Day 6 – Lenster Region, Allegmaine Kingdom
"Hey, Charles." I called out to him as he rode ahead on horseback.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"You know anything about Prince Abergeen?"
He slowed his horse a bit, glancing back at me.
"Why do you ask?"
"Nothing serious. Just… back in Charlotte a few days ago, I met someone who claimed to be Prince Abergeen."
"For real?!" Charles sounded surprised.
"Pretty sure. The guy dressed like a noble, and he had money too. The ginger and turmeric I brought back? He gave them to me after I helped him chase down his runaway dog."
"Huh… sounds like he's finally free."
"Wait—was he locked up or something?"
"Not exactly prison… more like he was under house arrest. In the palace."
"Huh. What did he do to deserve that?"
"Attempted murder."
"WHAT?!" My jaw dropped.
So the guy I was hanging out with... is a would-be killer?
"Yeah. Rumours say he tried to kill his adoptive sister, Princess Maria. Supposedly pushed her down the stairs."
"What happened to her after that?"
"She lost her memory. Last I heard, she's still being treated in the palace."
"Damn… that's serious. If that's true, then yeah, no wonder he got locked up."
"Well… that's just what the rumors say."
"Wait—so it's not confirmed?"
"There's no solid evidence. No witnesses, no clear motive. The palace stairs are made of smooth ceramic tiles, so there's a chance she just slipped. The only reason Prince Abergeen got blamed was because he happened to be there at the time. But here's the kicker—she was wearing heels."
"Huh… so maybe she just tripped?"
"Exactly. But you know how politics work. The kingdom's been a mess lately, and some people think the whole thing was just a setup to bring Prince Abergeen down."
"What do you mean?"
"Prince Abergeen is one of the royal heirs. But he's too young to rule. On the other hand, Princess Maria is also an heir, but since she's a woman, she can't rule on her own. She has to marry a nobleman so her husband can become a king."
"And I guess that nobleman was…?"
"A guy named Hector. Big-shot noble. The plan was for her to marry him and make him king. But after the incident and her memory loss, the wedding got called off."
"Man… that's messy. So it's like they've got a kingdom with no king right now?"
"Basically. The Prime Minister's running everything now. But I bet he's just waiting for his shot at the throne too."
"Sheesh… I wouldn't wanna get caught up in any of that."
Charles chuckled at my comment.
"By the way," he added with a grin, "you and that vampire girl seem kinda close. You sure there's nothing going on between you two?"
That's when I realized—Clarissa had fallen asleep leaning on my shoulder.
"What? Hell no! Don't get weird. It's just—there's no pillow or anything in this cart, and I did pay good money for this ride, you know."
"Of course I didn't bring a pillow. Who brings a pillow on an adventure?"
"Anyway, about Clarissa… I met her right after defeating one of the Demon King's battalions in Zaitsya. She was a war prisoner, handcuffed and everything. Some soldiers told me that vampires are one of the rarest demon races."
"That's true."
"When she walked past me… I don't know, I just felt drawn to her. She looked beautiful—even in chains. And once I learned she was a vampire, that just made me wanna protect her even more. Then I heard the soldiers planned to hurt her, and I snapped. Tried to talk them out of it, but they wouldn't listen. So yeah… you know the rest."
"Yeah, you told me that story before. But what happened after that?"
"She ran. After I took care of the soldiers, she bolted and disappeared. Became a wanted fugitive. I figured she'd be smart and lay low, but nope—next time I saw her, she was hiding in the capital's marketplace."
"Oh right, that's when you met me too, huh?"
"Yep. Found her again in some narrow alley. She was hiding from patrols, wearing a cloak. As soon as I realized it was her, I grabbed her hand and asked her to come with me to Nothredam."
Charles laughed.
"Quite the love story."
"And get this—Clarissa isn't a full vampire."
"Wait, what?" I blinked.
"Yeah. She's half vampire, half elf."
"Elf?! No way. She doesn't even have pointy ears like you."
"Probably 'cause of the demon blood. But look closer."
I glanced at Clarissa's hair. Still sound asleep on my shoulder. Charles was right—up close, her hair was silver-white, not bright white like a pure vampire.
"Elves usually have silver or blonde hair. Vampires have snow-white hair. Hard to tell from far away, but it's obvious up close."
"And her skin tone?"
"Elves are pale white. Vampires are more pinkish-white. Clarissa's somewhere in between."
"Damn, Charles… your eye for detail is insane."
"Haha, no need to flatter me." He looked a little shy.
I was seriously impressed. The fact that he noticed all that, just from looks... wow. And the truth about Clarissa shocked me. She always called herself a vampire—but maybe that was only part of her story.
"I actually feel kinda bad for her," Charles said suddenly.
"Huh? Why?"
"Elves are supposed to marry other elves. Marrying another race is a huge taboo."
"I've heard that. But why would you feel sorry for her?"
"Because when an elf breaks that rule and has a child with another race, the child is considered impure. The High Elves demand that any mixed-blood elf be executed. And the parents? They get punished too."
"That's… awful. Who even are these High Elves?"
"They're basically the Elf Council—13 elders who run everything in the Valtoria forest. They make the laws, manage the community, and hand out punishments. They believe elf blood is sacred, and mixing it with other races 'defiles' that purity."
"Clarissa was probably smuggled out of the forest by her parents… or maybe abandoned. Either way, that's likely how she ended up in the Demon Kingdom and became a soldier later on."
I was speechless.
The thought of her growing up with that kind of burden... it hit me hard. I bet, deep down, she still thinks about her parents—wondering where they are, if they're alive, if they ever loved her.
I gently stroked her hair.
"Whatever happens… I'll protect you," I whispered to Clarissa, still fast asleep beside me.