Two days passed before Valérie was allowed to resume her duties. The physician had given her a clean bill of health, and she was to continue her work as usual
She walked to Dravenor's room, the guards opened the door for her, as they always did, but this time, he wasn't there. She entered anyway, and after a few moments of waiting, she decided to take care of other responsibilities.
---
Her first task was carrying bedding and clothing to the laundry maids. The weight of the laundry bags made her take three separate trips, calling for cleaning maids and helping to fill the tub for the royal bath. It took around four hours, but Dravenor still had not returned.
---
Valérie had seen the library only briefly, but now, with the hours stretching before her and no sign of Dravenor, she decided to explore. The shelves seemed endless, and the books were filled with knowledge older than she could fathom. As she scanned the titles, one caught her eye: "Ivoretesk."
She took it from the shelf, feeling its weight as she flipped it open
__
Taking the book back to Dravenor's room, just in case he returned soon, Valérie sat in the familiar chair, the one she always used while translating. She placed the book in front of her and flipped it open.
Ivoretesk, a kingdom of creatures born out of the silence of the world, the first creatures on earth to break the void of silence.
Valérie raised her brows, her mind racing. She knew vampires were old, but she hadn't realized they were that ancient.
Praying to the gods, their makers. Thankful for the life they were given. They lived normal lives until the gods created other beings...animals, humans, and the Virelya.
Her heart skipped at the mention of the Virelya. This was it, the creators Dravenor had spoken about.
The vampires had no qualms after the creation of the animals; they were superior. They had no qualms about humans; they were also superior. Seeing as they were stronger than the gods' other creations, they got proud... wanting to dominate, to be gods on earth. And so they did. Then the gods created the 'Virelya'. They called themselves "Elven" with platinum hair like the moon, golden eyes like the sun, and skin translucent like water... they looked like gods themselves, with unrivaled beauty. The gods had blessed them with unbound knowledge; it was as though the gods themselves had appeared on earth. The people of Ivoretesk raged. They were supposed to be the gods' favorites. Feeling betrayed, they let their anger blind them and vowed to destroy every creature. The gods, seeing that the Ivoretesk had lost their way, blessed the Elven with absolute knowledge. When the Ivoretesk came for the Elven, they were trapped and cursed.
Valérie's heart beat faster as she read the next line.
"Where you stand we curse you, shame of the world, you shall hide your heads from the sun for all eternity... all your eyes shall see will be blood, and your generations will be scarce."
The elves had given them the curse of blood as a form of torture. When they starved, they would only be able to drink from their fellows because they couldn't enter the sun to hunt for humans for proper blood. But they had forgotten... night shall surely come.
Valérie gasped, her mind spinning with the implications. But suddenly, an unexpected shadow appeared beside her, making her jump. She shut the book instantly, her heart racing as she whipped her head to the side.
There stood Dravenor, watching her, his presence as imposing as ever. She had been so immersed in the book, she hadn't noticed him enter.
Startled, she stood up from the chair quickly, clutching the book to her chest. Her eyes darted to his face, and she tilted her head slightly, unsure of what to say
____
...xxx
Dravenor had been away longer than expected. The humans and low-ranked vampires at the border were in a state of unrest.
Coming back to his room, he saw Valérie sitting on a chair with a huge book on her lap. She was immersed in what she was reading, her back hunched over. Knowing she was too distracted to hear him arrive, he came to stand beside her. He noticed she was reading about the history of Ivoretesk—an era long before their time.
Her brows furrowed in concentration, eyes scanning the text, her lips moving slightly as if she were trying to mouth the words.
"Ahh!" she screamed, scrambling out of the chair and slamming the book shut. Her eyes snapped up to meet his, wide in shock. One hand pushed her hair away from her face as she stood and bowed slightly, posture straight—it was clear she wasn't used to doing this.
"I'll draw your bath," she said quickly, placing the book on the desk and hurrying to the bathroom.
—
...xxx
After a while, Dravenor stepped into the bathroom, his bathrobe loosely tied.
She closed her eyes, as she always did, while he let the material fall and sank into the tub. Only after she was sure he was already covered by the water and slight bubbles did she open her eyes again. She waited for him to order her to leave.
Instead, his voice rang out:
"Wash my hair."
Valérie's eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't an unusual request for a royal to make of their personal maid… but for someone like Dravenor, an ancient vampire king, always stoic and distant...it was unexpected.
She never thought he'd even let anyone touch him
__
Walking to kneel behind where his head rested on the tub, she wet her hands before picking up a bottle from the side.
Pouring some into her palm and lathering it, her fingers dug into his hair, soft, surprisingly soft.
This has to be the only soft part about him, she thought. His body looked carved from stone.
Her hands massaged through his scalp. She didn't need to scrub deeply as he didn't produce oil like humans. All she had to do was rinse away the dust and travel.
Her eyes flicked to the reflection on a golden plate beside the tub. His eyes were closed, body still and relaxed. He looked... at peace.
Reaching for a bowl, she scooped up cold water and gently poured it over his head, her fingers weaving through the strands as they rinsed clean