Prologue

Daniel's P.O.V :

"Your Majesty, Her Highness must have wanted to make a good impression on you. Please don't be angry with her." As I waited for my bride to arrive, Petroka, my knight whispered into my ear for the hundredth time thinking I was angry at her.

But, that wasn't the case. I was angry. True. But, not at her. No. I never could be. She is my life. My angel. My flower. I could never be angry at her. And so, I just stood there with a foolish smile on my face. Waiting patiently for her. I knew she'd come. I just didn't know when.

The ministers. The nobles. The commoners. The slaves. Each one of them attending the wedding were looking at me with a gaze I've never ever been looked upon with.

Pity.

It was a new experience. And, I don't know if I want to experience it again. If it was her looking at me like that. I would have never felt angry. But them?

They called me 'The Tryant', 'The Red Iceberg' and so many more names without knowing my true self. And yet, here they were looking at me with pity in their eyes as I waited for my Queen to walk through those golden doors which I designed myself. Hoping she would be enamored by it and praise me like she used to before. And, maybe forgive me...

However, she never did. Never in the previous two hours. She just left me at the altar, waiting for her to appear.

"Your Majesty?" Duke Teris, my right hand man, approached me for the first time in the past two hours and spoke to me in a careful, low voice. His face seemed to say that he was trying his level best not to say or do anything at that would fuel my burning rage as I waited for my lovely bride.

"What is it, Adervent?" I asked, not so cheerfully, as I lifted my burning gaze from the door through which she was supposed to walk straight into my life, for the first time in the previous two hours.

Damn. This is so not like me. But, who cares? I've always been an aloof person. But, their whispers about my bride and looks directed at me were making me mad. It wasn't my fault for being snappy.

Teris quickly began to speak as he bowed down in front of me upon seeing my distorted angry face. "Your Majesty, people have been waiting for the past two hours. I think we should cancel-" As soon as the word cancel floated in my ears, rage filled my eyes, and I glared at him, making his entire frame shiver.

I could tell they wanted to leave from all those whispers and gazes. And, I don't blame them. Who wouldn't after waiting so long for the bride to arrive? But they want me to cancel my wedding?

Impossible.

"Adervent, what do you think I've been up to?" In anger, I gazed down at him and hissed at the poor man who was shivering from fear.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty?" He asked, unsure how he should respond to my question in order to water my burning red rage.

"What do you think I've been doing here for the last two hour? Playing cards?" I hissed again. As his eyes widened as he realised what I was up to.

"No, Your Majesty. You've been waiting," Teris replied politely, his eyes fixed on Petroka behind me, pleading for assistance. That, however, would be the last thing he would receive.

I didn't plan every single detail of this wedding myself only to have it cancelled before the love of my life could even see it.

"If I, as The King, can be patient. You can all do it too. Are you busier than I am? And, this wedding shall not be canceled even if we have to spend days before my wife makes it to the wedding hall. Now get out of my way before I throw you out the hall." I spoke a little too loud so that everything could hear me. And, it was indeed effective. The whispers died down as Teris vanished from my sight, returning to his precious daughter, Valerie.

But, before I could return my longing gaze back to the door, I heard a hiss from behind me as I turned to face Henry. "Daniel, you might as well do that. I feel sorry for myself that I agreed to be your best man. My legs are fucking sore." As he rolled his eyes at me, Henry said. This motherfucking motherfucker.

I swear, if it hadn't been for Mother approaching us, I would have punched him in the face. But, before I could say anything to warn my dearest cousin, my mother called out to me in her sweet voice, calming my nerves. "Son."

"Mother." I acknowledged her presence turning sideways as I looked down at the flowers that laid scattered on the floor forming small hearts decorating it. Feeling a tad bit guilty for making her sit in the wedding hall and wait for so long when she should have already had her medicine and gone to rest.

As I lifted my head to sneak a look into Mom's sad yet loving eyes, she placed a warm hand on my cheek keeping my head in its place. "I've already asked you. But I'm going to ask you again. Do you believe it is right to force that child to marry you?"

I knew what she was implying, but I can't let her go. No, I'm not going to let her go. Even when she despised me for simply breathing the same air as her on which I had no control over.

"Mother, I love her." I replied looking at her old, fragil frame with a small smile on my face.

Yes, I love her. And, that's enough. For me. For her. For us.

Mom let out a big sigh when she heard my admant response, as if she was tired of me being so obnoxious. "I understand, son. What about El, though?" She asked, slapping her forehead with the same hand that had once been on my cheek.

"She'll learn to love me once again." I said as I returned my longing gaze to the door. Waiting for her to walk through wearing the whitest of white gown I've picked for her to showcase her queenly elegance which was going to silence all of the vampires in the room.

But, once again, that gaze was torn apart by a mocking snicker from Henry's lips. As he opened his mouth to speak again, I looked at him with a scowl on my face. "Learn to love you? We're all witnessing how much she's learning." He continued as he turned his gaze to his mother, "Aunt, even if sister-in-law doesn't learn anything, one thing is certain. She will undoubtedly teach Daniel many things that we have failed to teach in our entire lives. The first of these being patience."

What the fuck!? I really want to kill this guy, right now. If only he hadn't been my mother's favourite nephew.

My mother sighed as she returned to her seat and ordered some blood to quench her thirst after hearing his somewhat true words. Leaving me to mentally plead with my soon-to-be wife.

Flower... Why are you doing this to me? Please... Just please, come. I'll do whatever you want later. I'll except every single one of your demands. Everything but you leaving me.

Never. Never before have I felt so humiliated and despised and worthless. This entire sensation was alien to me. And it was none other than the love of my life who was making me feel this way. But I was willing to put up with all of it if that meant having her by my side forever.

"Flower..." I called out to her in a pleading whisper. And, as if she had finally decided to be merciful to my wounded soul. Yhe doors opened, as flowers rained down creating a path for her to walk on.

And there she was. Her hair left free to float in the air. Her face not drenched in makeup. And, a smile on her plum pink lips. As she wore a beautiful reddish white gown.

A reddish white gown!?

I looked at her, shocked. Whispers once again began to fill the room. Mom looked at El and slapped her forehead yet again. Petroka and Teris looked terrified. The priest who had just woken up because of the noise stared at my bride with eyes as wide as the moon.

And then there was Henry, who couldn't stop laughing. "She's right there. God, I absolutely adore my sister-in-law's personality. You were there, hoping she would fall in love with you again. And there she is, breaking the very first custom, which stated that the queen, as the mother of the nation and your wife, should walk down the aisle wearing the whitest of white gowns, representing the purity of a mother's heart, the elegance of a queen, and the devotion of a wife. But I suppose she is indeed learning.

Learning how to break the rules. And your attitude."