Taming My Vampire Servant

…

In order to announce the judgment of Goddess Destinia throughout the kingdom about what happened in the plaza, the coronation for that day was postponed. It resumed a week later.

Levian wanted to be a King who was close to his people, and so for the first time ever, he had the coronation just outside the castle fortress of the Silverblade Castle. He planned it like that so that everyone - from the poor to the rich - could witness the simplest but most peaceful and united coronation that was ever done in the history of the Kingdom of Destinia.

The newly-crowned king, together with his fiance, General Caille Platinumcore, traveled the Kingdom after the coronation. With the knights and Royal Knights, they marched on armored horses from the Silverblade Castle, to the borders of the Lands, and finally to Qawiun Academy. They stopped at some towns and cities to rest, and so the trip took a day and a half. 

They arrived at Qawiun Academy as their final destination. At the gate, the letters 'QAWIUN ACADEMY' were carved on very large orange-colored amber, intensifying its color whenever the sunlight struck on it. In front of this majestic sight were Principal Arthurdane, the Educators, the academy assistants, and all the Chosen Ones' Servants that already became companions and friends.

"Welcome to Qawiun Academy, King Levian," the principal said, and together with the others they bowed down to him. They also greeted Caille with utmost respect, and she gave a kind smile to them.

"How are things?" the king asked.

"In a month, Qawiun Academy will be reopened as a school for scholars of knowledge. Many have applied for the Educator positions, and we have accepted the most outstanding of them. We just need to acquire more reference scrolls for mathematics, science, and agriculture…"

The principal continued to explain the progress of his assignment. He also mentioned that Zen Silverblade would be in charge of the mathematics subject, making Levi pleased.

"Would you like to clarify more, your Majesty?" 

The king paused for a while, then he remembered his ex-Servant, "The winner for the Servant Competition… Did you give the prize already?"

"Well, it was cut off, so the battle was-"

"Ivory Sprucemint is the obvious winner, principal," Levi uttered. "Anastasia Gaian became Goddess Destinia's vessel, so her joining the competition is void… As the King, I therefore suggest that you declare Ivory the winner and give her all the prizes she deserve."

Principal Arthurdane gave a bright smile, pleased with his judgment, "I will do as you say, Your Majesty!"

Seeing that the meeting was already done, Caille asked Levi, "According to our schedule, this is our last destination. Are we going back now?"

"Not yet," Levi turned his horse to the opposite side, "Let's go to Greensteid Town."

And so, the group traveled to the Greensteid forest, wherein a row of tall and lush pine trees were aligned along the dirt road. The King enjoyed listening to the chirping birds and the feeling of warm rays on his skin. 

When they arrived, nadatnan nila si Sigmund na nagsasampay ng nilabhan sa gilid ng Sprucemint residence. He wore a reddish brown v-neck lace up sleeveless shirt and black pants.

King Levian asked everyone to stay put as he went down his horse and approached him.

"Good day, Sigmund," he greeted with a smile.

Sigmund was surprised with the sudden visit, almost dropping the fragrant, wet pants he was about to hang. He returned it to the wooden bucket, "Apologies, I didn't notice," and he bowed to his knee, "Long live King Levian Silverblade. Congratulations on your coronation."

"You may rise."

Sigmund stood up straight, "How can I help you?"

"I want to know how Ivory and you are doing… and also to deliver the good news."

"Greetings to the King!" the silver-haired woman said, bowing down to her past Master.

Ivory had just gotten down from her bedroom attic after she dressed more appropriately upon peeking at the window and knowing they had unexpected guests. She was wearing a baby blue long sleeve square-neck midi dress.

Levi asked her to rise, and after she did, she got an earful from her worried lover. 

"You birdbrain! Didn't I tell you not to go out? Physician Daphne and Lycus just visited you yesterday, and they clearly said that you need to rest!" Sigmund told her, his hands on his waist, clearly agitated.

Ivory chuckled, "Sigmund, your voice is too loud, the king is here."

"Haha, it is alright!" Prince Levian said, laughing at the couple who seemed like a dog and a cat. "Now that Ivory's here, I would like to tell you the good news… Ivory, I declare you as the winner for the Servant Competition."

She widened her eyes, then shook her head. "No… How the heck did I win, if the final battle did not proceed?"

"Anastasia Gaian is our holy Goddess Destinia's vessel, so that means you are already the sole winner."

"Oh my… I…" Ivory's tears suddenly formed and fell on her cheeks. She still felt like dreaming, "Thank you… Thank you so much, King Levian!"

"I will order the stone mansion to be prepared for you and your family, and the two horse-drawn carriages to be delivered here. Tomorrow, I will give you 75,000 gold coins, and the other 75,000 will be given at the end of this year."

Ivory nodded, then asked, "Uhm… How about my pork?"

Levi chortled, "Of course. You can claim your fresh pork at the Alpharion City marketplace everyday, and as many times as you want, for two years."

"Ivory, don't forget your other prize," Sigmund messed up her hair.

She gave a confused look at him while she combed her disheveled hair with her fingers. "What is it?"

"Choose whether you want to be an Educator or a Royal Knight."

It was such a challenging choice for Ivory. Now that her strength had decreased so much and she lost her two types of mana, she wondered if she would be able to become a good knight of the King.

"I want to become a Royal Knight, but I am now weak…" Ivory sighed in dismay.

Sigmund patted her shoulder, "Then become stronger."

She looked at her partner who gave her an idea. "Should I… train once again?"

"Of course. There's no other way to do it… unless you want to give up on that dream-"

"I still want to become a Royal Knight!"

Levi nodded at her, "Then, once you become confident with your ability, come see me at the Silverblade Castle."

King Levian and Caille then bid goodbye to them. When the royal parade was already out of sight, Sigmund immediately grabbed Ivory's wrist. Looking at her suspiciously, he pulled her towards the house, then dragged her up to their attic bedroom. He made her sit on the bed.

"Sigmund, don't be too strict," she said, pouting, "I was careful-"

"Physician Daphne said not to move too much! She said you need to rest!" Sigmund was already too annoyed not to raise his voice.

"But I need to send my greeting to the king-"

"You dimwit," Ivory's lover ruffled her hair, "The other day, I caught you washing the dishes, and lighting up the fireplace! I told you I'd do all the chores, didn't I?!"

Ivory pouted, "But I feel better now, and I am too bored…"

Sigmund sighed, "Ivory, you know that everything's different now. I just don't want anything to happen to you… and our child."

The silver-haired woman gazed at her beloved's crimson red irises. Like his love for her, the rose-like color of his eyes also never changed, even though he was not a Vampire anymore.

When Physician Daphne examined her yesterday, Ivory thought she was hearing things. She was suddenly pregnant, and the odd thing was, it was more than a month old. 

Lycus, now a human who became an official apprentice of the female physician who was his Master before, said that he had a hunch about what happened to Ivory. He said that she couldn't get pregnant before when she was half-Servant, but the child's soul orb was already there. And when Ivory became a true, full mortal, the child came to her womb.

Ivory and Sigmund knew that the Goddess did this miracle for them as a compensation for the hardships they had encountered as a couple. Although they could not use magic anymore, the most important thing for them was to stay together.

Their tricky relationship started in an unusual way. Trust grew, and their friendship was developed as time went by. It was truly like a zigzag road of broken cobblestones, yet they were able to reach their destination. 

Life is not perfect; it is an adventure that is full of the unknown. 

As we all continue to walk towards the road of time, bear in mind that every predicament we encounter will make us even stronger than ever.

And who knows, just like Ivory and Sigmund, maybe somewhere along the way, we'd meet our destined person in a fateful encounter that we never expected!

[END]