The Vampire's King Pet-Chapter 42: Dirty thoughts.

Morning broke over the palace of Noct with a subdued calm that felt deceptive. Pale sunlight filtered through towering windows and. The kingdom looked peaceful from the outside and hopefully it stays peaceful.

Faith stood near one of the tall arched windows in the eastern wing, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She stared down at the palace grounds with clear irritation, her reflection faintly visible in the glass. The dress she wore, soft, embroidered, and undeniably expensive—felt like a cage.

She tugged at the sleeve for the third time in a minute.

"I look like a porcelain doll," she muttered. "And I hate porcelain dolls."

Behind her, the door opened.

Alexander entered quietly, his boots barely making a sound against the marble floor. He looked rested only in appearance; he wondered what she was doing her this early in the morning. He didn’t announce himself, didn’t question her posture or her annoyance. This was his palace so he didn’t care about rules.

"You wanted to speak," he said, his eyes watching her.

Faith turned to face him. "Yes your majesty." she said with a bow, she already knew he was the one even without looking.

The king’s aura was unbeatable.

"I entered Princess Amethyst’s mind yesterday," Faith began. "I followed the memory all the way to the cliff."

Alexander moved toward the table, resting his gloved hands on its surface. "What did you see?"

"She didn’t go there willingly," Faith said. "She was under a directive spell—strong, precise. The kind that leaves no room for resistance."

Alexander nodded once. "I expected that."

"There was someone with her," Faith continued. "A woman. She hid her face well. Very well. But she slipped."

Alexander’s gaze sharpened slightly. "How?"

"A tattoo," Faith replied. "On her wrist. A serpent."

The room fell silent.

Alexander straightened slowly. "A serpent, that’s an ancient symbol, it is mostly ties to dangerous ancestral witches"

Faith tilted her head. "You know them."

"I destroyed their holdings years ago," Alexander said flatly. "Or so I was told."

"They survived," Faith said. "She does not feel ancestral but she might have learnt from one of them, her powers are strong."

Alexander exhaled quietly. "She was specifically sent to do this just like we said before. I just need to find her and through her we can get who her master is. "

"It’s might be a little difficult but I’ll try my best." Faith said calmly.

Alexander turned toward the window. His reflection stared back at him—king, commander, executioner. "And Serena?"

Faith’s expression hardened. "Same signature. Different execution. It’s the same person."

Alexander was quiet for a long moment.

Then Faith cleared her throat. "There’s one more thing."

He looked at her.

"I need new clothes," she said bluntly. "These palace garments are unbearable. I need something practical. Something that lets me move."

Alexander studied her once, then nodded. "You’ll get them."

"Good," Faith said. "Because I refuse to fight witches looking like a noble ornament."

Alexander just turned around and walked away. Faith pouted, he never replies like a normal person. She said to herself. The door opened and Derick walked in.

"Breakfast in ten minutes" He announced and her face instantly lit up. "Okay." she replied and they both walked out together.

---

Alexander walked through the palace halls with measured steps, his thoughts already shifting forward. The serpent mark confirmed what he’d begun to suspect—this threat was not random, nor was it impulsive. Someone was testing him.

He stopped in front of his chambers.

After a brief pause, he opened the door.

Serena stood near the table, arranging a few loose pages she had been reading earlier. She looked up instantly when she heard him enter, her posture straightening.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

"Morning," he replied.

He closed the door behind him, his presence filling the room without effort. His gaze lingered on her briefly—assessing, as he always did before moving away.

"You’re awake early," she said.

He shrugged slightly. "I am always awake."

She hesitated. "Is something wrong?"

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he moved toward the window, glancing outside. Serena watched him carefully. Alexander wasn’t one to share his thoughts easily—when he spoke, it was because the words were necessary.

After a moment, he said, "We’re going out today."

She blinked. "Out?"

"Yes."

She turned fully toward him. "Where?"

"A dressmaker’s shop."

Her brows knitted together. "A dressmaker?"

"For Faith," he added.

"Oh," Serena said softly. Then, after a pause, "And me?"

He turned his head slightly, acknowledging her. "Yes."

Her heart skipped. "I don’t need—"

"You need new dresses for a party," he interrupted calmly. Not harshly. Just firmly.

She swallowed. "A party?" she asked and he nodded. "A party happening in the fae kingdom, you’re coming with me." He said.

"Whoa, I haven’t been to anywhere aside Noct, thank you your majesty." She said, her voice filled with gratefulness.

He stepped closer, stopping just within her personal space—not touching, but close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him. He reached past her, picked up one of the pages she’d been arranging, and glanced at it briefly.

Serena quickly closed the book her face turing red. "Uh your majesty, it’s just a book I read to entertain myself." She said quickly. Alexander wanted to take the book but she hid it behind her, it felt weird that the exact page she was about to read was something very inappropriate and she didn’t want the king to find out about it.

"Are you hiding something?" He asked and she quickly shook her head but he didn’t believe her, he stepped closer to her and this was exceeding her personal space, this was not the first time he was doing this and evertime he did it, it made her heart beat fast.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him, her face turned light pink. Alexander pushed the stand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ears. That gesture made her feel warm on the inside, she wanted the king to stop but still she wanted him to go further with what he was doing. She was begining to not understand her self when it came to the king.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked noticing how she bit her lower lips subconsciously. Serena blinked twice and looked away, she felt embarrassed of herself at the moment.

"N—nothing your majesty." She stammered. Alexander’s tapped the top of her nose with his finger. "Naughty girl, for someone who looks innocent, you have wild imaginations." He said straightening himself, he saw what she was reading but pretended not to know, she was bold enough to read about romance but shy to say it out. His pet is a fascinating woman.

"No I do not." Serena murmured.

He almost chuckled at her words "Get ready. Join me for breakfast."

She nodded. "Yes."

He turned toward the door just as a knock sounded.

"Lady Serena?" a voice called.

"Come in," Serena answered.

The door opened, and Sarah stepped inside, carrying folded garments in her arms. She stopped short when she saw Alexander.

"Oh—Your Majesty!" Sarah bowed quickly.

Alexander gave a short nod. "Proceed."

He left the room without another word.

As soon as the door closed, Sarah’s expression shifted from professional to curious.

"Well," she said lightly, setting the garments down, "that was interesting."

Serena frowned. "What was?"

Sarah began unfastening Serena’s previous dress. "You staying in the king’s bedroom even though you have your room now."

"There’s nothing strange about that," Serena said quickly.

Sarah hummed. "If you say so."

Serena glanced at her reflection in the mirror. "There truly isn’t."

Sarah met her eyes through the glass. "Are you sure there’s nothing... special between you and His Majesty?"

Serena nearly choked. "No."

Sarah raised a brow. "You answered that very fast."

"He’s my king," Serena said firmly. "Nothing more."

Sarah studied her for a moment, clearly unconvinced. "He doesn’t look at you the way he looks at others."

Serena looked away. "You’re imagining things."

"Maybe," Sarah said with a smile. "But I’ve worked in this palace long enough to notice when something is... different, he cared for you while you were sick, he even stayed with you through out the night, Your majesty woukdn’t do that to anyone."

She helped Serena into a simple, elegant dress—soft fabric, pale color, modest but refined. As she braided Serena’s hair, she continued, "Whatever it is, you seem lighter today."

Serena didn’t respond. She wasn’t sure that was true. She thought about what Sarah told her, he cared for her? That felt strange, why would he do all those things to her? Serena didn’t want to read too much into the king’s kindness towards her because she knew she was following a dangerous path, the king has never once fallen in love with anyone so it would be wrong to read into it but no matter how much she tired to ignore it.

She thought about it a lot.