Amaryllis woke up the next morning after having slept through the rest of the day before and all throughout the night. She found herself in their bed clothed in one of his t-shirts.

She looked behind her shoulder and didn't see her mate beside her, but his spot on the bed was still a little warm so he must've gotten up not too long ago.

A few minutes later Ulric walked through the door holding a tray in his hands. "Good morning, Love," he greeted.

"Good morning," she replied with a smile. "What do you have there?"

"Breakfast for you. I made you pancakes and fried eggs with toast," he said as he placed the tray on the bedside table. Amaryllis sat up so her back rested against the pillows. Ulric sat down and pulled her legs over his lap and then placed the tray of food across her thighs.

"Thank you," she said while her face lit up at the food. She dug into the breakfast while Ulric just stared at her. "What?"

"You're beautiful," he responded as he softly carcassed her bare legs. "After you fell asleep yesterday and I notified the embassies of our mateship and your impending coronation," he said.

"What is the anxiousness for?" Ulric asked. He must've felt the flare of anxiety she felt at the mention of her coronation.

"Thinking about it makes me nervous," she replied and he looked at her questioningly.

"It's just that I'm a human, I'm not one of you. I don't want people to think that I can't handle the position and I'm also worried I will prove them right," she revealed.

"I don't think you realize how many people adore you, Amaryllis. Do you have any idea how many people approach me to tell me how excited they are that you're here? Or how many people were devastated to find out you were taken from me?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head.

"You may not be a vampire, but most of our people think of you as one of us. I know you didn't look at the crowd the day of the executions, but they were in favor of the traitors' executions. They recognize you as my mate and their queen and they want to protect you. They aren't waiting for you to fail. They want you to succeed. I have gained a great deal of respect from my people over the years and they know I would never do anything to jeopardize them, especially by giving the wrong person authority. They know you will fit the role perfectly."

"I didn't know people thought that," she said with flaming red cheeks. Ulric nodded his head. "Well, I feel bad, Ulric. I don't talk to many people because I thought they might not like me. I want to socialize with your people so they know I am approachable and not just some stranger. Can you host some type of event or something and invite people so they can get to know me?" She asked.

"We can host an event. I'm sure people will be thrilled to be aquatinted with their future Queen."

"And not just the vampires, but the humans here, too," she stated.

"Yes, we can do that. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I don't want to have, like, a ball or something, that's too formal and it's not my thing. I want people to see me for me, ya know, and not some dressed up fancy-looking woman. Maybe we could have a picnic in the gardens! And we can set up games and things for the kids to do!" She exclaimed. Ulric smiled at her enthusiasm, happy she was excited to acquaint herself with their people.

"I can put that together. It'll have to be next week sometime because I've scheduled your confirmation for the week after next."

"Okay, that sounds perfect," she answered.

"There's another thing, as well. My family has decided to come back for your coronation ceremony."

"Your family!" She exclaimed. "Ulric, I'm nervous enough. I can't do this with your family here!" She put the tray on the bedside stand and got up so she was kneeling on the mattress beside him.

"How does my family being there make a difference?" He asked cluelessly.

"I'm already trying to make good first impressions on people, but it's going to be ten times as stressful trying to get your family to like me!"

"My family will not have any issues with you, Love, and if they do, they will be exiled from the kingdom," he promised. "As with anyone else."

"Ulric," she started with a chastising tone. "You can't exile people because they don't like me. They are allowed to have opinions."

"Yes, they are. They aren't allowed to openly disrespect or insult you, however. They don't have to particularly care for you but they will respect your position. And if that is to happen, they will be exiled. Though, I see no issue with that regarding my family."

"Do they have to come?" She whined.

"Yes, love. It's required that they do. Immediate members of the royal family must be in attendance of any coronation."

"Fine," she agreed with a sigh.

Ulric wasn't thrilled about seeing his family either. He had a strained relationship with his parents and his siblings, especially with his father. Not only were his relationships strained, but his two sisters had always annoyed him. They were whiny brats as children and never matured from that stage. It was mandatory that they come though, so there was no use trying to avoid it.

"Ulric?" He looked at her, waiting for her to respond.

"Can um... can we invite my family?"

Ulric was shocked to her hear her question. He'd known she missed her family, but for some reason, he never thought she'd ask to see them again. He thought he would be enough family for her.

Her question angered him. Was he no longer satisfactory for her? Why did she need more people in her life when he had been the one taking care of her and loving her?

"Your family?" He asked, his voice coming out calm, but inside his rage was building.

"It's just that I haven't seen them in so long and I thought maybe you could make an exception for me. I can feel that you're getting angry and I'm not sure why. Will you tell me? Do you still hate humans?"

"Am I not enough for you any longer? Do you need your family to replace me?" He asked, his voice growing darker.

"Ulric," she said and reached out to cup his cheek. She moved her face closer to his. "I don't ever want to replace you. I don't know why you'd ever think that. I love you so much, but I want to see my family, too. I still love them."

Ulric shook his head, angry that he allowed his emotions to get so out of hand. Obviously, she didn't want to replace him, she just wanted to see her family.

"I'm sorry, Amaryllis," he said. "I've been on edge since you were taken. When you said you wanted to invite them, all I could see was them taking you away from me," he said.

A soft smile graced her lips and she leaned her forehead against his. "It's okay."

"What?" He asked when she wouldn't stop smiling.

"It's nice when you tell me how you're feeling or talk about your insecurities. It makes me feel loved and trusted."

Ulric wrinkled his nose at her words. He didn't like to think that it was an insecurity, but he supposed she was right. "Everyone has insecurities, silly. Don't wrinkle your nose. It's a sweet insecurity, that you're so worried about me." Ulric rolled his eyes, annoyed by the gushy way she was speaking to him.

"So, can we invite them?"

Ulric sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't like humans. He was growing less irritated by them due to his mate's influence, but he still didn't care for them. On the other hand, his little mate wanted to see her family whom she hadn't seen in quite a while. He could feel how hopeful she was that he would say yes. He didn't think he'd be able to stand the sadness she would feel if he said no.

"Yes."

"Are you serious?" She exclaimed.

"Yes."

She screamed so loudly his eardrums practically shook. She jumped on top of him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She bent and grabbed his face, peppering kisses on every inch of his perfect face. Then she cradled his head to her chest, thanking him with her body by smooshing his face into her boobs. "Thank you," she said again.

"You're welcome," Ulric answered, but his words were muffled. She let him go and sat beside him once more, staring at him with adoration.

"I'll send an official letter to your parents' house and I'll organize their travel, as well." Amaryllis nodded her head and thanked him again. Ulric couldn't help but feel like an ass that he allowed himself to get so angry just moments ago. The look on her face was worth having to deal with a few humans.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?" Amaryllis screeched and ran toward a little girl who had a horrible fall after tripping over a soccer ball.

The little girl stood up and brushed her pants off, then gave Amaryllis two thumbs up and ran off to kick the ball again.

"You know she's a vampire right?" Thierry asked as he came to stand next to her, a smirk on his lips.

"I am aware, Thierry. That doesn't mean she can't get hurt though." Amaryllis said and placed her hands on her hips. Thierry shook his head and walked back toward the canopy.

Today they were having their picnic where everyone within the kingdom was invited to attend, even the werewolf packs that reside within the territory were invited. There were many people in the backyard of the castle, which was a good thing. Amaryllis was worried no one would show up.

Amaryllis looked down when she felt a tug on her pants. She saw a little human boy standing at her feet with a flower in his hands. She crouched down so she was level with the boy.

"Hi, Miss Amaryllis," the little boy said.

"Hi, buddy. You don't have to call me that. You can just call me Amaryllis," she said with a smile.

The little boy giggled and held his hands out. "I picked this for you," he said and handed her the flower.

"For me! Thank you so much!" She said and gave the little boy a hug. He hugged her back and then ran away toward a group of humans. She saw him wrap his arms around a woman's legs and she assumed she was his mother.

Amaryllis looked around and saw that there was a definite divide between the vampires and the humans. She could even tell the humans from the vampires and not from the color of their eyes, but from the clothes they wore. Not all vampires wore flashy, expensive clothing, but all the clothing the humans wore was bland and worn looking. It made her sad as she looked around and saw the children wearing very used looking clothes. She knew the humans here were slaves or servants, but she'd never truly noticed the divide until now.

She felt guilty as she realized how much of a lavish lifestyle she lived there at the kingdom compared to other humans. Ulric made sure she had the best of food and her clothes were all new. She didn't have to worry about needing anything because he provided it all.

"Are you okay, Amaryllis?" Marley asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" She persisted.

"Yes, just thinking about the coronation," she lied. For the rest of the evening, she tried not to think about the obvious social hierarchy and tried to focus on having fun and meeting as many people as possible.

By the end of the evening, Amaryllis met hundreds of people and they all seemed generally welcoming. Some more than others, but none of them were rude to her. She hoped this would be a good introduction of herself to Ulric's people. While she did have a fun time, the humans were still in the back of her mind.

"Ulric, I'm nervous," she whispered as she wrung her hands together and swayed her weight from foot to foot.

"You'll be alright, mate. There's no reason to be nervous. They're your family," Ulric reassured.

"I know, but I haven't seen them in so long." What she didn't say out loud was that she was worried they would disprove of her relationship with Ulric, especially since he did happen to be the cause of human oppression. She was hoping to change the oppression aspect soon, though.

After recognizing the human hardships within the castle last week at her picnic, she realized she needed to use her new position to influence change. She'd been ignorant of the hardships humans endured for months because of Ulric, but it still existed. And she wanted to change it. She just needed to find the courage to speak to her mate about it.

"Your family will be ecstatic to see you, Love," he planted a kiss on her forehead. Her and Ulric stood in front of the main castle doors as they awaited her parents' and brother's arrivals. After a short while of squeezing Ulric's hand in anticipation, the doors opened, revealing guards flanked on all sides of her family members and her family members in between. The guards bowed to the couple before stepping out of the way for her family to enter the castle.

Her father walked through the door first and his mouth dropped open when he finally laid eyes on his daughter. "Daddy!" She exclaimed and ran into his arms. She laid her head on his chest and breathed his familiar scent in.

"I missed you so much, Ames," her father cooed as he hugged her tightly.

"I missed you too, daddy!" Her father finally let her go and she moved on to her mother.

"My sweet baby!" Her mother cried as tears streamed from her eyes. "I can't believe this is really happening!"

"Well you better believe it," Amaryllis said and wrapped her arms around her mother. A few moments later she moved on to her brother who looked different than he had a few months ago when she last saw him. He had bulked up some, muscle wise. He was pretty skinny and not very muscular before, but he was developing a leaner physique.

"I miss you so much, Amaryllis," Luca said as he pulled his sister close. "I missed you, too," she mumbled into his chest.

When she pulled away, she wiped the few tears that had escaped from her cheeks and approached Ulric who was still standing where they were waiting initially. She grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to her family.

"Ulric, this is my mom Lucinda and my dad Joseph, and that is my brother Luca. Mom and dad, this is Ulric."

My mother looked away from him my and father looked at him but didn't meet his gaze. They were intimidated or afraid of him, or both. While their fear was justified, it ate Amaryllis up inside. She didn't want her family to fear her mate.

Her parents didn't seem to notice that Amaryllis's hand was locked in Ulric's, but her brother sure noticed. He stared daggers at their combined hands.

"Um, Ulric and I, we are dating," she said in terms they'd understand. Her parents' faces both dropped and her brother looked angry, but he didn't make eye contact with Ulric either.

"We are mates," Ulric corrected.

"What is he talking about, sweetie?" Her mother asked.

"I'm his mate, mom. All vampires have them. It's like a soul mate. We were destined to be together," she explained, hoping her parents would accept it and not freak out.

"Oh, so you're fucking the damn vampire king?" Luca asked critically. His face was very tight and he looked angry.

"Luca-" she started.

"Don't speak to your sister like that," Ulric snarled. For a brief second, Luca looked at Ulric like he wanted to challenge him, but his intelligence must've kicked in because he looked away.

"It's not like what you think it is. I love him and he loves me. He's taken care of me my whole time here," she tried explaining.

"He stole you from us, Ame. That's not love, it's Stockholm syndrome. We know vampires have mates, but you aren't a vampire. He's manipulating you," her father said.

"Daddy that's not what's happening," Amaryllis said.

"You're welcome to leave," Ulric interjected. "Your daughter invited you because she was excited to see you and excited for you to see this next step in her life. If you refuse to accept the relationship she is in, you may leave," Ulric said. Amaryllis could feel he was growing angry, but his outside appearance remained calm.

"What is the next step in your life?" Lucinda asked. "The letter just requested our presence for you. It was how we knew you were still alive."

"I'm being crowned Queen tomorrow," she answered. Luca humorlessly laughed and both of her parents gasped in surprise.

"Honey, I don't understand," her mother replied, her voice shaking with emotion.

"Mom, he's my mate and I love him dearly. He's not manipulating me. Human mates are rare, but they do exist. He loves me, too. I can't imagine my life without him. I don't understand why you can't accept that."

"It's a lot to process," she answered. Amaryllis looked at her father's face and he seemed very confused, her mother seemed sad, and her brother still appeared angry.

"Are you sure you love him?" Her father asked.

"Yes, daddy. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him."

"I didn't know of human mates, but if he makes you happy and treats you well, then that's all I want for you," Joseph said.

A smile lit up her face and she thanked her father for his blessing. Her mother was shocked her father said what he did, as was Amaryllis.

"It will take some getting used to, but if you're happy, then I am too," her mother replied. Luca scuffed but didn't say anything in opposition.

"We have a suite for you to stay in for the next few days while you visit," Amaryllis mentioned. "We can take your things up for you."

Ulric walked to where the guards had deposited their bags and picked them up as if they were weightless. Both of her parents froze as he walked passed them.

Amaryllis followed Ulric toward their suite and made sure her family was behind her. Their suite was on the same floor as their quarters, just in a different wing.

"Well, we will let you settle in. If you walk down this hallway and make a left at the end, you'll see big double doors on the right side of the hallway. That's where Ulric and I live, just in case you need something," Amaryllis said.

Ulric shut the door behind them and wrapped his arm around his mate's waist. "What are your tears for?" Ulric stopped and asked when he noticed her rubbing her eyes.

"I know they said they wanted me to be happy, but that wasn't their initial thought. I know they still aren't pleased. Luca isn't very happy either. I just wanted them to be okay with our relationship," she said as her voice cracked.

Ulric flicked her tears away. "They will come around when they see how happy you are. If they don't, then that's their loss because they will only cause themselves pain by rejecting your wishes." Amaryllis nodded her head and took a deep breath.

"What if we go home and I make you the noddles and broccoli you like, will that make you feel better?"

"Yes," she said with a laugh.