My Vampire Suitor

6 - Mustn't fall for the guards

Before heading into the royal garden to meet the duchess, the princess showered and changed into new, fresh clothes. Her hair was tied up by Lily and she wore a plain yellow gown.

"Good morning, Sabrina," the princess was greeted by the duchess.

"Good morning, Duchess Serena," the princess remarked after bowing to the Duchess and greeting her.

"Please have a seat," the Duchess said, flashing a smile on her face.

Princess Sabrina made her way up to the chair directly across from the duchess.

"Servants, could you please serve the tea to the princess?" Duchess Serena gave the command.

Rosie, who stood behind the princess, nodded and walked over to the princess's table and started pouring tea from the kettle for her tea. After all, Rosie is well-versed in the culinary preferences of the princess.

"Sabrina, do you recall what you were supposed to do today as per your routine?" As she sipped her tea, the duchess pondered the question.

"Yes, Duchess! After the tea, I have to practise dancing, and then after my lunch, I have to rehearse piano, so please bear with me. After that, I have to read a book before dinner and then sleep." Princess Sabrina let out a sigh.

"It is great to hear you recall everything, but why are you sighing?" Duchess Serena had a scowl between her brows as she spoke.

"No, it is simply that I spoke everything in one breath," Princess Sabrina managed a small chuckle.

"Oh that is all right then. So I would like to explain why I requested your participation this morning at the tea table and what I hope to accomplish." the Duchess spoke in a very formal manner, "Today, Duke Raphael will select some suitable guards for you, and I want you to choose the greatest and worthiest one who can defend and protect you at all times."

"How am I supposed to choose them, Duchess?" She c****d her head to one side, as if trying to figure out on her own.

"You must check a few things. First of all, the strength of a person — how powerful and strong they are, their intellect — how they respond in particular situations and what decisions they make, their weakness — what they lack, their desires — what they care about — are all important factors to consider." Duchess Serena went into great depth to clarify.

"Thank you very much, Duchess Serena; I will keep that in mind." Sabrina exchanged a kind smile with the duchess.

"Duke Raphael has gone out in search of acceptable and suitable men, and they must arrive by dusk. So you must be present when I call you in the evening." The Duchess made a remark.

As the princess sipped and finished her tea, she nodded approvingly.

"Wonderful, you are now free to go to the dance." Duchess Serena smiled and nodded.

After that, the princess rose to her feet, bowed to the Duchess and was about to leave when she was interrupted—

"Oh, wait a minute! I must emphasise that you must not be taken in by the men. You can not fall for any of the men. You must keep in mind that they are guards and that you are the princess. Love is meant to be between people of equal statuses." The Duchess intervened and stopped her to remind her.

"I will bear that in my mind going forward." Princess Sabrina walked away into her dancing hall.

'Can I not fall in love with those gentlemen since the duchess stated that love must be between people of equal social standing?'

"Is everything well with you, Princess? Since you walked inside the hall, you appear to be lost." Rosie inquired at some point in between.

"Rosie, do you remember when my brother used to stay here and he used to bed every maid that was assigned to him?"

"Ahh... Yes, my lady, I remember it." Rosie responded in kind.

"Today, Duchess Serena stated that love must be between people of equal statuses. After all, she mentioned specifically that I am not supposed to fall in love with my guards, so why did my brother bed his maids?" The princess had a sour expression on her face.

"It is clear that you have a pure heart, dear lady." Rosie chuckled and inhaled deeply before saying, "The difference between falling in love and sleeping with someone is vast. Your brother slept with his servants, but he did not dare to love them, or to put it simply, I would rather say he was not interested in those maids. If he truly loved them, he would have shown concern for each of the maids."

"I see what you are saying. I understand now! So, Rosie, do you believe that love should be between people of equal statuses and social standing?" Princess Sabrina made an effort to comprehend.

"In my personal opinion, love can exist between any one. Love is not constrained by qualifications, social statuses, age, or anything else. Love is a very strong emotion and it brings both joy and suffering together. It is a great thing to experience." Rosie's smile faded too soon, "However, according to the royal families, they prioritise statuses over emotions. So it can't be helped."

"Thank you so much, Rosie, for informing me." the princess said with a smile, "I am going to start practising my dance now."

*** *** *** *** ***

BRINGDAL LAKE

Duke Raphael was returning to the palace with six men that he had discovered since that morning. However, he came to a halt near Bringdal Lake, where a man was cutting down trees and breaking the woods into small logs with his own hands.

Duke Raphael went to that man, "Hello, I'm Duke Raphael. What are you doing with the trees ?"

"Please accept my apologies if these were yours. I have nowhere to go, so I came up with the idea of building a temporary wooden house here." That individual responded.

"Can you tell me your name?" The Duke was interested in learning more.

"Dillion."

"Your last name?" the Duke inquired.

"I grew up in the woods as an orphan, sir," Dillion let out a sigh.