After the chef had carried the food before me. It smelled absolutely amazing with pancakes on the front side, along with red appetizing strawberries. I never had pancakes before since my father was a poor farmer, and we lived in a scarred world where it's harder to get food than it is to hide from vampires.
But I heard of it before.
My belly stirred silently with a hungry growl, and I looked at the prince with a suspicious glance. He didn't say anything but lifted his brow.
Anticipation grew in my belly when I took a silver fork. I haven't used silverware for the past six years. I would eat with my hands instead of any materials, so holding a fork felt strange in my hands, stiff and awkward.
I tried not to show it on my face because I didn't want the prince to think any worse of me, to prove that I'm a country bumpkin or someone with no manners skills.
After taking the first bite of the pancake, its sweet and puffy taste enters my mouth. The brown syrup tasted extra sweet, which almost made me moan out loud, and I took another bite, then another.
My belly became stuffed from all the food I ate, and I pushed the plate away, then rubbed my stuffed belly. The prince raised his brow at me and asked, "Since you're finished; we need to leave."
I nodded with a flash of determined eyes. I followed his lead when he rose to his feet; the long black robe around his body swayed. The boy stood closer to me and grabbed the edge of my pants.
I turned to follow the prince and headed to the exit door. Then, without warning, the large, trembling man who was serving our food came out with his bowed head and his eyes staring at his feet. "My highness, I hope you enjoyed your stay and the food."
The prince stopped moving but didn't turn around, and he said in a low, soft voice, "Thank you for your accommodation."
The prince threw a small pouch bag toward the chef man, who caught it in his hands with glee flashing on his face. The man bowed his back lower and thanked the prince with full gratitude on his face, "Thank you, my highness! May the Fae Gods bless you for your kindness!"
The prince waved his hand away lazily, but I saw a glint of fierce delight in his eyes when the other man said those words. I followed the prince outside, and we headed to the white carriage before us.
I looked around, and people gathered to stop to stare at the silver-haired prince, Alexander. Most glanced at him with curiosity they couldn't hide from their faces, and others carried a dark glint of distaste in their eyes.
The prince stepped into the carriage, and the vampire soldiers serving the prince surrounded me and Kaden. One of them stepped closer to me, which made my body stiffen, and then a dread of ice entered my veins.
The vampire with his glowing red eyes stared at me, and his hands reached out to grab my arm, then I dodged his hold. I didn't want that filthy bloodsucker touching me in any way, and I reached out to attack him in his small weak spot—his balls.
My foot rose before I could think about my actions; I kicked him hard in the balls. The vampire flashed with fury in his eyes and reached to grab my neck. I waited for him to get closer so I could do something.
"Stop."
The prince said in a cold, deadly voice, which had stopped my movements. The vampire also froze like me, and he stared at me with red, furious eyes, then he said in a gritted voice, "My highness?"
The prince got out of the carriage, and he leaned his back against the carriage with his flat, menacing eyes toward the other vampire. "Explain."
The vampire said, "I—I thought he should be in the cage with the other slaves."
The prince said with a low frown, "Did I ask you to do that?"
The vampire soldier had a panicking expression on his face, like he'd realized his mistakes, and then he released me; my sore throat lingers behind.
He went straight on his knees and bowed his head toward the prince, "Forgive me of the errors of my ways."
I rubbed my sore neck, and everyone around us had frozen in their spot watching the show, and some went to move on, hoping to avoid any troubles. The prince stared at the vampire kneeling on the ground, and he said with a faint smile, "Do you want me to forgive you?"
The vampire looked at the prince with a cautious gaze, and then he said with a careful nod, "Yes."
The prince threw a dagger out of his robe to the ground, and he said with a gentle smile, but it was menacing nonetheless, "Cut off your wrist, the same hand that touched him."
I was surprised to hear his words. And I almost felt sympathy on behalf of the soldiers because he'd thought he was only obeying tasks, but that same feeling of sympathy left me in that instant.
Why would I feel sorry for that bloodsucker who had no hesitation in grabbing my neck and enslaving me with everyone else?
I looked down when I felt my robe shaking, then I realized that Kaden was with me, and he was about to witness a terrible sight he would never forget. I went to close the boy's eyes with my hand without thinking when the soldier picked up the dagger from the ground.
Everyone turned their heads away when they couldn't watch the sight, while people with thicker skin watched with nervous and excited anticipation.
Sweat grew on his face, and he held the dagger before the wrist, the same hand that held the slave's neck, and he raised it high in the air.