“Alora, I will make sure things run smoothly for you. I will convince the vampires to not fear you,” Magnus said in a low voice as he stroked her hair tenderly. He, too, got inside the duvet and lay beside her. Snuggling close to Alora, he drifted off to sleep.
****
In the morning, Izaak while drinking the blood from the glass asked Louis why he couldn’t spot Magnus and Alora.
“They have not woken up yet, Your Highness,” Louis answered.
“They haven’t woken up yet, Your Highness,” Louis responded.
“It’s already eight in the morning,” Izaak remarked, handing the empty glass to a servant.
“Maybe they’re just tired,” Griffin chimed in. “After all, they’re newlyweds. Who knows if they stayed up late last night,” he added, a smirk playing on his lips.
“We were outside. Will you shut the doors of your imagination?” Magnus hit at Griffin’s back, making him jolt forward.
“You two went out last night!” Izaak mused.
“Alora was unable to fall asleep. So, we went for a walk within this estate,” Magnus clarified to him. He asked Louis to set the breakfast for Alora and he himself sat on the couch, facing Izaak.
“Did you kill that newbie?” Magnus inquired him.
“No. It wasn’t right to kill him when Alora was safe,” Izaak replied. “Also, you need to understand that Alora cannot be a part of the vampire society. Not every vampire has a control over their thrust for the blood,” he advised.
Griffin agreed with Izaak, but he remained silent.
“Brother Izaak, does that mean that you won’t let her enter the Vampire Council?” Magnus asked.
“Yes,” Izaak replied. “Turn her into a vampire and I’ll let her enter the council,” he suggested.
Magnus rubbed the skin above his right eyebrow. “I will be with Alora all the time. Nothing will happen,” he assured Izaak.
“Then, prove to me that her eyes are harmless. Remember you are given the same task from the father. If you fail, then I am afraid I cannot help you,” Izaak straightforwardly clarified to him.
“You call yourself a big brother, but you refuse to help me,” Magnus remarked.
“Don’t emotionally blackmail me,” Izaak stated. “You never even considered me your well-wisher,” he muttered.
“That’s not true. I allowed you to accompany us here because I have finally started trusting you, Brother,” Magnus stated in a humble tone.
“I cannot anger the vampires by including Sister-in-law in the council. Either turn her into a vampire or show me that her eyes are harmless,” Izaak again put forward the condition.
“Fine. Look into her eyes then,” Magnus challenged him.
“I won’t. What if I perish?” Izaak declined to do so.
“See! You don’t trust me and Alora,” Magnus said with a frown appearing on his forehead.
Alora, listening to the conversation from upstairs, stood near a pillar, feeling disheartened.
‘Magnus will never turn me into a vampire, and people will still doubt me even if I tell them I’m harmless.’
Lost in her thoughts, she took a step back and hid behind the pillar. After a moment, she decided to retreat to the dining room adjacent to the bedroom.
She quietly sat on the chair with her hands clasped together. Louis greeted her morning, but she didn’t hear him. The servants served her breakfast and they left.
“How should I prove myself to Prince Izaak?” Alora murmured. She was desperate to find a way that could make her take a first step. She didn’t wish Magnus to fight all the time with everyone. “It seems I need to go with Magnus’s suggestion. I will start with an animal perhaps,” she decided.
However, the next moment, Alora’s inner voice told her that Izaak would ask her to look into a person’s eyes. And if she failed, Izaak would never let her enter the vampire council. Along with that, she would be hated again.
Just then, the door swung open, and Magnus entered. “Why haven’t you started? The food will turn cold,” he said, taking a seat beside her. He offered her a plate of egg toast and poured a glass of juice, showing his care and concern.
Alora picked up the knife and fork. She began eating slowly and Magnus felt something was off with her.
“What happened?” Magnus leaned back on the chair.
“Nothing,” Alora answered as she shook her head in denial.
“Why didn’t you come downstairs?” Magnus asked.
“I was hungry, so I thought to have my breakfast first,” Alora said and chewed her food slowly. Magnus noticed her facial expressions, which told him the entire story.
As she rested the fork and knife on the plate, Alora spoke, “I feel I need to wear the blindfold again to make others comfortable around me.”
“Why? Do you wish to return to the phase where all you see is darkness even when you aren’t blind?” Magnus questioned her. “Let others be uncomfortable. You won’t wear the blindfold,” he said sternly.
Alora turned silent as tears emerged in her eyes. “I think I have to live with that only,” she whispered. “I think I dreamt too big.”
“So?” Magnus questioned her. “What if you dream big? Is it a crime to dream?”
Alora shook her head.
“Don’t fear anything. Trust yourself,” he affirmed.
“I think I’m weak.” Alora finally gazed at him.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.