The Vampire King lifted an eyebrow before he smiled, a gentle knowing smile. "Well then… I, the fifth King of the Vampires in Terra Continent relinquish the vow that the knight Zacharia gave to Princess Lucinia de Carinus." The king then looked at the silent knight. "You are dismissed.

"Yes, your highness." Zach looked at Lucinia for a few seconds before he left the room.

"Did you really have to do that?" the King spoke when the knight left. "You are unable to defend yourself. You are not as fast or as strong as normal vampires."

"Just as Duke Mo said. I don't need anyone to defend me, your highness."

"Did something happen recently?" the king asked. He didn't miss the anger in Lucinia's voice.

"No, your highness." She said, her head lowered. "Thank you so much for relinquishing the vow, your highness. If there is nothing else… I would like to leave first."

Her words made the king smiled. "Alright. You can leave— "

"Wait," Duke Mo's voice thundered against her ears. She trembled inwardly as she raised her head and looked at him.

"Duke Mo?" this time, Lucinia didn't turn her head away. She could sense, the man's gaze bore inside her, penetrating the very depths of her soul. It made her want to run away, and hide. But for some reason, her body was not cooperating with her brains.

"What you did earlier…" Duke Mo turned his head towards the king. "I believe… it was a pretty dangerous thing, no?"

Lucinia waited for the king to say something— anything. But the man just looked at his friend, the same gentle smile was on his face. "It is indeed very dangerous."

"If the witches knew that a vampire could actually use the blood against its own kind… " the Duke's lips lifted. "I cannot imagine the trouble this would bring to the kingdom."

"I understand." The king nodded. "What do you suggest?"

"I suggest that she stays with me."

"Excuse me?" Unable to stop herself, Lucinia chimed in. Her eyes wide as she looked at the Duke. "That— Please forgive my outbursts… I was just— "

"Understandable." The Duke smiled at her. "If I were you… I would be surprised too." He shifted his gaze back to the King as he added. "I can protect her."

"You just said I don't need anyone to protect me."

Again, her words made the men inside the room paused, both stared at her. However, Lucinia was not about to back down. "Thank you for the Duke's concern, but I am good. This lowly one is exhausted and is about to get sick. Please excuse me," she said and left the room without waiting for the men to say anything.

What protection? Lucinia doesn't need any protection. Especially not from someone who stared at her as if — as if he was looking at a piece of meat that he wanted to devour.

Lucinia didn't bother saying her goodbyes to her brothers and sisters that were still in the hall as she immediately went to her carriage. Staying in a place like this was suffocating her. She needed to getaway.

"Why are you still following me around?" Lucinia stopped walking as she looked at the man who stood next to her. It was none other than her knight, Zacharia. He stared at the man's complicated expression. "Do I owe you some money?" Why would an ex-employee follow the employer around? If not for money then… "Are you planning something… sinister?" She took a step back, her eyes turned alert.

"You've changed."

"I would take that as a compliment." She said without batting an eyelid. "Is there something else?"

Zach didn't utter a word as he took a step back and gave her a slight bow before turning his back and walking away from her. Seeing this, she let out a sigh of relief before she felt all of the hair at the back of her neck standing up. She immediately turned towards the second floor of the huge mansion, and just as she expected, she saw the Duke staring at her.

Lucinia bit her lower lip before she went inside the carriage and instructed the old man to take her home. Lucinia knew that the mansion doesn't belong to the Duke. She also didn't know why the Duke and the King would suddenly arrive in that place. It was supposed to be a simple banquet with some nobles.

She shook her head as she calmed her racing heart. The most important thing is for her to proceed with her previous plan of saving the female lead from that Duke.

Lucinia closed her eyes as she thought of the female lead— the woman that she was about to save from the Duke. Base on the timeline, the female lead would start working for the household of Prince Gavril together with the male lead just a few days from now. She doesn't have the details, but she needed to keep that woman away from Duke Mo. Lucinia searched through her memories and realized that Prince Gavril would have a banquet a few days from now.

If her guess was right then, that would be the time that the Duke would see that Prince Gavril had taken an interest in the small maid. To irritate Prince Gavril, he would ask the King to give him the servant instead. If that is the case, all she needed to do was made the Duke occupied during that banquet. Then her task is done.

However, the thought of the Duke made her frown. Everyone knew that the Duke is intimidating and doesn't like associating with other vampires other than the King and the members of the Royal Family. If her memory serves her right, this is not the first time that she met the Duke. But this was the first time that the latter looked at her like he did earlier.

She bit her lower lip.

"Whoaaa!"

"What is wrong?" Lucinia immediately asked when she noticed the horses stopped. They haven't arrived at her castle yet.

"Your highness… man is… the man-made the horses stop running."

Lucinia immediately opened the window of the carriage and looked ahead of them. "You— What are you doing here?" She asked the man that was now rubbing his hand at the horse's neck.

"Your highness…" Duke Mo lifted his gaze from the horse. "I am lost. Would you mind… sending me home?" He smiled.