The castle's west wing

"Your highness, if I may ask, why have you spared the human's life?" Ralph picked his words carefully, with a hint of curiosity.

Theodore who stood, looking at the forest area from the balcony bent downwards and brought his elbows to rest on the railings.

"Let us just say, I'm feeling bored." Mirth dancing in his eyes.

"…"

"Bring me my meal." Theodore ordered, his tongue ran over his teeth, revealing his fangs.

Ralph quickly bowed and hurried away.

"Here I thought I would die by your hands, but now I know that your sudden change of atmosphere today; will be the death of me." Ralph whined silently like a dramatic grandma.

"Did you say something?" Theodore tilted his head in question to his servant who have served him for years.

"It's nothing—I just noticed that your thirst for blood has skyrocketed lately," Ralph said as he turned to face his king, partly lying and ready to sprint away from there.

Theodore had drunk blood from four humans since the time he met the girl, and he had not spared any of them.

Theodore's jaw twitched. "It is good you're actually paying attention rather than thinking of your death. Now run along." He waved his hand in dismissal.

Theodore's well-polished shoes clicked on the floor when he turned to leave.

In his private chamber, Theodore stared at a ring on his hand with a red diamond topping. Twirling and turning before putting it away in a small chest.

At the same time, his chamber's doors were opened by Ralph, who walked in, guiding a maid inside.

Her head was downcast, and her heart raced with a mixture of fear and excitement, making one wonder what she must have been told before coming here. Her eyes moved around the floor area until she saw his feet.

"Good morning, milord." She greeted him with a bow.

And her eyes dared to look up, trailing from his feet up to his exposed upper body and lingering there before moving to his face.

The smile he offered melted down her fear. But little did she know that it was a predatory smile.

'All the rumors of his highness being a cruel monster must have all been lies.' While still staring at him, she felt pleasure building within her. 'Because all that is there is a charming king.'

Theodore, who sat on the couch with a relaxed expression, moved one of his hands to tap on his thigh, and she came to sit down. Her legs were between his.

His head went to settle in the corner of her neck, and Ralph, who stood there, took this as his cue to leave.

"I don't want to be disturbed." His words were directed at Ralph, but they only made the maid blush; if possible, she was thinking of trapping him and becoming his queen.

Ralph, who was on his way out, heard the king ask the maid, "What is your name?"

"Charlotte, your highness." The sweetness she added to her voice was unmissable, and she was hoping to get a compliment for it, but it was only left to her imagination.

"Sounds like a harlot to me." Remarked Theodore.

Ralph held the double doors to close them as he exited, and once they were closed, what he heard was the high-pitched scream of the maid, which ended in the empty hallway.

He walked away from there like he never heard a thing. Whistling to himself, he exclaimed, "What a bright day!"

Groans that came from Theodore were heard in his chamber. The maid he had been playing with was now dead on the floor.

He had taken every bit of her blood that he could get, but he was not yet satisfied.

The more resistant he was, the more he groaned in agony. The darkness within him wanted him to give in to his blood thirst, but Theodore knew it would be a blood bath.

Something he does not want to happen.

Unlike every other time, it was taking longer for the battle between him and his inner darkness to end.

'It should not be taking this long.' Theodore's teeth gritted; a frown forced its way onto his handsome face as sweat trailed down his cheekbone even in the cold morning.

Meanwhile, Ralph, who was making rounds in the house, heard the wheels of a carriage stop at the castle's gate, and he wondered who had come this early.

Opening the doors of the castle, he saw the duchess' daughter step out of her carriage with the help of her coachman. "The Queen of Pests is here again."

She said something to the coachman before walking elegantly to the castle.

"Good morning, Lady Claudette." Ralph greeted politely. "I am afraid his highness is not in the castle as he had gone for a visit."

Lady Claudette looked surprised. "This early? When will he return?"

He bowed in apology. "I have no information about that, milady."

"Then I will wait a bit for his highness."

"Suit yourself." Ralph muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something?"

"Please, this way, milady." He used his hand to show her the way, and she walked past him without sparing the servant another look. "I will ask the maids to serve you tea." He bowed and turned around to leave the lady alone while she sat comfortably in the drawing room.

With the amount of work that needed to be done in the castle, Ralph had to make sure the servants were doing their assigned jobs properly.

And he forgot that the lady was still in the castle and had not returned to her mansion.

A maid who looked scared stuttered as she informed Ralph, "Mr. Ralph, t-the vase that Mrs. Elaine gifted his highness has B-broken."

His eyes narrowed at the maid before he went to check for himself, while the maid followed behind him. "How difficult is it to do a job correctly?" Ralph questioned the maid, who didn't have any excuse to give.

Lady Claudette drank her fourth cup of tea. She was tired of waiting for the king but still wanted to wait a little more.

She was desperate to see him, and her cheeks flushed pink as she remembered a special moment she had with him.

Standing up from the couch on which she sat, she stepped out of the drawing room.

Lady Claudette caught sight of Ralph walking away with a not-so-pleased expression on his face. And she took this as an opportunity to explore the parts of the castle she hadn't been to.

She strolled towards the west wing of the castle.

The west wing was a more private place in the castle. Only a few people were permitted there, which included a few guards that guarded that part.

Claudette, who had seen some guards there, spent the majority of her time at the castle formulating a theory to present to the guards.

But she was surprised and relieved when she didn't see any guards around, giving her free rein to explore. "Let's see what's so special in here."

She walked further into the west wing, barely giving any attention to the portraits on the wall.

Seeing the west wing of the castle wasn't too special, apart from the well-detailed architecture and a few portraits; a bored look soon took over. "Just a waste of time."

And she turned around to walk back. She had only taken a couple steps when she heard growls from the door at her side.

Her once-bored self now held a mix of questions and curiosity, staring at the door. 'What was that?'

Claudette walked to the double doors, and her hand reached for the handles.

She gripped it, ready to push the doors open.