She actually attempted to go by Dame Nik for a short period of time, but nobody took her seriously. So, she became Sir Nik and from then on her military career continued at a very fast uphill pace. Her achievements on the battlefield and her impressive training background meant she was in high demand.

Now, she was being tasked with protecting this small vampire princess standing in front of her.

Nik dropped to one knee in front of King Luther and Princess Saylia, putting her fist over her heart. The king told her to rise.

“You’re….you’re a woman?” Saylia asked, incredulously.

While Nik was very different from the woman standing in front of her, she was indeed a woman. While Saylia had long wavy ink black hair, Nik had honey blonde hair that was bluntly cut at her chin. Saylia had violet eyes and alabaster skin, Nik had golden-hazel eyes and had spent much more time in the sun.

Even their bodies were incredibly different. Saylia was a bit short, at only 5’3” while Nik stood at 5’8”. Saylia had noticeable curves with wide hips while Nik was all muscle with broad shoulders.

“Yes, your highness. I am a woman, but you have nothing to fear. I am still a knight, no different from the men.”

Saylia smirked for just a second. Her face turned back to a serious expression so quickly that Nik wasn’t sure she had seen the small smile from the princess at all.

“Sir Nik, I am trusting that you will keep my daughter safe. If any harm comes to her, if a singular hair on her head is hurt, you will lose yours.”

Nik bowed her head “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You’re both dismissed.”

Both Saylia and Nik bowed once more before the king. Then Saylia turned and left the throne room, with Nik following closely behind.

They walked in silence as Saylia led the way back to her rooms. Once they reached her study, Saylia ordered all but Nik to leave the room.

“Alright. Looks like we’re going to be stuck together for a bit. Stay out of my hair and I’ll make your job as easy as possible.” Saylia stated once the two were alone.

“I’m only here for your protection, Your Highness.”

“You can call me Saylia when we’re alone. I hate hearing my title all the time.”

“I cannot, Your Highness. It is not proper for a lowly human knight to refer to the princess as her equal.” Nik dropped her head a bit, trying to show respect to the royal in front of her.

“No. Call me Saylia. That’s an order.”

“S-Saylia.” Nik looked up, not wanting to cause issues on her first day with the princess.

Saylia smiled. “Perfect.”

She walked over to one of the couches and sat, motioning for Nik to sit at the one across from her. Nik quickly obliged.

“Tell me about yourself, Nik. I assume Nik is short for something? What’s your last name?”

“My name is Nikole. I was born to two slaves and don’t have a last name because of it.”

“How did you become a knight then?” Saylia knew that slaves weren’t generally allowed to become a knight. They may be used as mere soldiers in the military, but only freed slaves had the ability to become a knight.

“I was used as a playmate and servant for a baron’s daughter and protected her from an attack at the age of 8. I had natural talent with a sword and was sent to the Knight’s Academy at the age of 10 as a freed slave because the baron was so thankful that I saved his daughter. From there I worked my way up.”

The Knight’s Academy was where the children showing great promise were taught by the best of the best. The fact that Nik, a slave, was sent to the Academy truly proved how accomplished she was from even a young age.

“I see. And do you have a husband or anything that will prevent you from doing your job properly?” Saylia seemed fascinated by Nik and her story.

“No, Your Highness-“

“I told you to call me Saylia.”

“My apologies.” Nik didn’t expect for the princess to interrupt her like that. “Saylia. I am not married and I have no family. And I have no interest in finding a husband.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I prefer women.”

Saylia looked stunned. This wasn’t a common occurrence in the Red Kingdom. Every once in awhile you would hear about some lord having a male slave as a lover or two ladies being considered too close by the rest of society. But for a woman to both be a knight and blatantly admit to an attraction to other women was essentially impossible.

But here Nik was. She didn’t want to lie to the princess, knowing they would be spending a lot of time together. She was very open about her sexuality and identity.

“I-I see.” Saylia seemed rattled by Nik’s admission. She seemed almost uncomfortable.

“If you’re concerned about this being an issue, I assure you that it won’t. As beautiful as you are, Princess, you’re not my type.”

This was a complete and total lie. Nik thought that Saylia was the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen, with her delicate features and tiny body. She could easily get lost in her striking violet eyes. But she had a job to do and didn’t want to make Saylia uncomfortable.

“What do you mean? What’s a type?” The Princess looked genuinely confused, tilting her head a bit.

“Y-you know. A physical type. Someone you’re attracted to.” Nik felt a bit uneasy having to explain more.

“That’s a thing? A physical type?” Saylia seemed even more confused, like she truly didn’t understand what Nik was saying.

“Have you ever felt a physical attraction towards multiple people with a certain feature? Such as preferring a man with a specific eye color or build?”

Saylia pursed her lips and softly admitted “I’ve never felt a physical attraction to anyone.”

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two. Until a knock sounded on the door and Nik jumped up. It was just the head butler, announcing that dinner would be ready soon. After him, Saylia’s maids entered the room to usher the princess to her dressing room to prepare for dinner.

This….was going to be an interesting job for Nik.