Chapter 127 - Dhampir Knight

"On your second shift, Theora? Seriously?"

Theora shrugged, unable to come up with a reply that would do her any good. Unfortunately for her, Darim had been there to receive her report that day, as he would be joining the night shift instead of the afternoon one. He had been reading Kleis’ report when she arrived and insisted Theora stay instead of sneaking out as soon as she had dropped her own off like she had hoped to. Now, he was drilling holes into her after reading her report, which made Theora wonder if Kleis had been a tad nicer in hers. He loudly dropped it on his desk and put his fists to his sides.

"Young lady," he grunted. "Are you trying to make my job harder?"

"That girl was a brat, and her order was horse shit, Darim," she said. "What did you expect me to do?"

"I didn't expect you to harm anyone, but you seriously need to watch your attitude around nobles, Theora. Keeping your mouth shut would have been a perfectly valid option!"

"She wasn't acting like a noble. She was acting like a fifteen-year-old tyrant with a massive-"

"Theora."

She bit her lip, stopping herself. Darim took a big breath in through his nostrils, making himself even bigger than usual, and Theora glared at her shoes instead.

"I'm sorry,” she mumbled. "I'll watch the attitude."

"You better. You do realize the director is going to rip us both a new one, right?" he said, tapping his finger on her report. "I was told to make sure you don't get yourself noticed, Theora. Director De Nova is going to be very, very unhappy about this. Remember that talk we had about battles worth fighting and those that aren't?"

"That was more of a sermon than a talk, but-"

"Theora."

"...Sorry," she sighed. "I get it. I promise I'll watch the attitude."

"You better, Theora. Now go and get fed upstairs. I'd rather not have you hangry on top of being annoyed at nobles."

"Doctor Herva is here?"

"No, but she made sure to remind me to feed my fanged trainees; you are at the top of the list, so off you go. And try not to get into any more fights with nobles, or I swear I'll make you regret Lastarck’s training."

Theora grimaced but turned around and went upstairs. While Doctor Herva was at the Academy, it seemed like trainees from the Medical Academy were replacing her, although the one who gave Theora her blood looked quite disgusted and left the room the second he could. Theora took a sip, but this was by far some of the worst blood she'd ever tasted, and since she doubted they were running low in the Capital, that meant the guy probably hadn't even bothered to check her file. She couldn't even finish it; she gave back the remaining blood before she really did puke, which slightly satisfied her at the trainee's disgusted expression, and made two mental notes to report his attitude to Darim immediately and to visit The Blood Bank that afternoon. When she got back downstairs to his office, he raised his head from his desk with a frown.

"I did not sass anyone," she raised her hands, “so you should be proud of me, because I exercised self-control minutes ago. But I will absolutely get rude if those trainees from the Medical Academy keep giving me vile blood I can't even drink. And the guy made a whole show of acting grossed out."

"I'm sorry about that. I'll be sure to report him," Darrim said. "But it's good you came back; you got a note."

"A note?"

"Some cousin of yours popped by, it just arrived."

Theora crossed the distance to Darim's desk, grabbing the papers he was handing her. One was a short note on which she recognized Cylea's handwriting, and the other was a letter with a broken seal of golden wax.

"This was sent to our house for you. I took the liberty of opening it -I hope you don't mind— and based on the content, I'm guessing you won't be available to come by this afternoon. Hopefully, I'll see you tomorrow! And please wear a nice outfit."

Theora didn't mind Cylea reading her mail- after all, her cousin was aware of pretty much everything she had going on, and she probably had recognized the royal seal, too. She glanced up at Darim, who definitely had seen it as well but didn't react much.

"You don't seem surprised," Theora noted, opening the letter right there.

"You're S-rank, Theora. I might not have all the details, but I do know what that potentially implies."

"Fair enough..."

Thus, Theora decided to stay in Darim's office to ensure some privacy while she read her letter. It was a relatively short but formal invitation to visit the Royal Palace that day for a meeting with His Majesty, which made her smile. She hadn't been in the Capital two days before her 'uncle' summoned her, which was an uplifting prospect after her complicated morning. There was no hour fixed, only a mention to come this afternoon or the next at her convenience, so she wondered if His Majesty's afternoons were simply less busy. She decided to head out right after taking a quick shower, as her clean trainee uniform would probably be formal enough for a visit to the Royal Palace.

First, Theora stopped by The Blood Bank, which was pretty quick, as Rufus had seen her enough to narrow down her taste by then, and her payment was still magically covered. However, apparently, it was now taken care of directly by House De Crescent. Theora tried not to think about the bills her father would receive that would give him tips about her whereabouts and left the bank, at least satisfied.

When she arrived at the Royal Palace, feeling just as intimidated as the first time, Theora forced herself to take a deep breath, and walk in like she belonged there. While walking down the corridors, she couldn't help but wonder if she shouldn't have used some of her new wealth to buy more formal clothes. The King might not seem to care much, but the palace had more visitors than last time, and Theora couldn't help but feel that she stuck out like a sore thumb. There were knights in much nicer uniforms than hers, a couple of people who looked like secretaries or staff with tight uniforms and carrying thick piles of paperwork, and an elderly woman in a beautiful burgundy dress who smiled at Theora as she was leaving. Once she got to the Reception Hall, Theora was almost happy to recognize the old lady behind the desk, Agatha, with the thick glasses that made her look like an insect and her pristine purple uniform.

"Good afternoon, Miss Agatha," Theora greeted her.

"Good afternoon," said the older woman. "Do you have an invitation?"

"I'm here to see His Majesty?"

"Name?"

"Theora," she said, unsure what name she'd been registered as. "I have a proper invite this time."

Old Agatha took the invite, frowned at it, and then returned her eyes to the thick book she had in front of her for several seconds before she stared up at Theora again.

"...Fine," she spat. "You may go in. But His Majesty isn't receiving any guests."

"What?" Theora frowned, confused. "Why?"

"I'm not allowed to give any information," Agatha said. "His Majesty is not receiving any guests today."

That left Theora completely confused. What was even the point of her visiting if she couldn't meet the King?

"But... I'm allowed inside?"

"Yes. You have an invitation. You may go in."

Theora frowned, hesitating. She could have gone back, but most likely, her cousins weren't expecting her and might have gone out for the afternoon despite the rain, especially if Cylea had brought the note all the way to the Military Hall. Moreover, she couldn't see herself turning back now. She was already there, and it felt silly to simply walk back to the Military Hall when she was allowed inside anyway. She wasn't sure why the King wasn't receiving any guests, but since she was allowed inside the palace, she might as well try anyway. Maybe he had planned to make an exception for her or something... And in the worst case scenario, she'd simply visit a nice, historical building and go back.

Unsure where to go next, Theora chose to simply retrace the same steps she'd taken months ago, leading her to the magnificent gardens of the Royal Palace. The rain was but a drizzle, yet it was enough to keep the gardens free of visitors, or perhaps they'd kicked all guests out since the King was unwell. Now that she had time to stroll her way through the neat alleys of flowers on her own, Theora couldn't help but notice the difference between this place and the De Boreal gardens; everything in the Royal Palace was symmetrical, precise, and classical. The House De Boreal gardens were much wilder, unpredictable, bold, and a touch experimental. Everything in the Royal Palace was in pastels, light greens, and neat rows of blooms, while the De Boreal gardens had darker greens, leaves of all sizes, and more vibrant flower colors like burgundy, orange, or yellow. Theora was a bit disappointed to find the glasshouse empty, but she kept on walking, and down the same path, she found some greenhouses, with rows of vegetables that were apparently grown right there. There was only one glasshouse that two royal knights guarded, and she approached that one with a slight hope. Neither of the knights said anything when she entered the greenhouse, finding a young man on his knees, elbows deep into the soil.

"Hello," Theora said.

He looked up from whatever he was busy weeding with a frown.

"...The dhampir girl," he noted. "I've heard about you."

"Oh. Sorry to bother you... They mentioned His Majesty was unavailable, so I've... just been wandering around."

"Yeah, Dad's not feeling well."

Theora almost reared at the 'dad' mention. She blinked, trying to re-assess the young man. She didn't think he looked twenty years old yet, but he was definitely close enough. He slapped his hands a couple of times, got up, and took off the gardening gloves he'd been wearing. Standing, he was half a head taller than Theora, and very noticeably bigger, too. He had large shoulders and muscles that had been built by hours of labor, complete with a natural tan. It looked like gardening was a solid hobby of his.

"My sister was making a whole fuss trying to sniff around about you," he said, extending his hand next. "I'm Gregorio."

"Gregorio De Solar," Theora blurted out, the genealogical tree of the royal family from her classes popping up in her mind. "The second prince."

"Yeah, one of the spares," he scoffed. "Although I'll never wear the bloody crown, hopefully. My siblings can sort it out. What's your name?"

"I'm Theora," she said, remembering her manners and doing the first curtsy movement that came to mind.

"Nice to meet you, Theora," he smiled. "I'm sorry you're missing Dad by a bit, he felt... unwell. Happens sometimes."

"Is he very ill?"

"No more than usual," he shrugged. "Some days are just worse than others. Usually cold days or when it rains... He's fine, though, but thanks for your concern. Most people don't care, not really. They just want to know if Rae's up for the job yet."

Gregorio did not give off any of that noble aura at all, which made Theora feel surprisingly relaxed around him. He probably looked like his mother, because Theora could barely see any of the King in him, except maybe for his nose and lips. He did have dark hair like his sister, but his eyes were a dark brown color. He was also wearing a very casual outfit: dark pants with the knees covered in soil and a simple matching shirt that seemed an inch away from ripping on his biceps.

"Did you get those muscles from gardening?" Theora asked. "Or you wield a sword?"

"Both," Gregorio chuckled. "The sword is kind of part of the mandatory prince thing. I'd much rather carry around bags of soil, though. Every minute I don't spend forced indoors, I'm here."

"I feel you," Theora smiled. "I'm an outdoor girl myself."

"...Should I give you a tour?" Gregorio offered. "I don't think any of my other siblings are available, and Mother's still sleeping. I'm sorry Dad's not available, but I can entertain you instead."

"That would be nice of you."

Strangely, while Pristine had acted and sounded like some arrogant princess, her brother was miles away from that image, greeting every member of staff they walked past by their name, chatting with Theora about their favorite mushrooms, and hardly ever mentioning her background at all.

"Aren't you curious what I was here to meet your father for?" she asked after a while when the rain had intensified, and they had sought refuge under a gazebo.

"Not really," Gregorio shrugged. "I understand the less I know, the less trouble it is... I'm not like Pristine, and I don't care about gossip or politics. I just know that Dad was excited to see you again. Every time Pristine brought you up, his face lit up."

"...It sounds like you guys are all close."

Gregorio nodded.

"Dad's always wanted us to remain a tight-knit family despite the politics. The twins are super close, of course... I think Mom's the one always trying to remind us we're royals. Dad's just happy so long as we're happy, which I'm grateful for. Mil and I wouldn't get half the freedom we do if it wasn't for him."

Theora frowned, a memory scratching at the back of her mind. Where had she heard that nickname before? She could make the link that 'Mil' was the younger prince, Emilio De Solar, but why did his nickname feel strangely familiar?

"Oh, my cousin is here."

Theora glanced back at Gregorio before following his gaze. And then, she froze.

A few paces away from there, under another archway leading inside the palace, two young men were chatting with enthusiasm. They were so entranced in their conversation that, even as they got closer, they didn't seem to notice Theora and the second prince standing under the nearby gazebo. Theora still couldn't move, her eyes riveted on the pair while her heart was racing in her chest. One of the young men was turned away from them, but she could see his black hair and his hands moving agitatedly as he was trying to convince the other. The second young man had his face turned right in their direction, making it impossible for Theora to miss his fiery red hair, the matching scruff on his cheeks and chin, and his gorgeous, contrasting green eyes. He was also wearing an expensive, thick, long brown coat with padded shoulders, and perched on one of them was a very familiar white bird with golden eyes and a bronze wing.

"What is he... What's he doing here?" she muttered, confused.

The redheaded man she was staring at seemed far from the Orion she remembered. He stood tall, wearing fancy clothes, boots of the best leather, and a gold ring on his hand. Of all the birds, her Augustus was perched on his shoulder, and two giant dogs were on his heels. Maybe he felt her gaze on him, or he coincidentally glanced over because he suddenly interrupted himself, his expression immediately lighting up as he clearly also recognized her.

"...You know Breo?" Gregorio asked her.

"Breo?" Theora repeated, blinking at the prince.

"Yeah," he nodded. "My cousin, Breorion De Boreal?"