Dragonoff Castle, 1858
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The disgraced prince has been apprehended. He was caught trying to cross the drawbridge. He is shackled in silvers in the throne room and is requesting an audience with you." Dracul scoffed. The nerve of that boy to show his face back here a week after he'd spared him.
He rose up from his desk where he was looking over ledgers. "Fine. I will grant him his wish," he sighed heavily in reply to the guard awaiting his order. Before going into the royal chamber, he stopped to don his royal regalia. He placed his monarch's ring on his right ring finger, wrapped himself in his finest red and black velvet cloak, and then he placed his family's royal crown atop his head. If the boy wanted an audience, an audience is what he would get with his King.
When he entered the throne room, he noticed Vincentius on his knees, hunched over. He was filthy, his hair matted and filled with leaves and twigs. His skin was smudged with dirt and God knows what. He was probably better off not knowing what it was anyway. The facial swelling had gone down by now, and his cuts and bruises were nearly healed. Even for a vampire's accelerated healing, the injuries Dracul had inflicted were quite intense. He wouldn't be surprised if the boy had a limp.
Dracul approached his throne with heavy steps, making sure to grab everyone's attention. Vincentius looked up at him with saddened eyes. After splaying out his cloak over the throne behind him, he sat down with his back tall. "You have requested an audience with the King," he uttered.
"Father, I-"
"Your Majesty," Dracul corrected.
"You cannot be serious," Vincentius mumbled with a shake of his head.
"I am your father no longer. You have made your bed and now you can lie in it. No son of mine will endanger his family and his people and live to tell the tale."
Suddenly, the doors to the throne room opened again, and this time Celeste quickly shuffled in. "Veci," she called, jogging to kneel next to him. She gently embraced him, being careful of his injuries. "Mon Dieu, mon fils. You are a mess..." Her voice was low and nurturing as she lightly brushed her fingers over his tangled hair.
"Celeste, I think it best if you stayed away from this traitor. Vincentius is a threat to this kingdom."
"Vincentius is our son, Dracul!" she shouted the reminder for what seemed like the 1000th time.
"He is no son of mine! Now come away from him before I have you removed."
Celeste's gaze turned into a deadly glare. "You would not dare," she challenged through gritted teeth. Dracul said nothing in response, just stared at her.
"Maman, it's all right," Vincentius reassured. "Go ahead."
She turned back to him, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. Tears were now streaming down her face. How could this have happened? What went wrong?
Eventually, she nodded before pressing a gentle kiss on the young man's forehead and made her way to her own throne. She made certain to squish her body into the side opposite of where Dracul sat, effectively putting as much distance between them as she could.
Vincentius bowed his head in shame. "I came here to apologize and beg for forgiveness for my actions. I did what I thought was best for our family and our people, and I now realized that because of me, many innocents lost their lives. I was irresponsible and arrogant. If His Majesty sees fit, I beg to be spared."
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Sangria (BWWM) (On Hiatus)
مصاص دماءIf someone had told Gabrielle Thompson that she would be dating her vampiric boss a year ago, she would think they were insane. If someone told her that she would be on a plane traveling to his homeland to meet his vampiric family, she would probabl...
