The Vampire Prince and His Brat | On Hold

Chapter Seven | The Brat's Engagement Part III

The next day came around far too quickly for Kaliana's liking. She had been poked and prodded within an inch of her life by the dressmakers and everyone else who'd come by her room yesterday after that bastard of a prince had left her there. She hadn't set a single foot outside her room – not wanting to see his annoyingly pretty face for as long as possible. She was about to be married to him, and there wasn't a single thing she could do. Law dictated it was her duty to marry him and bear him an heir so the royal bloodline could be passed on. The assassins probably wouldn't stop either even after her marriage. Not until she had a number of children who had grown enough to protect themselves from harm.

Why could they not have had the marriage celebration later? she wanted to ask. It would hardly stop people from trying to kill her.

Curtains were drawn with a snap, a cheery voice sounding as her head popped out from under her quilts. "Rise and shine, princess," her maid called, humming joyfully as she yanked the covers down, uncaring as Kaliana shivered. The morning air was far too cool for her liking, and she didn't particularly want to see Leviathan's smug face. He would just smirk at her again, the bastard. He knew it irritated her. He had to. There was no way he didn't know. Footsteps sounded, and that was the only warning she received before she was plucked from her bedsheets, and practically dragged into the bathroom by the maids assigned to ensure she was ready for her wedding.

It started at noon, when the sun was at its peak, though Kaliana wasn't sure they'd see the sun at all. There was seeming to be a fair few clouds, without any blue sky in sight, and she doubted the weather would be changing anytime soon. Besides, somehow it set the mood. It was a dreary day, not the kind for celebration, and yet there she was, preparing herself for the marriage celebration she had not in any way, shape, or form agreed to.

Her new maids didn't understand her reluctance in the slightest. They hardly seemed to acknowledge the fact she had no desire whatsoever to marry the irritating prince who slept next door. In fact they wanted the exact opposite, which was how she found herself being stripped of her clothing and all but thrown in the delightfully warm waters of the smaller bathtub inside the room. How many bathtubs did one need? She only had one back home, and it hadn't been as lavish as her new one apparently was. Kaliana supposed she should have expected that. There was a leap between lower-class nobility and royalty, which was what she was as of that day. She was being married off to a damned prince, and an insufferably smug and teasing one at that.

Scowling at the reminder, she stared at the ceiling, eyeing the spotlights sunk into the smooth white surface, blinking the spots out of her eyes when she realised how much of an idiotic idea it was. She sighed, trying to remind herself that it was not the end of the world – just the end of her freedom. She was going to be queen. The assassins gunning for her head were proof of that much. She was important now. Part of her rejoiced in that – no stupid girls would deliberately lead her off into the forest and leave her there again.

Glancing over into the gigantic mirror spanning the entirety of one of the walls, she narrowed her eyes on the claw marks marring her neck. They were faint, barely noticeable, especially with the concealer she always wore in that area. She was just lucky Leviathan hadn't disturbed it with all the love bites he had so eagerly left there. At least she now had an excuse for wearing all that concealer – the bruises from Leviathan's so-called affection still stubbornly marking her neck. What face would he make when he saw the scars left by that monstrous wolf? she wondered. Those were the scars which made her a woman of depreciated value. Kaliana scoffed at that old thought... those old words which burnt her, blinking in surprise as a cool creamy substance was slathered across her face.

"This beautifying mask needs to be left on for twenty minutes, so please don't try to wash it off, Lady Kaliana," the Head Maid spoke, pulling her wandering attention back onto the preparations for her wedding. The maids were all bustling about with their preparations and Kaliana dearly wished to vanish into oblivion. She was not ready for anything, let alone her own marriage. "I know you aren't happy about this wedding in the slightest, but I imagine you wish to look your best."