I stayed in bed for the rest of the day. The boys would check up on me every hour, but I insisted that I'd be fine. Queen Jenny and Mrs. Moon were mainly the ones entering every five or so minutes. It didn't bother me at all, to be honest. I enjoyed it. I didn't have privacy, yes, but it was all because they cared about me. They'd reheat my tea, which tasted like someone rubbed lemons against the concrete; I felt like just dumping it out the window. That would be rude though, so I didn't.

The boys had dropped off a couple books, most of which were the pictureless and had the biggest words known to man. Those were not ones that I ever wanted to read—at all. Sungjong was kind enough to sneak me in some fairytale books and vampire history ones. I began reading about unique vampire fairytales. There are a lot of theories about the start of their existence, but what was most interesting to me was this entire book on a war that occurred forty years ago—the last war. The war that ended with the death of Sungwoo Moon.

"Knock knock~" Mrs. Moon's voice echoed as she knocked against the door. She slightly opened the grand wooden doors and squished her petite self into my room. She had a tray of fruit and pastries. "You need to eat something sweet so you can regain your energy!"

She tottered to my side, with the biggest smile on her face. Her hair was in the same white bun, a white apron over her long black dress. The tray landed on my lap with great ease. The pastries themselves did not look professionally made. To be honest, they looked like they were created by children... around the age of three to five. I tried not to giggle, but couldn't hold it in. "This is so sweet," I smiled.

"The boys made it themselves!" She pushed a chair to my bedside to sit on. I placed my book aside as I picked up one of the cookies to examine it. The fondant had way too much sugar in it but was the brightest pink I'd ever seen ever. "It was like some sort of competition to them, to be honest. They'd tackle each other for ingredients and for the ovens. It's like the kitchen wasn't big enough for them. I couldn't even stop laughing either."

I took a small bite, it wasn't even sugary. It was way too lemony. It was like someone had squeezed an entire lemon over the top. I immediately placed it down and reached over for my tea. Bad idea. Good thing I had a glass of water also. "Okay, that was... interesting," I picked up another cookie. This one had a white cream on top. "At least they made an attempt, right?"

"That's what matters," she smiled at me. "They didn't want to come up and bring it themselves, since they do have to go do their own prince duties with the butlers right now."

The white cookie tasted like cream cheese, which wasn't that bad to be honest. I wondered how this was one was. "Meaning?"

"Training," she nodded. "Now that you know about them, honestly they don't go to school. They just spar with the butlers. That's how they remain so fit and aware."

"Mhmmm..." I understood. True. It wouldn't be that important for them to know stuff since, well, you know. They'd have the rest of their lives to do so anyway.

Her eyes darted off to the book on my side. "Reading a book?" she reached over my legs to pick it up. Her eyes lit up a different way. She pressed her fingers against the cover before opening to a random page. "Ahhh... my book."

"Your book?" I asked.

She nodded and opened to the last page. There was a small letter etched onto the page. "Written by yours truly," she grinned. "I wrote it as soon as I calmed down after the war. Something that impacted the lives of so many people shouldn't be forgotten."

I didn't say anything. The ache in her voice showed how she truly felt. Her heart still yearned for her lost love. I ate another cookie in the silence.

"You want to know about him, right?" she asked. "I can easily tell you everything. It's just like it was yesterday..." She closed her eyes and smiled lightly.  Then, her wrinkly white fingers trailed against the leather bindings of the book. She opened to a page, as if she knew exactly where it was, and began to read. "I'd known him forever, literally. My family has been working for the Moons, now Woos, for generations. Sungwoo and I were the best of friends. We'd go on all sorts of adventures and spend hours with each other. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to fall in love with him. But apparently, it was obvious to everyone. The time that we had admitted our love was when I was twenty. Beforehand, both of us were in a complete trial of denial. We realized how insane and unheard a human and vampire falling in love was. He had taken me to the maze, where the fountain was just newly installed, and told me that he wanted me to meet the girl he was planning on marrying. I was alright with it, since I had known that he and I could not have possibly worked out without any complications, and so I went along. But no one was there. It was just us. I didn't quite understand.

"I can still recall his words, his sweet voice, his handsome face, and distinct scent. 'Hey, Mimi, why aren't you married yet?' he clearly asked me. I was surprised. 'I will not marry someone whom I do not love,' I told him. Then he smiled extremely huge and hugged me in his strong arms wonderfully. I could hear his heartbeat, completely in unison to my own. I was completely caught off guard. I wondered where the girl was. 'I want you to know that I plan on marrying someone soon,' he whispered to me. I assumed he wanted to get married soon because of the war. It had just started, about a month or two before then. I guessed it was a princess of the other side, as a sign of peace and stuff. We stood there, embracing each other, for a while. I was... happy.

"After a while, I began crying in his arms. Inside, I couldn't handle the thought of him being married. I couldn't handle it. I didn't want to step aside as he loved someone else. 'Marry me,' he lifted my head from his shoulders. The tears trailed down my eyes like the fountain beside us. His smile didn't falter. He then wiped my sadness away. 'What?' I asked him. He leaned in, and in a blink, his lips were against mine. 'Marry me, Mimi,' he murmured. He planted another soft kiss. My heart was no longer racing because of fear and sadness, but now for happiness and love. 'Are you insane?' I managed to ask.

"He started to laugh his sly and distinct chuckle, pulling me to the fountain side to sit. 'Nope. No one else could possibly make me as happy as you do. Remember what you told me? Love isn't something that's controlled, but once it appears it is impossible to stop. I love you.' His words just couldn't seem to make me smile any bigger. I was entirely happy.

"Afterwards, we went to announce it to our families. And they couldn't be any more ecstatic for the two of us. We planned the wedding pretty quickly, just one week away. I toiled every day for hours working on my wedding dress. I didn't want to buy it; the event was too precious to me. That dress you wore to the annual party, that one, the dress that I never got to wear."

She looked at me, her eyes about just as teary as my own. Her heart must have ached. Mine certainly did. I couldn't have been able to handle what she just went through. "I'm so thankful you let me wear it," I smiled sweetly at her. Please, Mrs. Moon, smile. "It is absolutely breathtaking."

"Thank you dear," she responded. Her fingers changed the pages before she continued to read. "The day of our wedding was the day we heard the worst news ever. The war had decided to shift, and moved even closer to the kingdom. I wasn't even in my dress yet, before he rushed into my room. His eyes expressed the saddest of expressions. 'I'm so sorry, love,' he told me. 'But the war, it has gotten closer to the kingdom. I must leave.' I immediately wrapped my arms around him, holding back the tears. I had to be strong. I had to remain the foundation for the two of us. 'I understand,' I whispered to him. 'I'll be here waiting for your return.' We embraced each other for what felt like hours. I wanted to remember every single detail of him. 'Today was supposed to be the first day of the rest of our lives,' he tried to smile strong for me. 'Frozen in time forever.' I wiped away his tears as best I could. 'There is always tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week. I do not care if I am a vampire or not. I only want you. As long as I have you, Sungwoo, my life has meaning,' I smiled.

"I stayed by his side, preparing him for his departure. His father decided to join him. His youngest brother, the father of Tablo, was left to watch over the kingdom. Sungwoo wouldn't stop trembling. He tried to smile, to make me feel better, but I knew how hard it was for him. But I was optimistic of the future. It was him. It was Sungwoo, the bravest man I'd ever known. Sungwoo, my husband to be, my fiance, the love of my life, my other half, my everything. He gave me one final kiss before parting our ways. Our last words ever spoken to each other are as follows. 'I'll return,' he told me. 'Safe? Unhurt? Just the way you are?' I asked. 'Every single inch of me will be the same. Remember that I love you. I think of you every second of every day. I already miss you. I miss your touch. Your kiss. Your embrace. I miss your presences overall,' his words finally caused me to break down. 'Return to me, sweet prince,' I kissed him. 'I love you,' he spoke as soon as our lips parted. 'Always and forever,' I brushed his hair lightly.

"And that was our goodbye.

"In the midst of the preparations, he had written me a letter. He secretly slipped it into my apron when we parted. I still have it actually," she placed the book back on my lap. Her hands slipped into her pockets as she pulled out a folded letter. It wasn't just once piece, four wonderfully taken care of pieces of paper. Her eyes glanced by the clock, before realizing how much time she had spent with me. "Oh dear! I must go! Here, sweetheart," she took a hold of my hand and placed the letter in my palm. "Read it in your spare time, you will have a lot now that you are stuck in bed."

She leaned over to brush her cold hands against my cheeks before rushing out of my room. I stared at my palm, she had taken such great care of the letter. I didn't understand why she left it with me. Did she really trust me that much? I was in an unstable situation by then, and so I placed it under Woohyun's clip on my table. I'd get around to reading it. But now... right now, experiencing all of her pain and anguish like this, broke my heart.

"Sophia?" asked a voice. I never expected them to talk to me. I never expected them to enter my room like this. Damien poked his head into my room, and soon shut it behind him. "Can we talk?"

I nodded. I was still eating the rest of the pastries and fruit. "Sure."

He gracefully glided to my side, sitting on my bed. His eyes had bags underneath, all as dark as could be. It was clear that he wasn't even sleeping properly. "I apologize."

"Excuse me, what?" He was apologizing. Since when did hell freeze over that would cause him to apologize like this?

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused."

"As much as I appreciate this," I told him, "you are only saying this because I have one month to live."

"No I'm not Soph." He knew I was right. We both did. Why was he lying about it?

"Yes you are, Damien. You and I both know how hardheaded the other is. You would not give me an apology like this without that disease putting a timeline on my life."

He sighed loudly. "...I'm apologizing to you, not to them. I haven't slept properly for over a month. I haven't been focused. The fight we had... I wish it had never happened."

"Your apology is definitely something I've waited for, but it's not sincere. You feel obligated don't you? Saying you're sorry like this is all you can do because if I were to die tomorrow, you don't want to feel that kind of regret," I held back the tears.

"Please listen to my words, Sophia. This is all really how I feel. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you. I knew how it would affect you. I wanted you to feel horrible. I wanted you to give in first. I waited in the shadows for the moment one of them would mess up. But they never did. I was surprised, to be honest, to come back from a mission and see them fighting other vampires. They were fighting for you. And you didn't even know it. Their love for you is so obvious. It annoys me. It irritates me. It ticks me off. How am I supposed to compete with that? How am I supposed to win when they're doing everything perfect?" he sounded hurt. His words weren't lies, I could tell.

"This isn't an apology Damien," I didn't get why I wasn't accepting it. I should have. I couldn't bring my heart to it properly.

"It's going to lead to one," he sighed once more. "What I do know is... I love you. They love you. And you love us all, right? But by the way I've been acting; I understand if it's just them you love. You have such a short amount of time left..." His entire face cringed. His voice cracked. "The night of your attack was the scariest thing I'd ever experienced. I wasn't even nervous the first time I killed one of them. I wasn't nervous the first time I encountered one. But I was nervous and scared of what could happen. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure if I should help. The...Princes...were at a disadvantage, and so I gathered my team as quickly as I could. The moment I heard your calls, my heart crashed. The last thing I want is to lose you. When they tried to attack you in my presence, this sort of anger my mind. I knew if I hadn't calmed down properly, I would have attacked them all. And so, I left as quickly as I could. When we chained and salted the filthy idiots extensively, I still wasn't in a peaceful mind set. Who the hell do they think they are to try to kill you? Who the hell would ask for something so insane? Who the hell do I have to kill now?"

"I can take care of myself, you know," I told him. "I'm completely able to take care of myself properly."

"I know you are," he told me. "I know. But... this world Soph. This dangerous lifestyle that you are now part of, is something that I honestly never wanted for you. I know how many attempts to kill you have been made, but you only know of one. This is all in just a month of you knowing. One simple month. And we only have another before..."

"Before I die," I finished his sentence.

"Not if you...turn...into one of them," he made an attempt not to growl. He still hated them as much as before, but I knew just how much he tried to hold his anger.

"And what makes you so sure that I'm going to do that?"

"You're not?" he sounded surprised.

"As of now," I took a bite of an apple in my bowl, "all options are being considered. But both come with a countless amount of pros and cons. Either I die young or I stay young forever."

"As much as... as much as I don't want you to be anything like them," he groaned. "If it saves your life. It's a worthy option to think about."

"Oh, so, Mr. I'm-going-to-kill-them-all-if-your-heart-stops-beating changes his mind," I mocked.

"Only because it will save you. And only because of that. If there was another option, I'd push for that. But now... that is the only route we can go down to keep you breathing. I'd much rather know that you are alive and well, then to bury you in some ditch on the ground."

"Admit it," I looked him right in his eyes. "Admit that them being a part of my life isn't bad. If they weren't, I'd have no other option. I'd accept my death in one month."

"Those bloody vampires are finally good for something," he growled under his breath. "But please think it thoroughly."

I smiled. He was slowly warming up to the idea that I will not let go of the boys. I mean, he didn't perfectly say it like I would have wanted. He did it like I had expected. Refuses to apologize, yet sincerely accepting his wrong. "Apology accepted by the way," I told him.

"All because I admit that they aren't parasites to your life?" Okay, that boy was really pushing it. He had way too many nicknames for 'them'.

"You have to be nice," I told him. "Nice. Cordial. Gentlemanlike. Just like you were before. And  yes, at least you are opening up to looking at their factor in my life as something positive not negative."

"I can handle their presence," he told me. "But no promises on not being rude. I hope you sincerely consider all options properly."

"I'm afraid of what kind of pain I'd inflict on those I love the most," I honestly confessed. "Death is something that is inevitable. I never expected to have someone tell me that I must leave so soon."

"Just be happy," he told me. "I'll try my best to control my feelings about them, all for you. I don't want to go through another period of ignoring and hating each other. Do what keeps a smile on your face."

"What's with the sudden change of heart?" I asked. "You were so head strong about ensuring that I stayed away, now here you are admitting you are wrong and insisting that I do as I please. Not that I don't like this, it's just weird."

"After what happened earlier," he sighed. He could no longer look me in the eyes. "After what happened... I opened my eyes to the inevitable factors of the future. It's not worth putting my energy into hating them so much because all it does it cause you trouble."

"So now you see it from my perspective?"

"Yes. And I admit my wrongs. I admit it. I was wrong. I apologize. I'm a horrible person. I was a jerk. I was a heartless," he tried not to laugh.

I hit him write across his head. It was refreshing to have him back. Not exactly as he was before, but at least he's slowly adjusting to how I am. I'm extremely excited to see what kind of future I'll have. I'm positive about what can happen in the next month. Now that Damien and I reconciled properly, it's just a matter of time before he does with the boys right?

But Mrs. Moon's story broke my heart. She loved him so dearly. And his letter was something so prrecious, but she still wanted me to see it. I was extremely curious as to what was written in it. His final words. His final will. To his one and only love. Sungwoo Moon loved her more than anyone else in the entire world. And she loved him.

The future seemed a bit brighter. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AND THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FORRRRRR. lol. I can't believe i'm almost halfway done. with this story. ahdsfjahsdjfa; well, this part of the story. may or may not do a sequel. I'm in such a rush to continue to write. akjsdfhas i can't bring myself to stop writing! And the end of this story seems so close yet so far, to be honest; which . ;~~~~~~; 

I liked Damien's transition, but is it for real? Or is it just because one month is all he has left with her? And is he really really really behind her becoming a vampire or is it just an excuse? adjkfhaskjdhfa; so many damn questions hhahhaha right? XD 

Sorry I haven't been answering questions. I feel so bad ;w; but i've been so busy. >_______> I'm glad to see you guys respond so well to the whole she has cancer, one month of living, and everything. hehe.

I have something extremel epic to put another twist into the story, but that won't be for a while~ thanks to everyone who's been reading and deal with me haha. 

Tell me what you think below! <3