Rosangela: The Half-Blood Princess

“Where have you been, Mirabelle? You know, you gave me quite a turn when you suddenly disappeared like that. I thought you were kidnapped again,” I was greeted by King Bellamy’s rebuke as soon as I and Sigmund returned to the palace.

We were now sitting face to face in my grandfather’s study. He ordered Sigmund to bring me here once we arrived at the palace.

“I’m sorry, Grandpa. Actually, I went to the café that I visited yesterday to look for my locket. I couldn’t find it anywhere here, so I thought it probably fell there,” I elucidated.

“Oh Mirabelle, how many times do I have to tell you that it’s very dangerous for you to travel alone? What if the werewolves come back to kidnap you again?” he scolded me.

If only King Bellamy knew that the werewolves did come back for me. However, they came not to abduct me but to talk to me about the king’s lies and mother’s death.

“I know. I’m sorry, Grandpa. I had no choice but to go to the café alone during the day. I couldn’t wait until sunset to search for my locket because I’m afraid someone else would find it first. The locket is the only thing that my mother left for me and I don’t want to lose it,” I reasoned.

“I was lucky a waiter found it, and he’s willing to return it to me. If someone else found it, maybe I would never be able to get my locket back and I would be so sad to lose the only thing that could remind me of my mother,” I continued.

I thought King Bellamy would soften after I mentioned my mother. But on the contrary, he reprimanded me instead, “Look! This must never happen again. The next time you want to go somewhere, you have to tell me or Sigmund first! Or else I won’t allow you to step out of this palace ever again. Do you understand?”

I nodded my head. “Yes, Grandpa. I understand. I promise I’ll ask for your or Sigmund’s permission first if I want to go somewhere the next time.”

“You’d better keep your words this time, Mirabelle. I’m tired of you repeating the same mistakes over and over again. If you break your promise again, I will punish you severely,” he threatened.

King Bellamy’s threat always succeeded in sending shivers down my spine. I realized that my grandfather meant what he said. I didn’t know what punishment he had in store for me if I ever broke my promise again. And honestly I didn’t want to find out.

“Yes, Grandpa. I won’t do it again, cross my heart and hope to die,” I promised.

“Good!” he exclaimed with a satisfied smile.

'Okay, I think it’s time to ask about my mother’s death. It’s now or never,' I thought.

“Um Grandpa?” I said hesitantly.

“Yes?” he said.

“If you don’t mind my asking, do you know how my mother died?” I inquired.

Hearing my question, astonishment crossed King Bellamy’s face, but it faded quickly.

“Why in the world do you suddenly want to know about their death?” he asked.

I shrugged. “No particular reason. I was just wondering.”

“Listen! To be honest, I don’t know for sure how your mother died. The only thing I know is that she was killed in an accident,” King Bellamy told me.

I wondered what sort of accident that had killed my mother. A car accident? A plane crash? A train wreck? A sunken ship? A bomb blast? Because I knew that a simple accident wouldn’t kill a vampire easily.

It would be different if my father who was involved in the accident. He could die due to the impact of the accident because he’s only a human.

Or maybe I had overestimated the vampires. They probably weren’t as strong as it seemed.

However, even if my mother was a weak vampire, she still had to be stronger than an ordinary human. So she should have survived in such an accident.

Thus, did it mean that Alpha Adolph Wolfgang told me the truth that my mother was executed by her own father? But, could an execution even be considered as an accident? Because King Bellamy said that my mother was killed because of an accident. Was it possible that the vampire king had lied to me to cover his sins?

Then, what about my father? Did my grandfather execute him too? If he could kill his own daughter without a second thought, surely he could murder his son-in-law too, right?

But wait! As far as I could remember, neither Alpha Adolph Wolfgang nor King Bellamy ever mentioned about my father’s death. So could it mean that my father is probably still alive now? Moreover, Sigmund also said that he thought he had seen someone who looked like my father when we were at the café.

The thought gave me a glimmer of hope. I couldn’t be happier if my father was really still alive. Because it meant that I still had a family to live with in spite of my grandfather. Thus, I could leave this vampire kingdom and start a new life with my father in human world.

“Mirabelle, are you okay?” My grandfather’s question pulled me out of my train of thought.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about my father,” I blurted out.

The vampire king frowned. “Your father?”

I nodded.

“Grandpa, was my father killed in the same accident as my mother?” I queried out of curiosity.

“Yes, they both were killed in that accident,” he replied.

“But Sigmund—”

Sigmund who was standing behind King Bellamy shook his head to warn me not to tell my grandfather what happened at the café earlier tonight. Maybe he just didn’t want the king to think that he was crazy because he said that he had seen someone who’s supposed to be dead.

“Sigmund what?” King Bellamy inquired.

“Um... Sigmund... Sigmund...,” I trailed off.

I really didn’t know what I should say to my grandfather. If I lied to him, he probably would figure it out right away. So I have to make up a story that King Bellamy would believe.

'Think, Rosanne! Think!' I told myself.

“Sigmund said that he thought my father might be the person who brought me to the orphanage, so he’s probably still alive now,” I finally said.

Sigmund didn’t look satisfied with my words, but he didn’t protest. Maybe because he couldn’t think of a better excuse.

“Look! Both of your parents were killed in that accident, only you who survived. And you’re brought to the orphanage by the social workers not by your father,” King Bellamy told me.

I gasped. “So I was involved in that accident too?”

The vampire king gave me a curt nod. “Yes.”

“But what sort of accident could kill a vampire like my mother? And how could I who is only a half-blood vampire survive it?” I queried suspiciously.

“That’s enough, Mirabelle! We shouldn’t rake up the past. Let’s just focus on our future, okay?” King Bellamy said firmly.

His effort to avoid my question made the doubts that had been submerged in my mind suddenly resurfaced. Now I began to suspect that Alpha Adolph Wolfgang was right about my mother who was murdered by my grandfather.

But I didn’t dare to ask King Bellamy about it. I was afraid he would get angry with me. Besides, I didn’t want to hurt my grandfather’s feelings if the werewolves actually told me lies about my mother’s execution.

“You’d better get some rest now. You must be exhausted after walking through the forest for hours, right?” he suggested.

This time, I agreed with my grandfather. I was actually tired out after walking through the forest all day long. Therefore, I didn’t complain when he called the guards and ordered them to escort me to my bedroom.

“Good night, Grandpa,” I said before walking out of his study.

“Good night,” he responded.