Forced Bride Of The Vampire Lord

"Hazel! Hazel!" Hazel could feel that someone was shaking her unconscious body and the voice was filled with worry but no matter how much she tried, her eyes were not opening.

She felt a strong pain in her forehead as if all the veins of her forehead had been pulled apart. The pain was bearable. But more than that she felt a strange loss and grief as if she had lost the one who loved her truly.

"Hazel, snap out of your dream!" The loud yell shook her and her eyes snapped open when she felt physical pain too.

Her hands reached her cheeks instinctively as it burnt and then glared at the vampire who had slapped her. But to her surprise, he was neither angry nor embarrassed but relieved.

"Oh, thank goodness you are okay!" she could see that he was genuinely worried about her and glad that she was sitting in front of him but how?

The images she had seen flashed past her eyes once again and her eyes widened when he nodded.

"That is right! You have lost your consciousness and were wailing. First i thought that you were sleeping but when your sobs turned loud i got worried and tried to wake you up, but no matter how much i tried you were not waking up!" so that was why he slapped her!

Though she could feel the pain on her cheeks, she nodded her head in understanding as she rubbed her cheeks softly.

"I think I had a strange dream and got deeply lost in it!" she muttered softly as she could not understand any other reason for those strange senses yet the grief of losing someone did not let her go.

"That must be a strong dream to make you cry like that. I am sure everyone must be thinking that I am tormenting you in the carriage when they heard you grieving and crying that loudly!" though he was joking, his eyes were still looking at her seriously as if he was trying to make sure that she was telling truth.,

A tinge of embarrassment filled her eyes as she wiped her wet eyes but then the thought that he had slapped her made her glare at him.

"So, instead of using water or calling me, you slapped me?" her eyes were already accusing him as if he had done that knowingly as she looked out of the window with her eyes full of rage.

Rafael opened his mouth to say something when he closed it again as his eyes fell on her feet. His eyes narrowed at her feet and when whispered softly,

"So what were you doing in your dream? Were you taking a walk under the wisteria tree or basking under apricot blossom trees?" His words caught her  off guard as her eyes widened.

Though she was not basking, the description of forest was apt as if he was also there with her.

"Ha! Do you think I would cry for something like that? I was getting ambushed by the enemies. And I am sure they were here because of you." she exaggerated the pain she had felt but was still surprised that he listened quietly as if he was believing her.

In the end, she made a whole new dramatic story on how she was ambushed by the vampires because of the attention Rafael was giving her and except the type of trees she changed everything.

She did not know why but her heart told her not to tell him about her real dreams but in the end she was relieved that the man believed him.

"Hmm, you must be in trauma. So I suggest that you take a good rest in your room."

"Huh?" she frowned as she wanted to remind him that they were in the middle of nowhere and how would she take a rest when her head snapped back to the window.

As she had expected, the carriage was not moving anymore. She could feel the stillness only now as she was too busy explaining to him.

She looked out and there were no knights who were escorting her and she was sure that the coachman had left too. Her eyes scanned and were surprised to notice that their carriage was already standing in the palace.

For how long was she sleeping? She was sure the distance was more than 6-7 kilometers and it should have taken the whole night to cross it.

"Why did you not tell me that the carriage had already reached its destination?" very conveniently she blamed him as she stood up ready to leave from the closed box and took a breath of fresh air when he chuckled as if he had heard a joke,

"I would have if someone had not blamed me but listened to me. Anyways, you look exhausted. It would be better that you go and rest. I will send a few maids with snacks and warm tea in your room." looking at him suspiciously, Hazel didn't reply for long except nodding her head.

'How did the vampire turn kind suddenly?' though she felt doubt, she did not linger on it as her head was still feeling heavy.

Walking out of the carriage, a few maids bowed their heads and Hazel left towards her chamber with them while Rafael was still sitting in the carriage.

Just when Hazel was nowhere to be seen she bent and picked up the flower of apricot blossom that was in the carriage. He had seen it on her dress when she stood up after her sleep.

He was sure that they had not crossed any tree with the same flowers and she was in the carriage all this time in front of his eyes.

"My lord, are you not coming out?" asked Edward with a frown as his eyes fell on the flower in the hand of his master that had a strange look on his perfect face.

"Edward, I want you to go and find how many areas in the empire had apricot blossoms growing this week."