Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Anastasia walked the other stairs to find the library. On reaching there, she met Hannah wiping dust from the shelves. "Ms. Ana," she bowed her head.

Anastasia sat down on a chair, opening the book to read. The book spoke about vampires from the past who were cursed by a witch to act rabid. They would often snap out and feed on themselves. There were pictures to describe how the vampires looked when they snapped out and Anastasia felt uneasy.

"Ms. Ana, are you alright?" Hannah asked, walking closer. "I'm fine," she replied, raising her head to see Cassius, who walked inside the library. She returned her gaze to the book, acting as if she didn't see him.

"What's wrong?" He approached her, taking a look at the book.

"Those are vampires who were cursed by a witch," he said. She raised her head to look at him. 

"Why did she curse them?" "They were greedy," he replied. 

"Seeking powers. At that time, vampires were allergic to the sun. It wasn't until a certain witch came and did some spells."

 "Will you believe if I say the maid yesterday was infected from the curse?" Anastasia asked. 

Cassius frowned. "Let me finish."

"After vampires were able to walk freely under the sun, they wanted more powers for themselves. They attacked the witches, forcing them to do more spells to make them powerful," he said. "The witches got angry and joined their magic into one, attacking the vampires and cursing them to be infected," he said. "Vampires began to attack their kind, taking more blood and killing each other."

"They eventually found the witches who had cursed them and instead of begging the witches to lift the curse, they killed them," he continued. 

"So what happened after?" Anastasia asked. 

"Another coven of witches came, lifting the curse from them and setting the vampires free," he ended.

"If the curse was lifted, what happened to Eva yesterday?" Anastasia asked. 

"How do you know it was the curse that affected her?" Cassius asked. She hesitated, unsure of what to say. If it wasn't the curse, then what was it?

"We would be sure when the results are out," he said. Deciding to change the topic, Anastasia asked, "What is it with your Mistress, Emily?"

"She is not my Mistress," he said.

"She threatened to take you from me," Anastasia bit her bottom lip. Cassius pulled her closer.

 "I don't belong to anyone." Then he captured her lips, kissing and sucking her. Anastasia closed her eyes, placing her hand on his chest, to feel his heart beating fast.

The feeling was back again; she could feel it at the pit of her stomach. She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck as he licked her lips. When he pulled back, she was breathing heavily.

…..

 She would be crowned the Queen of Blackwood Kingdom today. She felt confused, not knowing how she should act. A few women from the court house visited her, trying to make friends with her. She remembered Cassius' words: "Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend." 

Despite being afraid of the thought of becoming a Queen, she was glad that there was some distance between her and Cassius. She didn't like the feeling she had around him. It made her want to say things she didn't want to say to him.

Once she would be crowned Queen, the ladies of the court will arrive to teach her her duties. There would be a lot of visits, and she wouldn't have time for herself. 

"You look dull," Hannah commented as she washed Anastasia. 

"Well, I will be crowned Queen today," Anastasia said.

 "I'm just confused." 

"You will adjust with time," Hannah said. "The ladies of high court will tutor you." 

Anastasia could only hope they wouldn't hate her as the villagers did.

She left the room to find Cassius in his room. She hadn't met his family since their arrival and wondered if they already heard about her. She met Cassius staring at the window. 

"Winter is slowly approaching." 

She walked closer to him. "I will ask the maids to see to some winter clothes for you," he added, turning around to look at her. "You look gorgeous, my Queen," he leaned closer to kiss her lips.

"I haven't been crowned yet," she rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Very soon you will be wearing the golden crown of Blackwood Kingdom," he said.

"Have you eaten?" 

She nodded.

"Come with me for a walk."

"Wouldn't you want to go to the court house?"

"Not today, when I will be crowned King," he said, holding her hand, and they walked away.

When they reached downstairs, they began to walk around the castle, exploring the place. All of a sudden, they heard a scream, and they turned around to see servants running back and forth.

"What's happening?" She asked.

"Let's see." They hurried to the servant's quarters to see Isabella. Her eyes had turned black, and her mouth was dripping blood. She was holding a dead maid in her hand.

"Isabella?" Anastasia called out with fear as she approached the young girl.

But Isabella threw the body to the ground and lunged towards Ana. Before she could do anything, Cassius grabbed Isabella by her neck, shoving her to the ground. Another maid who was also infected came running towards Anastasia, and she began to run. She ran inside the castle, pausing to catch her breath.

As she closed her eyes for a moment, she saw herself in another land. Anastasia turned around to see herself standing at the shore of an ocean. Thunder struck, and she shivered. Her eyes landed on the creature in the water. A beautiful woman with long dark hair and blue eyes walked out of the water. She had full lips, a sharp nose, and hard features.

"I have been waiting for you, my child," the woman said.