~POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING - MENTION OF CHILD ABUSE~

Luciano's hand delicately encompassed your own as he led you through the long corridors of the castle. He whispered little reminders to you of how you should present yourself and act in front of the royal court and civilians. You were increasingly becoming extremely irate, but you endured the constant tips as you debated whether or not to "accidentally" step on his toes to make him shut up. When he eventually stopped in front of a pair of dark oak wood doors, you took a deep breath to prepare yourself for what awaited you on the other side. Luciano caressed your chin and turned you to face him, magenta eyes meeting (e/c), your heart skipping a beat. His eyes glowed softly for a moment before smirking and kissing your forehead. You batted his face away from your own, grumbling about how his breath reeked, though it truly was minty fresh. He rolled his eyes at your childishness and released your chin to face the door again.

"Enter on your cue, amore mio," he whispered, earning a hesitant nod from you and an eye roll of your own.

The prince rapped on one door with his knuckles, the sound of shuffling feet and voices on the other side soon quieted. Another voice began to speak loudly as it addressed the occupants of the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you His Highness, regent of our people, Prince Luciano Tiziano Ambrogio Basilio Vargas!"

The doors opened, swinging in towards the room ahead of you and brought into view a balcony with stairs to either side of it. Luciano walked in calmly with the grace and poise you've heard royals of any species had, a smile on his face. As he approached the balcony's railing, the crowd below erupted into cheers of joy at the sight of their soon-to-be king. He waved to his subjects, causing them to fall back into silence.

"Ladies and gentleman, lords and ladies, good evening and welcome one and all to my castle," he began. "I can only hope from the amount of laughing and jubilous conversation I heard before entering meant that you all are enjoying yourselves this evening. I'm truly elated that you could all join me on such short notice for this very special occasion." He took a deep breath, making eye contact with a few of the nobles below. "As you all know, my coronation is coming up very soon. The laws that have been passed down from generation to generation state that in order to take over the throne, I must wed. I've thought this over countless times, especially within the last year, and have come to the conclusion that ruling alone could become rather boring. Not that I haven't been ruling these last few decades on my own, if I were to somehow die during my reign, who would I leave the throne to if I do not have an heir?"

The nobles looked around to one another with hushed whispers.

"Many of you must be assuming I would hand off power to my elder brother, Flavio, however he has explicitly stated to me several times that he wishes not to rule. So, my only logical step forward is marriage. Only a select few of you know this, but I have a very special girl in my life."

This was your cue. You walked up to the balcony with the grace and poise of a princess, stopping beside Luciano at the railing. Gasps escaped the lips of many of the attendees, some out of awe from your immense beauty while others were of pure horror that their prince could ever fall in love with a human of all people. While it was uncommon that a vampire would fall in love with a human, it wasn't unheard of. You took notice to the various occupants of the room, noting the small clusters of human servants, each giving you a sympathetic look. They could only assume what your fate would be, something worse than death. Nonetheless, you kept a smile on your face to keep up appearances.

Luciano turned in your direction as you stood beside him. His hands took yours within his own and looked into your eyes, as if checking for something. He seemed a little disappointed for a moment, but you shrugged it off as another mood swing or King taking control. What caught you off guard was the dark auburn haired prince scooping you up in his arms bridal style. His foot came up to rest on the railing before the other still on the ground pushed off. He teetered a bit as he worked to regain his balance, and you found yourself holding on to this man for dear life. You looked to him with fear in your eyes and a silent threat on your lips. He offered a mischievous smile before stepping off the railing and towards the glistening white tile floor below. Another round of gasps filled the room as you tried not to scream.

The prince chuckled and landed perfectly, you clutched to his chest with your face buried in his neck. He set you down with your feet to the floor, though your knees wobbled, heart racing while the sound of your blood rushing pounded in your ears. You refused to let go in fear of your legs giving out. It would be just your luck to fall so unceremoniously on the floor in front of these nobles, making a fool of yourself. You wondered why you cared so much about what these strangers thought of you. It wasn't like you would actually become their queen. Luciano had to be bluffing. Why have a human wife when he could have any number of the goddesses present?

"Don't ever do that again... Please..." you whispered, hands gripping the fabric of his waistcoat.

His hands smoothed down your sides and back, cold lips pressing a soft kiss to the side of your head. "Should have warned you that I like to make entrances," he whispered back, gently pulling back to look at your face.

You were uncertain how to feel. He was being so gentle and caring in this moment, more than likely due to the fading fear he saw in your eyes. Luciano kissed your forehead tenderly, arms wound around your waist. Once your heart returned to an average beating pattern, he proceeded to lower himself onto one knee, eyes cast up to look into your own. You returned the gesture, looking down instead of up with a few fake tears pricking your eyes.

"(Y/f/n), we haven't known one another all that long, but I feel deeply connected to you. You are undoubtedly the love of my life, my soulmate, my sole reason to continue existing on this cruel planet called Earth. Call me cliché. Call me a sap. Call me anything you'd like but only if I can have the honors of calling you mine. Another day without you by my side would be torture in the worst capacity, so my question to you is this. Will you marry me?"

He fished a hand into the pocket of his trousers, fingers gripping a dark blue velvet encased box. The lid tipped back to reveal a five carat diamond ring, golden band adorned with four half carat diamonds to either side of the larger stone. A hand flew to your mouth to muffle the sounds of "happy" sobs. Managing a few quick nods and a soft "yes", you allowed him to slip the ring onto your left ring finger. Luciano stood back to his full height, one hand coming to your waist to pull you close with the other cupping your chin to tilt your head up. His lips connected to yours, molding perfectly.

You hadn't even a moment to think, much less react to not seem suspicious. You brought your hands from his chest up to his shoulders, one inching up further to rest against the side of his neck, thumb brushing over his jaw. Tears spilled over your lower lash line from squeezing your eyes shut. The hand on your hip soon crawled over your lower back to your other hip before he picked you up, spinning you around in a circle, the skirt of your dressing flaring out as you continued to kiss. The crowd erupted into a chorus of cheers once more.

'Great... Now I have to burn my lips off...' you thought to yourself.

'Hurtful,' Luciano spoke back into your mind.

'Stop invading my head, asshole!'

Luciano broke the kiss and turned to the crowd of his kind and yours, arm still firmly around your waist.

"Let the merrymaking commence!" he exclaimed.

Another cheer from the crowd filled the evening air, and the small professional orchestra at the rear of the ballroom began to play. Couples danced while groups of women gossiped with one another, husbands and fathers in their own clicks to discuss the latest in weaponry and family affairs. A few couples of nobility approached the two of you, congratulating you both on your engagement. Why these particular strangers out of the hundreds attending the event felt familiar, looked familiar, sounded familiar, was beyond you.

The strawberry blonde woman of the group in particular seemed very fond of you, holding your hands and telling you how beautiful you looked. She acted as if she'd known you all your life, speaking of her sons and the other nobles like you knew what she meant, though you were more confused than ever. Her husband placed a hand on her shoulder, saying that she best not overwhelm you on such an important evening. She blinked owlishly before letting go of your hands, apologizing with a cute giggle. You couldn't help but laugh a little yourself as you told her it was alright.

The couples cleared themselves, and you found yourself alone, Luciano absent from your side. You spotted him a few groups away, talking to what you assumed were military officials of some kind based off of their attire. A sigh left your lips, eyes cast down.

"My lady, thank goodness we found you."

You picked your head up and turned to the voice, finding Anna and Lauren scurrying towards you. They curtsied out of respect. Lauren beamed at you while Anna offered a small smile.

"Congratulations on your engagement, my lady!" Lauren chirped.

"Thank you girls. It's all happening very fast and a feel a bit faint," you replied, the second half of your statement being a lie, as you flattened your hands over your corseted stomach.

The two maids picked up on your lie but knew you were tired of being crowded by everyone. They ushered you towards a more private area of the room with a loveseat. You sat down, heaving a sigh again. Anna then suggested they fetch you something to drink, to which Lauren agreed. They left you to your own devices as you hummed along with the flute concerto being played. A shadow moving to your left gained your attention.

"Congratulations (y/n)," Gilen said, coming to take a seat beside you, a half finished glass of boozy blood in his hand.

"Thanks I guess."

"Not enjoying yourself?"

"No... Yes... I don't know. This is nice. Everyone is friendly, but I feel so out of place. These aren't my people. They're yours."

"I know, but they'll be your people soon."

"Not if I can help it."

"(Y/n)..." he sighed. "We're no different than humans. We want peace. We want to co-exist, but you mortals fear what you cannot understand, so you fight to keep yourselves protected from the unknown. It's basic human instincts, and us vampires know this because we've been running from humans for centuries, fighting them. I don't like placing blame on one party over the other for the sheer fact that sometimes the whole truth can't be known. I don't know what all happened when the war first started, like who committed the first transgression, but I know that things have gone too far. This marriage between you and His Highness will bring peace. That's what we all hope."

"You can't be serious, Gil."

"I'm a hundred percent serious. Those nobles you talked with after receiving the ring weren't always vampires. They were humans like you before pledging their loyalty to King Romulus, including my parents."

"Your parents?"

"The one with the beard and the albino woman. Those are mine and Lutz's parents."

"Well that makes a whole lot of sense. I don't know why I didn't connect the dots before." You looked over to him with a soft smile. "You look just like your mother."

"Danke. I take after her in a lot of ways, whereas Lutz takes after Vati."

"Is your dad perverted too?"

The albino laughed, head tilting back and Adam's apple bobbing. "Nein. That's just Lutz's personality. Don't know where he learned it from, but it definitely wasn't from Vati or Mutti."

You hummed and nodded a bit. "So... You're nobility?"

"Ja. I never told you that before?"

"No! No you did not!" You gently shoved his shoulder, to which he laughed again.

"Sorry. I never thought it was an important detail. I don't live like nobility."

"You don't?"

He shook his head. "I live in a cottage with my parents in the countryside for most of the year. I come to the palace when Luciano needs me, or I want a little getaway from the country life."

"Makes sense. Still... Nobility. I never would have guessed that from the way you act. What did your parents do before they were tur- Gil? Gilen? Hello?"

You waved your hand in front of his face with no reaction from him. Your brows furrowed as you tried to follow where his eyes gazed. Clear across the room was a woman of shorter stature, whom Gilen most definitely would have towered over, the man being about six foot. Her beautiful chestnut hair shimmered under the lights with a pinkish hue, the shiny stars decorating her hair glimmering. A gorgeous blueish-white gown adorned her curvaceous copper skinned body. The design itself was an open back, shoulderless dress that snuggly cupped her large bust and complimented her body. The back flared out to her ankles while the front remained shorter, allowing for ease of movement and to display thighs clad in semi-transparent knee high stockings and a pair of white heels to match the outfit.

She was arguing with a taller man, somewhere around Luciano's height. His hair was dark as midnight, slightly messy with a stubborn strand that stuck up over his head. He wore a corseted black waistcoat with a white button down shirt beneath it, the top few buttons undone. Black slacks adorned his legs with dress shoes to match. He looked livid with the shorter woman, who seemed just as irate with him. She stopped on his toes before storming away and towards the orchestra. The man yelped and picked up his shoe clad with a glower.

"Oh, I get it," you hummed, an amused smirk playing at your lips. "You like her."

"Huh? No. Nein," he said, head snapping towards you with a deer-caught-in-headlights look. His cheeks were tinted a dark pink.

"You so do. Go say hi to her. Ask her to dance."

He shook his head vigorously. "I can't. She's way out of my league."

"Why do you say that?"

"She's a princess. I'm just a marquess."

"So? Status means nothing so long as you're happy. The worst she can do is say no, right?"

"Or she can tell her grandparents about me and get a restraining order because I was acting weird because I'm socially awkward with women."

"Now you're being ridiculous. Do you know her name?"

He was silent for a moment, head hanging as he nervously gripped his pants leg with his free hand. "Chėrise Dubois, Princess of France. Her family has close ties with Luciano's and she's a fearsome swordswoman."

"You have sword fighting in common with her!"

"I used to have that in common with her. I don't sword fight anymore. I can't."

"Poppycock."

He looked back to you, flabbergasted. "Excuse me?"

"Rubbish. You can. I know you can."

"(Y/n)..." he sighed. "I can't because of my arm."

"Gilen, you've got two arms. You could always learn to use your right arm to take up a sword again. You relearned how to do everything with your right hand. Why couldn't you relearn sword fighting?"

"I... I don't think I'd be good with it. It was hard enough to learn writing with my non-dominant hand. Swinging a heavy sword with an arm I'm not used to wielding a weapon with doesn't feel like a good idea."

"I know you could do it." You gripped the hand on his thigh and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Gilen squeezed your hand back before gaining a look of determination. He downed the rest of the contents of his glass before releasing your hand and standing. You watched with a smile as he exited the private little alcove, setting the empty glass on a passing butler's tray as he made his way towards the orchestra's raised platform. He was nearly there when another woman, another noble by the look of it, approached the princess, causing him to hastily make a beeline in the opposite direction, cheeks pink and lips moving in a silent mutter to himself. You giggled at his shyness, shaking your head. You were beginning to wonder why Anna and Lauren were taking so long when you were suddenly plucked from the couch and rushed into a hallway branching off from the ballroom.

Whoever stole you away was indeed a vampire if the super speed was anything to go by. A hand flew to your head as a sense of spinning over took you when the kidnapper ceased movement. You nearly tipped over from how dizzy you became but were thankfully caught by the unknown party.

"My apologies, bella. Did I move too fast for you?" an Italian accented male asked.

"No shit..." you muttered back, slightly annoyed.

After another moment or two, your dizzy spell ended. You took notice of the arms wrapped around your waist hidden behind suit sleeves of white with gold cufflinks. There was only one man that you've the fortune, or misfortune, of meeting with a fashion sense as such and an Italian accent.

"Flavio?"

"Sì?" said man asked as he placed his head onto your shoulder, a smile stretching on his face.

"What are you doing?" you asked. "Why are we in the hall?"

"I wanted to talk to my dearest soon-to-be sister-in-law, but she's been replaced with a maiden so fair that I may just have to rope her into my modeling gigs." He kissed your cheek and gave your waist a little squeeze. "You are absolutely owning that outfit my dear. You look oh so fabulous! It's no wonder you're the talk of the evening. I've truly outdone myself with the dress."

"Well, thanks for the complement."

"You are very welcome principessa. I presume all the outfits I provided for you were to your liking, yes?"

"I... actually didn't try all of them on..." you whispered, looking off to the side.

Flavio blinked before turning you around to look into your eyes. "You didn't try them all on?" His stare was intense, rivaling his younger brother's.

"No..." you managed, hoping you didn't get on his bad side simply for the fact you didn't want to try on every single outfit he sent for you. You wouldn't have made it to the ball on time otherwise.

"No. No no no no. That won't do at all! You need to try them all on! I'll have you model them for me personally to ensure you try on each piece."

"Flavio I-"

"Uh uh uh!" He wagged a finger back and forth at you. "There will be no if, ands, or buts about this."

"Jeez, you sound like Luciano right now..."

"We are brother's after all," he said with a wink and signature smile. "However, there are distinct differences between us."

"Obviously. Your brother is bat shit crazy. To be honest, you're probably not too far off from that. No offense."

"Full offense taken, but I've elected to ignore that! You still have much to learn about the royal family and little time to learn it before the wedding."

"I'm not marrying him."

"You said yes to his proposal."

"I didn't actually mean it. I'm leaving here as soon as I get the chance."

"Bella... You really think he would let you slip through his fingers so easily? Need I remind you about the last time you tried to escape?"

"I don't want to talk about that..."

"Then what do you want to talk about?"

"Not marriage. Not babies. Nothing. I just want to get through tonight, then leave."

The blond sighed and shook his head. "You can't leave. You've already been told this. If Luciano won't let you leave, King won't ei-"

"Flavio." Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

"King," Flavio gulped.

"Can I talk with (y/n) for a moment? In private?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure. Pardon me."

The blond excused himself from the hallway, leaving you alone with King. His arms were crossed over his chest, jaw set firmly as he stared you down. You stared back, hands clenched into fists at your side. Neither of you spoke, the air growing thick with tension. When King made a sudden movement, wanting to lean against the wall, arms still over his chest as one foot came to rest on the side opposite of its usual place, you flinched.

"Scared?" he asked, expression unreadable.

"No. I'm not."

"Then why flinch?"

"I don't particularly know what you want in this instance."

"That warrants flinching?"

"Not necessarily. You could have lunged for me, and since I don't have reflexes faster than your own, maybe it was preparation for something worse."

"I don't understand you humans. I probably never will."

"Whatever. What do you want? You said you wanted to talk."

"Yes. I do. I want to talk to you about me specifically."

"You a narcissist or something?"

He scoffed and pushed his bangs away from his forehead. "No. You need to know why I'm here, what my purpose is."

"Finally!" You threw your hands up into the air. "Some fucking answers!"

King rolled his eyes. "My duty is to protect Luciano. That much I've told you. You know he has DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder. I am the protector of his system. I took the brunt of his abuse as a child, but by the time I manifested, it was too late. The damage had already been done. I served as a memory holder for awhile so Luciano wouldn't have to constantly relive his trauma until he was ready to come to terms with what happened, though I still don't think he's one hundred percent on board with the idea that the relationship he had with his grandfather was entirely toxic from the very beginning."

You were silent as you listened to the man speak, hands now back at your side and nervously toying with the fabric of your dress.

"Not to mention what happened to his loved ones have left him scarred for the rest of his life. He's seen his parents murdered before him, and even if I would have been able to front quick enough, it wouldn't have stopped him from seeing what he did." He paused to look you dead in the eyes. "I know you want to return home, but you can't. Your new life is here with him."

"But I-"

"Let me finish. I want you to think about things in the long term, not the short term. If you leave, you go back to your sad little life underground to live out the rest of your days when you know for a fact vampires are humane and kind. You have a chance to do great things with this marriage. You could set your people free from living in fear of us. The world could return to co-existing in peace, but that can't happen if things continue on the path it was on before. I want you to keep that in mind over the next few days."

Your gaze shifted to the ground, mind overloaded with information. You thought back to earlier in the evening. You weren't special. King was only saying you could do that to rope you into staying. What could you say to him though? Words didn't form properly as you attempted to put together a rebuttal, leaving you gaping your mouth like a fish out of water. Thankfully you had a savior to steal you away from this now awkward interaction. This time you found yourself on an outdoor balcony, feet touching the firm ground after being set down, your head spinning once more from all too quick movements.

"You didn't have to run here with her."

"I know, but people would have given me weird stares and asked why I was carrying Girly over here otherwise."

"Fair point. Are you okay (y/n)?"

"Just peachy..."

"You don't sound it."

"That's because someone had to run at full speed, didn't he Matt?"

"Sorry about that..."

"It's fine. I suppose I can forgive you. Hi Gil. Saw you pussed out at the last second when you went to talk to Chėrise."

"I didn't puss out! I just... Didn't want to interrupt her conversation..."

"Mmhmm... You better talk to her before the end of the night."

"I will!"

"Who?" Matt asked.

"Chėrise Dubois, the French princess."

"Oh yeah. She's nice Gil. You should really talk to her. You'd get along just fine."

"That's what I told him! He chickened out though at the last second!"

"This evening isn't about me! It's about you and Luciano," the Albino interjected.

"Yeah Mattie. It's not about him."

"When the fuck did you get here, shit-stain?"

"Like two seconds ago. Congrats on the engagement, doll."

"Uh, thanks?"

"No problem. By the way Matt, your old man is looking for ya. So is my dad. They said something about Flavio requiring your assistance for heavy lifting."

"Just fucking perfect... I've got to go (n/n). Congrats on the engagement. I'll try to catch up with you later."

"See you around."

Matt nodded before turning to leave. Gilen kept quiet, cheeks flushed from embarrassment while you watched the new reddish-brown haired male with a raised brow. He was dressed formally in a tuxedo just as Matt and Gilen were, though his hair was unkempt and wild with a stray section that stuck straight up and twitched in the gentle night breeze. He extended a hand for you to shake, which you took and shook firmly.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself to you now that you're conscious. The name's Allen L. Jones, but you can call me Al."

"You seem to already know me. Care to explain that?"

"Sure thing doll-face. I saved your ass back in the forest. You see, while you were knocked out, some of Flavio's models surround Matt and you. Me, being a nice guy, lended a hand to Matt and fought off every single glitter nailed diva."

"That's a load of fucking bullshit, and you know it. He carried you off as per my orders all while having a panic attack."

The brunet jumped and whipped around to look at the offending person. "What the fuck Matt?! I thought you went to see Dad and Pop?!"

"I did, and I took care of what needed to be done. All I had to do was carry two of Flavio's models back to their rooms since they got shit faced."

"Oh... I was waiting for them to get drunk. Didn't take them very long this time. I think they've achieved a new record."

"Hold up," you said, stepping closer to the two. "What do you mean when you say 'Dad and Pop'?"

"Goldie Locks didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Why, I'm his dearest brother."

"Step-brother," Matt corrected. "Our dads are married."

"Oh. That kinda makes more sense now. You do act like brothers in a way."

"Right? It's like we were meant to be siblings."

"If you say so..." Matt huffed, looking at you. "Anyway, we should get you back to the ballroom so you can mingle. I'm sure there are others who would like to get to know their future queen."

"Good call," Gilen said, loosening his tie a bit.

"Come on Girly. I'll take you back."

"Thanks Matt. It was nice to meet you Al. And Gilen?"

"Ja?"

"Please talk to Chėrise."

"Ja ja. I will. Stop hounding me about it..."

You smirked as Matt took you in his arms once more, dashing back to the hallway he took you from. King must have made his way back to the main room, and silently you hoped he gave Luciano back control. Matt set you down and let you walk into the ballroom by yourself to not raise suspicions. The blond later reentered weight Allen and Gilen on his tail. You socialized with a few vampires who approached you, all while your maids kept a vigilant watch on you from a respectful distance. Flavio met up again to talk, forming a plan to have you model the outfits you neglected to try on. A group of his models who loittered not too far away cast glares in your direction when Flavio wasn't looking and mouthed crude and cruel things about you. Flavio, knowing his girls better than anyone, knew what they were up to and apologized for their lack of respect, promising that they would be reprimanded before leaving your side. A sudden tap on your shoulder earned a small jump from you. When you turned to see who it was, you were surprised to see Luciano instead of Anna or Lauren.

"May I have this dance?" he asked politely, a smile plastered on his face as a new song began to play, this one accompanied by Chėrise singing.

You hadn't expected the princess to be so vocally gifted. Her voice was enchanting, easily shifting from note to note effortlessly. Your eyes locked with Luciano's as you broke from your small trance and took the hand he offered you, offering a fake smile.

"You most certainly may."

Luciano led you to the dance floor, hand still holding yours. Once there, he pulled you flush to his body, his other hand falling to your waist. Your free hand rested on his upper arm, close to his shoulder. You followed his lead, not as well versed in waltzing like he was. It shouldn't have been a shock to you that he was an incredibly talented dancer. You had this notion that he was someone who had two left feet when dancing, but he was very much the opposite. Not so ironically, he thought the same about you. A girl from the underground civilizations of humanity that could properly waltz? With no formal training? That was unheard of within the vampire realm. The attendees of the engagement ball were just as shocked.

You continued to smile as you twirled gracefully around the ballroom with the prince. Was the enjoyment and giddiness you felt in the moment an act? No. It wasn't everyday you could dress like a princess and dance with a prince, even if he was a bit of a prick. You made the best of your current situation and tried to fully enjoy the rest of the evening. While turning, you spotted Anna and Lauren off to the side, waiting to receive orders once the dance was over.

"She really is a phenomenal actress, isn't she?" Lauren whispered to Anna.

"A phenomenal actress indeed, Lauren. A phenomenal actress indeed."

~Author's Note~

DreamsForDays here! It's been awhile, hasn't it? "Painted Angel" took up a lot of my time from December to February, and I needed a break from writing for awhile. I'll hopefully be back into the swing of things and post more chapters soon! This chapter's word count nearly doubled from it's original, so there are some new interactions that weren't originally included, which involves a new character, Chėrise Dubois, an OC of my good friend SheriAnderson! While there hasn't been any interactions between her and the reader mentioned yet, I have an idea for the flashback that occurs in the next chapter. Thanks for reading! Feedback in the comments is always appreciated! Until next time!