The Vampyre Venture

Chapter I.XVII

Becca was looking at the looming castle as the carriage stopped in front of the gate. The driver was talking with the guard before the gate was opened as the carriage rolled onto the courtyard of the Royal Castle. Becca’s heart was beating fast as the blood was roaring inside her ears. She did not know if she could face the queen alone when Niklaus was not with her. She wished that her husband would be with her. But alas, she was there on her own.

“We’re here, Your Grace,” the coachman said as the weight of the footman stepped down from the carriage could be heard. She was taking a deep breath before the footman was opening the door of the carriage. The huge oak doors of the Royal Castle were opened as Becca was getting off the carriage with the help of the footman. She was gathering her skirts before smoothing them as the butler was opening the door and she saw the form of the young queen come at her.

“Becca! It’s so good to see you,” she said before Becca was standing with her back straight as she smiled at the young queen.

“Ara, how are you doing?” she said before the queen was hugging her. She was hugging her cousin-in-law before the carriage was rolling out of the courtyard so that the horses could rest and the servants could take their rest. Arabella was smiling at her before she was leading her toward the castle.

“Come in, come in! Don’t be shy. I know how exhausting the trip from the outskirts to get here is,” she said as Ara was wounding her hands around her arm. Becca was feeling awkward but she felt familiar at the same time. It was as if Ara had been a part of her life somehow, even when it had been a few weeks since she was married to Niklaus.

“So, how’s my cousin? Is he still brooding in his private study?” Ara said as Becca was removing her outer coat and handed it to the butler. The butler bowed before leaving the queen and her alone. She was smoothing her bodice before Becca was smiling at her cousin.

“Well, he’s been okay. Not brooding over the tenants’ ledgers as you might think, Ara,” she said before the queen was giving a quick tour of the castle.

“Well, this is the parlor and this long hallway will lead us to the receiving room as well as the music room and painting room. I don’t know if you know any instrument to play—“

“I know how to play the pianoforte,” Becca said before Ara was smiling at her.

“Well, we can get you to play for us later after luncheon, but for now, let’s have some tea, shall we?” she asked before they were making their way to the receiving room. The queen had already told her butler to carry a tray of hot tea and biscuits for them to entertain themselves in the receiving room.

“I hope you don’t mind having luncheon here. Nick will be joining us later,” Ara said as the maid was pouring the tea into their cups. Then, she dismissed her maid as Ara was smiling at Becca before her eyes were training on the choker that she wore. Her smile was bright.

“Well, I’m sure you have something to ask me before we have our luncheon, and while we’re waiting for the gentle people to arrive, you can ask me, Becca,” the young queen said as she was taking a teacup and drank her hot tea. Becca was biting her lower lips before she sighed.

“It’s…I…how do I say this? Nick told me that you can answer any question regarding this,” Becca showed her choker as the young queen was nodding at her while putting her teacup on the table. The new duchess sighed. “I don’t know if the conversion will affect me. I know that you guys had Porphyria when you were in your adolescence but I am already 23 years old. Will it be a different experience than what you had?” Becca said as the queen was nodding at her. Ara smiled before she was patting Becca’s hands.

“Do not worry, my dear. You will feel strange and you will undergo some changes to your body. Meaning that you will be having some symptoms that might be like when we had Porphyria, but it was not as horrible as that,” Ara said as she wrinkled her nose. Becca stared at it.

“How was it for you to change? All those years ago?” Becca said before Ara was looking at the tea on the table. She smiled as she turned to look at Becca.

“I can say that I wanted to claw my own throat as the burn was too much. The fever was at a high pitch and I was sweating profusely so that I didn’t think water could save me anymore. You will get dehydrated fast since your toxins will be cleansed from your body. I think you can overcome that, Becca,” Ara said as she was taking her hands into hers. It felt smooth like butter.

“Will there be something else except for the torture of that?” Becca asked before Ara laughed.

“Well, you don’t want to eat anything, and believe me when I said this, you need to keep up your energy, hence you need to eat the food even though you don’t want to,” she said, as Becca nodded. Ara sighed before she was patting her hands again.

“If anything, it will be weeks from now before your symptoms will come over your body, my dear. And speaking of the gentle people, there they are!” the young queen said as the door of the receiving room opened and her husband was walking inside the room with a person that Becca would not see if she was a lady on the streets.

It was the Prince Consort himself.

“Becca! I see that you are getting comfy with Ara,” Nick said as she was smiling at her husband. The young queen was laughing before the ladies were standing as the lords were coming toward them.

“Becca, I would like you to meet my husband, Aiden. Aiden, this is Nick’s wife, Rebecca,” Ara said before Becca was smiling at him.

“You can call me Becca. No need to be formal. We’re family after all,” she said before the prince consort was taking her hand and bowed to her.

“A pleasure to meet you, Becca. Nick has told me so much about you,” Aiden said before Becca was arching her eyebrows at her husband.

“I hope all good things?” she asked before Aiden chuckled softly as Niklaus smirked.

“Well, one can hope, my love,” he replied before the young queen was moving toward her husband and kissed him in front of them. Becca averted her gaze before she turned to look at Nick. Her husband was arching his eyebrows before she felt her cheeks were heated.

“Shall we get to our luncheon then?” Ara said as she slipped her hand against her husband’s elbow. Becca nodded before the young monarch led them to the dining hall. She was walking with Niklaus by her side.

“Well, your cousin surely knows how to make polite society blush,” she whispered before Nick chuckling softly. He leaned forward as his mouth was on her ear.

“And for your information, my love, she can hear you,” her husband said before Ara glanced over her shoulder and winked at Becca. She closed her eyes as she was leaning her face against Nick’s shoulder. Her husband just laughed as they made their way to the dining hall.

The guards opened the door as the royal couple were sitting at the head of the table. There were two sets of chairs and utensils before Ara and Aiden were taking their seats. Nick was leading her to take her seat right next to him, which was on the right side of the young queen. As they were seated, the servants were moving around to serve them.

“I hope you like roasted lamb. It was a delicacy for us,” Ara said as Becca was looking at the young queen. Becca did not understand what the young queen referred the delicacy to as being a Vampyre or being a royal.

As if a lamb was hard to acquire for the royal family.

Becca smiled as she bowed to Ara. “I am honored to have them today then,” she replied as Niklaus was putting his hand on her knee, squeezing it as if to say that she did the right thing.

“Shall we dig in then?” the queen said before they went on to take their luncheon as the royal couple got to know Niklaus’ wife, who had been converted to have their little secret that had been hidden from the citizens of Niapachad Island for centuries.

*****

Niklaus helped Becca to get inside the carriage as Arabella and her husband, Aiden, were sending them off. Nick was happy to see that his cousin was doing fine with the new adjustment of being the youngest queen that Niapachad Island had seen in its history.

But she was defying the odds and Nick could not be prouder of his little cousin.

“Come back to visit more, Nick. I’m sure Becca would not mind chatting with me,” Arabella said before Becca was smiling at her. Nick chuckled softly as his wife bunched her skirts in her hand as he took his offered hand to get inside the carriage. Nick went after her as they settled against the velvet couch.

“We’ll see when we can come to visit later and tell you in advance,” Nick said before Arabella was smiling as Aiden was hugging her waist.

“Have a safe trip,” the royal couple said as Nick and Becca waved at them before their coachman was whipping the reins after their footman was climbing the carriage. They moved forward while the royal couple was making their way into the castle. Becca was settling against the couch as she was leaning against his shoulder.

“Was it a good visit? I hope Ara helped you understand some of the changes that might be coming over you a few weeks from now,” Nick said as he was caressing her soft tresses while Becca was sighing with contentment.

“She is. But there is one thing that I was too embarrassed to ask her about,” Becca said before her wife turned to look at his face. Nick was arching his eyebrows.

“And what is that, my love?” he asked before Becca was smirking as she was leaning closer to his face.

“Why was I suddenly aroused when I was in your presence? Perhaps you can tell me why, my love,” she whispered huskily before Nick was gripping her nape as he was staring into the greenest eyes of his wife. It shone like emeralds as the gaslights were penetrating the window of their carriage.

“I think I cannot answer that as well, my love, when I felt the same way about you after I saw you in that receiving room, looking ravishing in this daily gown,” he said as he was touching her neckline. Becca shivered before her breath ragged.

“Will you kiss me or should I make the first move, my lord?” she asked before Nick pulled her head closer.

“You know I would always be the one to initiate things between us, my love. You should learn that by now,” he said before he claimed her lips. It was a searing kiss as Niklaus had been dying to kiss his wife while he was away in that court, talking about taxes and tenants’ payments. He would rather spend some time with his wife in their bedchambers.

Becca moaned in their kiss before she was gripping his lapels as she straddled his lap. She was wounding her hands in his lapels before pulling him closer as her chest was hitting his. Nick groaned before he broke the kiss and pulled out his pocket watch. Then, he cursed.

“What is it?” Becca asked as her eyes were glazed with lust that Nick knew he had put them there. He smiled at her before he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs.

“It will be a long time before we’re in the privacy of our bedchambers. I don’t think I can wait that long,” he said before Becca smirked.

“As if you would not take me in this carriage, Nick. Where’s the fun in that?” she said before his eyes were bleeding out of their color as the Demon of the darker side was coming out to play with his soulmate.

“Well, if you ask for it…” he said before Becca was biting his lower lips. His c**k jerked up at the action alone.

“I demand it,” she whispered into his ear before he pushed his wife onto the velvet couch. Her green eyes bled black as well.

“So be it,” he said before Nick kissed her lips again and, this time, he would not stop for a kiss only. He would be going all the way to claim her in that carriage ride to their estate.