21 21. First Meal Together

As the door closed, Mauve staggered, she held onto the bed for support to avoid falling to the ground. Being in his presence was exhausting, she was used to trying to be at her best but Jael made her extra self-conscious.

She slowly took off her dress, he sounded angry before he left. She wondered what she did wrong. Not really, that was the right response. Even if she was outrightly starving it wouldn't be ethical for her to trouble them considering it was basically midnight in vampire time.

She slipped the dress back on, the right way this time. There was a mirror beside the bed but aside from it being a little dark, the mirror was also blurry. It was in terrible need of intense cleaning.

She tried to tie the dress but it was a hassle all by herself. "By the goddess!" She swore. Being a pretend princess was a hassle, at least she didn't need any help when she tried to get dressed, she couldn't even use the corset. No way she could put it on by herself, not to mention the fact that she wasn't used to the mechanism.

Hoping she did a manageable job, she ran her hands through her hair, it came out wet. She cringed as she realized how crazy she must have looked when he walked in.

She gathered it in her hand and used her other hand to tie a string around it. This was easy, she was used to taking care of her hair herself and it was something she loved to do. She gathered the ends and twirled them around making a huge bun. 

Her hair color was a faded black, slowly losing its color. It was one of the things she had gotten from the king, her father, the only clue that she was his daughter. White hair at a young age was a trait of the royal family. All her brothers' had this but hers was more obvious because she had more hair.

Her heart squeezed, until the month when she played princess, she had gotten used to covering it up. It was either that or she would have to cut it off because it pissed Queen Lale off. She couldn't do that, the reason she didn't hate her hair was because her mother loved it.

She rushed towards the door, she couldn't keep him waiting. "Thank you for waiting," she blurted as she opened the door.

Jael slowly turned his gaze to the door at the sound of her voice. It was incredibly soft, it suited her considering every part of her seemed fragile. Still, she was holding herself more than he had thought the first time he laid eyes on her.

Her small frame stood by the door as if she was waiting for his order. She had her head bent and he could still smell her fear, it wasn't as bad as the first time but it was still enough to annoy him.

He stood up and headed straight to the door without responding to her. He pushed the door open and without looking back to see if she was following him he walked out of the room.

He heard her footsteps behind him just as the door closed. He walked towards the stair and then a loud gasp. He could guess what she was reacting to, he had asked the servants to light up the candles in the ballroom.

She rushed past him and clung to the bars as she looked around in awe. Jael watched her intensely, she was excited and he saw that there was no smell of fear. This should not matter to him but somehow it did.

"I am sorry," she apologized as she realized how she had acted. "I-I just… It is very pretty and huge, I have never seen anything like it."

"I see," Jael said and turned away as he walked down the stairs. He wanted to tell her that she would definitely like it during the parties but decided against it.

Her bright aura diminished and a gloomy one took over, the smell of fear was back. He kept walking still, leading her through the ballroom and to the dining room.

The servants in front of the door threw it open as soon as he got close enough, they kept their heads bowed even as they held the doors open. He headed straight for the huge chair by the much more huge dining table. It was long, it could hold two hundred people easily. 

He sat down and watched as she trod slowly towards him, obviously torn on where to sit. She stood awkwardly looking left and right. Jael did not try to help her, he just watched.

Finally, she decided on the seat on his right side but a seat away from him. He did not protest. As soon as they sat, a servant immediately opened the plates. Jael made no move to eat and he noticed she was looking at him from under her lashes, waiting.

He started to eat and she followed him. He was not hungry but he figured it would be weird for her to eat alone in the huge dining room and he needed her out of the room.

They ate in silence, he was in no mood for a conversation. Besides, he knew it would be more of an interrogation than a conversation. 

He mostly watched her eat, it was good to see that her fear did not affect her appetite. At some point, he started to ask where all the food was going. He had to stop himself from staring at some point.

"Would you like some more?" He asked when she finished the food on the table.

She reddened to the roots of her hair, "I-I just couldn't help myself. It was very delicious and I haven't eaten anything proper in a while." She looked down.

"So, I should take it as you don't want more?" Jael asked, his expression unreadable.

"Um, yeah. Thank you for the meal."

"Are you ready to leave now?"

She nodded and stood to her feet. Jael led the way out again, they passed the ballroom and back to his room. She followed him into his room, "Good night and thank you," she mumbled and then passed the connecting door to her room. She literally fled away from him.

Jael winced at the headache, staring up this late had an effect on them, he wondered how the servants were holding up. Hopefully, they were done with all their tasks and returned to sleep.

He took off his shirt and tossed it, it was quite the day, he probably only had three hours until nighttime. If he wanted to get some sleep he better get it now because if he didn't he would not be able to sleep a wink once the sun goes down.

He heard the footsteps before they knocked. He swore, he wanted to get some rest. The last thing he needed right now was an interruption. "What?!" He yelled as he pulled the door open.

The servant cowered, "I am so sorry Sire but the human said she had to see you now at all cost even though I told her it was late and she would have to wait until the sun went down."

"It is fine," Jael said and the relief on the servant's face was enormous. "Leave us."

The servant literally ran away. Jael could not blame him, he wondered what convincing abilities the woman had that she could get a servant to bring her to his front door.

Jael turned to look at the attendant that had accompanied the princess. She was older, she had an edge of maturity and experience that could only come with age. There was nothing really impressive about her but in the right light, some might consider her pretty.

"So, what do I owe for this intrusion?" 

"I am sorry, your grace…"

"Spare me the formalities, the sooner you spill the better." The smell of fear was faint, her message seemed to be of so much importance that she thought herself untouchable, Jael thought.

"It is better we discuss this in private."

Jael's eyes turned to slits and Vae jumped backward. "Whatever you want to say can be said here." 

Her confidence depleted almost immediately. "I um, I was told to… My orders are…" She paused and tried to gather herself while keeping her gaze on her toes. "When will you lay with the Princess?"