The warmth of Sienna's presence beside him was more healing than any salve the healer could apply. Despite the sting of the needle pulling through his lip, Alucard found himself relaxing in her company, the exhaustion from the morning's punishment momentarily forgotten.
The healer chuckled as she finished the last stitch. "There now. Keep it clean, avoid hard foods, and no more brawling for at least a week. The princess is rightâyou'll need lighter duties." The words barely registered before Sienna's playful declaration captured his full attention.
"Well. Since you're the one stitched up, I can be the one to speak your ear off then. And you can't do a thing about it."
A smile touched Alucard's lips despite the pain it caused. "I wouldn't dream of silencing you, Princess. Though I must admit, my ability to respond might be somewhat compromised by your healer's excellent handiwork."
As Elara moved to put away her supplies, the moment of intimacy between Alucard and Sienna stretched. He found himself studying the way her curls spilled over her shoulders, the genuine interest in her eyes as she observed the healer's work, the subtle authority in her posture that spoke of future queenship. "Your interest in healing is... unexpected. But not surprising," he spoke softly. "You've always cared for others more than yourself."
"The royal family has always taken an interest in healing arts." Elara chimed in. "Your grandmother was quite skilled with herbs."
Before Sienna could respond, the door to the healing room swung open with such force that it slammed against the stone wall, making both Alucard and the healer jump. Duke Valerius stood framed in the doorway, his expression dark with suspicion as his eyes darted between the princess and the wounded knight. "Well, well," the Duke sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "What have we here? The princess tending to her wounded guard? How... touching."
Alucard instinctively moved to rise, to formalize the situation and create distance between himself and Sienna, but Elara's firm hand on his shoulder kept him seated.
Valerius stepped into the room. "I came to check on the man who so thoroughly embarrassed me in the courtyard. Instead I find that my suspicions were correct."
Alucard tensed instantly.
"You fight with the skill of someone who has more to lose than just pride," Valerius continued. "I challenge you, knight. Not in training this time, but in earnest. If you refuse, I'll take it as admission of your scandalous relations with the princess."
The accusation hung in the air, met with gasps of disbelief. But for Alucard, it was a death knell. Ice flooded his veins. The nightmare they had silently shared was now manifestâtheir secret weaponized by a man whose noble name was a shield and whose heart was a void, finding pleasure only in the crumbling of others.
"Your Grace oversteps his bounds," Elara said sharply, standing to place herself between the duke and the princess. "Her Highness is showing appropriate concern for an injured member of the palace guard."
"Is that all it is?" Valerius sneered, his gaze fixed on Alucard with undisguised hostility. "I saw the way you looked at each other in the courtyard. The way you fought with such... passion. There's something improper between you two."
"You speak boldly for a man who found himself on his knees in the dirt earlier today," Alucard said, his voice low but clear despite his injury. "Perhaps you should focus on improving your own skills rather than questioning others' honor."
Valerius's face flushed with anger. "You dare speak to me thus? Guardsman or not, you'll learn to respect your betters!" The duke then turned to Sienna, his expression calculating. "I challenge you to another duel, boy. This time without any witnesses to save you. We'll see if your princess's favor has made you overconfident."
The challenge was clear, the trap set. To refuse would imply guilt; to accept would be suicide in his current state. Alucard looked from the Duke's arrogant face to Sienna's concerned expression, weighing his options with a clarity that comes only when one has nothing left to lose. "Very well," he said, finally, his voice steady despite the utter exhaustion coursing through him. "I accept your challenge, Your Grace. Name the time and place."
"Tomorrow at dawn," Valerius specified with a vicious smile. "In the main courtyard. No rules, no holding back. And when I defeat you, I'll demand the king's immediate investigation into your relationship with his daughter."
As the duke swept out of the room, leaving behind a silence heavy with dread, Alucard turned to face Sienna. His split lip throbbed, his muscles ached, but none of it compared to the fear in his heartânot for himself, but for what this challenge would mean for them both.
