✔️ Predicted 𓆩♡𓆪 | y.jw

2.29

"You look beautiful, my lady." Diana said with a proud smile as she adjusted my jewelry one last time before stepping back to admire her work. I peered back at myself in the mirror, smiling as I took in my reflection. Diana never seemed to disappoint, and this was not an exception.

I was dressed in the official Yang Kingdom attire, sporting a dress that was significant in the Kingdom's culture and tradition. Silk white gloves covered my hands, as only the neck and above was permitted to be shown by both women and men in the culture. My hair was also styled traditionally, trinkets and small hair pins elegantly dangling from it as glitter that was neither too noticeable nor invisible glimmered around my eye. Diana had made sure to dab my cheeks with a slightly rosy powder, claiming that I seemed to have been losing color in my face recently.

She didn't need to know that I was a vampire. Thankfully, I was able to mask my vampire teeth as human teeth.

Although I certainly looked happy and dolled up on the outside, my inside was screaming in fear and agony. It was a day that I had wanted to avoid for a very long time.

I was going to have lunch with the King and Queen, along with a few high ranking nobles.

Of course, Jungwon was going to be there too. In fact, the boy had been assigned to arrange the banquet, much to his dismay, and left early in the morning with a few annoyed grumbles and mutters to tend to it.

Why I had to tag along, that I did not know. I knew for sure of one thing, though: I was going to be humiliated. Whether by the nobles or the King and Queen themselves, there was no avoiding it. After all, in their eyes, I was just a measly human who the crown prince had taken pity on. I was probably nothing more than entertainment to them.

Jungwon had assured me this morning that he would do the most he could to try and take most of the attention away from myself, but that he wouldn't be able to help very much should I become the center of the conversation. He stated that the best I could do in that situation is keep quiet and agree, as any complaints would just push me farther into their unfavored side.

I managed to drink a glass of animal blood that Jungwon called for before Diana arrived to fix me up. What he had told me before was true; I was starting to need less blood. In fact, I didn't need Jungwon's blood at all last night, much to my relief. Even if blood no longer tasted as bad as it previously had to me, I was still relieved to see that it was no longer a dire need.

"My lady, I'm here to assist you to the banquet." a familiar voice announced through the door.

I immediately hiked up my skirts and opened the door, beaming at the owner of the voice. "Geonu!"

I hadn't seen him since the day I transformed, so I couldn't deny that I had missed his quiet personality. Since I had seen him quite often before my transformation, he became my closest friend - other than the other princes, of course. It was quite embarrassing that this group of people seemed to be the only friends I possessed, but there was nothing i could do to alter that, nor did I exactly want to.

Geonu shot me a small smile and incline of his head as a greeting, offering his arm out to me to hold. I gladly took it, and we made our way to the banquet. As my heels clicked on the grand hallway floors, Geonu whispered to me. "How does it feel to be a vampire again?"

I froze, stopping in my tracks and slowly turning my head to him in horror.

"What... do you mean?" I asked in a timid, shaking voice. No one was supposed to know that I was a vampire if I wanted to continue living.

Noticing the terrified expression on my face, Geonu quickly explained himself. "Ah, no worries, my lady. Jungwon informed me of it before your departure since, after all, I am your personal guard."

I let out a breathe of relief, mentally cursing Jungwon for not giving me a heads-up beforehand.

•••

I had to admit, Jungwon had done an amazing job planning the banquet. When Geonu and I arrived at the elaborately decorated outdoor banquet hall, there were already some nobles present with servings bustling around. Flowers and vines adorned the sides, the tables delicately decorated. There was light chatter in there, but as always with noble vampires, there seemed to be a gloomy, daunting feeling floating around. I didn't miss any of the cold stares or sneers as soon s someone turned their back on another.

"This is where we part, my lady." Geonu told me, releasing my arm before leaning to my ear, catching me off guard. His next phrase was a whisper. "Be careful around her majesty, the Queen."

That was his last warning before inclining his head and taking off, leaving me wondering about what he meant by that. Before I could ponder anymore, an unfamiliar voice broke into my thoughts.

"You must be the new mistress." A cold, feminine voice sounded.

I turned, meeting the eyes of possibly the most stunning vampire I had ever seen. She was clad in an expensive, wine-red colored dress with intricate patterns weaved into the trim. Appearing to be around my age, her hair was a flashing, smooth silver, gleaming under the sunlight. She had striking blue eyes, calculating and even more emphasized by her pale skin. To no surprise, there was no warmth in her cheeks, but her lips were lined with a dark red lipstick. She wore a stoic expression, but her eyes were cold as ever.

To put it simply, she was beautiful.

However, none of that was important to me. There was no use in comparing myself in silly little ways like that to someone who was physically quite obviously favored by the gods, so I easily kept my composure and greeted her with an equally cold aura.

"Yes, I am his royal highness, Crown Prince Jungwon's mistress. And you are?" I asked, voice unwavering and clear.

Her lips perked up at my answer, but there was no kindness in that smile. It appeared that she was amused I hadn't cowered under her. She delicately inclined her head, silver lashes fluttering. "Forgive me for being so curt before. I am Lady Clora, daughter of Count and Countess Taylor."

"You must be from another Kingdom, considering your name."

Lady Clora raised a bedazzled hand as a servant holding a tray with glasses of blood passed by, snatching one and returning her gaze back to me. "My, how observant you are, Mistress Yumin. You are correct, my grandfather moved here as a political agreement between the Yang Kingdom and the Esterian Empire." She narrowed her eyes with the coy smile still playing on her lips. "And where might you be from, human?"

"Lady Clora, I am pleased that you seem to be getting along with my dearest Yumin, but doesn't a banquet seem like an unfit place for such an interrogation?" A firm voice that could only belong to a royal said from behind me as they made their way over, placing a gentle, secure hand on one of my arms.

I turned to the interruptor, finding Jungwon with an unamused look directed at Lady Clora.