Grandeur

"Take a seat or whatever, slave," Aleksander said without looking at her.

Elys looked around.

It was her first time in this part of the manor which closely resembled a drawing room. There was only one chair and a coffee table to match, little to no decorations at all. Lastly, one broken chandelier was hanging precariously above them.

Needless to say, the lone chair in the room was occupied by the prince, obviously unbothered with the danger that could potentially fall down on him.

The princess couldn't help but roll her eyes. He had been sarcastic with her. Thankfully, he seemed like he wasn't at his worst temper as of the moment.

Elys felt she could play a bit.

"Quite funny, dear husband. Would you want me to sit on your lap then?" she retorted, returning the sarcasm he threw at her. "And for goodness' sake, stop calling me a slave. I am Elys."

She walked towards the prince, and then stood beside him as she faced the tailor whose pale face competed with the vampire prince. His eyes were on the verge of tears, and she could tell anytime the man would eventually break down.

Aleksander glared at her, but instead of snapping at Elys for being smart-alecky, the prince quickly turned his attention back at the man who was obviously terrified of him and his foot incessantly tapping in impatience.

Without really looking at her, the prince addressed his wife, "Your tongue is interesting. Perhaps it is the only thing redeemable about your existence. And no, even if your name is the most beautiful name in the world, your name will never touch my lips."

"But my blood already touched yours, coursing through your entire body," Elys raised a challenging brow.

"I will kill you," Aleksander hissed at Elys.

The tailor observed the intense banter that transpired in front of him.

Glancing to his left, the man saw the attendant looked at him coldly. A woman, about the same, came in and stood by the door. Cordelia and the tailor exchange a few seconds of eye contact.

The man gulped.

In his eyes, Cordelia was tall and broad, not much like women he knew of. And even though she was slightly thin, she had an air in her that made him think she could snap him like a twig if he made one wrong move.

"That's not the right manners a prince should show his people," Elys pointed out to the prince. "No matter our pasts, we are now husband and wife. Play your part, your highness."

The tailor couldn't dare to witness another second of waiting for them to finish.

He dropped to the floor, his hands rubbed together as he cried and begged, "Y-Your h-highness, I implore you, p-please let me go. As appreciation for your goodwill, I swear to help you find someone else who could best provide the clothes you need."

The man caught everyone's attention, and the prince beckoned Henry over.

"Give this man thrice of the gold you had given him," Aleksander instructed, to which Henry bowed in acknowledgement.

"Right away, my prince," the old man replied, and immediately went to grab a few more bags of gold coins to bribe the tailor.

The coins jingled in their pouches. Henry handed the gold to Prince Aleksander, to which he opened with one hand and then tossed the coins arrogantly to the crying man. Gold scattered about, clinking as they reached the cold floor drenched in the tailor's tears.

"Please…" the tailor whimpered.

Aleksander wasn't having any of it. He didn't have enough patience to get another tailor. He already set his mind to attend the ball in grandeur, and he wasn't having any of the fake drama.

If Henry brought this man as the best in town, then he will trust that the guy really was.

Also, the prince couldn't get enough on making the tailor cower in fear. He didn't think he enjoyed it, but this was the first time he felt he had power over someone. The tailor might be a vampire, but he was so low in the social ladder that he was utterly powerless against the bastard prince.

"Tailor," the prince bent down and whispered in the man's ear, "you will provide what we demand. And if you don't, I will have every last one of your family disappear in the face of the earth," he paused for a dramatic effect, and then added, "forever."

The man raised his head, tears and snot mixing as he whimpered.

Elys watched over at the other vampire, observing how things would go with this sadistic husband she had now.

"Now stand up and measure us," the bastard prince commanded.

Everybody around him was against him, and the only thing he had in his bag were measuring tapes and his notebook and pen. He tried to think of another solution to get out of the situation, but couldn't find anything at all.

The tailor was all alone.

His magic was only having an eye for detail. What was he going to do then? Sew beautiful clothes until the prince died of happiness with his work? That was out of the question.

Even if he had knowledge in combat – which he didn't – the rumors of the prince's powers scared him.

He was too petrified to even lift a finger, how much more to fight back.

"Sir, his highness doesn't have the patience to wait for you," Henry urged the tailor to move. "It is best you do what you agreed when I paid in full, lest you be tortured and then have your eyes picked by crows for denying service to an Ardorlean prince."

Aleksander stood up, spread his arms mockingly and started to count, "One… two…"

"I suggest you begin before he gets to three," Henry quipped. "The last person who angered the prince is no longer with us, physically and spiritually."

The tailor scrambled up, tripping over his coat, and then immediately went to work.