Vampire Queen

Chapter two

We arrived in the capital of Toska, Kilig. It was still night, but dawn was dangerously close. The sky was catching a red hue, even though the first rays of the sun of the day had not yet peeked over the distant horizon. We arrived at my father's mansion. Residence of Ivan Ivanovich the Third.

He brought me in. There, some unknown young man hugged me. A wide smile graced his lips.

"Nice to finally meet you, sister," he said.

I was in shock. I had no idea who he was. His energy was too much for me after everything that had happened in the last few hours. And apparently, it wasn't the end. I was so confused and still afraid.

"Excuse my inappropriate behavior. I should introduce myself to you first." he gave me a nice smile as he noticed my confusion and fear. "I'm your brother, Alexei."

"I have a brother?" I said in surprise.

"Yes," he replied. "You're my little sister." He hugged me again. "Different mothers but same father."

"Let her go, Alexei. She is still recovering from her transformation," said the father.

Alexei let me go. He gave me a sympathetic look. "You'll get used to it quickly, Dragomira. I swear," he said. "I promise to help you with everything."

"I don't even know what I am," I said uncertainly.

"We are vampires, Dragomira. We rule this kingdom," said Alexei.

"Doesn't Toska happen to be ruled by King Cassius?" I asked.

"King Cassius is the first of our kind. The most powerful and therefore he is the king," said the father.

King Cassius, the vampire king. I wrote those words down in my memory. That explained everything.

"Your servants will take care of you now. You have to get dressed, Dragomira," said my father and let the women, unknown to me, take me in their arms.

They led me to the sumptuous rooms that were to be mine from now on. I could not even imagine such a luxury in my life. Tapestries decorated the stone walls. Beautiful vaults. Gold and marble. The bed I was to sleep in from this day on was five times as big as my old one, in our old house.

It seemed like a dream.

I was still in my nightgown. They dressed me in a gorgeous red dress. Tied me with a corset. They did my hair. They put some color on my face. Red lips. Pink on the cheeks. Red eyeshadow. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn't recognize myself. The girl who was looking at me from there was not the girl who had to collect pearls on the farm to survive. Dragomira Ivanovna, the noblewoman, was looking at me. She has a father. She even has a brother. Now blood is her life.

It's my life now.

They took me back to my father. Together with my brother, they sat at a long table made of richly carved, dark wood. The windows were covered with massive curtains. They absorbed all the sunlight. The dining room was illuminated by the soft light of candles in silver candlesticks. The small fire danced in the air, casting flickering shadows on the walls.

"How are you feeling, Dragomira?" my father asked me.

"I don't even know how to feel," I replied. "Everything is so much stronger. Sounds, smells, everything."

"You'll get used to it quickly, sister," said Alexei. "Our powers are amazing and you'll love it."

"How long did it take you to get used to it?" I asked my brother.

It still sounded so weird on my tongue. My brother. My father.

"I grew up in this world, so it was easier for me," he replied. "Surely you're not used to all this nobility."