015:- The Vampire Castle

Thus the journey was delayed at the border until Prince Silvan recovered sufficiently enough to return to the road. They had made good time so a few hours of wait time didn't pose any trouble.

In the Capital of Vallyn, the preparations were in full swing. The castle hadn't been this lively in decades, even the Vampire Queen had returned to the castle from her year round stay down South by the sea.

Alessio stayed in the room while all of this went on, some of the numbness from the shock of the news of Eleanor's death had begun to wear off. After all, he had never seen Princess Eleanor before, he didn't even know what her voice sounded like. It felt intrusive to grieve over her, like it wasn't his place to. Her older brother who had to agree to a marriage of convenience to him as well as leave his country behind right after the death of his sister had far more of a right than he did.

In the first few days after learning of Eleanor's death, he couldn't get rid of Luka, the noble Vampire insisting on hanging around his rooms. It didn't help that the usually chatty Luka only sat in a corner like a statue or better yet, a wall fixture. Alessio couldn't get rid of him until the preparations reached a frenzy and Luka was summoned by his Father for something important.

He asked that Luka be kept from his quarters until after the wedding, and although his Father was surprised by this request, believing that they were the closest of friends, he was quick to agree.

Alessio knew that he would spend weeks apologizing to Luka afterward but right then, he needed to be alone to sort through his thoughts. He had nearly a decade to come to a suitable way to think of Princess Eleanor, now he had only a handful of days.

Despite his marriage with Princess Eleanor being one of convenience, Alessio had prepared himself to treat her in every capacity as a proper wife. They both had no choice in the marriage but he would get to live on for years after, while she had only the span of life that would be given to him, he planned to give her only the best parts of him.

That couldn't be the same with Prince Silvan, he could only hope that they would be friends, and if the human Prince found love in the Vampire court, he would allow it.

Alessio found himself looking at Eleanor's paintings more and more in the past few days, he found himself wondering if her older brother looked anything like her. He had long decided to return the paintings to Prince Silvan after the wedding, he had more of a right to them than Alessio did.

It would be strange to hold onto paintings of his dead betrothed when he was married to her brother…

He fell back on his favorite sofa, his appetite had been little these days but he was still fortunate enough to be able to fall asleep. The wedding was in two days, and it felt like he was stretched tauter as the hours counted down. With nothing else to do, Alessio fell into the gentle arms of sleep, unaware of the appearance of a skulking figure in the shadows. Red eyes peered out of a gloomy face, dutifully watching the Prince sleep for a while before he disappeared into thin air just as abruptly as he came.

-+-

Silvan sequestered himself in the carriage as the procession completed the last leg of the journey. They were passing through the capital of Vallyn, and curious Vampires peeked out of their houses, some even being bold enough to line the streets.

Their human allies were pleasant and polite, waving and smiling to the curious Vampires. It encouraged more and more to step out of their houses, curious red eyes trailing the procession.

Silvan was the only one who didn't lift the curtains of his carriage, what did it matter if he saw the Capital now or next week? He would be spending all of his life here, this was the only view he would be privy to.

Prince Alexander's dark blue eyes were alight with curiosity as he occasionally leaned out of his window to get a much wider view. Vallyn was nothing like Asten, compared to his country, the country of Vampires was far ahead in architecture. Complex buildings spiraled and stretched as far as the eyes could see, bridges built in ways that defied the laws of nature. Even the commoners dressed in lavish silk and gold.

Alexander had always known that there was a very good reason why his Father did everything he could to strengthen the alliance with the Vampires but it was one thing to read of their capabilities on official documents, and another to see it for himself.

He almost didn't mind being the one to replace Eleanor now that he had gotten to see for himself. If the common people in the capital lived in buildings worthy to be called castles, then he was sure to be treated like a god in the Vampire castle. He glanced over at Silvan's carriage in front of him and snorted, retreating into his carriage. Silvan who had been given this opportunity would definitely not think the same way.

His brother had been so tormented about moving to the Vampire castle that he made himself sick.

Alexander didn't dwell on that for too long, he would get to inherit the throne without so much as a struggle, and with the flourishing alliance with the Vampires, he might as well be a god, only this time, he would be one with true powers over his country.

All of the sights in the capital couldn't have prepared Alexander for the Vampire castle. It was as big as a village, sprawling into the setting sun as their procession went through the towering gates. It was made with fine white marble and it seemed more like the dwelling of angels than Vampires, opulence pouring from every corner like the dark red flags waving from the turrets.