CAPTIVE by the Prince

Chapter Nineteen

The party concluded nearing dawn. Most of the visitors decided to make their way back to their own land while some accepted the elves’ hospitality and stayed overnight at the palace. Usually, the party lasted for a week, but Ana’s mother had informed her that she could not stay away from Sanggre more than a day. And right after the celebration, Ana was to travel to her husband’s estate located near the border of Elfiro.

Ana was furious that Ivan did not even consult her whether she liked to go there with him or not. Even if she was already married to him, it didn’t give him any right to make decisions for her!

She and her mother were inside the drawing room of her chambers. Thick curtains were drawn down, not permitting even the tiniest stray of light from entering the room.

“Do not take it against your husband my dear,” her mother said. “He just wanted to spend time with you alone now that you are his wife.”

And since when did her mother started backing up Ivan’s every move? She knew something was up, for her mother never really cared about Ivan’s wants and feelings before.

Her mother suddenly looked uneasy. She noticed her mother suddenly loss the regal poise she often carried with her. The queen kept on grasping her hands together and was squirming on her seat.

She cast her mother a worried look. “Is there something wrong, mom?”

“Well dear,” the queen started, “I haven’t raised a daughter before. And I knew nothing of how your people in the mortal realm conduct themselves to certain… uh… activities that a male and female do in a… and since you are now a married woman, you would have to expect your husband will be demanding for his rights and… oh how shall I say this?” Her mother sounded exasperated and Ana could no longer hide her giggles.

“Mom, are you trying to talk to me about sex? ‘Coz if you are, it’s kind of too late for that,” she said with a chuckle. Although she hadn’t surrendered her V-card to a lucky guy, she wasn’t exactly innocent on that department. She did have a previous boyfriend, and they often make out until she realized what a jerk he was. He so often hinted on going third base, and when she refused, he had dumped her.

“Oh! Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place?” her mother suddenly said, sounding relieved that she would no longer require to fulfill her motherly duty of educating her daughter pertaining to sex. “Female vampires really don’t care about staying chaste until their marriage. The elves and the nephilims, however, have different views on that matter.”

“How come?” Of course there are people in her world who had conservative views, Ana knew that. But it was surprising to hear that it was also the same thing here in this realm.

“Copulation and promiscuity isn’t an issue with us. Why, most noble lords have mistresses and courtesans provided that they are discrete, of course. Your father even has sev–” Her mother stopped when she saw the shock look on her face.

“Even dad? Is it ‘has’ or ‘had’?”

Queen Talya looked at her thoughtfully. “Your father and I, we don’t love each other, dear. It was also an arrange marriage just like yours. It was a move my father needed to do to keep the throne in our line, for the Valentin.” For a brief moment, Ana saw a flicker of sadness crossed her mother’s face. “The first time I saw him, he was visiting the palace. He’s a distant cousin, you know. At first I thought I was in love with him. He was really handsome and so worldly. And I felt Tadhana telling me he was the man destined for me. But after we got married, I finally saw him for who he was. All he wanted was to be king.”