Mated To A Vampire-Hunter Princess

Chapter 2

Graceful Balls. How lovely they could be, and my mother's in particular were always a solid ten out of ten in appearance. 

Though it was only minutes after eight, the brightly lit ballroom was already littered with elegantly dressed guests, some waltzing around while others conversed with sparkling champagne in their hands. 

From the top of the stairs to every corner of the room, white ribbons sat neatly at their respective places, along with specks of golden lights sitting on each table at the dining area. They were precisely decorated with blooming white flowers too, and the floors reflected every image in its shiny surface. 

I was barely through the door and I saw so much, and I couldn’t even feel surprised by it. My mother always had a talent when it came to decoration, so I had to give it to her.  

I slowly trotted through the doors as the servants held them open for my mom and I, and heads immediately turned as we appeared on the grand staircase. I could already see interested suitors dismissing their ongoing conversation to peer at me, making my nerves climb further up my spine if it wasn’t already enough.  

I was used to such attention, but I didn’t like it. I felt completely self conscious as if I'd fall down the stairs any minute. 

"Chin up, Amber," my mom said through gritted teeth, and I immediately jerked my head up and plastered a small simper on my face as we reached the bottom of the stairs. 

A familiar face emerged to the front of the small crowd, and I beamed brightly at the very sight of him. 

As always, my dad looked dashing in his crisp royal suit, with his black hair that was perfectly decorated with gay strands, slicked back without a tendril out of place. Nobody  outside the palace knew his condition, so until it grew worse, the outside world would see him as the King Sebastian we all knew. He surely looked the same. 

I curtsied politely to my dad as he met me at the base of the stairs. He was my only light in this world. It killed me daily to see him becoming a stranger to life and his true self by the day. But he never lost his knowledge of me, and that's what I loved the most. 

"You look beautiful darling," he said with a radiant smile as he kissed both my cheeks. 

"Thank you. How are you feeling"? I hadn’t seen him all day, so a meeting was far overdue. 

He looped his arm through mine as he slowly walked with me through the room. His steps faltered a bit, but I ensured I held him up sternly. "I'm fine, my dear. You worry about me too much." He chuckled as I halted our strides to face him. 

"But I must, my dear dad. Your wellbeing is my happiness." 

"Hhmm." He nodded with a ghost smile, resuming his walking. "And may I ask where you were last night?" 

I gulped, feeling nervous. How did he know that I went out last night? No one in the palace knew I left at night, not even the guards. So, how did he? 

"I went for a walk. I was feeling so flustered about tonight's ball, that I barely slept at all," I lied smoothly but it wasn’t all untrue. 

My dad nodded, as if he accepted my excuse, and I hoped he was done with the conversation for good. 

"Forgive me for intruding, Your Majesty," a voice said from behind us, and we both spun on our heels to see a very handsome but familiar face. "But may I have the audience of your daughter, King Sebastian?" 

"Of course Duke Derulo." My dad nodded once at both of us, before he disappeared in the opposite direction. 

Despite the fact that I knew Duke Derulo all my life, as his family were very close to ours, I couldn’t help the nerves I felt. Unlike all the times we spent together, there was a high chance that tonight’s conversation might just be steered to something else. 

He would surely be a good husband, but I wasn’t entirely sure if I could see him as that just yet. 

Nonetheless, I crossed my ankles, held the sides of my dress and bowed politely to him before he took my hand to place a small kiss there. 

"May I just say, Princess Amber, you are looking most dashing tonight," he mumbled in such a tone that almost had me swooning. 

"Thank you, Your Grace. You don’t look too bad yourself," I offered out of mere courtesy, but I had to admire how good he looked  for real. 

Nathan Derulo had always been a handsome young man. His short black hair complemented his toned olive skin perfectly, and his green eyes were always so mesmerizing. He also had a smile that could send any girl in a bundle of butterflies. I had to admit, 16 year old Amber once had a crush on him. But Nathan was two years my elder, and had already been an adult by then. I never thought it would ever be possible. 

But here we were, almost six years later, and he was the first to show his interest in the sole purpose of this ball--finding me a husband. 

He smiled even brighter at me as he curved one hand behind his back and extended the next to me. "May I have this dance?" 

"You may," I agreed with a smile. 

Dance lessons, don’t fail me now. 

He snaked his arm around my waist, and I lightly curled both my arms on his shoulder as the cue for the next song began. He offered me a small smile, as if sensing my nerves, and I gladly accepted that this was an old friend whom I could trust. He wouldn’t force me to have my hand if he was sure I didn’t want to. But do I? 

Nathan was a charming and kind young man, and he never failed to make me feel like a lady. I knew I'd be just happy if he should be my husband, but for some reason my stupid mind and heart just wont accept that. What the hell is wrong with me? 

My attention was pulled from my messed up thoughts when I thought I saw my bracelet glow. The pale ruby in the center would always alert me whenever one of them was close. That was why it was so special, and why I never ever took it off. 

My eyes remained trained on the stone, waiting for it to light up again, but it didn’t. 

Maybe it's just my mind, I thought. There is no vampire here at the ball. It's my mother's ball after all! He/she would’ve had to be really good to actually get invited in, and no vampire was that good. 

"Everything okay, Amber?" Nathan asked with his voice laced in worry. I could never mask my emotions well, so the minute my mood changes, it becomes obvious even to people who don’t know me. 

Nonetheless, I threw one last glance at my still non-glowing bracelet and forced a small smile as I directed my gaze back to Nathan. "I'm fine. Just a bit woozy from this spinning." 

"We can stop if you'd like? The Waltz is indeed a bit hectic at times." 

"Oh no." I chuckled, loving how he spoke as if he was from the 19th century. "I can manage quite well." 

His fingers rested on my chin, and he gently tilted my head up so that I was looking directly in his eyes. "Just focus on me, okay?" he said, and I couldn’t help but nod as if I was in a trance. 

We remained like that, as his hands rested on the small of my back and his feet swiftly guided me around the room. He never missed a twirl nor a dip, yet his hands and eyes were ever so gentle and never wavering. He was too perfect to be real, yet every time I tried to evoke some type of desire for him inside of me, nothing but pure friendly love was what I felt. 

Darn it, Amber. Maybe overtime then? 

I could already see that most of the previous dancers left the floor to stand aside and watch us, and I could see my mother's brilliant and approving smile whenever I got a glimpse of her. Nathan was no Prince, but I knew she approved just as much.

Other interested men glared in jealousy at Duke Derulo, and even my dad watched him in scrutiny. He respected Nathan, but seeing him in a son-in-law light, I believe, would take some adjusting to. 

The good thing was, if my mother believed I found the right suitor, then this ball would be over sooner, and I could actually have time to go out tonight. Besides, who better to marry than someone I knew like the back of my hand? Eventually, I'm sure I would get acquainted with him intimately and share feelings.

Eventually. 

So it's settled then. This was easier than I thought. 

"I must say, you are a terrific dancer, Your Grace." I attempted this flirting thing that I've heard about and read in books, thinking the sooner we become 'romantic', the better. 

His already beaming smile only grew impossibly wider. "Oh am I? Or are you just teasing me." 

"I do not tease, Your Grace," I told him honestly with a light chuckle. I was the most serious princess one could ever meet. "I mean every word." 

"Hhmm. And would you believe me if I told you that you are the most exquisite young woman in this room right now?" 

"Oh do not tease me Nathan. There are much more beautiful women here tonight." He looked around playfully, quickly spinning me before bringing us face-to-face again. 

"And it is my time to tell you that I do not tease. You are the most beautiful woman here, and I mean that with all my heart." 

I thought it would've been a good time to know for sure if he wanted me as a wife, so I steered the conversation in that direction without making it too obvious. 

"Why thank you." I curtsied shyly as the song came to an end, and he gently held my hand to place a small kiss on it before leading me to the dining tables. "And may I ask, what else is your heart telling you?" 

I could see that he picked up on my little game, as he flashed me one of his smirks-- the very smirk that had 16 year-old me in a crushing mess. 

"I will not beat around the bushes, my beautiful princess. I desire deeply to have you as my wife. I have for years now, but your mother always expressed that you were not ready," he explained, and I had to try really hard to keep my mouth from dropping in shock. This was surely news to me.

"You-you have?" 

"Of course I have, Amber," he mumbled as he held my hand across the table. "How could I have known someone as wonderful as you all my life, and simply not desire to have you forever? That is, if you'll have me." 

I gulped. It all became so real right there and then. This man--my old friend Duke Nathan Derulo--is asking for my hand in marriage. 

Of course I expected it from the minute he took me onto the dance floor, and I thought I'd accepted it. But to have it being said out loud, it suddenly became real. 

If I'll be a wife, especially to someone who knows me this well, I'd have to give up vampire hunting forever. I'd have to become a dedicated wife and gear myself in becoming the queen of Consok. 

I felt like my world had been spinning. 

"I-I need some air," I blurted out as I quickly jumped to my feet and rushed towards the balcony. 

The cool September air welcomed me with its calming blanket of tranquility, and I closed my eyes to bask in it all. My chest rose and fell slowly as I took ten deep breaths, and I was grateful to be calmed within a minute after almost freaking out. 

This is what my life had become now, and there was no way I could wiggle my way out of it. I am a princess after all--the only princess who should be coronated as queen soon with my new husband. I am the only living heir, after all, and it is my duty. 

The only living heir. 

The thought made me sick to my stomach as I remembered why I started vampire hunting in the first place. Now, I'll have to give it up to accept my new life, when there is still so much to be done and still so many vampires to kill. 

But this is what my family would've wanted. My elder siblings wouldn't have wanted me to be doing the same thing they did with this vampire crazed agenda, where I could easily get killed too. 

I remember how they would always joke about when they die one day, I'd be left with all the royal work and I'd never get a taste of the fun and thrill that vampire-hunting grants. I knew about their secret, and they openly welcomed me into their world, only ensuring I stayed out of the field for my own protection.

Little did we all know that the wretched day would've come eventually, and they'd be stripped from my life forever. Except, I did get a taste of their world. I have been for four years now. Despite the fact that I'll have to put it to an end now, I'm happy that I could carry on their legacies, not only in the secret job they brought to existence,  but as the royals they would've become if they hadn’t died. 

It's only me now. Whether I liked it or not, I knew I had to do this. 

"That was very rude of you Amber," I scolded myself. "Go back in there right now and accept Nathan's marriage proposal." 

I pulled my big girl panties up as I caught a glimpse of him, still sitting in the seat where I left him. My life will change forever tonight, but I think I'm ready. I know I'm ready. 

With the last bit of courage I had left, I stormed right back through the balcony doors and into the mass of dancing people. I politely dismissed any requests to talk as I kept my eyes trained on Nathan. The closer I got, the faster my heart raced, and I was relieved when I saw a server approaching me with a tray of champagne.

"I’ll take one of those, thank you," I rushed out as I reached for a glass. But my fingers didn’t get to wrap around the glass, as I was stunned into a frozen state when I saw my bracelet’s gem glowing a crimson bright red. 

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I felt a presence behind me, and I just knew that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me again. 

I took a sharp intake of breath when I felt cold fingers brushing the hair away from my ear, and it took every ounce of self control in me not to whip around and claw his eyes out. But he had the audacity to be touching me! And touching me so...so intimate too! 

"Hello Princess. May I have this dance?"