Vampires weren't considered of age until they were 200. Something about not reaching maturity or being able to control their bloodlust until then. Therefore, Saylia was of age that year and her father was already trying to match her with potential spouses. But, not all the nobles were happy about her pending nuptials. Which is why an assasination attempt had been performed on her life just days before.
Yes, despite common belief, vampires can die. No, not by sunlight. Though, it is uncomfortable for vampires to stand in direct sunlight for long periods of time. Vampires can die by starving, but it takes a long time for that to work. The quickest way to kill a vampire, especially vampire royalty, is by chopping off their heads.
It's pretty gruesome.
And it almost happened to Saylia when a guard that hadn't been properly vetted approached her with an ax. A fucking ax. How he gotten so far into the castle carrying around a full-on ax will never make sense to Saylia. But because of this incident, her father has declared that Saylia must have a trustworthy knight with her at all times.
Saylia hated this. She absolutely despised the idea of being followed around by some sword swinging human man every second of the day.
While the nobles and royalty were vampires, the Red Kingdom's military and royal guard were mostly made of humans. Something about their lives being more disposable than vampires. Saylia never understood the hate towards humans. She knew that for many years vampires had been hunted by humans before one of her ancestors created an uprising and that led to the Red Kingdom being formed and forever ruled by the Le Rouge family. Other vampire families soon followed suit and more vampire kingdoms started sprouting up all over the continent. Now vampires ruled over humans in most parts of the world.
Saylia never hated humans. They were different but she found those differences to be fascinating. She wished she could make changes in the kingdom to improve the lives of humans, but she knew she'd never have that kind of power. Her father didn't want her to rule - he wanted to marry her off to some noble's son who would become king.
King Luther Le Rouge loved his daughter in his own way. Part of the reason why he's so overprotective of his daughter is because he did once have a son. A son named Alaric who died many years before Saylia was born. In fact, the king's entire family had been slaughtered, including his wife, mother, and son. It wasn't until about 30 years after the massacre that Saylia's mother showed up at the castle claiming to have the king's child.
The only reason Luther believed Saylia's mother was because Saylia apparently looks exactly like Alaric. The same jet-black hair that slightly curls. The same alabaster skin. But most importantly, Saylia has the violet eyes of the Le Rouge family. Most vampires have red, burgundy, or even golden eyes. Not the Le Rouges. Some ancestor from many generations ago had violet eyes and since it's been a very prominent trait in the family.
Saylia was only weeks old when her mother showed up with her. Her mother didn't want to raise a baby, she wanted to be rich. So, King Luther paid the vampire off and took Saylia to raise by himself. With the help of a dozen nannies and maids, of course.
And while Saylia had love for her father, she was enraged that her father wanted her to stick her with some guard. Saylia didn't hate humans - but she had a strong dislike for men. Unlike other girls her age, she never crushed on boys growing up or had any interest in pursuing some kind of physical relationship. She had been approached by many sons of nobles though and their personalities all made her skin crawl. She never understood how the noble daughters liked that kind of behavior. They were all selfish and arrogant. None did good deeds just to do good deeds - it was always to show off to their peers or gain the attention of a woman.
Saylia was announced as she entered the throne room to meet with her father. Her father sat on his throne made of velvet and gold, looking as regal as ever. Luther looked at his daughter as she bowed low, his gaze softening a bit.
"Rise, child. How are you feeling?"
Saylia stood. "I'm fine, Father. Thank you for the concern."
"I will forever be glad that the traitor did not succeed. But because of their attempt, we won't be taking any more chances with your safety."
"I understand, father. But do I truly need a personal guard? Does the castle not have strong enough security now?" Saylia wanted to try to argue with her father, one last time.
Her father immediately turned angry. He was never willing to risk her safety. "I've already decided, Saylia. You will receive a personal guard and you will not argue with me about the topic. Your safety is the top priority of everybody in this castle."
Saylia dropped her head and replied "Yes, Father."
"There isn't anything for you to worry about, child. Sir Nik is a decorated war hero and the most distinguished knight of the Red Kingdom. This knight may be a human but there is no person more suited to guarding you than Sir Nik."
As if planned to the exact moment, the doors to the throne room opened and Sir Nik entered. Saylia turned, curious to see who she was going to be stuck with for the unforeseeable future. But what she saw was not at all what she expected.
Sir Nik was a woman.
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