Vampire Queen

Chapter twelve

"His Majesty is sending you this dress. He wants you to wear them tonight's ball," said my maid and placed what must have been the most beautiful dress I had ever seen on the bed.

They were made of bright red fabric. Embroidered with precious stones that shone beautifully in the candlelight. The sleeves did not wrap around the arms. They were cut open and stretched to the ground like a cloak, like wings. A skirt so wide that I'm afraid I wouldn't fit through the door in it. They were gorgeous. I couldn't take my eyes off them. They captivated me.

I refused to wear them.

Instead, I found a simple, black dress. The wide skirt looked magnificent. It was made up of dozens if not hundreds of small leaves. The sleeves widened at the end.

I waited in my rooms for Cassius to come for me.

At today's ball, he wanted to officially introduce me as his bride. If he does so, there will be no turning back. I will remain imprisoned with him until the moment he considers my company to be a nuisance.

But the most surprising thing was that he himself wanted to reveal himself to the court, to his people - and to the whole world. The king, who had been hiding in the shadows of his palace for centuries, now wanted to show his face.

I didn't understand what game he was playing and how I fit into it.

Cassius finally showed up. He looked at me confused. He seemed stunned.

"Why aren't you wearing the dress I sent you?" he finally spoke after a long moment of silence.

"I'm mourning my freedom, so I'm not feeling the colorful today," I replied with a serious face, but inside I was laughing.

"I want you to wear the red ones," Cassius demanded.

"You want a lot and I can't give you everything," I retorted.

Cassius took a step towards me, two. The skirt of my dress forced him to keep his distance from me. But he was still too close to me.

"Either you wear those clothes willingly or I will tear this one off you right here and now," he said so coldly that I froze.

I didn't let him intimidate me. I took another tiny step towards him, letting the space between us disappear.

Is it strange to say that I might have liked the idea a little?

"You're allowed to try," I challenged him. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Maybe you should be."

Cassius withdrew from me. A mischievous smile graced his lips. Even more malice was reflected in his eyes. He took the candle in his hand and threw it at my feet. The skirt of my dress caught fire.

I didn't know what to do at that moment. I started to panic. I jumped there as if the air should put out the fire. However, it was still spreading. Its greedy tongues sought to devour me. They reached higher and higher. They wanted to taste me before usurping me.

I've never taken off my clothes as quickly as I did at that moment. I untied the laces that held them on me. I threw them off me. They lay on the ground engulfed in flames. Cassius took the vase of flowers. He picked up the flowers and extinguished the fire with water in the vase. The dress was destroyed.

Cassius turned his cold gaze on me. I stood there in front of him in only a petticoat and a corset. Horror was written on my face. My heart was pounding as if frightened. I couldn't catch my breath.

"You're crazy," I screamed. "You've completely lost your mind."

"I warned you, Dragomira," Cassius said as calmly as a hurricane raged inside of me.