Chapter Two-Hundred-And-Thirty-One
**3rd Person POV**
Nathan quietly slipped away from the crowded hall. He could see that Reginald seemed to be doing the job of protecting the young prince for him. He needed to get the flower for Lady Alison. He had seen the said flower in the garden. In fact, the whole place seemed to be overgrown with them. He could not believe that there were so many of them here, and yet they had not been able to get one of them.
As he bent down to pluck one, a voice from behind surprised him.
“How many do you intend to steal?”
He turned around nervously and gave the vampire prince a weak smile.
“I was only admiring the flowers,” he said with a smile, hoping the vampire would buy it. Besides, what was the big deal about taking some flowers? No one would miss anything if he took one. Just one flower was what Irene needed to recover her health.
“You were going to steal them,” the vampire prince was unrelenting. Nathan did not like him. He had seen how he had fought dirty with Charlotte in the ring. He would have killed her if he could.
“I apologize, Your Highness. I will leave the garden now,” said Nathan. He would have to come back another time to get the flower. He knew he still had a few days before it would be time to leave.
“If I let you off without a proper punishment, I risk you coming back to steal the flower,” his voice was harsh. Nathan hoped for a miracle. The vampire seemed very angry, and he did not want him to vent his anger on him. He was an ordinary man in the employ of the royal family, he did not want to be thrown in some jail indefinitely. There were still so many things he had not done yet.
“I would not have pegged you for a sore loser,” Nathan sighed in relief when he heard Charlotte's voice. The heavens had answered his prayers.
“Excuse me?” quipped the vampire.
“If you have a problem with me, take it up with me and stop assaulting my servants,” Charlotte walked to where Nathan stood, bent down with grace and plucked a couple of flowers from the plant. The vampire prince stared at her with wonder while Nathan's eyes almost fell out of their socket. She gave the flowers to Nathan and said, “Admire all you want.”
Nathan mumbled his thanks and ran away from the presence of the vampire. He did not want to know what would happen next.
“You… you…” the vampire prince stuttered as he struggled to find words to say to Charlotte.
“What? Cat got your tongue?” she teased the prince. He was an interesting figure whom she strangely felt attracted towards. She enjoyed rendering him speechless just as she was doing now. Some part of her told her he was an enemy who would not hesitate to kill her if given the chance, but the more she knew this, the more she felt her attraction grow.
“I am not a sore loser. And if you must know, I never lose a battle twice. Let's duel again; I will ensure I place your head on a platter and present it to my father as a gift,” he spat with fire in his eyes. Charlotte only smiled at his claim.
“You should not lose a battle in the first place; if you live by that philosophy, you may never live to see the next battle,” came her response.
“What do you want? Why are you here?”
“It's simple. Tell your people to stop raiding our lands,” replied Charlotte.
“Your request is a funny one. We are not the only vampire kingdom, and trust me, we are not interested in werewolf blood,” the vampire said with a scoff. Charlotte sensed that this was partially true, but it did not account for the fact that he had crossed over their land in a bear costume.
“Then do you just enjoy playing dress up?” quipped Charlotte.
Charlotte watched the vampire's face transform from a scowl to a half smile. He looked at her as though seeing her for the first time.
“It was you? No wonder I did not like you,” he replied.
Charlotte was a bit surprised he had made no attempt to deny the accusation.
“I should have killed you then,” said Charlotte.
“The way I remember it, you were out of arrows, so you galloped away like a scared cat on your precious Thunder,” the vampire was laughing. It was a cynical laugh, and yet it was pleasant to listen to. Charlotte momentarily forgot all about her present problems.
“I could have ended your life with my bare hands. I spared you because you did not attack me,” came her response.
“Is that what you tell yourself when you go to sleep?” quipped the vampire prince. Charlotte only laughed. She was in no mood to argue.
“What is your name? Or do vampires not have names?” asked Charlotte. The king had never introduced his son. Come to think of it, he had never introduced anyone to them.
“I will tell you when you've earned it,” came the vampire’s response.
“Earn it?”
“Let's fight. Just you and me in this garden. After all, you do owe me for those flowers you stole,” said the vampire.
“I took them.”
“Without permission. That makes it a theft.”
Charlotte responded by taking out a short spear that had been carefully hidden in her dress.
“Are you sure that dress won't be a problem?” asked the vampire.
“Why don't you try me and see?”
Fifteen minutes later, Charlotte had managed to draw blood from the vampire. He stood in the middle of the garden with a perplexed look on his face.
“Tell me your name. After all, you do owe me,” Charlotte teased him with a satisfied smile on her face.
“Kristoff,” came his response. He did not like that a girl had managed to beat him twice.
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