Chapter 3 THE SECRET HIDDEN IN MY BLOOD

The moment Damon Blackthorn disappeared behind the enormous doors of the council chamber, I realised that arriving at the vampire palace had not brought me any closer to safety, because the same people who had hunted me through the forest were now gathered beneath the roof of the kingdom I was supposedly destined to inherit. Lady Margaret gently touched my shoulder. "Princess, you should come with me. His Majesty will not be pleased if he discovers that you have remained in the courtyard." I glanced towards the closed doors. "Why is Malachi Voss here? Didn't he attack my home?" The elderly woman's expression immediately changed, and she looked around before lowering her voice. "Malachi has been a member of the royal council for many years. He was once trusted by your father, but his ambition eventually became more important to him than his loyalty." "Then why hasn't Damon arrested him?" "Because the council controls more than you understand, Princess. Even a king must be careful when dealing with powerful families who have supported the throne for generations." I followed her through a long corridor decorated with enormous paintings of people wearing royal crowns. Their expressions were serious, and some of them looked so lifelike that I almost expected their eyes to follow me as I walked past. At the end of the corridor, Lady Margaret opened a pair of golden doors. "This will be your room." I stepped inside and stopped. The bedroom was larger than the entire house I had shared with my grandmother and Daniel. A magnificent four-poster bed stood beneath a chandelier, while enormous windows overlooked the mountains surrounding the kingdom. There were shelves filled with books, a dressing room, and a balcony decorated with red roses. "Is this really for me?" I asked. Lady Margaret smiled gently. "These chambers belonged to your mother." My excitement disappeared. I slowly approached the dressing table, where a silver-framed portrait showed a beautiful woman with dark hair and gentle eyes. Around her neck was the same red gemstone necklace I had been wearing since childhood. I recognised her immediately. "My mother." Lady Margaret nodded. "Queen Isadora." I touched the frame carefully. "Why did nobody tell me she was a queen?" "Your mother wanted you to have a normal childhood. She believed that if you grew up far away from the palace, you might escape the enemies who destroyed your family." I stared at the portrait. "Did she ever talk about me?" The elderly woman smiled sadly. "Every day. Even when she was frightened, even when she was exhausted, she always spoke about the little daughter she hoped would grow up to be stronger than everyone who tried to destroy her." My eyes filled with tears. For the first time, I began to understand that my mother had not abandoned me. She had spent her life trying to protect me. "Can you tell me more about her?" "Of course, but first you need to rest." "I don't think I can sleep." Lady Margaret sighed and walked towards the wardrobe. "Then perhaps you should change your clothes. You cannot enter the royal court wearing something that has been torn by the forest." She brought out a beautiful dark-red dress with delicate silver embroidery. I hesitated before accepting it. "I don't know how to behave like a princess." "You do not need to learn everything tonight," she replied. "A title does not make someone worthy of respect. Your actions do." I wanted to ask her more questions, but a sudden sound interrupted us. Three distant bells echoed through the castle. Lady Margaret froze. "What is that?" I asked. "The council has begun." Inside the council chamber, Damon stood at the head of a long black table, his hands resting against its polished surface. Several members of the royal council sat around him, each wearing expensive clothing and displaying the confidence of people who had never been challenged. Malachi Voss occupied the seat directly opposite the throne. His silver hair was neatly combed, and his dark eyes held the same cruel expression I had seen in the village. "Your Majesty," he began, "we are pleased that the missing heir has finally been recovered." Damon's expression remained unreadable. "Choose your next words carefully, Malachi." The older vampire smiled. "I am simply concerned about the future of our kingdom. The princess has spent eighteen years among humans, without royal education or knowledge of our laws. We cannot allow someone so inexperienced to influence the throne." "She is my responsibility." "Your responsibility?" Malachi repeated. "Or your weakness?" A murmur spread around the chamber. Damon slowly straightened. "Remember who you are speaking to." "I remember perfectly, Your Majesty. I also remember your promise to King Alaric, and I wonder whether you intend to honour it." Damon's eyes narrowed. "What promise?" Malachi smiled as though he had been waiting for that question. "Perhaps the council should hear the truth about the princess before you make another decision concerning her future." He placed an old parchment on the table. The paper was marked with the royal seal, but the symbol had been crossed out with a dark red stain. One of the council members leaned forward. "Where did you obtain that document?" "From the royal archives. It was hidden by Queen Isadora shortly before her death." Damon picked it up and began reading. His expression changed with every line. "What is this?" he demanded. Malachi folded his hands. "The original prophecy concerning the last heir." I had just finished changing into the red dress when a knock sounded at my bedroom door. Lady Margaret opened it and found Cassian standing outside. "Princess, His Majesty requests your presence." I looked at the guard suspiciously. "Why?" "The council wishes to see you." My stomach tightened. "Is Malachi there?" Cassian nodded. I almost refused, but the thought of spending another night frightened and confused made me change my mind. "Fine. Take me there." The council chamber was enormous, with a high ceiling supported by black marble pillars. A golden throne stood at the far end, and Damon was standing beside it when I entered. His gaze immediately moved to my face. For a brief moment, something softened in his expression. Then he looked towards the council. "Everyone, this is Princess Seraphina Vale, daughter of King Alaric Blackthorn and Queen Isadora." Several vampires bowed. Malachi remained seated. I noticed his eyes moving towards my necklace. "How touching," he said. "The lost princess has finally returned." Damon's voice became dangerously cold. "Stand when addressing the princess." Malachi slowly rose. "Forgive me. It has been a long time since I last saw a member of the royal family." I stared at him. "You were at my house last night." His smile disappeared. "Indeed." "You frightened my grandmother, and you sent people to attack us. Where is she?" A few council members exchanged uncomfortable glances. Malachi shrugged. "Your grandmother interfered with matters that did not concern her." I stepped forward. "Answer me!" Damon placed one hand gently against my shoulder. "Seraphina." His voice was quiet, but I understood that he wanted me to remain calm. Malachi looked at the king before turning towards me. "Your Highness, there are certain things about your family that you have not been told. Your father was not simply murdered by jealous council members, as you may have been led to believe." Damon moved towards him. "Enough." But Malachi continued. "Your father made a bargain with an ancient power before you were born. A bargain that required the first daughter of the royal bloodline to be sacrificed when she reached eighteen." My legs almost gave way. "What?" Malachi pointed towards the necklace around my neck. "That gemstone is not merely a family heirloom. It is the seal keeping the curse inside your blood from awakening completely." I looked at Damon. "Is that true?" He did not answer immediately. The silence was more frightening than anything Malachi had said. "Tell me!" I demanded. Damon finally spoke. "The prophecy is real, but Malachi has not told you everything." Malachi laughed softly. "Then perhaps I should finish the story." He turned towards the council. "The princess is not simply the last heir. She is the vessel of the Blood Moon, and when her powers fully awaken, she will either restore the ancient vampire kingdom or destroy every bloodline connected to the throne." The room fell silent. I looked down at my hands, remembering the strange warmth that had spread through my body in the forest. "Why would my father allow this to happen?" Malachi's smile returned. "Because your father knew that the curse could only be broken through a royal marriage." My heart began racing. "What marriage?" His eyes shifted towards Damon. "Your marriage to the Vampire King." For several seconds, I could not move. Then I looked at Damon, hoping he would immediately deny it. Instead, he stared at Malachi with an expression so cold that even the council members appeared uncomfortable. "That marriage will never happen," Damon declared. Malachi tilted his head. "Then you are willing to let the kingdom fall?" "I would rather watch the kingdom burn than force her into a marriage she does not want." The words surprised me. But before I could understand what they meant, the gemstone around my neck suddenly became unbearably hot. I cried out and grabbed it. A red light spread across the chamber, illuminating the walls and causing the enormous chandelier above us to shake. The council members rose from their seats. One of them shouted, "The awakening has begun!" Damon rushed towards me. "Seraphina, look at me!" But I could no longer hear him properly. A strange voice seemed to rise from somewhere deep inside my mind. The blood remembers. The throne is waiting. And the bride must choose. The light grew brighter. Then, without warning, every candle in the chamber went out. When the darkness finally settled, I found myself standing in the middle of the room with a strange red symbol glowing on my wrist. Damon stared at it in disbelief. Malachi slowly lowered his head. "Your Majesty," he whispered, "the prophecy has chosen its bride." And for the first time since entering the vampire kingdom, I understood that the greatest danger might not be the people hunting me. It might be the destiny waiting inside my own blood.