Tale of Nayeli

Two

The King's final query received no responses from the rest of the parliament. Instead, everyone in the room turned their heads downward as they all felt fear and anguish at having just seen their fellow officials die at the hands of the King. They were aware that the king's decision had destroyed public confidence in their government, but they lacked the courage to speak out in the same way that the late official had.

It seemed as though his majesty immediately displayed his strength to intimidate everyone. Implying that anyone who dared to resist him or speak against him would meet the same end as the late official.

King Norman's voice sounded so thundering that it was hard to detect a whisper at first. "Who else has to say again regarding the assassination of this Kingdom's future ruler? Who dares speak of death against my child?" Though they wanted to complain, none dared say anything else, as if the king's words were unbreakable.

Then, he continued, "it seems that this case has been solved. Am I wrong? Everyone in the hall nodded their heads in agreement. They struggle with this choice, but they are afraid of losing their lives by defying the powerful vampire. King Nelson spoke his final remarks for the meeting before leaving his seat. The king assured the congress, "Nayeli, my child will be taken care of. She will not be a threat to her Kingdom, and I will take responsibility for that as her father and as this kingdom's King. You may rest." With that, he left the chamber, expecting to find his daughter at the door with Aurellio.

Every official appeared to relax as soon as he cleared out the vast room, as they all seemed to be relieved the King wasn't present. Even though the King assured them that the hybrid will behave appropriately in the future, their concern for the safety of the Kingdom still persists. They will make an effort to believe the King when he says the princess won't actually hurt their race, and they will allow him to have the child.

--

6 Years Later

"Everyone, move! The King is on his way!" The entryway was cleared for his majesty's arrival by Aurellio, who yelled. Everyone stepped to the sides of the road, saluting his majesty as they did so.

Due to some Kingdom disputes, they traveled far from the witches' homeland. He took a month to return, which is the same amount of time that his Kingdom's terror of being abandoned by the hybrid princess lasted. Despite the passing of time, they continue to worry about being protected from the young vampire.

After some time of greetings from his majesty's men, the King enquired as to the location of his daughter from one of his troops. Sam, a newly trained knight, responded, "Your highness, Princess Nayeli is in her garden together with her personal servant."

King Nelson grinned as he said, "Does she know that her Papa is heading home? I expected her, but how could such a regal vampire be more fond of flowers than the entrance of her father?" Everyone else seemed so serious, but the King was ecstatic to learn about her daughter's interest. His majesty's memory of a difficult journey from another kingdom quickly disappeared.

Aurellio appeared before the King not long after. The right-hand assured his Majesty that they would soon be going towards the palace and the King would be able to take a well-deserved rest. They even had a little conversation.

"So, King Nelson, what are your plans now? The Queen hasn't approved many of our proposals," Aurellio said.

"The Queen is bright. It shouldn't be a problem because I have another plan if the first one fails. Don't worry," King Nelson assured. He then observed the bustling scene of his Kingdom. The king's keen senses also enabled him to observe multiple actions at the same time. Aurellio, on the other hand, kept talking about the status of the other meetings they attended. King Nelson occasionally reacted, but what drew his attention was a short recall of the princess from their recent visit.

"Do you remember the Queen's daughter? Don't you think she's Nayeli's age?" his majesty inquired.

"I vaguely recall, Sir, why?"

"Oh, nothing. I just thought we could help my child make some friends, you know? A royal friend?" the King said. Aurellio nodded, knowing the princess's predicament. She's having trouble establishing friends of her own kind because everyone still fears her.

"If that's what you want, your highness, I'll attend to the Queen. I'm sure that proposal wouldn't hurt them," the right-hander remarked.

"I would really love that. All for Nayeli," his majesty responded, smiling lightly at the thought of her child making friends. Truthfully, the king is actually concerned that his daughter would feel sad as a result of having to bear the full weight of her mother's disappearance. The King is a good parent, in fact.

"Of course, Your Highness. All for the Princess."

On the other hand, when everyone in the vampire kingdom was preoccupied with their daily activities, Nayeli, who was busy gathering flowers in her garden, unexpectedly spotted another youngster. When she first saw the younger girl, she initially assumed that she would eventually run away, but she was mistaken because the other girl even grinned at her. Nayeli felt strange during the new experience, but she quickly got over it. The princess is accustomed to her fellow vampires being scared of her, so that she always anticipates that even her slaves will attempt to flee.

Even at a young age, she was already aware that she had truly murdered her mother before giving birth to her. Princess Nayeli stood out from the other vampires because, in contrast to them, she seemed more vulnerable. She appears more vibrant than the others, as though a living human being. Despite the fact that her eyes shone a greater crimson, everyone was frightened by the way she looked.

The youngster appears to be aware of how much being a hybrid makes her different from other members of her race. She was also aware that, in contrast to being respected, she was only feared, and that fact alone—along with her father's wishes —is the only reason she had survived to this point.

As the princess was too preoccupied with her trains of thoughts, a young girl's voice interrupted, "Hi, I'm Vienna! You're the princess, right?" The little kid was shielded from the light by a cloak-like garment. Princess Nayeli seemed perplexed as to why a typical vampire was speaking to her. The little prince arched his brow.

"I was about to ask you to play the other day when I saw you walking around the group of kids, but you turned around and laid your head down. I thought you saw me too—" the kid didn't even have time to finish his words. The princess turned around and got her basket as she tried to go rather than spend all of her time on the strange exchange.

"I see, you don't like other vampires, do you?" A child's voice with a dejected undertone said. Then Vienna added, "But it's okay. I understand because maybe you're not used to other vampires talking to you, Princess. I'm sorry if I suddenly talk—"

"Aren't you afraid of me? Everyone is scared of me," Nayeli spoke at last. Her tone implies as if what she said is a fact.

"But why are they scared? What did you do?" Vienna asked innocently.

"Oh? You're not aware?" the princess exclaimed, surprised. She assumed that everyone else in their Kingdom despised her because of her past. It's amazing that someone like Vienna has no idea what happened in the past. It was especially significant because it was a royal matter. However, the princess also considered the child's age, which could be the reason she is unconscious of anything.

"Unaware of what?" Vienna said, her gaze fixed on Nayeli's crimson hot eyes. She was taken aback by the royal's looks, particularly her fiery red eyes, which she noticed right away.

"I-I... I'm a monster—" Nayeli responded, which is dramatically followed by a loud laugh from the younger child. Nayeli then added, "What's funny about that?"

"You're a kid just like me. How are you a monster? Kids like us only play outside."

"You're right, we are just kids," the royal answered back with a slight tone of sadness.

For a brief period, Nayeli considered whether the world could be too harsh for someone so young. Even she, herself, has come to believe that she was a monster from the beginning. Vienna was correct that the only things they should be concerned about at their age were playing and being kids. Her situation, though, was distinct. Nayeli had been concerned about how people would view her and whether or not her own would fear her.

Vienna enthusiastically proposed, "So, how about we play?" but the other girl sadly declined. Nayeli must prepare for her father's arrival, despite how much she would like to. Even though she was aware that she was running late, she still wanted to synchronize with that. Nayeli adores her father since he is the only person who has ever shown her kindness and acceptance. As much as possible, she wishes to highlight her father's efforts by being obedient and a decent daughter.

"Perhaps next time? I come here often from the garden; you can come here too if you like," Nayeli suggested, making the other youngster giggle in excitement.

Vienna asked hesitantly, "Is that really okay with you?" She couldn't suppress her happiness because she believed she was already close with the princess. For her, it was a real opportunity.

Princess Nayeli responded, "Of sure, I will let the guards know that you are allowed to enter. However, I will have to leave you now since I need to go." Immediately after, one of the servants politely asked the princess to accompany them, as her father was already inside the palace. After that, they said their goodbyes and Nayeli returned together with their men.