The Crown's Obsession

Lucy's eyes widened, feeling the cold metal that touched her skin.

"You dare try to kill me. I will make sure the royal highness knows how it feels to have his daughter torn into little pieces," threatened the man, and Lucy couldn't help but curse herself for her bad luck.

"You were the one who started by telling you were going to kidnap me," Lucy muttered under her breath. "You think you will be left alive if you kill me? My father will kill you."

Lucy had grown up with too much love and care, because of which she wasn't aware of the danger that lurked outside the castle.

Lucy's hair was pulled back by the man, and she felt the slight pinch on her neck because the sharp edge of the knife had grazed against her soft skin.

"She's right. You should let her go," came a voice from above them.

Lucy wondered if it was God who had come to help her. Her caretaker, Nana had always told her that God would always protect his children in one way or another. Though she was a vampire, Lucy was brought up by the human maid whom she called Nana. She had turned more humane than the other vampiresses and her family members.

With the sun that had moved high in the sky, the men found it hard to see who had disturbed them.

"Who is there! If you have the guts come down here," said one of the thugs who was in the front.

"The royal guards aren't far from here. You should let the princess go unless you aren't keen on keeping your neck," said the man, and Lucy noticed a silhouette that stood on the roof of the nearby building. The person started to walk on the roof's edge before he finally jumped down on the ground.

"Are you from the royal castle?" asked one of the men.

"Not by his clothes," said another one, looking up at the man who interrupted them, "Why don't you move aside and let the elders do the job?"

Lucy realized this was the same man she had crashed earlier in the market. Previously, in a hurry, she hadn't looked at him clearly, but now as she was in a sticky situation unable to move, she finally looked at his face. His red eyes were hidden behind a pair of plain glasses. A polite smile settled on his lips that looked gentle and harmless. He was tall and his black hair gently moved because of the wind.

"I would have let it be, but…" Theodore drawled his words, making others wait on what he was going to say, before he said, "I don't happen to be in the mood today. And it's quite rude to hurt a girl."

"Get him shorty!' shouted the bald man, and the henchman attacked Theodore.

Theodore caught the man's arm and twisted it behind his back. These men only looked like humans, but they were demons in disguise, thought Theodore in his mind.

Finding the opportunity, Lucy bit into the man's arm and freed herself from his hold.

"I will make you wish you were-" said the bald man, ready to step towards Lucy, but his words were interrupted half-way as one of Theodore's long legs kicked his head, making the man stumble away. The bald man looked furious as he was being made a fool of.

Lucy backed away from the other men who tried to get to her. Before they could grab hold of her, the stranger who had interrupted the thugs plan came in between her and them. She witnessed the stranger twist and pushed the men against the wall, reminding her of the time she had seen the maids wash clothes near the river. Lucy flinched hearing something crack, and she couldn't help but believe that the sound came from the men's bones.

Within four minutes, the three men were on the ground lying dead, and Lucy looked more than impressed by her saviour, who had beaten the men.

But there was still one more person left, the main one. The bald man came straight at Lucy, holding his knife in his hand. Before he could hurt her, Lucy used both her hands to stop him from hurting her. When another hand appeared, both the bald man and Lucy looked surprised because neither of them had a third hand.

"This is not how you do it," said Theodore, who was the one to interrupt them. He helped Lucy by twisting the demon's hand in a way where the knife now pointed at the bald man and not her.

"I will give you half of the share!" the demon said through his gritted teeth. "We are one kind! Are you betraying us!"

Hearing this, Lucy frowned, not understanding what it meant. Was he perhaps telling that the stranger was also involved in kidnapping her? But then this person wouldn't be helping her…

Theodore looked at Lucy, "Princess," and Lucy's eyes snapped to look at him, "Let me show you how to attack when you are in this kind of situation."

Theodore pulled the dagger out of the demon's hand, pushing him against the wall and the demon's eyes widened. Theodore held Lucy's hand and he slit the demon's throat. Lucy was the next one to widen her eyes.

"W-what did you do?" Lucy whispered in shock.

Her mouth was left hung open because even though she carried the dagger, she had never meant to kill anyone.

Blood started to drip from the demon's neck profusely, and Theodore had let go of the girl's hand. Some drops of blood dripped down from the dagger that Lucy continued to hold, and she stepped back in horror. She had killed someone!

While Lucy panicked, Theodore's eyes fell on the princess, who looked as if she had seen a ghost. After the royal guards had moved in the opposite direction, Theodore had climbed up on the roofs of the buildings to have a better look, and he noticed the girl holding the dagger, her eyes fierce.