Taming My Vampire Servant

Ivory clenched her fists in anger. She never felt negative about a person, and what made her mad the most was him imprisoning Lucius, who only ever helped her ever since the first day they met. She couldn't even blame Arcea for running her mouth like that, because it's her personality.

"Master Ivory, what do you want us to do?" Lycus asked.

"Huh? Why is Lycus-"

"Sir Arthurdane, I now have two Servants, but now's not the time to talk about it… I have to move now and take my friends out of the castle."

Principal Arthurdane nodded, and he asked them to take the academy's horse-drawn carriage. With no more time left to lose, the three of them started to head to the Land of Rosaria. They traveled nine hours, with a resting time every two hours. 

They arrived at the gigantic gate of the Silverblade Castle, wherein the castle was protected with a line of tall bastions. To enter, they had to ascend and reach the gate opening in the middle of the two elevated towers. Underneath the elevation was a man-made river for protection and terrain advantage.

They were blocked by the guards in front, and when they were asked who they were, Ivory said her name. She was allowed to go inside, but not Lycus and Sigmund.

"Lycus, I want you to stay in the Sanctuary, while Sigmund, you stay in Preston Bronzelain's for a while," Ivory ordered with certainty In her eyes.

The two of them retorted, but then she held their hands. 

"Listen, you two. I will go to Valios City as soon as we're done in this castle. Please don't worry about me too much."

"As you wish, Master," Lycus said. 

When Ivory let go of their hands, Lycus stepped back, but Sigmund pulled her to him, "I don't want to leave you here. This is too dangerous."

"I am not that much of a weakling anymore, thanks to this Silv- extraordinary mana," she patted his back. "I promise, I'll be careful. Preserve your mana until then, and don't move too much."

When she pulled away, Sigmund looked at her with worry. His beloved Master would be entering the enemy's territory, and on top of that, she would be meeting that jerk of a crown prince, who wanted his way with her.

Ivory was allowed to enter, and her carriage proceeded inside.

"Let's go to Valios just as our Master said," Lycus told him. 

The Vampire nodded and started walking as well. As he followed Lycus, he gritted his teeth in anger. He cursed Crown Prince Jirou Dragonicus and his clan. And at the back of his mind, if something happened to Ivory, he would not hesitate to make himself the sinner they thought he was.

Ivory arrived inside the castle and was assisted by one of the maidservants. As she walked on the red carpet in the hallway, she kept on looking around, amazed by the Silverblade Castle's interior. 

Sigmund then crossed her mind. He lived for a long while in that same place where she had set her foot on. She wondered how he lived his life and wondered how he and his previous Master interacted with each other in the busy, yet majestic place. 

Did Sigmund suck her blood as intensely as how he did it with her?

She shook her head to erase these unnecessary thoughts when they finally reached the throne room, where the crown prince was seated alone on his throne.

Prince Jirou grinned as he saw Ivory enter the room. He quickly stood up from his designated seat and approached her.

"I knew you'd come. I was waiting for you," he then grabbed her hand and kissed its back.

Ivory looked at him with disgust as she pulled her hand away. "I am just here to fetch my friends."

"You mean, friend?" Crown Prince Jirou said. "Miss Arcea Knightwing, am I right-"

"Yes, and Lucius Goldwine," Ivory glared at him. "I am taking them both."

The prince guffawed, "Why do you think I'll set Lucius Goldwine free?"

"I don't think he'd done anything to harm you-"

"But he stole something that's mine..." he reached for her face, "And that's you."

Ivory shoved his hands away when he tried to caress her cheek, "I do not belong to anyone."

"The hickeys… was it Lucius-"

"No!" she yelled. "We're just friends!"

"If you aren't special to that man, then why did he give you a necklace?!" Crown Prince Jirou asked loudly; his voice echoed in the room.

"It was only a freebie. I-"

"Oh Ivory!" Arcea came rushing in with a wide smile as soon as she saw her friend whom she missed a lot. "How's your training?"

Ivory sighed as she looked at the unaffected Arcea. Did she not know that Lucius was thrown into the prison?

"Where's Lucius?" Ivory asked. 

Arcea replied as she twirled the ends of her shoulder length hair, "He's in his room. Why?" she touched the middle of her friend's creased brows. "Is there something wrong?"

The silver-haired woman assessed her current situation. What's the truth? Was Lucius in danger or maybe the news about him in prison is untrue?

Ivory gauged the truth by examining the prince's expression, but she couldn't guess it.

"I want to see Lucius. Bring me to him," she said in a demanding tone.

"Very well. Follow me," said Prince Jirou. The three of them, followed by four maidservants and four knights., started marching towards the chambers for the guests.

Lucius was not imprisoned in the castle prison, but was in a room arrest. 

"Ivory… What are you doing here?!" Lucius was shocked when he saw her enter the room. When he was about to approach her, the knights pointed their swords at him, which made him step back.

"Lucius, let's go home-"

"Ivory, enough!" Crown Prince Jirou grabbed her arm. "I've decided. It's either you stay, or the two of them go."

"Why the hell are you doing this?!" Ivory yelled disrespectfully at the prince, "You're insane!!!" 

The knights pointed their swords at her, but after seeing the prince laugh, they took it down.

"You've really changed, Ivory. What happened to the puppy Ivory who knelt before me at the academy?" Prince Jirou asked., "The three-week training made you even bolder… I don't hate it, though."

She facepalmed when she heard him say it. He's really insane, she thought.

"Oh my goddess, just accept the prince's proposal! That way, you don't have to force yourself to be strong enough to win the Servant Competition. After all, being a Queen suits you more than being a Royal Knight. You're too pretty to be in a war."

It was as if something snapped within Ivory when she heard her friend say those things. She was trying hard not to be affected everytime Arcea ran her mouth like that, but telling her to change her dreams and aspirations in life and to become some crazy guy's spouse made her very disappointed.

"Arcea, excuse me, but… I want to become a Royal Knight, and it doesn't have anything to do with me being pretty, you know. And I am not forcing myself to be strong. I want to be strong out of my own free will," Ivory said in a straight face when she faced her, "Why don't you learn how to control that blabbering mouth of yours and filter out what's real and what's not? That way, we can avoid any trouble like this one."

"Ivory… you…" Areca stuttered, shocked that for the first time, Ivory got mad at her, "Why are you saying such hurtful words? You've changed-"

"Now you know that feeling of being hurt by words? You are always doing it. Not only to me, but also to other people," she tried to explain as calmly as possible, but for some reason, ever since she had control of the Silverblade mana, she could comfortably express her opinions and feelings. "Lucius is like a brother to me, and he also felt that way towards me. You are totally wrong about us!"

Arcea, who was not used to being scolded, was already teary-eyed as she replied, "But he's the only person you're close with, and even he gave you a beautiful necklace-"

"It was a friendly gift! Even so, who gave you the right to talk ill about us?" the angry Ivory crossed her arms. "You are a kind friend, but if you're going to continue to be like this, then let us just end our friendship… or the day will come that Lucius and I will both be dead because of you."

"You're too much!!!" Arcea cried, and she swiftly ran away from the group.

Prince Jirou and Lucius, as well as the other castle personnels, gaped in surprise with the sudden confrontation.

"And you, don't be too hot-headed," Ivory faced the prince. "And don't easily believe other people. I only have a few friends, and Lucius is my closest one because he's the first one I met in Qawiun Academy…"

The prince stared at her blankly after realizing that he might be the wrong one. Ivory wouldn't say all those mean things to Arcea if it was not a serious matter. Instead of criticizing her, it even made him like her more.

She sighed after feeling the intensity of what she did a while ago. She apologized to the prince before more trouble came to them, "I humbly apologize, Your Highness. I didn't mean to disrespect you," she bowed her head. "Now… I request once again that we be allowed to return to the academy."

"Fine then, Lucius is not your lover," Crown Prince Jirou said, "But who gave you those hickeys? Don't tell me such a lie that it was from a duel. I know the difference between a hickey and a burn scar."

Ivory tried not to avert from the Prince's gaze, but she was already fidgeting her fingers, and she could already hear her own heartbeat,  "Well… its-"