Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 42: This Is Not Me!

Chapter 42: This Is Not Me!

The sun was barely out in the Kingdom of EmptyHollow, but the sky was painted in a shade of blue, signaling the early morning of dawn.

Samantha was folding the last fabric of Ivan’s clothes that would be needed for the hunting trip when he suddenly approached where she stood. Standing beside her, he dropped a set of plain clothes on his bed, using it to gain the attention of the dull-looking woman who had drifted far from reality.

Sighting the neat clothes on the bed, Samantha raised her head up to look at the Vampire Lord. Bemused, her lips parted, and she wanted to ask if these clothes would be necessary for his trip so she can add them along with the rest, but then, after one more quick examination, the outfit looked too simple for a prince of his kind to wear.

"Lord Ivan?"

"I need you to change into this." He quietly said, casting his gaze elsewhere, whilst avoiding her expression.

"Pardon?" Samantha innocently blinked, looking dumbfounded by his orders, but the prince subtly raised an enquiring eyebrow at her.

"You no longer have interest in coming?" His deductive question made Samantha’s eyes go round in surprise, and his intention finally clicked in her senses. Does he intend to take her along with him?

"It’s not that." The shock-stricken Samantha shook her head slowly, pondering further on her thoughts. "Only males are allowed to go hunting, and it’s a strict rule of the Palace. If I come with you, won’t I get in trouble?" Her delicate eyebrows furrowed suspiciously, but the Vampire Lord simply shoved his hands in the pocket of loose pants, avoiding her judgemental stare.

These past few weeks, even his decisions have come as a surprise to him. It was not in his nature to go against the strict rules of the Palace, but each time he looked at her, he was prone to keep her by his side. She was like a fragile feather that would easily be swept away by the wind if he dared to let her out of his sight.

More importantly, if he lets her stay here, all by herself, with no one to look out for her, he was sure to return and find her in even worse predicaments. It would be better if she came along with him, that way he’ll feel more at ease knowing she was not in harm’s way.

"Are you coming or not?" He plainly asked, still seeking her approval, but then, his keen eyes fell on her pink bottom lip which she bit down on.

"I want to come." Samantha truthfully answered, "but I can’t be blamed for being self-conscious too." Shifting her stupefied gaze to the dress he had dropped on the bed, she picked it up so she could have a good look at it. To her surprise, yet again, it was a brown leather Jerkin, with a white tunic and baggy breeches that would fit her form.

The wide-brimmed hat that rested on the bed was probably to hide her hair and shield her face. Still, his well thought-out plan behind the outfit didn’t go unnoticed.

"You want me to disguise myself as one of your male subordinates?!" Samantha exclaimed in awe, but Ivan failed to understand if she sounded happy or rather terrified about his idea.

"You could refuse."

"Give me a minute!" The ecstatic Samantha was about to head to his bathing chamber to test it out, but she halted in her steps the minute she realized she wanted to use her Lord’s bathing chamber. It was a good thing she remembered her position in this Palace on time, but if she steps out of the room to go change, her disguise will no longer be a secret.

"Ahem!" Clearing her throat at the second daring suggestion that crossed her mind, she turned around to look at Ivan. Smiling sheepishly at the enigmatic prince, she pointed towards the door that led to his bathing chamber. "I... I was wondering if I..."

"You have ten minutes."

"Hmm?!" Her big round eyes went bigger at his approval. Did someone wake up at the wrong side of the bed this morning??

Noticing how she gazed at him like she was seeing a different person, his frown deepened. "Do you suggest I change my mind?"

"Ah! No!" Snapping out of her dazed state, Samantha rushed into the bathing chamber before he truly ended up changing his mind. Closing the door gently, she quickly locked it from the inside. The Vampire’s gaze subtly lingered on the door, still undeniably affected by the woman’s strange audaciousness.

"How bothersome," He tsked.

When Samantha stepped out of the bathing chamber, dressed in the masculine attire, she felt out of place in the rough, functional outfit. But to be honest, she wasn’t necessarily bothered, she didn’t mind wearing anything as long as she was given the chance to step out of this toxic Palace. Even in her excitement, she was still bothered about why the Vampire Lord would change his mind. He clearly told her if females were allowed, he still wouldn’t take her with, but here he is, making her dress as one of his male aides to accompany him.

Wasn’t he concerned she would escape if she saw the chance?

"This looks perfect." Ivan nodded approvingly to her disguise, but when his studying gaze landed on her pretty face, it looked too feminine, enough to sell her out.

"Come here." He beckoned her over with his index finger. When Samantha came to stand in front of him, he added a fake mustache to her disguise, complimenting her looks, and when he stepped back to have a proper look at her complete appearance, it took a lot of self-control to stifle his laughter.

"If ’perfect’ was human, it’d be you." He raised his thumb, and Samantha, out of pure curiosity, felt the fake mustache he added to complete her disguise, but the way he praised her made her feel off. Moving to the dressing mirror so she could make that decision for herself, her big round eyes widened in mortification after seeing how silly she looked with the mustache on.

"This is not me! Are you trying to make me look like a right dandy??" She pointed at herself in the mirror, and Ivan quietly moved from the side of his bed to stand behind her, also gazing at his little lamb through the mirror.

"That is the main point of a disguise, Little Lamb. It wouldn’t be called a disguise if you looked like yourself." Patting her shoulder, he walked away, picking his own clothes from the bed and entering his bathing chamber.

Samantha, who couldn’t cry at her ugliness, silently reigned a thousand curses on his head.

When Ivan was done dressing up, he paid his Grandmother’s chamber a visit, checking on her health before leaving to join the hunting party that waited outside for him. Samantha quietly followed, flanking behind him as they made it past the Vestibule.

When the main door opened for Ivan to step out, one of the servants lined in the vestibule, quickly stepped forward to help Ivan with his royal cloak. When the door closed behind them, the first light of dawn hardly broke over the horizon, and when the cold breeze hit Samantha’s skin through the fabric of her dress, she shivered impulsively, squeezing her arms to her side.

Her gaze shifted to Ivan who was being protected from the cold by his thick royal fur cloak, and Samantha silently wished she could get one too. Perks of being important, she thought.

The sounds of horses neighing, and the trotting of their hooves against the ground resonated in the front yard. Samantha quietly kept her head low as Ivan approached Alistair and Tobias who were already on their horses.

Just as he was told, a few Prince’s from other Kingdoms, who stayed over after the soiree to join the hunt were also getting on their horses. The sight of Ivan made them stop to greet him, and he acknowledged them with a simple nod of his head.

"You didn’t tell us you were bringing another company." Tobias’ cool voice rang out in the ears of Samantha. She wasn’t even looking at him as it is considered rude to meet the eyes of a royal, but she could sense his detectable gaze on her. Feeling a bit anxious, she offered a deep bow to Prince Alistair, who in turn, wasn’t concerned about who Ivan brought with him.

"There are no available horses." Alistair informed Ivan, whilst Herbert already showed up, bringing Ivan’s white horse to him.

"He’s riding with me."

"Suit yourself." Tobias squeezed gently against his horse’s sides to get it to start moving. "You two can meet me at the front."

Alistair rolled his eyes and imitated his brother’s aloof behavior to Ivan, but he regained his serious composure when his Father, Abdiel also trotted past on his horseback. The Grand Master of the hunt who would be incharge of the hunting schedules followed alongside Abdiel.

"We’ll be spending the night in the forest, as per the rules, and return tomorrow at dawn." Abdiel clearly announced.

Ivan, Herbert, and Samantha were the ones left behind.

"Your Highness, I believe he should ride with me instead. We’ll be passing some villages on the way to the hunting ground. It will spread strange rumors if people see you riding on a horse with someone." Herbert thoughtfully shared his opinion, which wasn’t wrong in the slightest. Due to Ivan’s disinterest with women, if the people see him riding with a man, they might start to question his gender preference, which will only lead to more neverending rumors.

"Alright, we’ll do that instead." Ivan agreed after thinking deeply about it. He got on his white horse, while Samantha joined Herbert on his horse.