In a world where secrets hide in the shadows and power breeds deceit, Lori, a vulnerable human, and Kraven, a formidable vampire king, find their fates intertwined by a cruel twist of destiny. Kraven, fueled by an unquenchable thirst for payback, co...
As we arrive at the palace, it's mesmerizingly beautiful.
Kraven's palace, a gothic masterpiece in the Kingdom of Night, loomed with imposing spires, intricate stone details, and an aura of chilling grandeur. Its obsidian walls absorbed the moonlight, giving it a haunting, otherworldly allure.
The corridors were dimly lit giving it an aura of secrecy. There was a lot of greenery, everywhere, although it all seemed dark. Kraven's garden, hidden behind a fancy iron gate, was a beautiful place. It had dark black roses that smelled nice, but their petals were as black as night.
There was a shiny pool in the middle that looked like it held pieces of the nighttime sky. Statues of strange creatures were scattered around. Bats and fireflies added a magical touch, and the whole place felt like it was part of the night itself.
One of the maids came running towards me while I was exploring the garden.
"Good evening, my queen. My name is Seraphina, I will be there to assist you"
"Delighted to meet you Seraphina, you can you must address me by my name. "
"I am not allowed to do so my queen, if the king finds out I will be gravely punished. Let me show you to your chambers"
I was led inside the castle, crossing hallway after hallway we finally reached my room. Before Seraphina could open the gates, I asked "Are you a vampire too?"
"Yes m' lady "
" I see, thank you so much Seraphina."
With that, she left and I entered my room. Soft pastel floral wallpaper adorned the walls, creating a serene atmosphere.
The centrepiece was a canopy bed with billowing white curtains, and a cosy reading nook by the bay window featured floral cushions and potted plants. It was a tranquil sanctuary, a charming escape from the shadows of the Kingdom of Night.
I settled myself on the plum bed. I never had such a comfortable bed back in my father's palace. I was exhausted after travelling, so I decided to change and take a quick nap.
I dressed myself in a long-sleeved red sleepwear. I had removed all the wildflowers from my hair.
The bed was so comfortable, that as soon as I laid down, I started drowsing off. Nevertheless, I decided to explore the Palace. As I walked out of my room, I was greeted with cavernous dimly lit foyers. There were multiple tapestries depicting the vampire history.
One such painting showed, Kraven in his vampire form, with his grey eyes now turned blood red, and sharp long teeth, with dripping blood on them. It was really scary, to say the least.
Chandeliers made of dark black crystals hung here and there. The Palace was really big, even bigger than the one in which me and my father used to live. There seemed to be a rich history of formation associated with the Palace.
The walls had numerous carvings with intricate designs, each telling different stories. As I was walking I came upon the throne room and decided to enter it.
The room was majestic, imposing power. The throne itself was a grand, ebony monstrosity adorned with crimson velvet cloth. Startled by approaching voices, I hastily hid behind a heavy velvet curtain in the throne room.
I could now hear the voices clearly, one of them belonged to Kraven and the other to the minister, I suppose. They were talking about the administration of the kingdom.
"Sir, We have found the man, who went behind your back and told your secrets to the enemy kingdom." The minister said.
"Such a pity, now he will have to deal with the consequences, throw him down in the dungeon and don't give him any food, torture him as much as you can and then I would love to pay him a personal visit" said Kraven.
I am confused now, I thought Kraven was a nice man, but he sounds so sinister and sickly evil right now. Maybe it's just because he doesn't like being betrayed. But yet I could not shake off what I heard just now.
I snapped out of my reverie and devised a discreet escape plan, determined to avoid drawing any attention to myself. My efforts proved successful as I slipped away unnoticed.
I walked down the path, I had taken and anxiously made my way to the room. All the while, I had the feeling of being watched.
I reached my door and was fiddling to open it when I felt a presence behind me. I quickly turned to look who it was and also to push that person away so I could get inside my room quickly.
I was about to push the person away when they caught both my hands pulling them to their chest, I was pulled along with my hands. The person pinned to the door.
I looked up to see who it was. It was Kraven, a blush crept onto my cheek at our proximity. His breath was hitting my cheeks, I looked down embarrassed.
"Dear Lori, did really think, I wouldn't notice you spying on me" He whispered in my ear and with that pushed me away.
"I- I wasn't spying on you" I almost whispered, looking down, but he heard.
"Oh, really? Hiding behind the curtains and listening to other's conversations, rather than coming out on your own, is it not spying?" He asked with a very serious face.
I smiled sheepishly to brighten up the mood "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude, I just exploring, and then you suddenly came, so I decided to hide" I stated and started giggling.
But when I looked at Kraven, he had an angry expression, with a lot of seriousness. He punched the wall beside him and it was so powerful that there was a hole in the wall and there was blood dripping down Kraven's clenched fist. I was really scared with all this scene occurring in front of my eyes.
" K-Kraven your hand- " I was cut off by his angry voice
" Could you stop pretending? Enough is enough, I know what kind of a person you are, so just stop acting as if you are the purest soul!" He yelled at me.
I was sobbing now, because of how scared I was, I never imagined that I would experience this side of Kraven.
"B-but Kraven, w-what did I do? W-why are you angry?" I asked between my sobs.
"Just shut up!!" He screamed and stormed off.
I entered my room closed the door, slumped down to the floor and started crying because I was scared. Also, this Kraven was nothing like the Kraven I talked to on my wedding day. I don't know which side of his was true. The one I just experienced or the compassionate one. But I have to find out what happened to make Kraven react this way.
With this determination in my mind, I got up to change my dress and wash my face before making my way towards Kraven's office, and clear whatever this misunderstanding was.
