“Sir. What exactly are we searching for?” The two men weaved through the crowd, both tired from their journey. They’d travelled from Siena to Farre, and it hadn’t been an easy week.

“A girl. Average height. She’s probably about a head shorter than you, Chanyeol. Commonly seen in this part of town with a black coat. Here,” The taller male passed a rough portrait to the other, and Chanyeol nodded appraisingly.

“She’s… stunning. Or, at least, she seems so in here.” It was already hard enough trying to make their way through the ever-thickening crowd, and now they had to search for a girl.

“Stunning and cunning, I’ve heard.” Thankful for their advantage in terms of height, the two looked in opposite directions, never stopping until Chanyeol’s grip on Kris’s shoulder suddenly tightened.

“Black coat, black hair—five o’clock.” They continued walking, but their senses had now completely sharpened, tuning in on her heartbeat just in case she made any sudden movements.

The girl had been following them the entire time, her hood drawn and head lowered. Chanyeol had been listening closely to everyone’s heartbeats, and it was only when the girl’s sped up that he noticed her. He turned, making eye contact with nearly everyone before meeting her eyes.

For just a second, her eyes seemed green. But that had to be a trick of the sun, because the next second they were brown.

“Got it.” They slowed down, just a little, before making their way out of the crowd to the less densely populated aisles. And that was when their target’s heart rate spiked.

“Gotcha.” Having memorized the entire area during the weeklong journey to Farre, Chanyeol bowed to signal that he was leaving, and gave chase.

I shouldn’t have spooked. The girl groaned and ran down the aisle as quickly as she could without knocking into people. Usually, throwing spells behind her would be more effective than just running. However, the man on her tail was strong, very strong. Without her spell book, there was little she could do to throw him off.

Damn it. She could, of course, also tap into his supernatural abilities. He was one of the few who actually had one, and… oh my, this is one lucky boy. He was a fire-bearer.

It was a gift greatly sought after in the black market.

If he was not strong enough, it would only take seconds for a witch to whisk his ability away, then put it in a bottle and put it up for sale. The witch, unlike her, would not be able to usurp his power.

Of course, selling abilities on the black market was not allowed.

But who cares whether it is?

As the girl ran, her coat fluttering behind her, she formulated her escape plan. Running wasn’t going to help—the man was fast, and the only advantage she had was that she knew her way.

Left, right, left. Left. Left… Left? She just went a full circle! Confused, Chanyeol frowned but ran after her anyway, his mind on the order he’d been given. His task was to find the girl, and bring her back. As a Guard of the royal family, he was to follow their orders.

Even if that meant he had to kill.

The girl hadn’t slowed down at all, sprinting up the stairs like she was not tired at all, and he groaned, bounding up. Her soft snicker echoed in the small space, followed by her gasp and he pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh.

Then, he ran into an invisible wall.

She has to be a witch, then. Pressing his hands against it, he heated it up till it disintegrated. That took mere few seconds, but that had been enough for the girl to unlock the door and he focused on the sound of her throwing the keys to the ground, and the sound of her racing heart.

Two levels.

When he did reach, the door was open. The girl sat on a chair, a picture of calmness. She was still wearing her coat, but the hood was on her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, her cheek resting on the back of her hand and his steps faltered.

Something was definitely wrong.

She was too calm for someone who had been on the run a minute ago.

“I have been waiting… vampire.” At that, her red lips curled in a wicked smirk. Her eyes slowly opened, and he froze entirely. They were green. Emerald green. Confused, he blinked once and they were brown. Typical brown. It must have been a trick of the light… or a trick on me. It made him wary immediately.

“Who sent you?” Her voice was soft and sweet, like a melody to his ears and he had to shake his head to clear it. She was doing something to him, and he had no idea what it was.

“Miss, please come with me. You will soon know.” He lowered his head for just a fraction of a second, careful not to look away from her for too long. When he looked back up, he was surprised by the wide smile she wore.

“Ah… the Vampire Court.” She laughed softly then, the sound of it echoing in the room. “Did they really think a mere Guard could take me, when a whole group of them had failed just a few days ago?” She blew at her nails, a show of cockiness before leaning forward. He was approximately four meters away from her.

“There’s a reason why they sent me, Miss.” She stood up then, taller than he’s expected for her to be. She’s definitely not a head shorter. Perhaps half.

“Then prove it to me, boy.” Her confidence was overwhelming, her grin annoyingly comforting as she folded her arms. “And please, drop the formalities.” She took a step back, holding the back of the chair as though to push it to the side.

But she didn’t. Instead, the girl raised it over her head and threw it at Chanyeol. Shocked, the man took a moment before grabbing the chair thrown at him. When he threw it to the floor, the girl had gone into another room.

What in the world is she doing? Following her in, the sight of her combing her hair in front of her bronze mirror once again surprised him. It appeared to be her bedroom, and Chanyeol blushed before taking a step back, an apology on his lips. She didn’t seem to be very organized, different books and random sheets of paper all over the ground.

She also seemed to be constantly on the run. Apart from the books and some clothes, she didn’t seem to own much. In fact, the bedroom was quite empty.

“Why does the Vampire Court want me, anyway? Do you know?” She looked into his eyes through the mirror, and Chanyeol gulped for no reason. Something about her made him nervous. Perhaps it was her cool composure, or her quiet confidence. Either way, it was unnerving.

“I’m not sure, Miss. If I may, could I ask why?” He didn’t look away, keeping the eye contact until she smiled. He quickly drew his gaze away.

“Because they want me to be your next Queen.”

So hey, I bet you're really confused but no worries. Everything will be much clearer in a few chapters' time, so I hope you enjoy the ride till then.

Do comment and subscribe!