Who is she?

The carriage soon came to a halt in front of Regan's castle. Under the moonlit sky, the black castle stood tall and imposing, shrouded in an air of mystery. Its architecture was intricate and gothic, with majestic spires and towering turrets reaching towards the heavens.

Maxen carefully carried Eva in his arms, striding along the path that led to his chamber. His footsteps were slow and steady as if he were afraid of causing any discomfort or disturbance to her.

When the maids who were cleaning the floors and the windows of the castle saw the king carrying a woman to his chamber, their eyes widened in shock and they wondered who the woman was. Their tongues itched to gossip with other servants, as they had never seen the king personally carry someone in his arms. But they dared not do so in the presence of the king, for fear of being beheaded.

On the other side, two people were taking a walk in the corridors of the castle and a gasp escaped from the mouth of a young woman with brown hair when she saw Maxen carrying an unconscious girl inside the castle in princess style.

The brown-haired princess looked at the other red-haired young woman beside her with slightly wide eyes, before moving her head again to look in the direction of her half-brother.

They could not see the girl's face clearly, as Maxen held her in a way that obscured her features, pressing her against his chest protectively, as though she were a precious treasure to him that he did not want anyone else to lay eyes upon.

"Oh my, did brother Maxen knock someone unconscious in anger and brought them here to imprison? Did you see the look on his face? He looks so scary. Look, his hand was even covered in blood", Princess Leila covered her mouth and whispered in a small voice to the red-haired girl who stood beside her. A look of worry appeared on her face and she added, "I hope the blood on his hand was not hers. What do you think the woman must have done, that caused him to lose his temper and knock her out?"

The red-haired girl looked in the direction of the king and whispered, "It does not seem like His Majesty was angry, Princess Leila. I might be imagining things, but the king seems to be worried about something".

"What? He was worried? That is impossible. You must have mistaken it, Ember ", the young princess's mouth gaped in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?" a cold voice of a man, coming from behind them, made both the young women flinch and turn around swiftly.

Princess Leila let out a sigh, looking at the blonde vampire prince before she exclaimed, "Brother Aaron, you almost scared me to death. What are you doing here at this hour of time?"

Prince Aaron raised one of his eyebrows as if questioning her, 'Really? Are you seriously asking me that question while roaming across the corridors at this hour?'.

Understanding the expression on his face, Princess Leila let out an awkward chuckle.

"What are you both doing here?" he asked as his eyes moved from the princess to the red-haired vampiress, who offered a polite bow and replied, "We were on our way back to our chambers after having a stroll in the garden, Your Highness. We stopped on our way when we saw His Majesty carrying an unconscious girl to his chamber".

Prince Aaron's eyes narrowed slightly when he heard the last sentence. His eyes moved to look in the direction of the king's chamber. Although Maxen had long disappeared from the corridors, the faint scent of a human girl could still be detected in the hallways. After staring in that direction for a few seconds, his gaze moved back to the two girls again and he ordered them with a frown on his face "Do not involve yourself in the king's matters unless you want to get into trouble".

"We would not dare, Your Highness", Emberlyn replied with an awkward smile.

Aaron knew these girls were quite mischievous and often got themselves into trouble. Even though Emberlyn was smart and quick-witted, she had a penchant for attracting trouble every now and then, while Princess Leila was a curious cat who liked to pry into other people's affairs.

"Return to your chambers. Now" he commanded them and saw them scurrying away from the place. He looked in the direction of Maxen's chamber for a moment before disappearing from the place.

Inside the king's chamber, Maxen placed Eva on the soft bed before he pulled the quilt up to her shoulders and tucked her in. He removed his boots and his bare feet padded across the floor as he made his way towards the fireplace which was close to extinguishing due to the extreme cold. He squatted down and added a few more logs to the fire, ensuring that the girl would not feel cold.

After a few minutes, a man in his forties hurried to the king's chamber as soon as he received word from the king's servant Williams that he was needed urgently. The royal physician knocked on the door twice before entering the chamber. As soon as he walked in, his dull red eyes fell on the girl sleeping on the king's bed and then shifted to the man who sat on the couch, swirling a golden goblet filled with wine.

"You have summoned me, Your Majesty", he offered a deep bow to the king and awaited his orders.

He gestured at the sleeping girl on the bed and said, "She was drugged. I don't know what was given to her, but I want you to make sure she wakes up first thing in the morning." Although his voice was calm, the royal physician broke out in a cold sweat when he sensed the coldness emanating from the man.

The royal physician gave a bow and made his way towards Eva to check her pulse. After taking her pulse, he opened her eyes to check her pupils, which were slightly dilated.

He inspected her carefully before turning to Maxen and said, "It is a drug made from a herb called Firegrass, Your Majesty. Since it does not have any smell or taste, no one can differentiate it except a very few people who are well experienced in traditional medicine. It is a potent drug that slowly paralyzes the person a few seconds after consuming it. Though their senses get muddled after their body becomes paralyzed, they can still feel pain and other physical sensations that were inflicted on them, but they cannot move their body. I have come across one or two such cases before. They use this drug to paralyze women and molest-- ".

The remaining words got stuck in his throat when he felt the terrifying aura of the king, Maxen's jaw clenched tightly and the wine goblet in his hand became mangled as his grip tightened around it. The atmosphere around him changed drastically, dropping the temperature to a few degrees. His demeanour looked terrifying, causing the royal physician's blood to run cold.

"But the lady only had a very small trace of the drug in her bloodstream. I cannot seem to fathom how the lady knew it, but it seems like she discovered the drink was drugged after taking a sip, which gave her a few minutes before losing consciousness. I administered the medication that counteracts and eases the effects of the drug, and she should wake up tomorrow morning, Your Majesty," the royal physician replied, trying his best to keep his voice steady despite feeling intimidated by the king's presence.

Although the coldness around him dissipated a little, Maxen still looked terrifying. He waved his hand at the royal physician and the man rushed out of the chamber hastily, without any delay in his steps.

Upon hearing a small whimper escape from Eva's lips, Maxen rose from the couch and approached the bedside. He noticed her racing heart and trembling lips. Her eyebrows were tightly knitted together, as if she was having a nightmare. He settled on the bedside before extending his forefinger to soothe the furrowed lines on her forehead. And, taking one of her hands in his, he whispered in a gentle voice, "I'm here, little girl. You are safe."

As if sensing his presence, a deep sigh of relief escaped her slightly parted lips and she fell into a deep slumber.