A physical examination

The entire room was bustling with activity by this point and honestly, Dahlia felt a little frightened. She still couldn't see properly and being in such a busy and foreign environment was bound to raise her anxieties. Worst of all, Valentina was gone. She was still standing nearby, looking over the medics like she was some blood thirsty foreman from hell, but Dahlia couldn't see that. All she knew was the warmth was gone and the soothing whispers receded.

So even after being made aware that the Archduchess wasn't going anywhere, she suddenly felt isolated. All while she wallowed in her own misery and was struggling to come to terms with this new found dependency, the physistians asked questions and the healers began their work.

"Where do you feel pain? Does anything stand out? Rate the pain out of ten. Can you feel this pressure? How about now?"

On and on it went. They kept performing tests and as the healers worked their magic, she could actively feel her condition improving. Frankly, her recovery was going wonderfully but there was an elephant in the room that needed to be addressed. She was too scared to ask, but luckily she didn't have to. A snappy remark came from a few feet away instead.

"What about her eyes? You all keep avoiding them and haven't talked about them. What the hell is the problem?"

The physicians seemed uncomfortable with the whole subject. Organ recovery was not their forte. It was one of the healers that finally spoke up.

"The eyes are a tricky place to heal. All organs are, but for whatever reason the eyes remain particularly difficult. In terms of healing magic, the only organ to supersede it in difficulty would be the brain. Unlike a lot of injuries we're healing now, her eyes are far more difficult. Frankly… I suppose I wouldn't get my hopes up, but we'll see what we can do."

The last part seemed a little frantic and rushed as fear crept into the woman's voice. Dahlia figured there was a certain vampire staring daggers into the healer. Before anything could escalate, one of the physicians finally decided to add his own insight.

"I'd say things could be worse. The damage caused was brutal, but her left eye got the worst of it. In addition to some major cuts, her cornea completely separated from the rest of the eye and is basically just floating around inside."

"We may be able to repair it enough to not need complete removal, but she'll remain blind. In the right eye however, there's hope. It's condition was very similar to the left, but the cornea didn't fully separate meaning we have a much better chance to repair it. I won't say her vision will be back to what it was, but she'll retain some sight."

It was time for Dahlia to finally speak up. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to so she raised her hand and waited. One of the other physicians had started talking at that point but the Archduchess immediately told them to shut up once she noticed Dahlia.

"Uhm, right now I can see, but only a little bit of light. Everything is blurred. If I focus, I might make out shadows but that's it. Is this what you mean by 'some sight'?"

The doctor shook his head but then realised the pointlessness of that pretty quick.

"No, it'll improve. Before you were likely fully blind, so this is just some of the recovery you'll have. It's hard to say how well you recover, it's based on intricacies that we can't directly measure. What I can tell you is that your right eye may have blurred vision, may struggle to adjust to extremes in light, and you'll likely end up near sighted. For things close though, a pair of glasses or monocle should be enough to let you read."

Dahlia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. The idea of losing sight in general was terrifying, but when she thought she'd never be able to read again she was terrified. It had just been too large a part of her life to suddenly throw away. Then a realisation came to her.

"Oh. Oh no. My books… shit they're gone! My schema and everything is just… forfeit I guess."

She let out a sigh and the medical staff gave her a bit of space, but mostly proceeded to work without saying anything. Valentina walked over and ruffled her hair though.

"Don't worry sweetheart. I can't say I have everything, but I grabbed a few of your more important things before I left. Worst case scenario is I go back to retrieve what you need. It's not like I left the place on fire, though it certainly was tempting."

That brought a wry smile to both of them but then Dahlia started thinking again. She was beginning to realise that she might have been getting comfortable here too soon.

"Wait, what about my parents? What's going to happen now? I know you're an Archduchess, but I was their only hope to recover the family finances. If you took me then they might try something or do something like kidnap me or assassinate you. My father seriously wouldn't be above that!"

There was urgency and near desperation in her voice and she spoke far too fast. Thinking about the future punishments she would have to face along with endangering the Archduchess were a pair of things that made anxiety run deep through her veins. Valentina growled out "move" toward some of the medics and sat down beside her. She held her hand and squeezed reassuringly.

"Right, I've got some things to tell you, but I need you to stay calm. I brought you here and you're safe now. Neither of them will lay a finger on you, ok?"

It took a moment and a few deep breaths but eventually Dahlia recentered herself and gave a small nod to show she was ready.

"Right, so let's start off soft. When I found you, your mother had been taking care of you. She was exhausted at the time but explained the situation. She certainly has her own reasons, but without a doubt she wanted you alive. When I came, she wasn't even angry that I planned to take you away. She shared some… information with me and chances are she'll come back again. You may see her again."

Dahlia nodded along. Seeing her mother was scary, but it could be far worse. With Valentina by her side as well, she felt like she would be able to manage. She wanted to ask what the information was, but gathered that now wasn't the time.

"Right, here's the big one. You should brace yourself a bit. Other than exhausted, I last saw your mother fine and she had more will to live than a dandelion.Your father on the other hand. Well, he's dead. Or… left me double check, yup he's in the middle of dying."

Dahlia's body had suddenly gone stiff and Valentina couldn't get a good read on her reaction. Sighing, she continued.

"After seeing you the way you were and after hearing what had happened from your mother I… well I was seeing red. What I had done to him felt like less than he deserved, but well, I needed to take care of you. Look, I'm sorry, I don't know how you actually feel about him and I just did that. He deserved it all but if you wish I hadn't or you're scared of me or something, I get it."

The archduchess was beginning to panic. She lived to never regret her decisions but when it came to this girl, everything around her was so precious that the risk of messing up was terrifying. As she got trapped in her own doubts, Dahlia suddenly shifted to face her and then suddenly… *Wham!* A headbutt straight to the nose.

It was then followed by a squeak of surprise and faint apology and then just as she was about to ask about the headbutt, Valentina found her lips sealed off. Dahlia had found her way, albeit blindly and awkwardly, to her target and used all the courage she could muster to kiss the vampiress. It wasn't just a quick peck either.

Her arms wrapped around Valentina as she tightly brought herself in. At that moment, it was all she wanted to do and after the initial surprise, Valentina was more than happy to reciprocate. It wasn't anything fancy. One of them was practically shaking just from the act alone and was struggling to think, but the two remained together far longer than the unwilling voyeurs in the room had hoped.

Minutes passed until Dahlia pulled away and with both tears and a smile she whispered. "Thank you. Thank you so so much." She followed it with another kiss, much faster this time and finally retreated, only for Valentina to drag her back in her arms. After that brief taste, even if they had to stop, she had absolutely no desire to part. She turned to face one of the healers and just gave a curt nod.

"Well? What are you waiting for? I'm staying so just work around me. I'll pay you extra for it, so sorry for being unreasonable."

The remainder of the checkup went about as smoothly as one would expect. Dahlia's eyes remained the main problem, though even after having the second healing session some of the larger wounds remained. The good news was that Valentina had fully removed all major infection before arriving, so only basic regenerative healing was needed. For the most part, Dahlia would be recovered fully within three days.

After receiving the information and people finally filtered out of the room, only the two were left behind. Just as she had promised, Valentina had refused to move away and she remained beside her love the entire time. Now that they were properly alone though, she refused to settle for just handholding.

The moment the door clicked shut, she dragged Dahlia back down to the bed with a new fervour while she brought her in tight to her body and resumed kissing Dahlia all over. Horniness mixed with pure giddiness from what had occurred earlier.

'She kissed me. On the lips! I thought she was so petrified it'd take ages for her to open up but she even took the initiative! I love her more and more every with every moment~'

She had gone back to kissing Dahlia's neck and felt a shiver run through her as she heard a faint moan come from the girl. She really was holding back at this point and even the slightest push could have sent her over the edge. She wanted to treasure and protect her, not scare her away. But the more they interacted it was clear that they both wanted each other, it was only a matter of pacing.

The knowledge that Dahlia was going so far as reciprocating made the vampiress want to just let loose at that very moment. Why wait when it's what they both want? But she knew deep down that it would be a short term fix. Dahlia was so uncertain of herself that if they went too fast it could make her mentality worse. Not to mention, the Archduchess saw her as particularly fragile and was terrified of hurting her any more than she already had.

So as she fought off her inner demons of lust, Valentina simply settled on kisses, caresses, and entwining herself with Dahlia. Although the girl shivered and whimpered at her touch, there were still moments of hesitation, and at those times she would quickly notice and return to something much calmer. There was no need to push boundaries no matter how much she thirsted for more.

It should be said that this wasn't one sided. Certainly Valentina took the lead but Dahlia wasn't just laying there unresponsive. Although especially towards the beginning she simply relished the sensation of receiving affection, as time went on she could feel her heart race and felt a tug at the back of her mind. The desire for more. She began to run her hands over the woman beside her. First tentatively but over time she got more and more courageous.

She couldn't see anything but what she felt made her almost begin to pant. Right there under her fingertips was such a beautiful woman. Her skin was soft and smooth and her muscles were toned. While she remained away from some regions, that which she did explore was explored thoroughly. Every line of the Archduchess' abs was ingrained in her memory. The shape of her torso and every subtle ridge of bone and muscle in her back. She took it all in.

Valentina had quickly fallen into a frenzy of kissing every square inch Dahlia let her have. It was to Dahlia's surprise that the vampiress even caught on to whenever she began to grow weary. She wasn't even that opposed to going further, but anxiety wasn't something that could so easily be ignored. Despite a part of her wanting more, she was more than happy with the treatment she had been receiving and after a while, her own caresses began to become kisses as well.

It was with a chuckle that Valentina looked down at Dahlia while the girl was kissing and faintly nibbling the soft skin at her waste. It looked like a small animal trying to claim its territory and she almost burst out laughing from how cute she looked. She stroked her hair and waited for her to finish before pulling her up so they could once again be face to face.

"You know, for the sheltered girl I thought you'd be, you sure are more eager than I expected."

Dahlia began to squirm until she found herself more comfortable, huddling tight into Valentina's warm body.

"Hehe, and how exactly should I take that? …Back at home, I didn't interact with others. Instead of sheltered, I'd use the word isolated. But I had a full library of books to read and I read them all. It shouldn't be a surprise that I've read my fair share of erotica too. I can't say I loved the genre but, well… certain things I read definitely haven't left my memory, let's just say that~"

The Archduchess couldn't help but smile. The girl was so cute and lovable, yet there were always sides to her that surprised and excited her. Her thoughts went back to thinking about how Dahlia has kissed and nipped at her. Not only was it adorable, but it told her something important. She was probably just as possessive as Valentina herself was.

That desire to mark. To claim your partner as yours and yours alone. Valentina felt that exact same pull and knowing it was reciprocal got her heart beating faster and faster.

"Hmmm, so what do you think? Think you could make this your new home? Think you could stay with me?"

The tone had been playful and frivolous, but Dahlia seemed to almost take it like a challenge as she puffed out her chest in pride.

"Of course! Obviously I haven't seen the castle itself, but I wouldn't throw this away. Not a chance. And let's be honest, if I got scared away just because you've proven to be… needy, then surely I was never suited to be your partner to begin with. Besides…"

She leaned in then, entwining a leg the the vampiress' and pressing her generous chest onto Valentina's arm before her breath tickled her ear and she let out the faintest whisper.

"The way you make me, I think I may be needy too."