The Royal Quest

CHAPTER 18. False Name

"How is she?" Massimo inquired after Gilbert was done treating Dahlia.

The princess is currently lying comfortably in bed while drowning in her sweet slumber.

"Not so good. You should have brought her here last night when you saw her wound." The old man blamed him.

"Are you telling me that it is my fault?" Massimo bluntly hissed at his friend.

"A bit." Gilbert straightly countered.

"I didn't intend to bring her here. I shouldn't have helped her  in the first place. I have a feeling that she would only bring trouble to me," Massimo said, while his eyes were glued to the sleeping beauty.

"Oh, right. That's true, especially when she finds out who you are. But here she is, still ending up in one of our rooms and you invited her friends as well." Gilbert playfully mocked the vampire and about to leave the chamber.

"By the way, you go to sleep as well. Or else you will not have a chance to see her tonight when she wakes up." He reminded the vampire, who seemed to have no plan of leaving the lady alone.

*****

"Finally, you woke up. How do you feel now?" Gilbert inquired enthusiastically with a smile.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Dahlie scratches her eyes as she looks around the place. 

"My name is Gilbert and you are in my humble home, dear. A vampire brought you here, if you can recall." 

"A vampire? But… I believe I'm with Baron and Jamie, where are they?" Dahlia confusingly inquired with furrowed eyebrows.

"I bet they are on their way here now. If only that soldier had just listened to me and brought you here, then they should have arrived earlier." Massimo suddenly burst in with a small basin with water in his hands.

"You again?" Dahlia was surprised to see the vampire who saved her from the monsters who tried to attack her.

"No other." Massimo responded and handed the water to the doctor.

"What happened to your face?" Dahlia inquired after seeing the plaster on his face.

"It was nothing."  He refused and he stood beside the bed and turned to Gilbert.

"How is she?" He asked.

"Now let's see." Gilbert uttered as he put his palm on Dahlia's forehead.

"You did a good job. Her temperature finally went down." He announced, looking at Massimo, while Dahlia had no idea what the old man meant by what he did. 

"This charming vampire took care of you while you were sleeping." Gilbert told her with a smile before he went to the table on the right side of the bed to get some medical apparatus to clean Dahlia's wound.

"Thank you." Dahlia said with soft chuckles, while Massimo didn't respond and took a seat on the couch in front of the bed while watching the doctor.

"By the way, what's your name?" Dahlia suddenly asked with a smile.

"M-my name?" Massimo stammered and took a glance at Gilbert, who also turned to him.

"Yes. I forgot to ask the first time we met."

"Uhh.." 

"Seriously, Moss? How hard is it to say your name." Gilbert interrupts, while Dahlia chuckles again.

"So, your name is Moss?" Dahlia repeated.

"Ahh yeah." He confirmed.

"A beautiful name, isn't it?" Gilbert continued to tease the vampire.

"Indeed," Dahlia agreed.

"And I'm Dahlia," She also introduced herself, while Massimo couldn't release his eyes away from the lady.

"I know... Dahlia." He repeated and suddenly heard something going towards the house.

With no words, he stood up and walked out of the room.

"So you can move like a normal person then?" Dahlia let out before he stepped a foot out of the door and turned to the lady again.

"What?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows, as he was confused about what she meant. 

"You keep on disappearing faster than a blink of an eye in front of me. Aww!!!" Dahlia said and winced when the doctor started damping the ailment on her wound.

"I'm sorry, dear." Gilbert apologized.

"This is my body, I can always move whatever way I want to," Massimo countered in a cold tone and continued his pace.

"Charming vampire, huh?" Dahlia muttered unbelievably, which made the doctor chuckle as well.

"By the way, Dahlia. Who did this?" Gilbert finally asked.

"Moss told me that you were attacked by men before the other vampires came." He was just curious about the information.

"Jamie recognizes them as Sullivan's men." She answered with her head bent down.

"I met him in Heinzfield and made him my enemy. I just don't understand why his men are so eager, like they wanted to kill me." Dahlia unbelievably mutters with a wrinkled forehead, staring at her hand.

"Maybe because he loathed you that much? You should be careful." 

"But I'm the princess and he knows that, he recognizes me. Is he really willing to lose everything? What he did to me was a crime. If the palace learns about it, he'll be dead." Dahlia unbelievably hissed and didn't realize that she had just uncovered her identity to the old man.

"So, you are the runaway princess from Haru, aren't you?" Gilbert asked with chuckles and got up from bed.

"Done." He announced when he finished with her wound.

"Avoid moving your arm too much until it is healed." He added.

Dahlia sighed deeply for not being careful with her words again.

“Did Moss tell you the reason why suddenly a group of vampires appeared on the scene?”

“No, He didn’t. Did he tell you?” Dahlia asked and another wave of confusion inside her. 

“Aren’t they just attacking whenever they want to? Or whenever they sense their prey?” She added.

“Exactly, and they sensed you, and the sweet smell of your blood gave them the path towards you. So you have to be extra careful from now on. Never let any drop of blood come out from you again.” Gilbert warned her.

“Sweet?” she repeated confusingly.

“That’s how Moss described it. You know, it’s a vampire thing so you should ask him about it.”

"You should rest more while waiting for your friends, princess. I will just prepare our dinner for later and if you need anything don't hesitate to let me know, alright?" 

"Uhm, doctor. One more thing." 

"Yes?" The doctor responded with a broad warm smile.

But before Dahlia could say anything, Massimo suddenly arrived.

"Your friends will be here any minute now," he announced.

"Thank goodness. Thank you." 

"Alright, since you're here now, serve the princess while I prepare everything for the guests." Gilbert said and winked at Dahlia playfully before he finally left.

"Well, if you want to have a servant around, then go back to your palace," he said coldly.

"Seriously? You have no idea what I've been going through, Mister. I thought you were gentle and kind but you suddenly acted arrogantly. I didn't ask for your help in the first place, if I may remind you." 

"But if it weren't because of me, you would be dead by now." 

"Fine, I can't stay here. Baron is right. You are no different from other vampires, you are cruel and mean like the others." Dahlia said and moved to get up, but before she could reach her feet on the floor, Massimo suddenly appeared in front of her. Caging her in between the headboard of the bed with his face just a few inches away from her.

"You are not going anywhere." He said, staring straight into her eyes.

"Bu-but you're so mean," Dahlia stammered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you annoyed." He explained with his calm tone.

"Tell me, what do you want?" And asked gently without withdrawing his eyes at her.

"I-I ju-just want to have a wa-warm bath if that's alright?" 

Massimo released Dahlia, who quickly took a deep breath.

"No problem, I'll just prepare clean clothes for you."

"Thank you."

Massimo nodded in response and already went out of the chamber. He heads straight to Gilbert in the kitchen, who is busy preparing the ingredients for their dinner.

“Gilbert, “ he called him.

“Yes? So what’s your first task?” the old person teasingly asked without withdrawing his attention from the potatoes he was peeling.

“First of all, why did you name me after a dog?” referring to his late dog that passed away many years ago.

“You know I never had a chance to have my own child and I guess that's because I'm not good at naming." He chuckles.

"And that's the first name that pops into my brain. However, would you like me to take back what I said and tell the truth?” Gilbert asked with a smirk.

“No! Don’t do that!” Massimo quickly answered.

Gilbert puts down the knife and vegetable on the table, then faces the man with a grin.

“I see-" but before Gilbert could mock the vampire more, Massimo quickly interrupted him.

"Anyway, before you can say whatever your advice is, I need clothes for the princess first." 

Gilbert smiled.

"No problem." He said.

*****

Finally, Baron arrived at the ridge with Jamie.

"Dahlia! Dahlia!" He furiously called the lady as he strode rapidly to the entrance.

"Dahlia!" He starts knocking wildly on the door, not minding if he is disturbing anyone in the house until it opens and is welcomed by the old man. 

"Whoa! Calm down, young man. Welcome to Langley Ridge!" Gilbert said, enthusiastically, with a smile.

"Yeah, calm down. You're irritating my ears, you're so loud." Massimo also interrupted from behind, standing beside Jamie with a smirk.

Baron quickly charged towards the vampire, but before he could get close, Massimo shifted his spot beside Gilbert.

"When will you accept that I am way far stronger and wiser than you, mortal? Way…way… too far." Massimo mocked the man with a mischievous grin.

"Where's the princess!?" Baron angrily inquired.

"Is that how you approach someone who saved your life?"

"Saved my life? First of all, they are your kind who attacked us. You soaked Dahlia in the river for hours, which made her even more sick and almost dying. Now you are keeping the princess in your territory, but I won't let you hurt her space as long as I am breathing. I will pursue wherever shadows you hide." Baron angrily hissed at the vampire, who had a serious expression and eyes glued at him.

"Correction, you were already in trouble before 'my kind' attacked you and the water hides Dahlia's scent from 'my kind' so they can't follow her scent." Massimo countered, emphasizing the words 'my kind'.

"I told you to go straight to the ridge so that this doctor  friend of mine could attend to her wound immediately, but you are being stubborn and did not listen, instead you travelled in the opposite direction. Lastly, I'm not hiding, you see?" He added, moving his arms wide without blinking his golden flared eyes.

"Anyway, you don't have to say the magic words as I am used to humans like you. But if you don't mind, this place has always been peaceful, please don't make a scene." Massimo said and turned his heels away to avoid the man, as he wanted to keep the serene aura of the place as well.

"Oh, well." Gilbert took over and welcomed the visitors warmly and walked in Jamie's direction.

"You must be Jamie? The princess will be happy to see you again." He said, and led the boy to the house.

"You too," approached Baron.

"You must be hungry and tired. I prepared dinner and a place for you to stay. Come in, let's go." He invited Baron and started walking.

Baron sighed with so much disappointment but, let himself welcome to the ridge,