It doesn't end well...

8- Tears of Blade (2)

DAPHNE

"You look lovely" Erix mutters as he approaches me.

"Thank you...it's the dress. And thank you for the dress, Sahar said you brought it"

"Yes, I brought it but it was Dagon's gift"

Dagon's gift? But why? I see Dagon approaching.

"Come with me" Dagon states passively.

"Did you leave your manners in your room or are you always rude?" I say. I mean what will it take the guy to just say a casual 'hello' before dumping 'come with me' on me?

I don't miss Erix's chuckle.

"I don't have the patience to deal with you tonight. Will you come with me quietly or should I drag you?" He mutters nonchalantly.

Is he serious? I am not moving from this spot. Or maybe I am. I fold my arms stubbornly and walk away, adding an extra sway to my hips. Does he think he can treat me badly? Well... he's sorely mistaken because I know better than to let anyone treat me poorly.

"Daphne?" A familiar voice makes me stop walking. I turn around and my eyes widen in surprise.

"Your Majesty" I bow...or at least try to. He smiles warmly. Strange.

"It seems you don't get along with Dagon, I asked him to get you but here you are"

"I can say confidently that your son is the problem"

We both chuckle at my statement. From over the King's shoulder, I can see Dagon's narrow gaze. He heard me. Good.

"In this dress, you remind me of someone" the King says. I stare at him curiously. Also, in the dining room, he said I looked familiar.

"Who?"

"Your grandmother"

My grandmother? He knew her? She died before I was even born and my parents never really talked about her.

"You knew my grandmother?"

"I met her when I was only seventeen, she was sixteen then. She was as fierce as you are. Analisse and I were lovers" he mutters. My mouth falls open. Lovers?! My grandmother and the vampire King?

"What happened?"

"Walk with me"

I follow him out of the ballroom, towards the garden.

"We were young and in love but of course, it didn't last. She was human and I was a vampire. A human and a vampire cannot simply be together. It causes bad things to happen. Not to mention she died while I remained here"

I listened carefully to him. Somehow, I felt comfortable with him. It reminds me of my father.

"How did she die?" I ask further. From the way he said she died it feels like there's a tragic story behind it. I can see it in his eyes. Pain.

"We parted ways because we realized we couldn't be together. Soon, she married another. Had a child, your mother. As if fate wanted to play a cruel joke on us, we saw each other again and I found out your grandfather abused her physically so I decided to bring her with me... your mother was only four back then. Unfortunately, my parents got to her before I could. They ripped her heart out of her body"

I gasp lightly. His parents k-killed her? They killed my grandmother?!

"Your grandfather must have told your mother untrue stories about your grandmother and that's why you don't know her"

So much happened before I was even born. The King knows so much about my family, I wonder if he'll know about my parents' death but I can't ask him. I think I've asked him enough questions about my family for one night.