The Vampire Court (Part 7)

From a distance, as per her orders, Hilda watched David closely.

She made sure that no one near him intended to threaten his life, she made sure that she allowed the Court to see her Dragon Metal armour, and she made no effort in talking to anyone else.

Not even to Eva who was stood stiffly beside her.

It didn’t matter if they were a member of the Court or one of the vampire’s servants offering her a refreshment, Hilda ignored them all the same for she hadn’t been ordered to talk to them.

“Aren’t you hot in all that armour?”

“…I’m…fine. It’s nothing…compared to what…I’ve been…through.”

“…I see.”

An uncomfortable silence lingered between them.

Ever since Hilda had been the Kelsey’s prisoner, Eva had looked out for her, brought her food and kept her alive but, after David took control, that duty had fallen largely to others.

Mania trained her to be strong, David named her his knight and Eva was often too busy managing the rest of the servants to worry about Hilda.

In all that time, however, Eva had always wanted to ask Hilda one question.

“Hilda, are you happy?”

Without hesitation, the Satyr Knight nodded.

***

Fenrir kicked off the ground hard and flew through the air towards the alpha werewolf, a massive four-metre-tall black beast with a white back.

The alpha crossed its arms in front of itself to block the attack and snapped its jaws at her fist. Fenrir pulled her arm back, spun around in the air and slammed her foot against its bottom jaw, dislocating it.

The alpha shrieked as it rolled countless times against the dirt before slamming its back into a tall tree. The alpha leapt up onto all fours, growled, and charged at Fenrir.

Fenrir dodged its first three attacks, but the fourth sliced across her stomach, lightly scratching her and drawing a few drops of blood. She clicked her tongue and kicked at the werewolf’s stomach, but the alpha caught her foot and threw her over his head.

Fenrir spun in mid-air so she landed in a crouched position just as the alpha struck again. She ducked and dodged its attacks, before punching it twice in its dislocated jaw. The alpha screeched in agony just as Fenrir smashed her knee into its bottom jaw, breaking it.

The wolf, unable to take the pain, collapsed onto its back, clutching its snout and whimpering softly.

Fenrir stood over the defeated werewolf and pressed her foot down against its throat, choking the alpha.

It struggled and gasped for air, clawing desperately at the fur on Fenrir’s legs, but she wouldn’t move, even if its claws hurt her.

“Do you submit to the Dark Lord?” She asked in a deep voice, applying more pressure to the creature’s throat.

The alpha didn’t respond as its strength began to fade; it lowered its arms and nodded to the best of its ability.

“Good.”

Fenrir stepped off the werewolf and it desperately gasped for air.

The onlooking crowd of fifty others couldn’t believe it.

Their alpha had ruled over them for a century and hadn’t lost a single fight in that entire time.

When Fenrir glared at them, they quickly became docile and prostrated themselves before her.

They knew that even if they all attacked her at once, they wouldn’t win.

They had all tried defeating the alpha that way before and lost without even wounding him.

From the side, Abaddon applauded Fenrir’s efforts before conjuring a portal behind him. “Good work. I’ll be sure to tell the others at the Keep of your efforts.”

“Thanks, Abaddon,” Fenrir called back with a grin, giving him a thumbs-up.

“You coming back to the Dread Keep tonight or are you staying at the castle?”

“I was planning on staying with this bunch.” The werewolves cried out a little bit but they went silent after Fenrir gave them a fierce look. “I need to see how useful this lot really is.”

Abaddon nodded and departed, leaving Fenrir alone with her newly acquired soldiers.

Master, I will never forget your words for the rest of my life.

We are strong, but there are those just as strong as us in this world.

***

Before tonight, David had never been able to dance but, with Lilith’s guidance, he was now able to move elegantly to the music coming from the ballroom.

She had led him at the beginning until he gained the confidence to take the lead. Then, the two spent twenty minutes dancing together on their own on the balcony. Anyone who came looking for them was sent away either by Hilda or Lord Ruthven’s guards.

As they had danced, the two gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes, not sharing a word.

Both of their cheeks had turned pink and both wore bright smiles.

To anyone who knew what the Demon Emperor was like in public, such a sight would be unimaginable.

Even to David, it didn’t feel real.

What the hell is this? He wondered.

Why is this so much fun?

Why can’t I stop myself from looking at her?

Why do I feel this way about her?

Have I actually fallen for Lilith?

When Lilith noticed that he was staring at her more intently, her blush deepened and she looked away from him.

She’s so cute!

“A-Allaric.”

“Y-yeah?”

“T-the song’s already finished.”

“Huh?”

David looked into the ballroom and saw numerous dance partners bowing to one another as the orchestra changed their music sheets for their next song.

Embarrassed, David broke away from her and scratched his cheek. “S-sorry. I was just having too much fun to notice.”

Lilith giggled happily. “I’m happy to hear that. However.” She looked sadly back into the ballroom. “I imagine we might be quite missed inside. After all, tonight is in honour of your majesty and it wouldn’t be good for the star to be absent for so long.”

“I suppose so.” Before Lilith went back inside, David took her hand and said, “Before that though.” He pulled her back into his arms. “Might I ask you for something first?”

“W-what?”

David lent closer to her face and whispered, “Might I have a kiss from a beautiful lady?”

Oh God, you idiot! He screamed in his mind; his cheeks turned a deeper shade of red but not from happiness. You suck at romantic stuff! Idiot! Stupid! She’ll-

Lilith meekly nodded her head and closed her eyes.

David closed his and pressed their lips together.

As they kissed, Lilith put her hands on his chest and the two continued kissing for a few, long, blissful moments.

When they broke, Lilith’s face had become even more flushed and David had managed to push down his embarrassment from before.

“A-Allaric…”

“Lilith, I’ve decided what my answer will be to your father’s proposal.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m sure you already know, but I’d like you to be by my side as I announce it.”

Lilith pressed her head against his chest, embracing him giddily, and screamed, “Yes!”

When they re-entered the ballroom, David asked Lord Ruthven for silence and proclaimed his intentions.

“Hear me, esteemed members of the Vampire Court! I, Allaric, Emperor of the Demon Empire, hereby announce that I intend not only to sign the Demon-Blood Covenant here tonight, but also my intentions to marry Lady Lilith in one hundred days’ time!”

The crowd cheered and applauded.

***

After the party had ended, David had escorted Lilith up to her bedroom, intending to do the gentlemanly thing and just leave it there rather than take things further.

However, when he turned around after bidding her a goodnight, she hugged him from behind and whispered, “It’s tradition in the vampire court to mark a marriage with a first night together.”

David, having already felt himself falling for her a bit, smiled and said, “Okay.”

She led him into her bedroom, locked the door, then stripped down till she was only wearing a thin lingerie one piece.

The two kissed, embraced and she helped David undress. Then, they kissed once more as David led her towards the bed, gently laying her down on the covers.

“U-um, Lord Allaric,” she whispered, holding his back. “I-I’ve never, um…I’ve.”

David smiled and kissed her lips softly. “It’s okay. I’ll take the lead and I promise you that I won’t hurt you.”

Lilith blushed and smiled brightly back, before kissing his lips.