Daughter of Death -Chapter 18 (Patreon)

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  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ansel’s death had been an accident. 

Truly.

Both Reina and Ferdinand knew she had not set out to kill the young dwarf.

The last full day before his death had been a happy one. Lord Ferdinand had arrived to Brickwall and no one was more excited than Ansel. “Welcome Your Lordship!” he exclaimed, bowing deeply.

“Thank you,” the noble replied absently though he threw a look of contemplation at the dwarf’s gesture. The rest of the dwarves followed suit and Ferdinand dismissed them with the flick of his hand.

Reina’s companions did, under her influence, impress young Ferdinand. Ansel couldn’t keep his eyes off of Reina’s guest and kept following up to ensure that Ferdinand was comfortable, enjoying himself and was at ease.

“I’ve only met one other person from Moravia,” Ansel admitted, “T’was several years back when I was a wee lad; more wee than I am now!” he laughed, “I’ve always found the Moravian accent incredibly fascinating. The way you lilt some of your...what are they called, erm— vowels is wonderful it gives quite a flow to your speech unlike our accents here in Bayern.”

“Educated? Really?” Ferdinand exclaimed with some impression when he asked how it was Ansel came to be so knowledgeable about language and speech. “Where?”

Ansel blushed and refused to say then made an excuse of going to grab more wine to refill the glasses.

“He does not often talk about his life before he came here with us,” Rutger admitted softly, “It’s somewhat apparent that his family were lower nobility but we don’t know why he was cast out from that life to join with us here.”

“I shall perhaps ask him later,” Ferdinand muttered casually, looking thoughtful. He would never have the chance at the truth, unfortunately, though Ferdinand did not know it at the time.

The rest of the evening passed by wonderfully and Reina could see that her beloved was pleased with her arrangements not just for him but for herself as well. The only thing that visibly began to bother her was when Ansel and Ferdinand began to laugh at some joke that her darling made in his native tongue. Having studied some Moravian herself back at the castle (at her behest) she responded back to it and Ferdinand’s eyes turned on her as though he had just found water in a parched desert. The hunger and lust in his eyes was unmistakeable and she felt pleasured to have elicited such a response.

Ferdinand had eyes and attentions only for her, from then on. She in fact forgot all about her momentary jealousy.

Eventually it grew late and Ferdinand bid her to go to bed. He refused provisions to be made for his own bedclothes however. “I am comfortable as I am. And, it keeps temptation at bay.”

Reina did not understand what he meant until he lay down fully clothed beside her and she slowly felt stirrings develop as he kissed her goodnight. But he pulled away before she could deepen the kiss or make comment upon it.

“Sleep, Reina. I will be here in the morning. Your... ‘friends’ have made provisions for me. Now, you must rest.”

She found it difficult to argue with him and so she rolled over with a sigh and closed her eyes soon drifting off to sleep.

But Ferdinand did not leave for any other bed. Instead he stood just on the stair for a few moments before silently returning back to the upstairs level where he stood beside the bed of his betrothed and watched her sleeping.

He had to entrance a few of her companions when they discovered the act but after quite a few long hours into the night, Ferdinand finally slipped onto her bed barely making any sound or disturbance then lay himself out and faced Reina where she would find his gentle eyes upon her when she woke.

The group had breakfast, passed the morning, and had lunch without any notable incident. Reina however did note to herself that there was a smell in the air she could not place; one that pleased her and at first she attributed it to her beloved Ferdinand.

But then in the middle of the afternoon, Ansel brought the two of them glasses of wine at the request of the nobleman and Reina at once realized it was Ansel presently clean and bright-eyed that was the source of the now intoxicating scent. She breathed in and grinned deciding to have a treat later.

“Ansel, darling, would you come with me please?”

“Yes Your Highness,” he agreed easily, hopping off his stool. “I will help Her Highness and then I will return and declaim for you all from the end of the chapter where we left off yesterday night!” he told the group. For a source of entertainment the dwarf had read out loud from a book and had charmed Lord Ferdinand with the way he spoke so dramatically; like a performance of a trained actor as he pitched and leveled his voice to different tones to match the text and dialogue. “You would make a wonderful minstrel!” Ferdinand had praised much to Ansel’s shy blush and thanks.

Reina took her quarry upstairs so that she may have him all to herself in privacy while Ferdinand was entertained by Errol’s charming singing voice.

“How can I be of service to you, Your Highness?” Ansel asked meekly.

“Stand here whilst I sit down on the bed that I may drink of you. Don’t move until I say and do not find what I am about to do concerning to you.”

“Yes, Highness.” Ansel did as he was told without question.

Reina bit into his neck and immediately became enamoured with the strong scent that Ansel was giving off at such a close range. With every small mouthful of blood also came his freshly washed scent free of the dirt and sweat and oil from his daily toil in the mines. With her every breath she took him in and it was intoxicating. She couldn’t seem to pull herself away.

In fact, Reina pulled Ansel closer and her hold was tight.

“Your Highness—” He didn’t want to be rude but her grasp on his collar was a bit tight and uncomfortable. “Princess Reina?” She had told him not to be concerned by her actions and yet the pain he was experiencing was harder and harder to ignore.

All at once Reina launched off the edge of the bed taking Ansel with her to the floor. He hit his head on the wood with a resounding ‘thunk’ and cried out. She ignored the sound and in a bit of a frenzy sunk her mouth deeper against his neck.

Dazed, Ansel barely understood what was going on as his arms fell to his sides. In a few moments, he came to a little feeling that something was deeply wrong; desperately awry. “Highness?” his voice was not above a whisper as his arms raised absently searching the air for mere seconds before they collapsed again as the young dwarf began to weaken from loss of his life force being drained at a faster pace.

“Pr—Reina please—what is...happening?” His quiet plea fell on deaf ears as she took more and more unable to satiate herself; Ansel’s scent intoxicating her more and more as the smell of his blood mixed with his natural aroma.

Ansel’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and fluttered closed just as the sound of footsteps made their way into the room.

Lord Ferdinand was too late.

Ansel would soon cross the threshold to the dead. He would soon be forgotten in Brickwall.

Lord Ferdinand was too late to stop poor Ansel’s cruel fate.