proper table manners for humans.

I glanced down at the table. The only other humans invited to the ball were the vampires’ wives and husbands as well as some representatives of the Families. I took a good look at everyone, trying to match faces to names. I relaxed slightly, becoming aware that my lessons were paying off – I could name most of the important guests, the ones who sat closest to me, with certainty.

I stared down at the knives and forks again as if they offended me. I went over their names and purposes in my head once more.

Silas, who sat to my left, chuckled. “You’ll burn a hole through the utensils if you keep staring at them with such fiery passion.”

I gave him a wide-eyed look. “I wasn’t trying to-”

“You’ll do fine,” his small, charming smile warmed my heart.

I nodded, biting my lip.

Silas’ gaze landed on my lips. He opened his mouth to say something, but the prominent guest on his left, an old lord – William Malberry, I noted – suddenly spoke to him, pulling Silas’ attention away.

I let out a breath I was holding. Exchanging a few words just now was the first real conversation my husband and I had held ever since the morning after consummating our marriage. He still hadn’t come to see me again even once, and whenever I asked the servants about him they simply told me the Prince was busy.

Too busy to see me.

The thought stung. I wasn’t important enough for him to make time to see me.

Why had I hoped the reality of our situation would be any different though? Silas had only married me for my ruby blood. He needed blood daily, but we had never promised that he would partake of my blood only. Jealousy surged in my heart. Did my husband prefer other blood donors to me? Was he… as intimate with them as he had been with me on our first night together?

No, I had no real grounds to suspect my husband was… cheating on me. Besides, even if he did feed on others, it wasn’t really cheating as long as no sex was involved. I shouldn’t be trying to apply my human moral standards to Silas’ actions and desires.

If only I had been born into a Family – then I would have been more prepared to assume the role of Estone’s Princess. I was quickly learning, but I still didn’t feel ready to face the court today.

Silas’ mom had other ideas though. “The nobles have been asking to see their Princess,” the cheerfulness in her tone had been undeniable when she had told me about the ball. “We need to show you off.”

Showing me off was an understatement – I sat here now wearing an expensive red silk gown with a flared skirt and low neckline, and my hair had been put up in an elaborate chignon.

I looked every bit the image of a proper Princess.

I just had to hope I really was capable of acting the part.

I took in a breath, steeling my resolve. I managed to calm myself down just in time for the appetizers to come.

I managed to navigate the dinner well as the meal went on, much to my surprise. I remembered the right cutlery, ate only dainty amounts from each dish, and behaved exactly like a royal should.

When the time for dessert came, Lord William spoke up. Silas leaned back a little, letting him see me as he spoke.

“It’s such a pleasure to be able to sit so close to our Princess,” the Lord cooed, “and to finally be able to speak to you.”

I smiled, my cheeks warming. “Thank you, my Lord.” I remembered not to lower my head. I was the royal here, so I wasn’t inferior to this noble.

“I wanted to ask you about something, actually, if you’d indulge an old man,” he flashed me a sweet smile.

“Of course,” I relaxed a little. Maybe I really shouldn’t be intimidated by the nobles? They only wanted to talk and get to know me… right?

“I’m particularly fond of the history of our realm. Tell me, what do you think about the Victory at Graypoint?”

I blinked once, then twice. I tried not to show any emotion on my face, but meanwhile a storm raged in my heart.

I had no idea which battle the Lord was referencing.

In my history lessons we had touched mostly upon the last war, and I didn’t recall there being any kind of combat at Graypoint. Heck, to my panicked brain, Graypoint was just a word. I didn’t even know in which country the place was located, so I couldn’t attach it to any of the wars I knew of between our neighbors.

I was so screwed.

Silas’ hand wandered to mine and covered my clenched fist. I glanced back at him, realizing I had been silent for a while. He squeezed my hand, but the look in his eyes was serious and questioning. He tried to get a read on me.

I took a deep breath. I couldn’t even lie to this lord by making up a response – I just didn’t have enough history knowledge to fake my way through a believable reply. If Graypoint was a topic he was particularly passionate about, he would easily catch me in my lie anyway.

I took a deep breath and let it out. I sat up straighter in my seat. I opened my mouth to tell him the truth – that I had no idea what he was talking about.

Just then Silas leaned down close to me, and placed a kiss on my cheek.

He then leaned back away and turned to the lord with a smile. “I’m sorry, my lord, maybe my wife can chat with you about old battles later. Suddenly I’m overcome with the desire to sweep her away and dance.”

The lord answered him with a smile of his own. “Ah, to be young again.” He laughed.

The atmosphere between us relaxed so easily. Silas got up from his seat and extended his hand to me.

I wanted to get away from the table. I wasn’t ready to hold conversations with the nobles yet, after all. I had taken my studies seriously, but only now did I fully realize just how important and extensive all those topics were in vampire society. I definitely wasn’t ready to mingle just yet.

I put my hand into Silas’ and let him lead me to the dancefloor.

The tune the orchestra played was familiar to me. I had practiced the dance in my lessons. I still sucked at it, but at least it was a dance where the woman relied on the partner to lead her. I just hoped Silas didn’t suck as much at dancing as I did.

Wait, Silas, the bloody war hero… dancing? Somehow the fact that he wanted to dance with me didn’t fit with the warrior-like mental image I had of my husband.

Nothing about his actions toward me so far in our marriage fit that image though, so… which one was the real Silas? The dangerous killer of the battlefield or the man who treated me like something delicate and precious – the one who was now guiding me to take the correct position for the dance.

He held me close but kept enough distance between us to hold a conversation, as the rules of the dance dictated. We started moving to the beat.

Silas led me through step after step with expertise that betrayed years of experience. His skill was truly astonishing. I would never have imagined him dancing much.

“You’re…” I spoke in a whisper, for his ears only, knowing that with his vampire hearing he would catch what I said easily. “You’re not forcing yourself to dance with me, are you?”

He had only asked me to dance to save me from the blunder I had been about to make in front of Lord William, right?

“I…” Silas looked me in the eye, then looked away again. I got the feeling he was avoiding my gaze. “I do actually like to dance.”

A gasp escaped my lips. He couldn’t blush because he was undead, so this expression was his way of showing embarrassment. I filed this new image of my husband under ‘shy Silas’ in my head, committing it to memory.

A warm smile widened my lips. “I can tell from the way you’re moving that you have experience.”

“I used to dance a lot… before the war,” Silas said, and the pain in his voice was palpable. “I’m glad I haven’t forgotten… how to… Being able to enjoy this activity with you means a lot to me.”

He finally glanced back at me with sincerity in his gaze, and the look hit me so hard that I stumbled. Silas covered my blunder – yet another one this evening – by swiftly leading us into the next step, and we continued the dance.

“After the war… you stopped dancing?” I wanted to know more about my husband.

“I haven’t really had the chance to dance since then. The events of the war… changed the court’s perception of me,” Silas explained with sadness in his eyes. “You may have heard what the nobles’ opinion of me is.”

I nodded but said nothing further. I knew everyone saw him as a dangerous murderer and a ruthless war leader. The media had painted him as cold and merciless.

Silas looked even more dejected by my silence.

“So, you didn’t only ask me to dance to save me from a conversation with Lord William?” I smiled softly.

Silas’ lips twitched. “You would have told the lord you had no idea about his favorite battle, would you not?”

I bit my lip. “Yes… I really didn’t know, and I didn’t want to lie.”

Silas’ smile widened. “That’s very like you – honest and headstrong.”

My heartbeat quickened at his acknowledgment of my virtues, though those traits were arguably more like disadvantages in my current situation.

“How much damage would I have done if I said I really didn’t know what he was talking about?”

“Less than if he had caught you in a lie,” Silas chuckled. “But it still would have been terrible.” Silas’ gaze turned warmer, compassionate. “I’m sorry Mother asked you to come to this ball. It’s still too early for you to take part in society. I have no doubt though that soon you will learn everything you need to know. In the meantime you should not appear in front of the nobles, lest you cause an unnecessary scandal.”

My cheeks warmed, and I looked down. “I’m sorry…” I whispered.

“Hey,” Silas called to me, and I looked up. His gaze was firm; he seemed like he was a rock of stability, and I so desperately wanted to latch on to him. “I’m not saying all of this to criticize you. You aren’t lacking in any way. You simply need more time.”

“I am lacking,” I sighed. “Maybe I’m not cut out to be a Princess.”

Silas stopped us and gripped my forearms firmly. “You’re perfect just the way you are. You-”

A man approached, a vampire with a halo of curly hair. He stepped close to us, putting a hand on Silas’ arm. “Silas, I need to speak to you. It’s urgent.”

My husband gave him an annoyed look, but something in the other man’s gaze told me the matter must have really been important.

The vampire flashed me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, oh wife of Silas, I need to snatch your husband away. Crown business, you see.”

The man seemed friendly, and the way he and Silas communicated with just glances, no words, told me the two must be close. I had only heard about one person being so close to Silas.

“Are you Lord Lukas?” I arched my eyebrows.

“The one and only.” He seemed pleased with me recognizing him.

Lukas Carter had been Silas’ second-in-command during the war and had continued to support my husband after peace had been achieved.

I nodded. “I get it.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Lukas continued to smile. He gestured to the door leading to the main staircase and looked to Silas again. “Let’s go.”

“I’m sorry, Grace.” Silas gave me a look of apology and squeezed my hand. He let go of me, and I acutely felt the loss of his touch. “We’ll continue our conversation some other time.”

I nodded with a smile. However, considering how little time my husband had found for me so far, I didn’t take his words as a promise.

As Lukas and Silas walked away from me, I wondered – why would my husband act so warm toward me whenever we were together, yet seemingly forget about my existence whenever we were apart?

Maybe he really was busy, and I was just taking his lack of interest in me too personally?

Yet, he still had to rest from time to time, so why didn’t he at least spend his meditation hours in bed with me while I slept? We didn’t even… have to have sex. Even the two of us just staying close to each other and chatting for a bit from time to time would have helped me settle into the role of being his wife more easily.

I blushed at the thought of being intimate with Silas again. Sex with him had been mind blowing. I wanted to experience it again. I had never thought of myself as such a wanton woman. Yet, I had also never enjoyed sex with someone else as much as I had with my husband. One time together, and I was already addicted to his touch.

I pushed aside the thought of Silas’ hands running up my legs. In the middle of the ballroom was not the right place to lust after my now-gone-again husband.

I needed some fresh air and to get away from the ballroom before another noble wanted to talk to me about some strange battle from the far past.

I promised myself to look up the Victory at Graypoint, though. I was curious what the battle was and who had won. Besides, I didn’t want Lord William to catch me being ignorant again.

I wandered through the doors and out into the garden, my skirt rustling as I walked.

The elaborate rose gardens, a favorite of the Queen, were painted in moonlight. The stars twinkled in the sky, perfectly visible on this cloudless night. Nobody was around – the guests were either finishing their dessert inside or heading to the dancefloor to dance.

The quiet garden was just the environment I needed right now – a place free from anybody bothering me.

I stepped down the stairs of the terrace. My heels touched the pavement of a path, and I walked away from the music and cheer of the ballroom.

My destination was one of the arbors nearby, the one from which I would have a good view of the pond.

However, I was only halfway through to the arbor when I heard loud footsteps coming towards me. Someone was running my way.

I whipped around to get a look at who was approaching me so urgently. Could a servant be racing to find me with a message requesting my presence in the ballroom? No, I could hear multiple people running, so that possibility didn’t make sense.

Soon three men, their faces hidden by white masks, stopped in front of me. Before I had the chance to scream, one of them moved at vampire speed behind me. The blow to the back of my head came so suddenly.

Darkness enveloped my senses, and I collapsed to the ground. The last thing I felt was one of the vampires catching me before I hit the ground.

I knew I was in danger, but I could do nothing to help myself as I passed out into unconsciousness.