Page 129 of The Princess In A 'Prince' Disguise

"So, you can understand my fascination." Merilyn's words hovered in the air like smoke. “How does a small human female like you manage to elicit such a loss of control in the mighty Vladya? If you were a syren, I would assume you were hisSoulbond." She stepped closer, her closeness stifling. Her nostrils flared as she bent towards Aekeira's neck, a predator scenting prey. "Not a syren, just a human. So what exactly is happening here?"

"I honestly have no idea, Mistress," Aekeira replied sincerely.

Silence stretched between them, the river's murmur suddenly too loud.

"Do you know why he hates your kind so ardently?" Lady Merilyn's question was softer, almost hesitant.

That was an easy one to answer. "It is because of the tragic fate that befell the grand king and his family. And his own people."

"Oh, if only it were that simple." A sigh escaped the mistress, and for a moment, the weight of power seemed to slip from her shoulders. “You see, Vlad has always had bad luck when it comes to forming bonds. Among all the rulers, he desired a family the most. He desperately longed for a bondmate. And out of all of them, fate was most unkind to him.” She sighed.

“First, he searched for hisSoulbond. Even when everyone laughed at him and dismissed it as a pipedream, asSoulbondswere rare or even extinct, he didn't give up. Vlad traveled through kingdoms, crossed lands and oceans, searching for her. From the Urekai land to other species across the world." A faint smile graced Merilyn's face. "He used to be quite the hopeless romantic, always spinning tales of love.”

Aekeira would bet gold coins that her mouth hung open. Dumbfounded.

The image of Lord Vladya painted by Merilyn seemed entirely incongruous. She simply couldn't envision that grand lord in such light.

"Unbelievable, I know. But true." Merilyn said. “However, when he eventually gave up on his quest, admitting defeat, he mourned aSoulbondhe never had. Centuries later, he experienced his first love. He was deeply in love with her, but after undergoing the bonding ritual, the bond failed to form within the customary seven days. Do you understand what it means for an Urekai bonding ritual to fail?"

Aekeira got the idea, but shook her head nonetheless.

"Very cruel. It is nature's, the moon's, Ukrae's, and fate's way of declaring, 'Your souls do not align, and thus, you two cannot be together.'” Merilyn had a sorrowful expression on her face. “It is an exceedingly cruel fate. We are not granted ourSoulbond, yet we cannot be with the ones we love because our souls do not connect. And once a bonding ritual fails, it is impossible to become bondmates. Consequently, one must let go of the person they love."

"Truly heartbreaking," Aekeira murmured, the words barely a whisper.

"It's far more than that," the lady replied. "It is soul-shattering. With each failed bonding ritual, Vladya's heart grew colder and more callous. His soul fractured. It seemed as though both heaven and hell conspired against his happiness. He witnessed other lords and grand lords go through the bonding ritual successfully and have a bondmate. He watched as they struggled to bear offspring, a struggle all Urekai knew, yet in the end, they built families. And all the while, his own bonding rituals consistently failed.”

"When I became his bloodhost thousands of years ago, love and family were no longer dreams for him." Merilyn's voice cracked, just slightly. "They were the ghosts that haunted him. He'd closed those doors, hardened, and simply brushed off any female advances by giving them the cold shoulder. Our females adored him; they all wanted him, but Vladya had shut himselfoff. He was done." A shadow fell over Merilyn's eyes. "Then, I fell in love with him."

Aekeira's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that.

Merilyn offered a small, sad smile. "I did. It was incredibly difficult to break through those walls he built around himself. He pushed me away more often than he drew me close. However, as his bloodhost, we already shared a unique bond. Each bloodfeeding intensified my feelings for him and gradually eroded his defenses. It took two hundred years, but I succeeded. He fell for me, and he fell hard."

Oh, Aekeira didn't like where this was going at all. She felt a growing sense of unease. "The bond... it didn't form?" she whispered fearfully.

Merilyn nodded, her eyes welling with tears. "No, it did not. We knew that bonds between a master and his bloodhost rarely formed, but we were so in love. So hopeful… As his bloodhost, our souls were already connected, so it shouldn't have been difficult, right?"

At that moment, Aekeira felt pity for this woman and for Grand Lord Vladya. Especially for him. Aekeira had never imagined she would feel compassion for that male.

Merilyn let out a shuddering breath, wiping her tears. "After that, Vladya withdrew from the world. Secluded himself. He became unreachable. Impenetrable. You can't imagine what it's like... to want something so deeply and have it forever out of reach. He longed for it so desperately, for over three thousand years, and yet, fate seemed determined to cast him aside. As if the stars themselves were mocking him."

Aekeira couldn’t believe she was tearing up. Quickly, she dried her eyes with the back of her hand. "What happened afterward?"

"No one could help him. Not even I, his bloodhost and lover, could help him. But someone managed to reach him. Grand King Daemonikai. Only King Daemonikai kept him sane andanchored, preserving his sanity during those dark, dark times. Urekai Alphas are incredibly possessive of their belongings, fiercely guarding what they consider theirs. They are reluctant to allow another alpha too close, regardless of the strength of their friendship. However, the grand king integrated Vladya into his own family, making Vladya feel a deep sense of belonging. He was Vlad’s best friend.”

Merilyn's eyes, still glistening with unshed tears, locked onto Aekeira's. “Do you know why I'm telling you all this? Why this connects to his hatred of humans?"

Aekeira could only think of one reason. "Because of what happened to King Daemonikai and his family?"

Merilyn shook her head, her eyes brimming with emotion. "While that answer is not entirely wrong, it is only partially true. Six hundred years ago, after centuries of self-imposed exile, Vladya finally dared to open his heart to another woman. Her name was Tiara. She possessed incredible beauty and kindness, and she was adored by everyone. She was a child—barely eighty years old—but such a bright soul. It wasn't surprising she breached those walls and captured his heart. Initially, he fought it. Hurt her, badly, to try and push her away. The things he did, the words he used..." she trailed off, then added softly. "You must have noticed that Vladya knows how to wield words like a knife."

Slut. You whore.Oh, Aekeira knew that much. She nodded.

Merilyn sighed. "Tiara, stubborn, beautiful Tiara...Vladya would tear her down with words, leave her sobbing for days, screaming how much she hated him. And yet, she always came back. Couldn't help herself. She never gave up. Her light...it was too bright to be extinguished, even by someone as dark, as hardened as him.”

How Merilyn talked about Tiara sent a sharp pang through Aekeira's heart. For some reason, she envied this obviously incredibly female she had never met.

"It took fifty years, but he fell in love with her. And one thing about Vlad is that once his heart opens up, he loves with his entire being. Tiara became his entire world.” A pause. A sniffle, “And you know what happened?"

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