Heart of a Hero: Somehow I've become the Vampire Queen?!

Chapter 38 - Goodnight

Ambra pushed open the door of the cozy bakery, greeted by the comforting aroma of fresh bread and pastries. The ovens had been turned off and the counters were mostly clear, save for a few leftover loaves. Grant's mother, the cheerful, large lady with a penchant for laughter, was busy closing down the store.

"Good evening," Ambra greeted her with a warm smile. "Have Grant, Emil, and Laura returned yet?"

The lady let out a hearty laugh, her whole body shaking with the humor of the notion. "Oh, darling, they won't be back for hours! At this time, they're likely at the guild, lifting mugs rather than swords!"

"Ah, I see," Ambra chuckled. "Thank you for letting me know. I think I'll turn in for the night then."

"Sleep well, dear," the lady said, giving her a wink as she ascended the staircase to the second floor.

Ambra entered the guest room, quickly taking off her cloak, where the quietude instantly enveloped her. She was alone with her thoughts as she sat down on the bed, its mattress still softer than any she had known during her years of travel. Her mind began to wander back to the meeting with Lady Camila earlier in the day.

She had gone in with a sense of trepidation, influenced perhaps by Laura's less-than-enthusiastic impression of the royal girl. But the conversation had surprisingly been pleasant—cordial, even. Lady Camila was not the austere character Laura had described; she was far more nuanced than that. Kind of fun even?

Ambra lay on her back, staring at the wooden ceiling. The quilt felt heavy on her, but not nearly as weighty as her thoughts. Tomorrow, she would continue serving as Lady Camila's security detail, at least this time with some back up, a somewhat ironic situation given that her own mourning ceremony would be just days away.

"What am I doing?" she murmured to herself. Her thoughts darted to her new life, a life veiled in the shadows. A life that was both a blessing and a curse.

Reaching up, her fingers touched a strand of her silver hair. It glowed subtly in the moonlight that seeped through the curtains. Once just a regular black that she had come to cherish and care for, now a telltale sign of her vampiric nature. Could she even call it 'her' nature? Ambra didn't know.

The room felt colder, or maybe it was just her. Being a vampire had its constraints. She couldn't walk around the cities freely, couldn't look at her friends the same way, couldn't live a life unburdened by the thirst that now gripped her.

"Ambra the hero will soon be dead," she sighed, feeling a hollow space within her expand. A mourning ceremony for her human self—how surreal, how strangely melancholic. People would cry, reminisce, and perhaps even celebrate the life she had led. And she would be there, hidden behind a veil of anonymity, listening to praises and lamentations about a version of herself that no longer existed.

And how should she feel about that? Was she even allowed to feel anything about that in the traditional sense, being what she now was?

She did not know.

The door creaked open, and Lune stepped into the room, her face brightening when she spotted Ambra.

"Hey, you're already here," Lune said, closing the door behind her with a soft click. Her eyes scanned Ambra's face, picking up on the lingering heaviness. "How was your day?"

Ambra looked up, a small smile forming on her lips. "Eventful, but good, all things considered. How about you?"

Lune chuckled as she began removing her armor, setting it neatly to the side. "You wouldn't believe it, but I've been drafted to give a speech for you—at your mourning ceremony."