MATED TO THE VAMPIRE KING SON Chapter 52

FREDA'S Pov

I sprang awake, startled by the sudden noise of trolleys and footsteps in the room. The sunlight sneaking in from the curtains almost blinded me. 

Damien wasn't beside me either. I had lay to rest before he came in last night and not seeing him this morning was surprising. I suddenly wanted his swift 'Good Morning'. However, his smoky cedarwood scent still lingered in the room. 

"Good Morning, Your Majesty" Christie's voice seemed to calm my spirits. Standing beside her was an unfamiliar face of a red-eyed and pale-skinned vampire. 

"Christie…" I walked away from my bed to her. She seemed timid around the other woman, her eyes gaping at my feet. "Is anything the matter?"

"Good Morning, Your Majesty," the woman said too. "We apologize if we startled you, Your Majesty, but this is a case of urgency. You…" she pointed sharply at Christie. "Do you need another lesson to fulfill your appointed tasks? 

Christie panicked, hurrying behind me with a bathing robe.

"And who are you?" I turned to the woman. My eyes shot at her in defense of Christie. She lowered her gaze and curtly smiled. 

"I am Agatha, the head maid of the palace. The king ordered that your maid prepare you for the arrival of a guest. But Christie here is rather incapable and unprepared, it is my duty to ensure your needs are met, Your Majesty."

I found her statement offensive. "Christie is enough and competent for the task. However, I do not know you and I believe the king did not assign you to me." I howled at her.

Agatha was taken aback and her face burned in embarrassment. "The king will be right sore displeased if he finds fault in her preparation, Your Majesty. As she is a dhampir, her clumsiness surpasses measure." She opened her mouth to continue speaking but I cut in.

The urge to call her a hungry bloodsucker crossed my mind, but I resisted. It appeared none of the palace fellows knew I was a hybrid. If Agatha knew, she wouldn't humiliate Christie as a dhampir in my presence.

"I refuse to hear you speak about my friend in such an insipid manner." I sent a clear warning.

"Friend…is rather a strong word, Your Majesty" Her eyes bulged.

"Leave, please. I can see reasons why the king is protecting his mate from the outside. You detest me, Agatha." I spat.

The woman gulped in her saliva loudly and her gaze met Christie's again, ensuring to give her a death glare before walking out of my chamber. 

A part of me felt sufficient after exerting authority. As someone who had been bullied frequently, stopping one without a clap back from the other person felt too good to be true.

"Are you alright, Christie?" I turned to hold her trembling hands. "Take a deep breath, she's gone." Rubbing her hands continuously was my only way of comforting her.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty" She fell to her knees, gripping my legs. " I am unfit for these duties. I am sluggish, tardy, and wasteful. Please reject me so someone better can take care of you."

"No, no." I clasped my hands under her arm, lifting her from the ground. "I wouldn't ask for anyone better. You are my friend, Christie. I trust you to take good care of me"

In between her tears, I saw myself in her. Vulnerable and scared. Was I the one Damien insisted on being Queen? He didn't know a lot about me yet. He only trusted our mate bond. 

"So tell me, what is so urgent by this time or the morning? Who is the guest Agatha spoke about?" I smiled to lighten up the mood. 

"I…er…the king…" her breath cut up in her words.

"It's alright, Christie. You can go as easy as you want. I'm all ears."

Her eyes closed and she exhaled heavily. "The King asked me to prepare you for your training with Lady Elara. He set out early this morning to invite her to the castle" Christie announced.

Oh, so that was where he went. Damien was taking every measure to make me his Queen. He might be taking this too far and important. I didn't want to be Queen. This was not my kingdom.  

"We must start now, I would face a grave punishment if the king met you undressed," Christie said. Knowing how Damien was, I wouldn't risk him hurting Christie over a slight error.

I undressed and put on the bathrobe handed to me by Christie. Doing every other thing she said, I got ready for this 'important' meeting with the witch Damien told me about.

My memory continued to refresh our last conversation about Lady Elara.  Damien had said she was terrifying, but he trusted her to tutor me well. By terrifying…what did he mean exactly? I was about to find out.

I let Christie eat with me as I was certain that Agatha would deprive her of food after what happened. The moment we were done eating, and she cleared the plates to the trolley, the door swung open startling both of us.

I stood up in the presence of the king.

"Meet my mate, Freda." Damien's hand gestured over to me as he made an introduction. The aura in my chamber seemed to change the moment Lady Elara walked in. Her black cloak didn't do any better in easing the eerie feeling.

"Ah, Freda" her voice low and cautious. "I see you are prepared." She picked her words.

Christie sensing the tension, curtsied quietly. "I'll leave you to your discussion, my lady" She rolled out the trolley. 

Damien moved close to me. My eyes met his and I shook my head. I wanted to talk to him privately and tell him this was a mistake. Elara's presence instilled fear in me, there was no way we could work together.

"You're in safe hands," He said to me like he sensed my fear. "I'll give you both some time." Without a single word, he walked out of my room, leaving me with the witch.

"His queen-to-be, Freda," Elara said softly as she stepped closer to me. "Tell me, what do you know about us Vampires."

Her statement clearly meant Damien had told her that I was a half-human, half-werewolf. He indeed did trust her.

"Isn't that the reason for your being here? To tutor me, like Damien asked you to?" I asked her.

Her lips curled into a maniac smile. "Impressive, Queen" she nodded her head, keeping the same expression.

In a glimpse of an eye, she was already beside me. She held onto my shoulders and pushed them backward. "Stand up straight Freda. A Queen does not slouch"

I straightened my posture. 

"We are covering royal etiquette" she paced around the room. "The vampire customs…" she stopped in front of me. "When you meet the nobles, you curtsy deeply, but not too low. You're a Queen, not a servant."

I practiced the courtesy and earned a shrug from Elara.

"The Vampire Lords and Ladies are addressed with their title, Your Excellency, Mr Lord, My lady. You must have been used to Sir or Ma used by humans"

"I'm an Alpha's daughter too, you seem to forget, Elara."

She lowered the hood of her cloak, revealing her face better. She was not as young as she sounded, and I realized I must have spoken rather rudely. 

She rounded me in circles like she was placing some magic spell to restrict me. "Every word you utter and every move you take must be well thought. Remember, you represent the crown. You will not embarrass Damien or the Kingdom."

"Yes, Lady Elara." I succumbed to her intimidating energy.

"Your actions must compliment the King's. He is a man of authority and domain. Other Vampires should be able to trust your decisions if the King is not available" She said, intensely staring at me.

Other Vampires?

"Here's a book on coronation rites and vows. Study it, all protocols for the coming coronation are there" She threw a voluminous book on the bed.

"Coronation?" Damien mentioned coronation but I never realized he was very serious about it. "And when is that?"

"Sooner than you think, Freda."

Lady Elara continued to tutor me while my mind swayed off. Licita's death crossed my mind and my chest tightened. I was going to become the Queen of a kingdom that killed my people. A Queen of a kingdom where life was barely important, even to the king himself. A Queen of a kingdom where my father was held in prison.

Was this the life I always wanted? Isn't this worse than the life I struggled with my stepmother and sister?

Was this the sacrifice one has to make for a mate?

I was beyond puzzled. Things were not right, I knew within myself