"Please call Duke Raphael to this place." The servant was ordered by the king.
The servant bowed his head and exited the room.
The king turned his attention to the Duchess, "Serena, do you think Sabrina has what it takes to be the well behaved princess that we want to see?" the king inquired of Duchess Serena as the conversation progressed.
"Yes, your highness, you can leave everything to me." The Duchess replied in a soft tone of voice.
"Your highness, the Duke has arrived to see you." The servant made the announcement.
"Please let him in." The king gave his approval.
"You wanted my presence, brother? What can I do to be of assistance to you?" The Duke of Raphael Carter bowed his head before the king.
"Your Highness, do you want me to leave now?" The Duchess interjected herself into their discussion.
"No, Serena, you are welcome to stay." Before turning to face his brother, the king responded to the Duchess' query.
"Raphael, as you are aware, your wife is responsible for Sabrina's protection and responsibilities, she wishes to hire personal guards for Sabrina who will be by her side at all times and protect her." King Azar went on to say more.
The Duke was silent as he was paying attention to his brother.
"I would like you to find Sabrina some qualified guards to protect her. They must be courageous, as well as witty. One who will be capable of protecting Sabrina and in whom we can place our trust." After looking at the duchess, the king said, "Serena, please add something if you would like to make a point of."
"You can count on it, your highness. We only need a few guards because she already has four maids. The guards must be well versed in our policies and procedures and they will be rewarded extra for being her personal guards." the Duchess added.
"Sure brother. I will seek out the most qualified guards who are eligible to protect the princess. I will start looking for them first thing in the morning tomorrow." The Duke was the one who responded.
"Thank you so much, Raphael." The king grinned as a token of his appreciation and to show his gratitude.
"Your highness, I would like to thank you for your time to accept my proposal. I shall take my leave now and good night." The Duchess bowed to the king and crossed the room to stand by her husband's side.
"Good night brother." Raphael even bowed his head.
"Thank you so much." the king answered as both the Duke and the Duchess walked out of the king's chamber.
The king shifted his gaze to his left and fixed his gaze on the massive portrait of queen Azura, "What a difference it makes in the life of a child when she does not have a mother. Our daughter has grown up so much."
Azura, I hope you are able to see her? I wish you could have remained by our side. We adore you Azura, we all miss you.... can you hear me?" He leaned against the portrait and tears started streaming down his cheeks.
*** *** *** ***
"Princess, it is time for you to retire to your room." Rosie suggested the idea to princess Sabrina.
"Oh Rosie, pity on me! Just one book was found after we spent the whole evening looking for a vampire novel. So I would like to finish reading this book before going to bed tonight." The princess whined and groaned.
"At the very least, take a bath before starting the novel. We have just been splattered with dirt all over." Rosie swung her chin to one side and smirked.
"You make a lot of sense. Okay, let's get into the bath quickly." She raced toward the bathing chamber, screaming "bring my clothes quickly. Hurry up ladies!" Princess Sabrina chuckled as she ran through the hallway.
"Wait, princess!" Rosie exclaimed, startled by the princess' action. She dashed to the wardrobe and grabbed one of the princess' nightgowns before sprinting after her.
They were accompanied by the other maids as well catching them up.
The princess was undressed and her hair was pulled back by the maids. When the maids were assisting her, the princess went into the bath tub to relax.
"You can all tidy up after yourself as well with me. Jump and take a soak in this tub." Since the bathing tub was nearly the size of a king sized bed, Princess Sabrina graciously accepted the offer.
"However, princess, we are your attendants." Rosie paused to remind the princess, and the others nodded their heads in agreement with Rosie's statement.
"There is no one around to see what we are doing. Bring it on, hurry up. After the bath, we should all retire to our respective beds." The princess could not wait to get her hands on the book and read it. She was both impatient and excited.
The maids exchanged glances before deciding to go along with the princess' idea. They jumped into the tub after undressing themselves.
"Princess, please pardon me for asking this, but why did you allow us to bathe with you when you know that servants are not permitted to enjoy the same status as the royals?" Lily asked, in the words of one of the servants.
"That is something I am aware of. That, however, is not something I want to do. I'm not concerned with the rules but I am concerned with my people. And since you ladies are here to serve me 24 hours a day, you can at least take advantage of this opportunity with me." The princess flashed a grin.
"Thank you, Princess, for being respectful of our situation. You are generous like your mother, queen Azura." Lily expressed her appreciation.
"It is not much of a deal. Let's get this over with and get to bed. I just want to get started on that novel." Princess Sabrina laughed a little.
"The feeling I get after taking a bath and washing away all the dirt from my body is incredible." the princess flopped herself upon the bed to relax."Would you like to have something to eat before going to bed?" Lily was the one who inquired."Rosie, what should I have for dinner?" Princess Sabrina grumbled to her as she rolled around on the bed, enjoying herself."Fruits can be consumed depending on the time now. At this late hour, there is no need for a large meal." Rosie gave her opinion as she was well aware of the food habits of the princess."All right, so bring me some fresh fruits and a glass of milk," Princess Sabrina pushed herself to get up in her bed."Sure, I will get them over here right away." Lily proceeded to fetch the fruits that the princess had requested."Rosie, would you be able to braid my hair? And Jasmine and Mary, you can both retire to your own beds at this point." The princess flashed a grin as she nodded."Of course, princess." It was a unanimous response
The princess was so enthralled by the prospect of learning all there was to know about vampires that she was unable to keep her attention and patience for the remainder of the next day.She was completely oblivious to the passage of time as she continued to read the book.'As I stated earlier, if a vampire bites by only its upper fangs, he/she can drink blood without killing the victim, the vampire needs only to squeeze its fangs to completely kill the victim. Biting by the lower fangs can convey diseases to the victim which may be vampirism virus.''The eyes of a vampire have evolved to be very powerful. They can see everything in complete darkness. Their iris is usually red in color due to the blood present in it but if the vampire starves, all the blood in the eyes disappears to give life detection and it appears to be a pale yellow iris.''Vampires have the sight, smell, and hearing of a bat or a wolf, and they have the ability to hear a spider sew its web or a human heartbeat fro
Before heading into the royal garden to meet the duchess, the princess showered and changed into new, fresh clothes. Her hair was tied up by Lily and she wore a plain yellow gown."Good morning, Sabrina," the princess was greeted by the duchess."Good morning, Duchess Serena," the princess remarked after bowing to the Duchess and greeting her."Please have a seat," the Duchess said, flashing a smile on her face.Princess Sabrina made her way up to the chair directly across from the duchess."Servants, could you please serve the tea to the princess?" Duchess Serena gave the command.Rosie, who stood behind the princess, nodded and walked over to the princess's table and started pouring tea from the kettle for her tea. After all, Rosie is well-versed in the culinary preferences of the princess. "Sabrina, do you recall what you were supposed to do today as per your routine?" As she sipped her tea, the duchess pondered the question."Yes, Duchess! After the tea, I have to practise dancin
"Because of your strength, mentality, and physical condition, I would like to extend an invitation to you to our Royal Palace. Would you be interested in working as a devoted guard to safeguard someone?" The suggestion came from Duke Raphael."What exactly will I be getting out of it?" Dillion swung his head to the side a little."If you are chosen, you will have the opportunity to live in the royal palace, eat the royal meals, and be compensated with a fair salary. But only if you have a strong sense of loyalty towards us. And if you are not chosen, we will provide money to help you at the very least find a place to live." The Duke went on to elaborate further."I guess I will go ahead and do it. Thank you so much for your help." Dillion greeted the Duke with a friendly grin and a respectful bow."It is entirely our pleasure, and I would appreciate it if you would accompany me." Duke Raphael greeted Dillion with a bright smile and escorted him to his chariot.Dillon followed the Duke
"Can you tell me your name and where you are from?" The princess remained close to the entrance."My name is Castóy Mursô, and I am from the country of Solvania," he said, his voice stuttering as he spoke."Okay, then I am going to leave you, enjoy yourself. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me." The princess turned quickly and exited Castóy's chamber."What was the reason for your sudden appearance? What exactly transpired, my lady?" Rosie appeared to be concerned about the princess' well-being."He is a drunken man, and this man is the worst of the worst." The princess was disgusted with the thought of meeting him again."It is all good, princess; you can still meet another five men." Rosie reminded her."Indeed! I am going to meet the other five men too." The princess walked across the corridor and knocked on a random door.The entrance to the chamber was opened automatically, but there was no light coming from within, it was pitch black."Rosie, could you kindly look into w
Dillion nodded and bowed with a smile as Princess Sabrina walked out of his chamber.The princess smiled at him before she hurried back to her room, as she did not want her maids to run around the palace just to find her.But she came to a halt when she realised after a moment's thought, 'I forgot to ask his name.' She groaned loudly and walked back to her room, her face flushed with despair.After that, the princess returned to her chamber, where she found the vampire book that she had been assigned to read.She first had one glass of milk and partook of the fruit salad that had been prepared for her.The servants exited her chamber after extinguishing her room's candles.Princess Sabrina went to bed with that book, and she immediately began reading it from the point at which she had left it.'Unlike humans, vampires have no expiration date and can live for millions of years or more if they are given the proper conditions to do so. As a vampire ages, it is well known that he or she b
THE NEXT MORNINGAwakening before the crack of dawn was necessary for the princess in order to choose a suitable guard for herself. Because of this, she showered and ate breakfast before making her way into the grand hallway."Good morning Duchess," Princess Sabrina greeted the Duchess with a bow and took a seat next to her.In the large hallway, the seven gentlemen were already waiting for them. A seat directly across from the duchess and the princess had been assigned to each of them."Please introduce yourselves one by one, young gentlemen. Thank you. Begin with yourself." Mister Mursô was pointed out by Duchess Serena."Ahh.. alright, your highness.'' He stood up and bowed to the Duchess before introducing himself, "Castóy Mursô is my name, and I am 32 years old from Solvania. I used to own and operate a wine business with my family."He took his place in the chair."Thank you very much, mister Mursô." the Duchess turned to her attendant, and said, "Please make a note of their ide
THE PRACTICE FIELD OF ROYAL PALACE, PRISIONERAThe seven men stood in the middle of the field, with Duke Raphael directing their steps and movements.The princess and the duchess made their way into the field, their maids trailing behind them and holding umbrellas over their heads to provide shade for them.Princess Sabrina maintained a close eye on Dillion, who appeared apprehensive and concerned about something.However, their gazes occasionally connected, causing both of them to grin, while at other moments, one of them simply studied the other.Duke Raphael began by saying, "So, in order to put your weapon abilities and strength to the test, we will put you through a series of tests. He, who will be able to acquire the greatest number of points and shall be recognised as the most deserving one to be our royal guard."As soon as the Duke finished speaking Dillion collapsed on the field suddenly. The maids gasped altogether and Duke Raphael rushed over to see what happened to him.