Sunshine ||A Wife of Vladimir Novel||

Prologue

Dear Count Alistair Dracula,

My name is Rosetta Dawn Woods. I was born June twelfth of eighteen thirty-nine. I am seventeen years of age. I hope this letter finds you well, Count Dracula, for your letter found my father's attention. I don't know what the two of you have discussed, but I know my father has a tendency to manipulate the truth. I hope that I can trust you with a letter of my own.

I love to read. My home has a library where we have books from all over the world. I often found myself lost in the shelves until my father took that privilege away from me. He told me that I spent too much time busying myself by filling my head with things I didn't need to know. I'm not allowed to go into the library anymore, but I have several books in my room that I love to reread. It's not much, but it gets me by.

I have never traveled to Transylvania, nor have I ever traveled outside of Invea before. I hope I, at least, get the chance to see it someday soon by the grace of you. I don't want to end up like my mother, bless her soul. Father wouldn't let her leave either. He kept her locked up in this castle. Her only escape was painting, but even that wasn't enough. She passed many years ago from causes that are unknown. I'm too frightened to question it.

I have never imagined myself in this position before. Countless suitors have come to him before and he has denied all of them. With my letter, he will send you a rejection letter. I need you to write back, to persuade him out of his refusal. I heard him reading it aloud to one of our servants and, though I'm not sure why, I feel like this is my last chance at freedom. You seem different than the other fathers that have come seeking me for their sons. You seem different enough to place my trust into. I'm not sure yet if this is wise, but I'm tired of this life. I want to escape.

I want my own life.

I don't have any siblings, nor do I have a step-mother. It's only my father and I, which is just the way he likes to keep things. I am in desperate need of you to help me, Count Dracula.

If I'm being honest with you, I don't know if I would make a good wife or not. I don't know how to cook or how to protect someone when it comes to war, but I do know how to clean and how to make someone smile. I know how to be quiet and to understand my place. I don't know anything about your son other than what was revealed in your letter.

I can't promise that I will love him as my husband, but I can promise that I will love him as my greatest of friends. I know this doesn't sound convincing, but I want to be honest with you. I don't want to deceive anyone any longer. I am desperate to be free of this illusion my father has portrayed.

I can't promise that your son will love me, either. I don't think of myself as the most beautiful woman out there, or a woman of any quality that would stand out enough for him to even consider me as his wife. I don't know why he would, but I would like to hope that he would eventually come around to me as I hope to do with him.

I pray you understand how dire this situation is.

I can't keep living like this, living under his control.

Please, don't tell my father I've reached out to you. Let us keep this a secret between the two of us. Don't write back to me, only write back to my father. He won't let me read any letter addressed to me. Burn this letter once you've received it, I don't want any trace of it to be left. Father can't know I did this.

Count Alistair Dracula, please don't leave me. I need your help and the help of your son more than anything. I'll follow any rules you both give or anything either of you ask of me.

Please.

Sincerely,

Princess Rosetta of Invea