The vampire who was Alec's paternal uncle stared down at the woman with a pleasing look and pretty decent clothes. With the way she stood there like a bright flower in the middle of such a sullen place, he knew she could not be a servant.
From what he heard, Alec married the third princess of Evardin. He had not seen the princess before but the rumors said she was the black sheep of the royal family, a mere daughter of a lowly mage. Her infamous reputation also didn't escape his ears.
"I'm Lauren," replied Lauren to the vampiress who was looking at her sharply. She was not fazed though. With her stepmother who never looked out for her, she had been facing all types of nasty kids since she was a child.
"A maid or a guest?"
The butler wanted to introduce Lauren as the new lady of the manor but he didn't dare interrupt the elites' talk, especially when it came to Lady Samantha, the spoiled daughter of Alec's paternal uncle, Mr. Hendricks. Oswin knew how arrogant and merciless the young vampiress could be and any lowly servant wouldn't want her ire.
"You must be my nephew's woman. Princess Lauren, is it?" asked Mr. Hendricks in a deep voice.
By the looks of it, the man already had an idea who she was, thought Lauren. But the discerning twitch of his brows let Lauren know that he must have heard so many rumors about her. She knew because most people looked at her the same way as if they were a saint judging a sinner.
"Seeing how you are here, I see it is really true that Alec married Evardin's third princess."
"Married? What are you talking about, papa?" asked Samantha who was confused by the whole thing. As she had been staying at home for two weeks to heal her cracked fang after getting herself into trouble, she hadn't been updated with the news.
"Your cousin got married yesterday. She is his wife, Princess Lauren Monserrate."
Samantha's lips parted in disbelief. "But isn't she the Evardin king's daughter to a lowly concubine? How could he marry someone like her?! And she is not even a vampire but an ordinary mage! This is stupid!"
Lauren took a silent breath, her eyes held not the least bit of interest.
"Entertain them. I will continue with my breakfast." After giving her word to the butler, Lauren didn't spare the two a glance and turned her back on them.
However, the petty vampiress was determined to ruin her day.
"Where are you going? You really don't have any sense of respect, do you?"
With a small smile on her face, Lauren gave Samantha the attention she wanted, "I'm just going to continue my breakfast. I see no wrong with that. I'm sure you don't need me to assist you, of course, what are the servants for."
"Look at that! She does not even respect you, papa! She may have the title of a princess but she is-"
"Enough of that, Samantha," it was Alec's voice.
"Alec!" the vampiress giddily went to Alec with a sweet smile on her face as if she was not on the verge of pulling Lauren's hair a moment ago.
"Uncle," Alec gave his uncle a nod while Samantha was clinging to his arm.
Lauren smirked without humor. It seemed that like her, the man she married had an amazing family.
"Lauren, this is my Uncle Hendricks and his daughter, Samantha."
"Did you seriously marry her, Alec? Even when she is a princess, she is not a vampire and there is nothing special about her. I haven't met her before but her bad reputation is famous even in Acheron. I don't think she is fit to be your wife," the vampiress said but this time her tone was soft like she was some angel.
"Yes, she is now my wife. Have you greeted your cousin-in-law?" Alec's response brought an irritated expression to Samantha's face.
"She didn't even greet us!"
"I was standing by the door when you arrived to welcome your arrival, but since you were so busy talking with yourselves, I didn't want to disturb you so I excused myself. I apologize for my behavior, Lady Samantha. But I'm sure Mr. Hendricks didn't take that as an offense," spoke Lauren calmly, but the sharp glint in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by Alec.
Alec knew how her relatives would react if they found out about his marriage to Lauren and without the need to ask what took place before he arrived, he already knew what happened. His uncle, as a pureblooded vampire from an elite family, had always been discerning. He never liked people from the lower class. With Lauren's background, even when she was a princess, he knew he wouldn't like her. He raised Samantha himself so she grew up with the same perspective in life.
"What can I say, we must have different tastes in women, Alec." The older man threw Lauren a meaningful look.
"She was disrespectful earlier, Alec. She is your wife so she should act accordingly. How about you punish her? After all, husbands are entitled to discipline their wives," said Samantha.
Punish her?
Lauren's jaw tightened but she kept her cool. She never liked how husbands were entitled to discipline their wives as if women were possessions of men. Marriage should give both sides equal rights.
"Should I?" Alec's gaze drifted to Lauren, a menacing smirk formed on his lips.
"Of course!" Samantha smiled excitedly, happy that her beloved cousin was considering the idea.
"Dear Samantha, why don't we give my wife a chance. A beautiful lady should be considerate. I'm sure you will come to love her," Alec's words made Samantha frown in disappointment. As a cold-blooded vampiress from a wealthy family, she had the means to punish those who irked her. Now that she failed to get what she wished, it only got her more annoyed.
"It was just a misunderstanding, Alec," spoke Lauren with a thoughtful look. "Don't worry, while Samantha stays here, I will make sure to treat her like a sister. We will get along if we spend more time together for sure."
Alec's lips curled a bit, wondering what dark thoughts Lauren had in her head behind that pretty smile on her face.