Conquering His Cold Heart

He looked down as he said in a soft mumble, “And you weren’t the only reason why I didn’t want to go back to Sorvando even after you nursed me back to my full health.”

Percival recalled back to the time when he had found himself in a stranger’s house after running away from an unexpected battle, half unconscious because of some unknown poison.

The first thing that he had seen after regaining consciousness were the locks of gorgeous red hair that floated towards his eyes after being hit by a sudden gust of wind. The aroma that entered his nose suddenly woke up the dormant predator side of his. And he had almost instantly pinned down the owner of that red hair.

That was when he first met Liana, still in her frail human body. But he could swear that he had never laid his eyes on another woman who looked half as beautiful as her.

It was probably his first time suppressing his urge to sink his fangs into his prey once he had made up his mind.

It was love at first sight for him.

From then on, the more he saw her around, taking care of him along with the help of her parents, his love for her could only grow deeper. By the time he fully recovered, he had hopelessly fallen in love with the maiden as kind and as pure as an angel.

It was not that he immediately decided to leave his whole life and legacy behind and pursue this maiden who had successfully captured his heart. He had traveled back to Sorvando, though his heart was in that foreign land with Liana.

.....

However, when Percival saw that his brother had taken over his throne as his proxy, he felt as if life had given him a chance. He didn’t want to return back to the same old, suffocating life when such a nice opportunity had presented itself in front of him.

‘Sooner or later, they will declare me dead if I am nowhere to be found. Caspian is capable enough to handle my responsibilities as the King.’ He convinced himself that his brother would make a great King and quietly went back to where his heart was.

Until then, he had dedicated several centuries of his life to others. But when he saw the opportunity, he became selfish and wanted to spend the rest of eternity for himself, with the woman who he had fallen in love with.

Percival slowly lifted his head to look at that said woman. She was quietly gazing at him, patiently waiting for him to talk about things that were on his mind.

Thus, he took a deep breath and held her hands. Then he said in a serious manner, “The time that I had spent away from my homeland made me rethink my whole life. I had never felt that kind of tranquility in my life before. I’ve never been in love too. And after getting a taste of what true freedom and happiness feels like, I didn’t simply want to give them up, only to be sucked into the never-ending political struggles again.”

He warmly kissed his wife on her forehead when she became really gloomy after hearing him. And he spoke rather enthusiastically, “So, don’t think that you are keeping me away from my Kingdom and my family. I consciously chose you and the life we have now, not just because I was hopelessly love-struck.”

Percival waited to see the lovely smile blooming on his wife’s face. However, when he still saw that lingering restlessness on his wife’s face, he asked, “Is there something else that is bothering you, love? If so, you can tell me.”

Liana didn’t know when Percival would open up to her like this. So, she took her chance to ask everything that was always there at the back of her mind.

“What if you didn’t have the ability to turn me into a vampire? Would you have returned to your Kingdom after… after I passed away?”

Percival felt a sharp prick in his heart when he was suddenly reminded of how he used to be so anxious in the past regarding Liana’s life expectancy. Truth be told, he used to be constantly scared thinking that one day he would wake up only to find Liana’s lifeless body lying beside him.

However, they were past that now. He opened his mouth and heaved a deep sigh, thankful that he accidentally discovered his bloodline’s unique ability – the ability to turn humans into vampires, not just any human but those who he loved deeply and purely.

After accidentally turning Liana into a vampire, he tried to do the same to a few other humans. But his efforts were in vain. He wasn’t disappointed though. He was able to keep his most precious human by his side forever. He was already greatly thankful for that.

Percival suddenly pulled his wife into a tight hug. “I don’t think I would have returned to Sorvando even if I wasn’t able to spend my eternity with you.”

He rested his chin on her head and said as he stroked her beautiful wavy hair, “I would have spent my life roaming around the world with our precious memories stored in my heart. It would have been enough for me, however fleeting our moments might have been.”

Now that Liana was sure that Percival wasn’t depriving himself of his past life just because he felt obligated towards her, she buried her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around his chest.

Although Percival wasn’t the type to open up easily and share his thoughts clearly, she was happy that he did that just now.

And while she was at it, she decided to try her luck and ask some more questions to him, “Val, what if your brother found out about your indirect involvements in his life? Won’t it be bad?”