The Vampire's King Pet-Chapter 44: Weak heart.

After going to the cordwainer, they got back to the palace just in time before dinner. Serena went to her room to take a bath and change her clothes. After changing, there was a knock on her door.

Serena frowned. Who could it be? she asked herself. Then her mind drifted to the king. He had said he would be back, so maybe it was him. She walked toward the door and opened it, only to come face to face with a palace guard.

"Sorry to disturb you, Lady Serena. Sir Derick requests an audience with you. You have a visitor," he relayed.

Serena frowned. I have a visitor? Who could it be? I don’t know anyone here except—

She paused suddenly, her heart skipping a beat.

She nodded and stepped out of her room, following the guard closely. They soon arrived at the library. Serena took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside. Her eyes immediately met Arthur and Derick.

"Lord Arthur, Sir Derick, who came to visit me?" she asked.

Before either of them could say anything, a young man walked toward them. She recognized the stature instantly—it was Dan, her tutor. It had been so long since she’d seen him that she had almost forgotten she even had a tutor.

"You look fine, Lady Serena. What happened? I’ve been trying to see you for the past few days, but no one told me where you were. I tried visiting, but the palace guards wouldn’t let me in. Is there something I should know?" Dan asked, his eyes solely focused on Serena, completely ignoring the two men standing behind her, their expressions grim and unreadable.

Serena smiled nervously. She felt pressured with Derick and Arthur standing there like bodyguards. "I’m sorry about that. I was sick, that’s all. You must have been worried?" she asked.

From his expression, she could clearly see that he had indeed been worried. She wondered why he cared so much. A normal governor would be happy to have days off, but Dan looked as though he genuinely enjoyed coming here to teach her.

"Yes, I was worried," he admitted. "I hope you’re feeling better now?"

"Yes, I am. Thank you," Serena replied with a nod. "And I’m sorry for keeping you worried."

He brushed it off. "It’s alright."

"When do we continue our classes?" Dan asked.

Serena stole a glance at Derick and Arthur. She needed them to say something. Their stares felt like they were about to bore holes into her body. Dan, however, looked completely comfortable, unbothered by the tension. She wondered why.

"I don’t know yet," Serena said, "that’s for the king to decide."

Dan frowned lightly. "What’s there to decide? You’re fully well. We can continue the classes."

Serena was about to respond when Dan spoke again. "Unless you’re not fully recovered. If that’s the case, then it’s fine."

Serena smiled. "I am well, but the king makes the decisions. I can’t."

Dan stepped closer, about to say something more, when Arthur stepped in.

"You heard the lady, Dan. The king makes the decision," Arthur said, his voice completely neutral.

Dan chuckled lightly. "What’s so special about it? It’s just classes. Surely the king won’t get mad because we continued a session."

Derick raised a brow.

"You act as if you don’t know the king," Derick said seriously. "He’s dealing with a lot right now. He has pent-up anger. Do not be the one to provoke him."

Arthur checked his watch. "I’m afraid this discussion will have to end. It’s dinner time, and the lady needs to eat."

Dan nodded, though surprise lingered on his face. Their protectiveness toward Serena was strange—unnaturally so.

"Then I’ll take my leave. Lady Serena, have a nice evening. Take care," he said.

"You too," Serena replied.

She watched him walk toward the door and leave. Once he was gone, Serena turned to Derick and Arthur.

"What was that?" she asked. Their behavior was suspicious, and she needed to know why they did that? Did the King put them to this?

Arthur raised a brow, his expression relaxing. "What was what, Serena?" he asked. Though he knew why she was asking the question, he decided to play dumb.

Serena narrowed her eyes at them. "What do you mean? You know what I am talking about," she said.

Derick scratched the back of his head. "No, I don’t," he replied.

She folded her arms and sighed. "You guys acted like Dan was an outsider, and you almost frightened him with those cold glares and the threat," she explained.

"We’re suspicious of anyone who comes close to you. Anyone is a threat, Lady Serena," Derick said.

Serena looked like she wanted to ask more, but Arthur cut in. "Let’s go, dinner is waiting," he said as he walked toward the door and opened it with a smile on his face.

Serena reluctantly walked out of the room, with both men walking behind her. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

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Faith sat in her room, her mind replaying what she had seen in the princess’s head—the woman with the tattoo. How in the world were they supposed to find her? She needed to revisit it. This time, she would follow the woman’s trace.

Faith closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and whispered a spell. The air around her stiffened, and a black smoke-like substance surrounded her like thick fog.

She opened her eyes and found herself back there, in the princess’s subconscious. This time around, she did not need the princess as a vessel to go there; she could enter freely.

She hid behind a tree, watching the scene unfold. After that, the woman disappeared. Faith frowned. Where did she go? she asked herself. A few minutes passed, and nothing happened. Faith was about to leave when she saw the king and Arthur walk toward the hill with a guard.

Faith frowned. The princess didn’t see this. Whose subconsciousness am I in? she asked herself, but she was too busy to care as she heard their discussion. Just then, Serena arrived.

She watched as Serena jumped into the water to save the princess. That scene—Faith wasn’t satisfied after all. It felt like a distraction. Rather than focusing on the king and his people, her eyes moved around, surveying the area. That was when she caught a glimpse of a shadow in the woods, far away from them.

Faith leaned back and whispered a spell that changed her face—it was a disguising spell. She snapped her fingers and appeared on the other side of the forest. She walked forward, her eyes searching for the person, and just like a miracle, she saw a figure hiding behind a tree. The figure was secretly watching the king from that spot.

The figure spoke in another language before snapping her fingers. Faith watched as Serena began convulsing. Her hunch was right—she was the same person who had hurt Serena.

Well, time to put an end to these schemes, she said to herself.

Faith sneaked toward the person as quietly as she could. She stood behind her, then touched the person’s shoulder and jerked her backward, wanting to see her face.

"You can’t," the person said in another language.

But just as the person’s face came into view, Faith felt a sudden pain in her chest, which caused her to open her eyes. She coughed out blood as the air around her returned to normal and the fog disappeared.

Faith opened her eyes. She was back in her room in the palace, her heart beating fast. She touched her chest as she leaned her back against the bed frame. Her face was sweaty, and she was in pain.

She rested for a few minutes before cleaning the blood from the floor and hopping into the bathtub to take a shower. She soaked herself in the water, irritation coursing through her. She would have successfully seen the person’s face if not for her stupid heart.

Faith had seen something that could help them catch her. If she couldn’t use magic, then they would catch her by hand.

After soaking in the bathtub, she came out, wrapping a towel around her body.

She walked into her room. She was busy drying her hair when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she said.

From the footsteps, she already knew it was him. She stood up, wondering what he was doing here.

Derick stepped into the room. Her room had a very unique scent, one he didn’t know how to describe. His eyes moved to the woman standing in front of him. Derick quickly turned around upon seeing her wrapped in a towel. He wondered why she had asked him to come in when she wasn’t fully dressed.

Faith chuckled. What a gentleman, she thought to herself.

"It’s alright, you can look. I don’t mind," she said with a sly smile.

Derick didn’t turn around. "Are you always like this with everyone?" he asked. It wasn’t proper for a lady to act this way.

"Hmm, not really, but the kind of life I lived made me like this," she said as she walked toward her dresser. Taking a dress, she slipped into it.