VI. Crown Prince

"I'm glad that you'll be able to join us for dinner, princess."

I smiled at Sir Dracon and bowed slightly to greet him and the other princes seated at the table. "I apologize for only being able to accompany you now. I've been feeling ill the last few days."

"It’s alright, princess," Sir Dracon replied, assisting me with my seat. The two servants behind me were giggling and admiring over the attractive blue-haired man beside me. "Would you like me to serve you your dinner, princess?"

"It's fine; the servants will take care of my food."

"Stop being a sucker, Dracon. Are you doing this so the princess will choose you as her partner on the first night of the mating ritual?" Sir Phoenix asked sharply.

"I’m not!" Sir Dracon snarled. He went back to his chair and sat. Sir Phoenix shook his head in dismay at his older brother's actions.

"About that... I haven't agreed to accept the job yet," I pointed out, glancing at them both. There are only four of us in the dining room, excluding the servants, and we were still waiting for Sir Nahas, the eldest of four siblings, to arrive.

"We know, princess, and I want to apologize for what my daring brother said," Sir Dracon responded, glaring at Sir Phoenix.

"You can't hold it against me. I heard what you did to the princess the other day in the garden."

"I did absolutely nothing! Who dares to provide you with incorrect information? Tell me, and I'll sever his tongue!" Sir Dracon took a gulp from his glass of wine. "I simply told the princess she could choose me on the first night of the mating ritual, but I did nothing!"

Sir Phoenix's raucous laughter echoed throughout the dining room. "I know. I was only joking, Dracon. Damn! You're always entertaining to tease, brother."

While the attendants served my dinner, Sir Dracon and Sir Phoenix continued to tease each other. I can't help but smile because of the two; they're entertaining to watch, like toddlers bickering over a toy. But when I turned over to the other side of the table, my smile faded because the man sitting there was staring at me with a very hateful glare.

"Is something wrong, Sir Zeeb?"

"It's Prince Zeeb," he corrected me.

"Oh, I'm very sorry..." Sir Nahas entered the dining hall just as I was ready to say more.

"I apologize for being late, everyone. I just needed to get something done at church—princess!" He was taken aback when he saw me. "It's great that you'll be able to join us for dinner."

"Yes, sorry for not being able to make it the other time. How are you, your excellency?"

"Don't be such a formal princess. It's only us here; I'm merely the eldest prince of Magenta now, so call me by my name," he replied with a charming smile on his lips.

"Yes, Sir Nahas!"

"Still formal." He laughed. Sir Nahas sat in the empty chair beside Sir Zeeb. The attendants quickly attended to him after he had situated himself.

 

I completely forgot about Sir Zeeb and the thing I wanted to say to him because of Sir Nahas’ presence. It was very entertaining to talk with the three princes, and to be honest, I felt more at ease in Sir Nahas’ presence. Meanwhile, Sir Phoenix, who was goofing around and teasing Sir Dracon, made the atmosphere light and fun.

 

We were in the middle of laughing at Sir Phoenix's joke when a knight rushed into the dining hall. "I apologize for interrupting your dinner, Commander Dracon and Captain Phoenix, but there's an urgent matter in the capital. There's a report of Khitúl causing a commotion in the plaza," the knight reported, catching his breath.

 

Sir Dracon and Sir Phoenix both sprang up from their seats and raced out of the dining hall without saying anything. I couldn't help but stare at them as they slowly faded from view.

"Because the two of them aren't here, I believe Zeeb can administer your injection shot." Sir Nahas drew my attention; I turned from the dining hall door to face him.

"My what?"

"Your daily dose of our blood, princess," he responded gently.

"Right. Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly."

I returned my sight to Prince Zeeb, who was no longer looking at me and was now preoccupied with his food. So we'd still see each other after dinner. In that case, I'm hoping we get along. Sir Zeeb is the most elusive and remote of the princes. I tried approaching him and getting along with him, but it was useless. There's something about him that makes me uneasy in his company.

 

"Okay," I said cautiously. I cast another glance at Sir Zeeb, but his thoughts seemed to have wandered elsewhere.

 

After dinner…

"Princess, Prince Zeeb is here for your injection shot," Ashna informed me. I immediately stood up and faced my guest.

"Good evening, Prince Zeeb." I smiled and warmly greeted him. But I received no reaction from him. He strolled right into my room's lounge area and sat there arrogantly.

"I want all the servants out," he declared coldly.

 

Ashna and Asuka exited my room quickly. They were like scared puppies; they didn't even manage to say goodbye to me because they rustled out of the room. What is happening? I turned to Prince Zeeb and was surprised to see him drop his feet on the center table. I couldn't help but feel irritated by his impolite behavior.

"What are you still doing there? Do you want me to carry you over here?"

"No. What are you doing? Why are you acting like this? You act like you're not the prince of Magenta," I snarled as I walked up to the lounge and took a seat in front of him.

"That's just a title; you don't have to care how I act, and it's just the two of us here; do you want me to act like a gentleman in front of a woman like you?" He chuckled. "I'm sorry, but I'm not like my siblings; I don't think of you as a princess, despite what they say; to me, you're just a lowly sex slave, that's your only role here."

I was smacked in the face with a board-like reality. I dislike his impolite demeanor, but I dislike his cutting words even more. Now that I know we're not going to get along, my opinion of him has shifted dramatically. I don't want to be around someone with such a high opinion of himself.

"I can't argue with you. That's your opinion of me. Can we just finish the shot so you can leave my room right away?" I want to smack his face. I'm irritated by his presence and want him out of my room as soon as possible.

He grinned menacingly. "You think I came here for your injection shot?" I became nervous as he stood up and approached me.

"What are you planning to do?" I drew back from him, but simply leaned against the back of the couch. He leaned in slightly to level our faces, one hand resting on the back of the couch.

"Ah, right! It's still an injection shot," he grinned. "However, instead of my blood, I would gladly inject you with my love juices." My cheeks quickly turned red at his brazen declaration; I'm in danger!