The royal palace's gardens are really beautiful: whole hectares of vegetation, trees, flowers, ponds and gazebos where you can sit and enjoy the views. The gardens are so big that we've had to circle the perimeter riding our horses but it was well worth the effort, it's been ages since the last time I took my mare out for a walk and the ride has done Deva and me good. Prince Nandi is a skilled horseman and his grey thoroughbred horse makes my girl look dull by comparison but Deva has been faster in the little race we did to come back to the palace and she's won a beautiful fresh flower collar and an extra ration of oats, in addition to a complete brushing with the expert hands of the King's stable boy. Everybody has praised my girl and she seemed aware of that since she's been trotting through the gardens with her head up and wagging her tail proudly. It's been a lovely morning and even the king has drop by to say hello and hold my hand again with a kind smile on his face.
The whole Court is around us, ladies and gentlemen walk along the garden paths and soldiers are watching the perimeter from the walls and terraces but Nandi was right: it's easier to talk privately here since nobody follows us close... besides the kids with the parasols that are always nipping at our heels. But we don't need them under a gazebo while we take refreshment and servants leave after putting some glasses of fruit juice on the table. I lean back on the golden cushions that contrast with my light green dress enjoying the views and the good weather, it isn't so hot today. A young tall man with dark hair wearing bright yellow silk comes closer and bows respectfully. Unexpectedly, the prince gets tensed and a forced smile spread across his lips:
- Kabir, is something wrong?
- The King wants to know if you're free for dinner – the boy answers with a sweet tone of voice.
- I'll have dinner with him, the princess of Agartha has a previous engagement and won't be able to join us.
- All right Your Highness, thank you – he bows again before leaving us. He hasn't looked at me, he was all focused on the young prince that sighs sadly.
- What's the matter? I get the impression that you don't like him.
- No, no, it's not that. Kabir is the Chamberlain, he's in charge of the palace's servants: he monitors, supervises and guides them so they fulfil their obligation and keep the royal family rooms in perfect condition, he also organizes parties and ceremonies and makes sure that our guests have everything they want. I see him every day and he's only a few years older than me so I've known him my whole life.
- What's the problem then?
- He's... because of his job Kabir is very close to my father, he has his complete trust. Unfortunately, that means he's playing for the opposing team. I mean that the Court is split into two factions: the ones who support the King and the ones who support me and if you're a member of his team you can't play with mine. So, in theory, I can't get on well with Kabir and we are condemned to hate each other, we can't be friends. But what's ridiculous and annoying is the fact that this war only exists in the mind of the courtiers, I get along with my father and I don't seek his throne... sometimes I feel like running away from this kingdom before becoming its king...
- Intrigues of the Court... I understand... I've been victim of them too and I've spent half of my live trying to avoid them...
- At least you got out of them thanks to Ruby... I envy you – I smile remembering my Sorceress. Now that I see how miserable Nandi is I realize that I did the right choice when I ran off with her – Would you like to take a boat ride on the lake? I'll row and, since the little boat has a parasol, we won't need any servant with us.
I nod delighted with the idea and we walk to the edge of the lake where the prince helps me get on the boat and sit down comfortably on the silk cushions under a light blue parasol that contrasts with the deep green silk he's wearing... he really likes that colour. Nandi takes the bargepole and we slide gently across the lake surrounded by water lilies and colourful carps that sometimes surface close to the boat. The terrace where Ruby and I celebrated our anniversary some days ago is on the other side of the expanse of water... I look down at my hands on my lap to hide the fact that I'm blushing slightly.
- Your partner is working a lot lately... it's a pity she couldn't come this morning.
- Yes, Ruby is so thrilled with your library and she gets up very early every day to start studying... in fact, we only meet for dinner.
- Well, I'm sorry to hear that... but I understand she doesn't have time for you since she's checking out our oldest and most complicated manuscripts. She's amazingly smart even if she's very young.
- Yes, she's studied for long years and she's a widely travelled woman – I hope he doesn't ask me about the vampire age because I wouldn't know what to say. We should talk about this and settle on some answers for this type of cases.
- But you told me that she lived in the palace for some time before you felt in love...
- Yes but it was for a short period of time and she travelled before that. Nandi it's getting late and I have to change my clothes for dinner tonight...
- Of course.
The prince pulls the boat to the edge and he helps me get off. We walk through the gardens and terraces to reach the palace where he says goodbye and leaves me to get ready for dinner with his father, one of ladies will walk me to the front door where a handful of soldiers are waiting to escort me home and make sure that I arrive safely. I'd forgotten how oppressive it is the official Court life: you can never be alone. While we walk through the massive marble floor of the entrance hall I look at the lady out of the corner of my eye... there's no one in sight besides the soldiers beyond the door... this is probably the most opportune time...
- May I ask you a question? – The girl dressed in bright pink silk blinks shocked when she realizes that I'm talking to her.
- Of course Your Highness – I flinch inside like I do every time someone uses that stupid title, to be honest I've never felt like a real princes... well, maybe when Ruby spoils me with gifts and caresses.
- Listen, I just want to know... I'm curious about how you... - with a gesture of my hand I point at her breasts under the dress. The girl looks down confused till she seems to understand what have caught my eye – Does it hurt?
- The nipple piercing? – The lady smiles amused – Yes, a little to be honest. Firstly they pinch them and that stops the blood from running through the area, it helps to numb them slightly before piercing them with the needle. The really bad pain only lasts a couple of seconds.
- Yes, sure... thank you for your answer – it's funny how I'm petrified of needles given that my lover comes equipped with two as standard and she uses them frequently with me.
I say goodbye to the girl kindly and go back home quickly. I must take a bath and change my dress for the blue one I picked out yesterday. I walk through the living room throwing Lucifer a kiss, he looks really elegant with his new gold necklace. When I get into the bedroom I realize that Ruby hasn't arrived yet so I can use the bathroom first. I take off my clothes quickly but my reflection in the big mirror grabs my attention, I bend forward and put my hands over my breasts. Staring at them pensively, I cup them with my hands before pinching my nipples gently...
- It's so good to come back home and find such a beautiful show... - Ruby's naughty voice startles me and makes me jump slightly. My hands drop to my hips and she takes advantage of my movement to graze my nipples with her fingers and steal a kiss that tears a sigh from my throat.
- Would you be able to anaesthetize a specific area of my body so I can't feel pain? – The Sorceress blinks surprised.
- Do you feel pain?
- No, it's not that. It's just that I was thinking about getting one of those... you know... piercings – I point at my breast that is still under her warm hand.
- Do you want to pierce your nipple? – She asks puzzled.
- Well, no... but you seemed to like them and... I don't want you to get bored of me – Then vampire stares at me frowning before placing her arms around my waist and pulling me up. My legs enclose her waist while she looks at me right into my eyes sliding one hand over my buttock.
- Which part of the sentence 'I've never felt something like this before in my 350 years of life, I want you to turn into a vampire and spend the eternity by your side' is the one you don't understand? I'd never get bored of you, you don't have to pierce your nipples for my pleasure. I don't want you to do it.
- All right – I smile faintly – It's just that the eternity seems like a long time and I wouldn't want you...
- Listen... vampires get bored of life when they don't have a purpose, a goal, a meaning... whatever you want to call it. Their days become monotonous and tedious if they only look for pleasures. Those kinds of vampires only last for a few hundreds of years. I'm a sorceress and I get up every morning determined to learn more and to seek knowledge and, in addition to this, I have you to be my partner for the eternity. You also have your studies about magic, you're curious to see the world and... we still have some tantric positions to try out... we aren't going to get bored, okay? Now get ready before our guest arrives... or before I decide to cancel dinner and jump into that bathtub with you...
*****
- So these are the silk pieces that caught Iselen's eye yesterday – Koji nods while he removes the white linen fabric that protects the rolls. The Sorceress stares at them in a thoughtful silent before grazing with her knuckles the red one; the sumptuous piece of silk shines under the candle light. While our guest is busy unfolding part of the aquamarine silk the vampire brings her hand to her neck and slides one of her fingertips over her flawless skin, following the outline of a tattoo, while she looks at me with her cocky smirk: she knows why I like them. Ruby licks her lips staring right into my eyes and a half extended fang sparkles in the light. I hold back a moan and my cheeks get all red, that's exactly what she wanted judging by her mischievously smirk. I focus on an image in my mind and I send it to her head in response: our naked bodies twisting and sweating on the silk. The Sorceress swallows hard and becomes serious all of a sudden, she turns to our guest – I'll pay any price: if my girl wants these fabrics she'll get them.
- I'm going to keep my special offer anyway. These are my best pieces of silk, for me it's an honour you have them.
- Thanks Koji, follow me, our dining room is here.
Our guest walks behind the Sorceress while he looks at Lucifer with curiosity, I guess you don't see a black cat showing off proudly a gold necklace every day. Koji has arrived a few minutes ago, alone and formally dressed in white and black silk, he bent forward gracefully to greet us despite he was carrying those heavy rolls of silk. I remain alert because Ruby ordered me to do so but the only thing I can sense in the young vampire is his appreciation for our invitation and his curiosity about us. And in addition to that, I can feel his happiness now that he can smell the food, fresh and simple, not hidden under tons of spices.
- Sit down, Koji, please – I point at a chair in front of me – As you can see, I've tried to keep the original taste of every portion of meat and fish by adding just a little of salt and pepper, I didn't use any kind of spice to ensure that your senses aren't overwhelmed. I've realized that vampires aren't keen on vegetables but I've made a fruit salad. Do you want a glass of wine? This is Ruby's favourite, white and sweet.
- Yes, thank you very much. Everything looks delicious. You have no idea how much I appreciate this, the only way I can eat properly is when I visit the ship's crew. They buy ingredients and cook them following our traditions, our meals are less elaborated, but when I have to eat at the inn I always end up with a headache.
- Does the ship's crew know about your true nature? – The Sorceress drinks a sip of wine before picking up a piece of chicken with her fork, she chews slowly and smiles at me nodding approvingly. She's seemed to like it – No, it's hired for this trip. We change the shipping company every three of four trips and hire new sailors, we don't want them to notice that we don't age at a normal rate. But four humans have travelled with me, they have my father's trust and know what we're, they help me with my business and... with other aspects.
"So he's brought the equivalent to four milk cows in order to drink directly from them," I think smiling while I serve him some rice with his chicken. Ruby blinks for a second but she keeps eating, she's built a mental barrier between my thoughts and Koji just in case he's able to read them. Unfortunately, that means that she can read my mind right now... I'd better behave if I don't want her to get mad at me. I start eating my dish while I listen quietly to their conversation.
- So your father runs the business and you work for him. Is he your biological father or your blood father?
- He's my blood father, my whole family is. My biological family died long time ago, even before my conversion. My dad runs his business with firm hand and we help him the best we can: my brother, my sister and I. He gave us the gift to the three of us. And then there's the old man, he's been my dad's friend for centuries but he has no blood relationship with us. He comes and goes without warning but every time he's in the area he stays a few days with us, sometimes months, and tells stories about faraway places. Tian is a very special guy.
- Is he a short old man, with long white hair and beard, who always wears a dark red silk suit? – Koji nods shocked – If he's the same Tian I met 300 hundred years ago the word 'special' wouldn't be enough to describe him.
Ruby leans back in her chair making herself comfortable, she looks more at ease all of a sudden, as if the fact of having an acquaintance in common with the vampire means that we can trust him. I wonder if she's keeping the barrier between my thoughts and Koji's mind now that he's apparently our friend. The Sorceress hands me her glass to fill it with more wine while she smiles and nods, winking at me. She trusts him but she's still cautious... that's my girl.
- Have Tian told you the story about the day he craved an apple from the tree that was growing in the garden of a powerful necromancer and he sent a young vampire to jump above the wall and steal one?
- That was you? Tell me the truth, the snake that was watching from the moat wasn't as big as he says... it's impossible.
- It was ginormous and I've never run so fast in my entire life. I still have nightmares when I remember that bitch.
They both burst into laughing and I look at them frowning, apparently I'm missing a good story and I'm feeling left out of the fun. I finish my dinner quietly while I wait for them to stop behaving like teenagers and I get some fruit salad. Lucifer touches my ankle with is paw and jumps to my lap in order to steal my last bite of chicken, since I gave him his new necklace he's even more affectionate with me than before.
- So you're 4 vampires and Tian that drops by sometimes. Haw many humans live with you?
- Around 12 live in the house with us, they're part of the family and they're... - he hesitates staring at me biting his lip so I decide to help him.
- Suppliers – I say smiling.
- That's it, thank you. They're our suppliers. Then we have the servants that take care of the house like cooks, gardeners, doormen... those kinds of things. I think they're around 25 people that depend directly on my father and they know about our true nature although they jealously guarded the secret. We live in the centre of the city but our house is old, very big and surrounded by a vast garden so it feels like living in the country far from the noise. I guess that's the thing that caught my eye about you, you travel alone and manage to live here just the two of you... my dad instead needs all those people to keep us 'safe' if he wants to live with humans and not exiled to a mountain like a hermit.
- The main difference is that we move a lot, we travel from here to there and never stay for a long time in the same place – Ruby explains while taking a litchi from the plate I've served her. Actually, that's not true, the main difference is the magical power of the vampire that allows her to alter or erase memories which means that nobody finds weird our behaviour. The fact that her power allows her to go out in the sunlight, even if she can't bear direct sunlight, also helps to deflect suspicions. Otherwise we should live keeping a low profile and always on alert, I guess that it must be worse for 4 vampires.
- I wish you could visit us one day, my dad would be delighted to welcome you and I can assure you that Iselent would be treated with the utmost respect.
- It could be our next stop when I finish with my studies in Madhya's library. What do you think, honey?
- As you wish – I answer smiling – I chose to come here, now is your turn.