I stayed in the tower for a while, my cheeks were flushed so I had to calm down. I went down the stairs to my room; I ran into the royal guard who immediately stopped me and called Captain Lestat.

Lestat arrived immediately, took me by the arm, took me to my room and still holding my arm tightly, asked the guards to leave. There in the room was my father.

- Where have you been?

Lestat asked me, terribly upset.

- I was in the tower.

- Liar! We looked for you everywhere!

- I was there all the time, before I had gone out to walk in the garden. I was looking for fireflies.

- I called you by name a million times; and you never answered.

- I was looking for privacy.

- And your room is not private enough?

I turned to look at Lestat; I was already starting to feel upset.

- It hasn't been since you ordered the royal soldiers to guard the entrance to my room, and even less since you come and go from it as if it were yours.

It was the first time I felt so upset and raised my voice.

- How dare you...?

- Stop it, Lestat!

My father spoke to Lestat, and he stopped. My father got up from the chair he was sitting in, next to my desk.

- I need you to leave me alone with my daughter, Lestat.

- As you command, my king.

Lestat still nodded in annoyance and left the room.

- Irhin, may I know where you were?

- I was in the tower, dad.

- We looked for you everywhere. And you weren't anywhere, nor did you respond to our calls.

- Dad, it's like I told Lestat, I was looking for privacy.

- Privacy you say?

- Since Lestat oversees the royal guard, he has left soldiers guarding the entrance to my room. He comes and goes as if it were his room.

- He just wants to protect you. But you still won't answer me, where were you?

I was trapped, my father would keep insisting and I just wanted to be alone.

- I went down to the city, dad, I needed to breathe fresh air and see more than these four walls.

- How dare you leave the castle? You know how dangerous it is for us with those damn bloodsuckers... those monsters.

I was disgusted that my father called them that, especially now that I was completely in love with one.

- Father, vampires, call them by their name.

- I don't care what their name is Irhin, you can't go out without at least two royal guards with you.

- I don't know what you mean. Dad, I've been protected in this castle for 18 years. I want to travel further. I want to learn how to fight, how to use a sword to defend myself. Develop my magic more so I can protect myself.

- No Irhin, you're a princess. I'm not going to let anyone teach you how to fight or how to use a sword. None of that. Your "Magic" will be the only thing you use, and you'll only use it for medicinal purposes.

- And when you're no longer in this world, father? What am I supposed to do? Hide inside the palace?

- You don't need to expose yourself; the royal guard will always protect you and you'll have a husband with you to protect you.

I turned around and stood face to face with my father.

- Husband? What are you talking about, dad?

- Lestat has told me about his feelings for you.

I opened my eyes in surprise. My heart started to beat rapidly.

- What?

- The Van Helsing family has always protected our Kingdom. After his parents died, Lestat continued to fight and learned more about vampires, now he is my right-hand. He is a good man for you.

- No, dad, I can't see Lestat like that.

- He wants to be able to have a relationship with you; he talked to me about getting to know you more until he can win your heart. I remember a 5-year-old girl who once told me: - "Look, dad, he's a very handsome boy!" - and those little blue sapphires shone every time he came to the castle with his father.

- Dad, I was a 5-year-old girl back then.

- What I'm saying is that no one will be able to take care of my greatest treasure more than him. You are the only heir to my kingdom. I'm so sorry you have to go through this war between those monsters and humans. We never thought that these beings created by the same demon would become our most fearsome enemies.

- Dad, have you ever tried to understand them? Do you even know if they are irrational beings? Or why do they do what they do?

- They are not thinking beings Irhin, they are an abomination! Bloodthirsty beasts who only see us as that... food.

- Father, they were humans! How is it possible that they lose their minds? And that...

- Enough Irhin! You don't know anything about them.

My father raised his voice and walked towards me.

- I agreed to let you and Lestat come closer, to meet each other. And you are going to accept his invitations, this Irhin is an order.

My hands were shaking with anger, how was it possible that my father wanted me to join my life with someone as temperamental as Lestat? No! I was not going to accept that. My father opened the door and before he left the room I answered him.

- I do not accept and I will NEVER accept anything from Lestat.

My father had his back on me, he stopped and without saying anything he closed the door slamming it hard. I heard when he spoke to the guards at my door, asking them to be stricter with me and indicating to them that under no circumstances could I leave the room.