29 --- Red Cheeks.

Laura woke up late in the morning, her eyes hurting. She had cried herself to sleep last night, thinking about her Father. Sure, she enjoyed herself in Prince Nicholas's presence, even as she thought that she'd hate it. But that little distraction wasn't enough to take her mind off what her Father was going through.
She stood up and made her bed, placing her things in order. She sometimes did this when she wanted to calm her thoughts and she decided that this was not going to take her mind off of it.
Grunting with annoyance, she marched to her door and threw up open, startling the guard who stood outside.
"I'm so sorry, but can you get my maid, Suzy. She should be down in the kitchens." She noticed that the guard's gaze was locked on her face and she didn't need a mirror to see that her face was splotchy and red and that her eyes were swollen.
She grew frustrated at all that was happening and snapped at the guard. "Yes, I'd been crying. Can you get Suzy? Now."
The guard, who was actually a boy of around seventeen, ran from her, skidding on the carpet when he almost bumped into Gaston, Prince Nicholas's guard/friend that she had been Introduced to yesterday. The guard darted a look behind him as he went down the stairs, like he was scared that Gaston might be coming after him.
Laura inclined her head to Gaston, watching as he bowed to greet her. Yesterday, he acted a bit standoffish in her presence. She was glad that he seemed okay around her now. She shut her door and went back inside, only then remembering that Gaston had surely seen her with her puffy face and swollen eye.
She gave a cry and fell on her bed. On days like this she hated herself. Days where she always made mistakes or did things that made her feel terrible about herself. Banks was right, she just couldn't help herself and she was a master at ruining things. Good things.
Laura frowned. And was still frowning into her pillow when Suzy came in, gasping when she saw Laura's face as she turned.
"Oh, My Princess. What happened to your face?" Suzy gave a shudder and Laura knew that she had to see how she looked.
She stood from her bed and walked to her vanity, having a scare when she saw the state of her face. She had avoided the mirror this morning because she knew that she'd look terrible. But she didn't expect to look so horrific and frightening.
"I cried a lot last night. And the way it's going, it seems that I'd cry again." She ran her fingers over her much pronounced eye bags.
"What are we going to do, Su. I can't go down and meet Prince Nicholas like this. I look like a monster." She cried and sat down heavily on the chair placed in front of the vanity table.
"Pshh. You can never look like a monster. On any other person, the face would be horrendous. But on you?" Suzy walked forward and tilted Laura's face up. "You just look bad."
Laura couldn't help but laugh at that. She swatted Suzy's hand and stood, going to her wardrobe and pulling out a blue gown made of satin and gold embroideries.
Suzy stepped out of the room, informing Laura that she was going to get some ice. Laura quickly washed up and sat on her vanity, taking her hair out of its braid.
Suzy returned, a bowl of ice in hand and a towel slung over her shoulder. She hurried over to Laura and packed two handfuls into the towel, she folded it and placed it against Laura's eyes.
"It'll reduce the swelling." Laura nodded, already knowing that. She took hold of the towel and pressed it more firmly against her skin, wincing when Suzy stood behind her and started brushing out her hair.
"I heard one of the maids say that the Prince left for somewhere early this morning."
Laura put down the towel and turned to face Suzy. "Prince Nicholas is not around? Where did he go?"
Suzy shook her head, "I don't know. The maid didn't say, but it doesn't look like he'd be returning today. Her words." Suzy resumed with the brushing and Laura was left deep in her thoughts.
Prince Nicholas should have informed her before his departure. It didn't tell well that she had to hear that news from her maid when he should've been the one to tell her.
She tried not to let it go to her head and instead, thought about all the things to be done today. She had not seen Mary for a while now and she had to go see her Father.
She had picked up this habit of reading to him daily. Anything to keep his mind moving.
Suzy was just putting the last pin in place when a knock came from the door.
"Come in." Laura watched in confusion as a guard walked into the room, a message tray in his hands.
"Prince Nicholas asked that this should be given to you." The guard said as Laura stood and rushed at him, quickly snatched the letter from the tray and opened it, tearing into the envelope. The guard excused himself and Laura tried to slow her heartbeat as she pulled open the piece of paper. She read the entire content out loud to herself.
Laura dropped her hands, the letter on her thighs as she stared into space. Surely, this speaks of Nicholas's love for her. That he wrote this endearing letter to her instead of letting her wonder where he might've been. That he called her beautiful and complimented her thus.
She looked at Suzy and saw that she was trying to smother a laugh, her hand covering her lips. Laura frowned and turned towards the mirror, wincing when she saw the visible blush that blossomed on her cheeks.
In all honesty, she hadn't expected to fall for Prince Nicholas in such a short amount of time. But it felt good that someone understood her and didn't see her as a stuck up or vain person.
He saw her. And to someone who didn't have a lot of people taking one look at her and knowing who she truly was, she appreciated Prince Nicholas's presence in her life.
Suzy excused herself and shut the door behind her, leaving Laura to herself. Laura couldn't help but sniff the letter, hoping that she'd get a little bit of Prince Nicholas right then.
The letter smelt faintly off him and she imagined him pressing a kiss to the letter. She put her lips on the letter as well, imagining that it was his lips that she was kissing.
'Stupid girl.'
She chided herself. She was thinking of fanciful things that shouldn't even apply in her relationship with him. He was with her simply to help her kingdom and seeing as she hadn't really done anything for her people, she was determined to do this right. Which included not having feelings for Prince Nicholas. Stupid decisions could be made when matters of the heart are involved, Laura had learned this from Elaine and she wouldn't fall into the same category.
She had just placed the letter into her drawers when her door sprang open, a pale Mary stepping in and shutting the door.
"How do you not shit yourself when you have those blood suckers crawling your halls."
Her voice was very loud and Laura winced, rushing to the door and pulling it open. She checked to make sure that no one heard, apart from the young guard that stood by her doors, averting his gaze when she looked at him.
Laura shut the door and turned back to Mary with a glare. "Can you keep your voice down?"
Mary huffed and walked to Laura's bed, jumping on it. "I can't. I walked pass this guy with a bald head and he kept staring at me. I just knew he was staring at my neck and how he was going to drain me of my blood."
Mary skin had turned more ashen as she spoke and she looked fearfully at Laura. "My life is in danger."
Laura groaned and sat besides Mary.
"My life is in danger and it means that I can't ever leave this room. I can't go back home to Papa and Mama. And even Mathias." She started bawling then and Laura looked on at her friend, surprised because she didn't ever see the change in Mary's sensibilities till she had lost them all.
"Do you think it'll hurt? Death by a Vampire draining one's blood?" Mary sniffled.
Laura had had enough. She pushed up from the bed till she was sure that her towering form over Mary would cause Mary to listen to her.
"You're being silly, Mary. Wipe your tears." She watched in amusement as Mary sniffled, using the sleeve of her dress to wipe her face dry. Laura smiled at her when she was done.
"They do not take blood without consent. At least that was what Prince Nicholas told me. Oh, Mary." Laura couldn't help but feel excited as she mentioned Prince Nicholas. Once again, she wasn't heeding to her own advices.
"You need to meet him. He's kind and he's charming. And he calls me beautiful. I'd love to introduce you to him so you'd have to get rid of your childish thoughts about vampires. He's so handsome!" Laura realized that she was babbling and looked at Mary, seeing that her friend had a smile on her face over her antics.
"You sound like someone that's in love." Mary laughed.
Laura smiled back at her. She knew that she wasn't in love with Prince Nicholas yet, but it was only a matter of time.