Fatal love: My last mission

Chapter 2

Seraphina

"But first things first, you need to start acting like a fragile lady, Sera. You're too stern," Freya said, crossing her arms.

"Just great. Now I have to take acting lessons?" I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"No need for that. I can pull it off," I shrugged, brushing her off. There was no way I was going to sit through some ridiculous training on how to act weak. I wasn't weak, and I wasn't about to pretend I was. And who said I must act weak to become a bloodsucker's bride?

Freya arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Can you patiently let someone scold you without throwing a fit? Even I, as your queen and elder sister, have to tread carefully when speaking to you. You won't last a day in that palace if you don't fix your temper. Don't forget, Sera, you're going in as a witch bride. They belittle and look down on us witches. Do you think they'll give you the free will to act as you wish?"

Her words stung because they were true. My temper was my greatest flaw, the same temper that scared off any potential suitors and left me alone for centuries. But still, hearing it out loud grated on my nerves.

"Alright then, who's going to teach me how to act like a fragile lady?" I asked with a smirk.

"Me," Freya said flatly.

---

The day finally arrived. The vampire king had sent a carriage to pick me up. The bastard didn't even have the guts to come pick me up himself. I bet he didn't want to scare his bride away with his ugly face.

I hugged my sister one last time. She pulled back to inspect my dress. It already felt uncomfortable—tight and heavy. I rarely wore dresses, and wearing this one reminded me of why I never like wearing them in the first place.

"Take care," she whispered, hugging me again, and it was so tight I could barely breathe. I looked behind her at the other witches who had come to bid me farewell. I could see pity in their gazes as they stared at me. That was one thing I hated the most—pity.

"Freya, do you want to squeeze me to death?" I teased, tapping her gently to let go, and she finally did.

My eyes caught Alicia crying profusely. I had been like her godmother, so I knew she would definitely miss me the most, after my sister of course.

I raised my gown and approached her with a soft smile. "Stop crying. You look hideous," I teased, pulling her into a hug, and she sobbed even harder once she was in my embrace.

"You're really leaving?" she asked softly.

"It's fine. I promise I'll return safe and sound," I assured her, patting her gently to comfort her. It actually worked—she stopped crying.

"Your Highness, it's time to leave," one of the vampire king's henchmen who stood by the carriage called out to me. I pulled away from Alicia's embrace, kissing her on the forehead before turning to leave.

I could feel my eyes burn as tears threatened to spill. I rarely cried. The last time I remember crying was when our mom passed away, and I wasn't about to let tears spill, i was definitely going to return to them, so there wasn't any need to cry.

I looked back at our kingdom one last time. My sister's reassuring smile calmed my heart a bit, but it wasn't enough to calm the storm inside my heart. I could feel sweat gather in my palm. Nervousness was something I'd never felt, so the feeling of being nervous was completely strange and new.

Once I got inside the carriage, I sat down, exhaling deeply as I tried to calm my nerves. The carriage soon hit the road, and I knew we were in for a long trip.

I even asked the guard if I could just teleport there alone, which would be a lot faster, but the stubborn guy insisted we follow formalities, like I cared. Going to the vampire kingdom by teleportation would have taken me at least two hours, but this freaking carriage would definitely last a whole day on the road.

As we neared our destination, my heart rate quickened. I couldn't tell why I felt so nervous. Was I afraid of the vampire king, or was I nervous about getting married? I had no idea which it was.

"We've arrived, Your Highness," I heard the guard's voice call out, waking me from my slumber. My heart, which had previously calmed down, resumed racing hard. So I was inside the enemy's territory now—not as an assassin but as a freaking bride. It sounded insane, but it was fact.

I slowly stepped out of the carriage. It was already night. During the journey, I had only eaten once—the bread and roasted meat I had packed with me along the way.

The huge gates of what I believed was the royal palace welcomed me. It was black in color, decorated with shining green stones.

"Where's the king?" I turned to the guard and asked. I wasn't expecting a grand welcome, but shouldn't the king be here to pick up his bride? Did I mean so little to him?

"His majesty is usually holding meetings at this time. I'll have the maids show you to your quarters. Once his majesty is done, he'll come over," the guard explained respectfully. I was surprised he didn't drop the courtesy as soon as we left the witches' kingdom.

"Alright, I understand," I said calmly. Just then, several maids walked out of the palace and came to stand in front of me, bowing respectfully.

"Welcome, Your Highness," they greeted in unison. It all felt odd. From what I know, the vampires always looked down on the witches, so I expected them to treat me coldly. But seeing how things were going, it seemed like they respected me as a royal.

I cleared my throat, regaining my composure. "Thank you," I said, making my voice sound as gentle as possible. I didn't have a deep voice, but I just didn't want to sound stiff.

The maids finally raised their heads to look at me, and all of them suddenly gasped as soon as they saw my face. Feeling self-conscious, I quickly ran my fingers over my face, trying to check if there was something. Was my makeup smudged?

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" I asked, panicking slightly. The maids quickly nodded and looked back down respectfully.

That didn't sound like there was nothing. There was definitely something on my face. And I didn't have a mirror to check right now, so I decided to talk to one of them.

I walked closer to one of them, leaning closer to ask her.

"There's something on my face, right?" I asked. I had to make sure my face was perfect before I met the vampire king. I had to make a good first impression if I wanted to gain his trust.

The maid looked up at me slowly, her eyes widening as she saw my face up close. Just what in the world was on my face for them to have such a reaction.