Conquering His Cold Heart

Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Breaking Point

“Right now, you look very appetizing to me.”

Caspian’s icy breath and his cold words made Anastasia shudder out of fear.

According to Tilla’s stories, Anastasia was aware that the Vampires would sink their fangs into their victim’s necks and drink their blood. And right now, a Vampire was so close to her neck that she really believed today was going to be her last day.

‘All these years I was afraid of dying. And I was even ready to marry a King I had never seen to escape my fate. But alas, death has finally caught up to me. What a way to die...’ She cursed herself for believing the letter and coming here to Sorvando.

Anastasia closed her eyes, ready to accept her death at the hands of the very person who she thought was going to be her savior.

However, to her surprise, she heard Caspian’s voice coming from afar.

“Zenon, lead the Princess and her maid to their respective rooms.”

.....

Anastasia flung her eyes open, not believing what she just heard. She looked around to see where Caspian was but he had already disappeared, and so had the man with raven black hair.

Only a man with light brown hair and a welcoming smile was standing beside them. Anastasia assumed that he was the one called ‘Zenon’.

Zenon bowed to the Princess and formally introduced himself, “Your Highness, I am His Majesty’s advisor, Zenon. Before I show you to your rooms, I would like to apologize for our rudeness earlier.”

Anastasia’s heart was still beating faster than the racing horse but she still forced a smile and said, “It is nice to meet you, Zenon.”

“Likewise, Your Highness,” Zenon gave the sweetest smile again. If Anastasia had not witnessed him as one of the accomplices in the crime that was committed earlier, then she would have believed that he was a very friendly person... vampire.

Zenon gestured towards the castle while speaking politely, “Your Highness, please follow me.”

Anastasia nodded her head and began following the advisor. Tilla also walked alongside the Princess while still clutching her hand like a scared little child. Anastasia glanced at her maid, feeling sorry to have dragged her to this hellish place.

All three of them kept on walking very silently. They took the corridors alongside the central courtyard of the quadrangle castle. They entered through the main entrance, climbed the staircases, and again walked through the dark corridor until they reached in front of a grand door. Zenon pushed the door open to reveal a grand antechamber.

The window was covered with red curtains had some intricate designs on them. The sofas and tables looked old in design but the handiwork done on them was very beautiful. A beautiful chandelier that could hold around 50 candles was hanging down in the middle of the room.

On one side of the wall, there was a fireplace, above which sat a decorative painting of a lady who was giving a bath to two beautiful children. All of the decorative items in the chamber, like the tapestries and the vases, looked very antique.

There was a door on either side of the living room. Zenon pointed towards the left side and said, “Your Highness, that will be your bed-chamber from now on.” He gestured to the door on the right and added, “That room is currently empty. It can be turned into anything that you would like.”

He then turned to face the Princess and spoke in a soft voice, “Your Highness, you have traveled a long way and I am sure that you must be tired. Why don’t you rest for a bit? I will show your maid to her room till then.”

Anastasia and Tilla glanced at each other with a scared look on their faces. They were not ready to part from each other. They had gone through so much trauma and they needed each other right now.

“Can’t she stay with me?” Anastasia pointed at the empty room that Zenon had mentioned and asked, “You said that that room can be turned into anything that I like. Can’t it be turned into Tilla’s bedroom?” She hoped to keep Tilla in her own ‘territory’.

But Zenon politely denied, “I am afraid that it is not possible, Your Highness.” He bowed before Anastasia could protest again and asked Tilla, “Please follow me.”

Though the Princess and her handmaid didn’t want to separate from each other, they were forced to do so.

Tilla finally loosened her grip over the Princess’s hand. She wanted to say to the Princess that everything was going to be okay but she couldn’t bring herself to speak a word. She just gave a feeble smile to the Princess and unwillingly stepped out of the room.

Zenon closed the door behind and left along with Tilla.

The Princess was left all alone in the large rooms. The only companion that she now had was her endless fear and the uncertainty towards her future.

Before entering the bedroom, her eyes fell in a corner of the living room. Both of the suitcases were already there.

“That one is Tilla’s suitcase though...” Anastasia whispered to herself while staring at one of the suitcases. “I hope she will come here soon to take it with her.”

She sighed before opening the door to her new bedroom. When she opened the door, she could see a huge bed, dressing table, wardrobes, and everything that was necessary.

Suddenly, she felt her stomach twisting at the sight of her new bedroom. The room was more hauntingly spacious than her old bedroom, making her feel insignificant in that large castle. She badly missed her old cozy bedroom in which she had spent most of her life.

‘I want to go home...’

Finally, Anastasia’s emotional barrage was destroyed and the mixture of emotions that she had been holding until now came flooding in the form of uncontrollable tears.

The Princess collapsed on the floor and began to cry hysterically.

Outside, Caspian was elegantly walking down the corridor which led to Anastasia’s room. He wanted to have an elaborate talk with his bride.

He recalled how scared she was and thought to himself, ‘I wonder if she still wants to get married to me after I scared her earlier. I hope she will deny getting married for her own good.’

Caspian reached in front of her door and was about to knock. However, his hand stopped midair as he could hear Anastasia crying.

A hint of disappointment lingered on his face. He pursed his lips and thought, ‘I guess she will run away the moment she will get an opportunity.’

He then swiftly turned on his heels and walked away.

Inside the room, Anastasia was still lying on the floor and was bawling.

She missed her loving parents who had raised her like the Princess she was. They had never said no to any of her requests, they had never raised their voice against her, and they had never let her feel this lonely.

She missed all of her maids and servants who would always be around her, tending to her every need, making her feel loved.

The Princess was treated like the Kingdom’s jewel, loved and respected by everyone.

Yet, here she was, alone in some foreign Kingdom because her fate had been very cruel to her.

Anastasia had an incurable disease.

And she hated the fact that she was now stuck in the Kingdom of Vampires in search of the cure to her disease.

She cursed herself while still crying, “Damn my life! Out of the frying pan, into the fire...”