Free The Rose Princess by Hideyuki Kikuchi

way she sounded wasn’t so much strange as it was bewitching,
     and even another female like Elena found herself swallowing hard. When faced with
     such charm, a Hunter of even the firmest resolve would’ve found himself suddenly unable
     to attack her, stripped of not only malice but of all hostility. Anyone but D, that
     is.
    A flash of white light came straight down at the top of the princess’s head—a merciless
     blow from D’s sword. However, Elena forgot all about the numbness that had spread
     through her entire body.
    The enchanting princess had clearly been split in two from the crown of her head to
     her crotch, but she was smiling.
    “Which of us won?” she asked. But who would’ve imagined anyone who’d felt the edge
     of D’s sword would live to frame such a question? The princess was twirling the white
     rose right in front of her nose.
    “You did,” D said, sheathing his blade without another word.
    “Oh, I’m so glad you’ve put your sword away. I take it you trust me when I say those
     three won’t lay a hand on you. I like you better with each passing minute. And I have
     some really delicious tea to offer you.”
    The Hunter and the biker followed the princess through a doorway into the main building.
     The knights didn’t come with them, for the princess had ordered them to remain there.
     What’s more, she’d told them they weren’t to do anything to the girl’s motorcycle,
     and the trio acquiesced.
    The interior of the manor had every imaginable luxury. Seeing how generous the Nobility
     had been in their use of crystal and gemstones, gold and the legendary precious metals
     their kind had synthesized, Elena could only stare in amazement. Her paralysis passed
     when D’s left hand touched her.
    “Unbelievable . . . So this is what Nobles’ houses look like?” she muttered in amazement
     as they passed the base of a crystal statue that looked to be over sixty feet tall.
     She meant every word.
    Fog coursed around the three of them incessantly, and as it writhed around their bodies,
     it took the shape of gorgeous men and women. When Elena waved her hand through them,
     they faded away, leaving only a smile that wasn’t really a smile.
    “As you can see, nothing has changed in my manor. By day, it may not be much to look
     at, but it returns to its glory when my time comes. Like it?” the princess inquired
     innocently.
    D replied, “The Nobility dreamed of the daytime. Do they dream of the nights now,
     too?”
    “Dear me, that’s a terrible thing to say! I’ll have you know I’m as alive as can be.
     No different from yourself, my good dhampir.”
    Elena thought her heart was about to fly out of her mouth.
    “Oh, does that surprise you, child? You’ve known him even longer than I have—how could
     you not notice? I guess you humans really are terribly stupid after all, aren’t you?”
    “How do you know that’s what he is?” Elena asked, having worked up her courage once
     more. The fear the Nobility inspired in humans was overwhelming both mentally and
     emotionally. Her voice was hoarse, and its volume a whisper.
    With faux sympathy, the princess said, “Do you think any human male could be so beautiful?
     Five minutes in his presence should be enough to tell you he’s from an entirely different
     world. And that’s why he’s a Vampire Hunter.”
    Pondering the ghastly implications of the words the princess had uttered with such
     weight, Elena began to feel dizzy. How could the person who was going to dispose of
     the Nobility so easily be half vampire himself?
    “We’re here,” the princess exclaimed, the doors before her opening at the sound of
     her voice.
    The trio stepped into a lavishly appointed room. Once they’d taken their seats around
     a marble table, semitransparent stewards came over without a sound and poured wine
     into goblets wrought of pure silver.
    “I had been thinking about tea,” the princess said, “but this is a more grown-up