Anxieties

Elys already had numerous injuries now. Starting with the one from Ugly Pig's whip, the blood ritual during the wedding to which she had a vague memory of, and now her palm had another addition to her collection of bodily damage.

Thankfully, she had been treated before the wedding. The only problem to her body now was the cut made by the prince.

Henry arrived a few minutes later carrying the same box he brought last night. It contained ointments and bandages, as well as disinfectants and other first aid necessities which he mainly used for himself and the prince's blood servant.

Minor injuries from their endless chores as the only servants in the huge manor was inevitable.

Cordelia immediately snatched the box out of Henry's hands. She turned to the princess, and then guided her gently to sit down the edge of her bed.

'Great, she was so harsh against me but now just look at her become a marshmallow to the other slave,' Henry grumbled in his mind.

The maidservant got rid of the torn cloth she had previously pressed to stop the bleeding, and then fished out the disinfectant from the box. Luckily, it looked like the cut had stopped bleeding.

"Wait," Cordelia said as she squinted and moved her face closer to Elys' palm.

"What is it?" the princess asked, curious why Cordelia was fixated with her palm.

Cordelia couldn't believe her eyes.

"It can't be…" the woman gushed, "the wound… look at your hand your highness."

Elys took her hand from Cordelia's grasp and took a look at what she pointed at, disbelief washing over her face.

The wound was slowly healing in front of her very eyes!

"Vampires can heal small cuts with their saliva," Henry mentioned, making Elys and Cordelia turn to him. "Congratulations, you are the very first to have ever been healed by the prince."

"Is that something I should be grateful for or should I worry about it?" Elys asked with apprehension in her voice.

"Prince Aleksander can be the only one to say," came Henry's reply.

Elys scrunched her nose. The attendant still doesn't regard her as someone he could confide in. It was a relief now that Cordelia has joined her.

At the very least, she had someone on her side. Someone loyal and would do anything for her. An accomplice to her plans.

"Cordelia," Henry called out, "finish that quickly. You will need to come with me as there are a few things that we will need to discuss with regards to your work at the manor."

"Can't you discuss those matters here?" Cordelia asked Henry. "The princess needs me."

The woman turned to Elys, her eyes conveying her unwillingness to leave the princess' side. They were just reunited a few minutes ago. She still wanted to stay.

"You need to attend to chores right away. As you can see, there are no other servants in this manor aside from me," Henry snapped, a bit agitated as he recalled the young prince's instructions. "You must start immediately, or else…"

Henry trailed off, putting emphasis on the fact that his master wouldn't appreciate it very much if they put off his order.

The princess released a heavy sigh.

Just like the maidservant, Elys also wanted to speak with her before she went away with Henry. But the thought of the prince getting rid of Cordelia if she was defiant made her think twice.

With a bit of heaviness in her heart, Elys agreed with Henry. She can still talk with Cordelia later anyway. Elys would just have to be patient enough.

"Go," Elys told Cordelia, squeezing her hand as if to console the woman's worries. "I will be fine by myself. You don't need to watch over me all the time, Cordelia."

"Very well," the old woman replied, her face a bit downcast. "If the princess wishes so, then I will oblige."

Cordelia brought the medicine box with her and walked out with Henry. The door closed with a soft thud, and then Elys turned to her newly healed hand.

It was fascinating how vampires were so naturally gifted with magical abilities.

Elys suddenly found herself frowning.

Magic would have been a great advantage to her plans. But the very thought of actually using it gave her severe anxiety.

The screams and terrified faces of her people during the vampires' attack haunted her to this very day.

How could she ever forget? She had been one of the reasons the whole kingdom had been on fire despite being covered in snow nearly all year round.

Slowly, she felt the unease crawl under her skin and she immediately slapped herself to focus.

"I need to get air," she told herself.

Elys walked towards her window, opened it wide and peered down. At first, she just wanted to breathe in some fresh air, but what she saw out her window actually piqued her interest.

She hadn't noticed it before, but it turned out that despite the unkempt interior of the manor, the outside was a whole lot different.

There was a tiny stretch of a garden with an array of flowers in full bloom outside. It looked like it was well kept too. The hedges were neatly trimmed, and the dirt path was swept clean.

Elys scoffed. It seemed out of place in comparison to the prince's overall demeanor. Was the garden his idea?

She didn't expect him to be someone who loved flowers.

In her eyes, the Prince Aleksander Ardorlean was more interested in torturing people than to appreciate colorful blooms outside his home.

"Maybe I should take a quick look," she mused to herself.

Perhaps she could find clarity with a bit of a walk. The princess stood up and decided on it. There was still time before Henry came back for her.

Determined to clear her mind, Elys sneaked out of her bedchamber. She was careful not to wander carelessly, lest she run into the prince.

That wouldn't do her any good if she really wanted to clear her head.

The prince would just end up stirring her mind into chaos.