Blood & Crown

Chapter 3: The Amethyst Armband

(AURORA POV)

The only thing I heard was the thud of my heart giving out. I calmed myself and sat down at the foot of my bed once I finally got inside my room.

That was close.

I got cold feet. I hesitated and didn’t know what to say to the blond man who saw me. I had a feeling he’d grown suspicious of me, so I just bolted out of there as fast as I could.

“I should’ve never done that.” I plopped down on the bed and stared mindlessly at the ceiling. Thinking of all the

things that could happen to me, I bit my lip and clenched my hands.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door. “Do you have a minute, my darling?”

“Yes, I do.”

“May I come in?”

Before opening the door, I scrambled to get out of my dress and into my nightwear. When I let my father in, he sat on my bed and beckoned me over as I closed the door.

I sat right beside him.

In his hand, he was clutching a piece of jewelry — a silver amethyst armband.

His fingers traced every detail of it, down to the intricate pattern carved into the amethyst stone itself. “Lia was

always overprotective of this. ‘A lousy piece of stone,’ I would always say. I offered to replace it with gold and diamonds, as they were more valuable and suited for royalty, but she refused. She said she would never replace something she valued for more than its material worth. This purposeless item was her most precious one.”

My father’s eyes glistened, full of love, as he stared at the piece of jewelry in his hand. Holding it ever so lightly, it was as if he were holding my mother in his arms.

“Who knew that this lousy stone I used to mock would one day save your mother’s life.”

Silver was once used by vampires to deter rogue werewolves back when the two races were at their worst. When I

was a child, my mother told me about them — about the story of her getting severely injured by the rogues and my father coming to her rescue. She was so happy despite her condition, saying that was when she knew she had found her soulmate.

I remembered how much love poured from my mother’s voice when she described his heroic deed.

My father took my hand and slipped the armband onto my wrist. “When this saved your mother, it became the most

precious thing to me — along with her. When you were born, you replaced this stone in your mother’s heart and mine. And when she died, you and this armband became my life.”

He pulled me in and kissed my forehead. “I just want you to be safe. I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt. I don’t

want to lose you too.”

The love in my father’s voice — and the guilt in my heart — was so overwhelming that I couldn’t help but tear up. I

hugged him tightly, trying to suppress it.

What had happened earlier was washed away by my tears, and along with them came the realization of how

reckless I had been. I didn’t want to hurt my father by putting myself in danger — and yet I still did.

I snuggled deeper into my father’s shoulder, trying to drown out the guilt and frustration I felt.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He caressed my hair and told me it was okay.

Then, when we parted, he held my hands in his and squeezed them gently.

“Tomorrow, you’re allowed to go to the nearest human gathering, but…”

He took a breath, hesitating to continue, then went on. “Don’t stray too far from there. And keep yourself hidden as

much as possible.”

“Dad?” I looked at him, bewildered.

He stood up and patted my head. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow evening when I get back. And I want you home before

the sun sets.”

As he walked toward the door, I called out one more time.

“Dad!”

He stopped for a moment. “Don’t make me regret my decision.”

I couldn’t believe it. “I won’t. Don’t worry.”

He finally left.

The emotions within me were an amalgamation of things I couldn’t comprehend. At first, I was frustrated with

myself, but now I was over the moon — ecstatic that my father had allowed me to go outside.

But regardless of everything, I was excited.

Just like usual, my father left in the morning to meet with the werewolves.

I sat in the dining area, and my food was already prepared. To be honest, I wasn’t hungry. I was anxious. I’d slept

last night — something I hadn’t done in a long time, as I usually slept during the day. But now, I had a reason to

conserve my energy; I would need it to make this day last.

“Lady Aurora?”

“Huh?”

One of my servants, Peri, asked if I was feeling okay, since I hadn’t touched my food.

I nodded and stood up. Smiling, I took her hand. “Come with me.”

I used to sew a lot of dresses — ranging from simple to extravagant. I picked out the simpler ones, something that

would blend in with the humans, and asked Peri for her opinion.

“I think the blue one suits you, Lady Aurora,” she said as she helped me tie the belt around my waist.

“No. I want a more toned-down design. Let’s say… if you were just gathering food in the forest, what would you

wear among these?” I asked. She thought for a moment before grabbing one of the kirtle dresses.

It was blue — darker than what I wore last night — and the sleeves were white instead of solid-colored. The dress

was also longer, perfect for covering my feet from the sun.

“And then pair it with these,” she said, grabbing her own shoes and presenting them to me.

Brown leather latchet shoes that looked well-worn.

When she laid them beside mine, the difference was staggering. I usually wore velvet shoes adorned with silk

details that shimmered under the sunlight — almost too much for the eyes, frankly. Meanwhile, hers were simple,

with character, stories, and experience I was too naïve to understand.

I placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “You’re coming with me. I’m buying you a new pair of shoes.”

We were ready to venture outside. This time, I didn’t need to sneak out or go through the thick shrubs in the forest

instead of the proper path to the market.

I put on my shawl, my silk undergloves, and wore the armband my father had given me beneath my puffed long

sleeves.

I also wore the shoes Peri had lent me. They were surprisingly comfortable.

“I didn’t know you were daring, Lady Aurora,” Peri remarked as we walked beneath the continuous canopy of trees

I’d only ever seen once before.

“I’m also stubborn,” I said.

“That, I know.” Realizing what she’d just said, she gasped and covered her mouth in embarrassment.

I laughed and told her it was fine.

I offered her my arm, noticing how she walked a bit stiffly — nervous, perhaps, since she too had never stepped

outside the house or the palace before.

As my fearful maidservant and friend clung to me, I froze when I caught movement in my peripheral vision.

I turned my head quickly, but when I didn’t see anything, I chalked it up to deer — there were plenty of them around

here.

After a few seconds, we resumed our walk.