The Bald Princess

~Sixteen~

Do not look at me with your dreamy eyes, Sire. They hold a spell which makes me want to confess my darkest desire to you. And you— only you are my darkest and deepest secret.

Atarah

"I'll answer all your questions, healer. Trust me, I will." He said and I sighed. I had heard him saying this, Lord knows how many times. I looked at him, his eyes promising me lies, my heart was hoping were true. I swallowed my saliva as I shook my head.

"But when, Warrior Duncan? I had been hearing you saying me this, Lord knows since when?" I said gently even though I was getting impatient. His lack of clear answers only frustrated me more. Before him I had always been so patient. I never got angry. People got angry on me but I never felt angry. He made me feel emotions, I had never felt before. Anger. Frustration. The need to express my emotions. I never ever felt them before.

"Today. I'll answer all your questions today, healer. But not here, not when there are so many people hearing our conversation. Trust me, you don't want anyone either to hear our conversation. How does woods sounds to you?" He asked and I was quick to shake my head. Being alone with him? Especially after knowing the fact that he is a Vampire.

"No! Not in the woods."

"You always meet me there, healer." He deadpanned and I gulped, shaking my head.

"That was before I knew you were a Vampire, Warrior Duncan. I can't risk my life when I fear dying." I said and he chuckled dryly though he didn't look amused or happy. His laughter felt forced.

"Come to the terrace and I give you my word, I won't harm you." Like he compelled me, my legs started moving before I could've stopped me, waiting directly when we entered the terrace.

"You were already warned about me, healer, weren't you? Your friend— Bailey seemed to have warned you enough. And you do knew, I am cursed right? I can't drink from you unless you allow me yourself. So, it's clear I won't be drinking the blood from you. And I certainly won't kill you. So, what are you afraid of, healer?"

He said like him not hurting me was an universal truth and I rose my brows at him. If he can't drink from anyone until they ask him to, how is he even alive from so many years? And if he is alive that means he is drinking blood. Does that mean, he was lying to me? And why won't he kill me? When everyone wanted to harm me, why doesn't he wish the same?

"I'm not lying to you, healer." Warrior Duncan said with a sigh and I looked at him, his sad expression breaking my heart.

"So, if you can't drink blood without their permission, how are you alive till now?" I asked and he smiled. Like my question amused him. Made him wish to laugh. Color filled my cheeks at his smile. It wasn't his usually scary smile but the one that told me I had amused him with my question. He took a step forward and I took one back, my eyes widening at his sudden confidence.

"I am not the only vampire here, healer. Or let me say, I am not the only supernatural creature in this kingdom. And even though the civilians think of it as rumor, your King and Queen are very much aware about our existence and presence." He said, like it was a normal thing for our ruler to know about their reality. His eyes looking at me carefully, as if he was trying to predict my reaction. But I was too stunned that our rulers knew. All this time, the royals were betraying us, keeping things from us?

"If the royals know you exist, why haven't they told us about you. Why are they keeping your existence as a mere myth?" He again smiled at me.

I could feel my heart freezing at how beautiful this man was. His dense amd shaded hair, his shaven face and pale skin. His dark eyes often made me wish to drown in them, making me lose my whole existence to only blend into him. There was something about him, something that made me wish to just stare at him.

"Who do you think this land belongs to, healer?" He asked and I stood there, silent, gazing at him dumbly. When I didn't answer him, he answered himself. "Have you or any of the civilians ever thought about trying to find out who is the real owner of the land you people are living on?"

"It.... it belongs to the royal family. It was first owned by Queen Hernandez." He chuckled at my answer, shaking his head as he took another step forward while I took one back.

"It never belonged to your Queen Hernandez. In fact, they are not even real royals, healer. Queen Hernandez and her two sisters Demelza and Ethel were nothing but a gang who used to steal gold coins from the Kingdoms after impersonating their closet friends. Your royal Kingdom is ruled by no Warriors but by a bunch of thieves."

He said and I blinked. Thieves? But we all grew up, learning about how brave Queen Hernandez and her sisters were. How they had brought largest and mightiest kingdoms on their feet. Our current King Alfred always boasted about how brave his family was.

"Then who did this kingdom belong to?" I asked..... knowing his answer would only astound me more. And the way Warrior Duncan smiled, with his canines falling out of his lips, the desire to sink his fangs into a breathing flesh and suck the blood out, made me shiver. I knew, I wasn't ready for his answer.

But I had asked him. And he would answer me and I would have to hear it, even if his answer would scare the living daylights out of me. He took a few steps forward, making me walk back and my back pressed against the brick wall, my breath hitching at the predatory look that crossed his eyes. That's it. He will eat me raw.

"I told you before, I won't harm you, healer. And as to answer your question, this Kingdom originally belonged to my Great Grandfather— Vernon." His great grandfather? This kingdom belonged to his family?

"Then why is King Alfred ruling us? Why aren't you or anyone from your family ruling your land? Or, don't tell me know, King Alfred is also a creature and belongs to your family." I said and he laughed, he laughed, throwing his head back.

This was the most genuine laughter I had seen of him. My eyes squinted and my tension relaxed as I gazed at his laughing face. Whenever I saw him, I always realized how beauty was just a word for him. It was like the beauty followed his pace.

"Keep thinking like this and someone would think you are falling for me, healer." He suddenly said, his eyes looking at me with his smug expression and I quickly snapped out of his reverie, looking away from him, feeling the blush to erupt my cheeks. How could I forget he could read my thoughts.

"Only you look into people's mind and read their thoughts." I retorted back, keeping my urge to stomp my foot like a stubborn child.

"Like I said, healer, anyone who would listen to your thoughts would think you're feeling something for me." He said and I bit the insides of my cheeks, to keep myself from going scarlet more than I already was.

"And no, healer, King Alfred, though he is not the real king is a human. And we don't share a bloodline. Neither are we related in any way, blood or without blood. Your King is too scared to be related to me or my family." He said, his ego speaking more than his mouth and I almost rolled my eyes but kept quiet as I didn't wanted to anger the demon residing inside him.

"Then why is he the King?" I asked.

"Because we— creatures are less in number, healer. We can't unveil ourselves because even though we are powerful and dangerous, humans are more in population. We can't risk our bloodline and species. And your Queen Hernandez saw my great grandfather turning into a vampire and for him, your Queen was no-one but a threat he wanted to get rid of but it seemed like Queen Hernandez knew black magic and when my great grandfather tried to kill her and her sisters, he cursed him and all his bloodline to never be able to drink from anyone without their permission and if we do, we'll burn to death. And that's the reason, you don't have to scared of me sucking you dry because I can't. Even if I would dry, I would burn before even sinking my fangs into my flesh. And killing you is not even the last thing on my list. So please feel secure, healer. I won't harm you."

I blinked at his story. Damn. That was..... tough.

"You're not trying to lure me, are you?" I asked shakily and he chuckled dryly, shaking his head. Something inside his eyes had lost its light. Must be hard to bear the curse, he was not even responsible for.

"If anything, healer, this is the truth, that has been kept buried as a secret for a very long time. This land rightfully belonged to us, my family and not some thieves who cursed not just my great grandfather but all our generations when they were at fault too." He said and I felt my heart aching for him. He didn't deserve this. Him drinking blood from others wasn't something, i exactly supported but he was a vampire and I knew vampires acted on their instinct.

"I'm sorry, Warrior Duncan for the curse and pain you had to endure without having any fault in." I said, looking at him with a soft smile. My earlier anger had vanished in thin air. I feared him even now, yes. But that never really made me hate him. If anything, I knew he was a victim of what had occurred centuries ago.

"You.... you don't see me as the monster? I am a blood sucking creature after all, healer." He asked, shocked. Like he was reminding me of how dangerous he was and he can be. I shrugged my shoulders, sitting down on the floor and Warrior Duncan too sat down, keeping a respectable distance amid us and my heart soared at his actions.

He teased me at times— yes. But ever since I had asked him, he hadn't touched me once. He respected me, he respected my decisions and I respected him for that.

"When a tiger eats a deer, Warrior Duncan, we feel bad for the deer as he lost his life but he also became a food to the tiger. But we don't hate tiger for killing the deer because that's his instinct to feed his stomach. Tiger doesn't kill the deer for his sadistic pleasure but to stay alive. If we don't hate tiger for killing the deer for his food, it's wrong to hate a species when he does the same, Sir. You scare us, yes. But even you can't do anything about it. When you feel your thirst, Warrior Duncan, you lose your sensible part and it's your instinct that makes you attack another living being. I can't hate you for what you don't have any control on, Sir Duncan."

I saw his eyes softening, something inside his eyes changed. I had never seen him this shocked. His eyes were like that of a child who finally met his mother after getting separated from her.

"But, I have a question, Sir Duncan." I said after a pregnant pause and he blinked twice before nodding his head.

"Why tell me all this, Warrior Duncan? Why keep your sabre down in front of me?" I asked and he smiled softly at me. I could hardly breathe now.

"Because you, healer are my soulmate."