The Dragomir Heir (Watty Award)

The Speech

All who were going to attend the dinner lined up outside the Great Dining Hall. Lucius was glad to have Darim next to him with his four brothers and father but unfortunately, King Julian and his sister, Princess Margaret decided to stand on Lucius’s other side. To make matters worse, Madam Marion and her students have decided to include themselves as one of Lucius’ ‘companions’. Lucius sighed heavily and prayed to his father for some form of luck. May she be blinded to the women around me, Lucius hopefully asked. And while you’re at it, father, perhaps you could cast a love spell over Valentina…

King Julian nodded professionally to Lucius before returning to his conversation with one of his lords. Princess Margaret, however, was friendlier if not more inappropriately seductive. She swept her long blonde hair to the side and said, “Julian will be out tonight…I will be all alone in the hotel.”

“I’m sure a sleeping pill will do the trick”, Lucius answered dully.

“I’m sure your presence will be better”, she added with a bit of annoyance. “Besides, since your engagement, I’ve heard that you haven’t been getting any ‘royal treatments’”.

“I’m simply waiting for something better”, countered Lucius and he eyed Margaret sternly. Margaret angered but she wasn’t going to give up. She had hoped that Lucius would see that she was something more than the occasional bed buddy. She had refused to believe reports that Lucius was in love with his fiancée.

“So you are not taking Anna or Iona or Katarina to your bed?” she asked while glaring at the three women behind Madam Marion. “I find that hard to believe.” Then she looked at Lucius curiously. “Did you know that she models? She was that girl I was talking about. She got the job because Elizabetha models for Dior too.”

“Yes, but Elizabetha doesn’t model for Chanel, Victoria’s Secret, which is my personal favourite, or Agent Provocateur, ah another of my personal favourite too”, added Lucius with a smirk and his pride grew for his love. “I guess it must be the way she looks, which is perfect and beautiful.”

“And so the playboy king has fallen in love”, laughed Margaret horridly. “Did you know that she calls you that?”  

Lucius shrugged and ignored her as Valentina walked down the line of nobles, greeting them.

While talking to Darim and his family, Lucius heard Julian whisper to one of the lords. “Good god, I think I’m in love.”

“Please don’t, brother!” seethed Margaret. “I rather not have her as my sister-in-law!”

“It is advantageous, my lord, in joining in matrimony to a Dragomir”, whispered one of the lords, though Lucius didn’t think that he should bother. His jealousy and possessiveness was growing aggressively. “I’ve heard that she refuses to marry Lucius. There might be a chance.”

“A chance that you might find yourself staked for conspiring against me”, countered Lucius. The elder shivered and went pale. The old vampire cursed at himself for thinking that Lucius wouldn’t hear him but the Vladonov king was more deadly than he had originally thought.

“I beg for your pardon, my lord”, begged the lord. “It will not happen again.”

Lucius leaned down and whispered in the lord’s ear, “See that it doesn’t. I didn’t get to stake Alek Romanov the other day and my stake is itching for some action. You might be the answer to it.” At these words, the lord started to shake with pure fear and was about to say something apologetic but Lucius did not have the patience for it.

His attention was back on Valentina and he managed to stop her before she walked on, aiming to just nod at him and move onto the next person. He grabbed her gloved hand and kissed it. “Congratulations, my fiancée”, he said smoothly.