MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

Dravena sat in her luxurious chamber, sipping an expensive brandy and staring into the crackling fire, as a sophisticated lady of refined tastes. As she savored the smooth liquor, her thoughts drifted to Damien.

She pondered how he seemed to have changed from the self-centered, gold-obsessed man she once knew. In their recent interactions, Dravena detected a newfound sense of purpose and principle in Damien. Of course, she could be wrong - after all, men could be exceptionally good at hiding their true natures when it suited them.

Still, Dravena had to admit she was somewhat impressed by Damien's apparent transformation. She reflected on her own rude behavior towards him of late, continuously dismissing him and treating him with disdain. In truth, he had not deserved such disrespect, at least not based on their most recent encounters.

A pang of regret filtered through Dravena's thoughts. Perhaps she had been too quick to judge, too eager to cling to her preconceived notions about Damien's character. A former lover could be a blind spot, she realized. She had been With Damien intimately and known him before, which colored her perspective.

The more Dravena considered it, the more she felt she owed Damien an apology for her churlish behavior. If he was indeed changing for the better, she should meet that change with an open mind and fresh start. They could start anew on a respectful footing.

With that resolved, Dravena decided to pay Damien a surprise visit at his castle to make amends. An olive branch of sorts, to move past their tension and pave the way for a smoother relationship going forward. She would hear him out with new ears, as it were.

As Dravena approached the castle, the warm spring air gusting around her, she noticed two figures up ahead - Damien and Rose, walking side-by-side. She felt a flare of something like anger at the sight of them together. Of course the conniving Rose would sink her claws into Damien, Dravena thought bitterly. The lady was always overreaching above her station.

Dravena lifted her head with haughty disdain as she drew closer to the pair. Damien noticed her approach and his expression became guarded yet polite.

"Lady Dravena," he greeted her evenly. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Damien," Dravena replied with a slight nod. Her eyes slid to Rose in thinly veiled judgment. "I see you are...accompanied."

"Indeed," Damien said, seeming to pick up on the undercurrent of disdain. He made introductions as if hearing them for the first time. "May I present the Lady Rose. Rose, you know of Lady Dravena."

Rose inclined her head politely, though her expression remained neutral. The two women locked eyes briefly in an unspoken clash of wills. Dravena allowed her gaze to slowly trail over Rose in obvious appraisal and distaste.

"Ah yes, the infamous Rose," Dravena said at last, her tone saturated with condescension. "I'm afraid I fail to see what all the fuss is about. She seems rather plain to me."

Color flooded Rose's cheeks at the insult, but she said nothing in response. Damien shifted uncomfortably beside her.

"Now see here, Dravena," he started, trying to divert the confrontation.

But Dravena simply spoke over him, not even looking in his direction as she continued her verbal lashing against Rose.

"In fact, the more I look at you, the more I realize what an outcast you truly are," she said with cruel satisfaction. "Utterly pitiful and beneath the attentions of a man like Damien. He could do so much better."

Nearby castle guards and servants, squires had stopped to watch the scene unfold with rapt interest and shock. Murmurs of disapproval began to ripple through the onlookers at Rose. A few turned accusing eyes on her, as if she was an imposter.

"Does this woman wish to start a battle between our houses?" one of Damien's senior knights asked in a scandalized tone. "Such conduct is forbidden and dishonorable!"

Dravena seemed to revel in the rising tension and attention. Her gaze remained locked on Rose's reddened face.

Rose looked away first, jaw clenched as she struggled not to rise to Dravena's taunts. With visible effort, Rose inclined her head once more to Damien.

"If you'll excuse me, my lord," she said in a carefully controlled tone. "I find I have urgent matters to attend to elsewhere."

With that, she turned and strode swiftly away, disappearing into the castle grounds. Dravena watched her go with a cruel smile playing about her lips.

Damien instantly rounded on her, anger flashing in his eyes. "How dare you come to my castle and disrespect me in such a way?" he hissed furiously. "What jest do you think you are playing at?"

For the first time, Dravena turned her full attention to Damien. She regarded him coolly, seemingly unbothered by his ire.

"Come now, Damien, surely you can see the truth before your eyes," she said with practiced superiority. "That lady is not worthy of your affections. I was merely pointing out reality."

Damien opened his mouth to retort, hands clenched into fists at his sides, but seemed to think better of it. He closed his eyes briefly and exhaled slowly through his nose. When he opened them again, his temper appeared more controlled.

"Regardless of your opinions on Rose," he said in a low, clipped tone, "you don't have any right to walk into my territory and disrespect me like you just did. I will not tolerate such nonchalant attitude under my own roof."

He stepped closer to Dravena, eyes glinting with remnants of banked anger. "I suggest you take your leave now, before I am forced to take more...permanent measures to defend my honor."

Something flickered across Dravena's face - perhaps a hint of regret or contrition at last. She seemed to consider arguing further, but then appeared to think better of it. With a deft dip of her head, she replied, "As you wish. Good day, Damien."

Spinning neatly on her heel, Dravena turned and walked away across the grounds, leaving Damien and the stunned onlookers behind.

Rose had retreated to one of the high turrets of the castle, needing solitude and space from the events below. She wrapped her arms around herself as she gazed sightlessly out over the battlements.

That wretched Dravena, speaking so cruelly to her in front of everyone. It was humiliating and demeaning. Rose's cheeks still burned hotly with shame and anger. If only she were her former self, she would have handled the situation very differently - perhaps even challenging Dravena physically for such unforgivable insults.

But that was not possible anymore, Rose reminded herself with a pang of melancholy. Not after what happened, not with her new....condition. Any sort of heightened emotions or physical overexertions could trigger unintended consequences. She had to maintain rigid control over her emotional state at all times now.

That was one of the main reasons Rose had distanced herself from Dravena. The lady's barbed words and callous manner too easily provoked Rose in a way that could prove catastrophic if she were not careful. So for her own safety and that of others, Rose was forced to disengage.

She sighed heavily, still stinging from Dravena's harsh characterizations of her as plain, pitiful, an outcast. Rose knew these assessments stemmed largely from jealousy on Dravena's part - the lady could clearly not stand to see Rose in Damien's favor. Their history together was complicated, to put it mildly.

Still, that knowledge did little to salve Rose's wounded pride. She had always been so confident and self-assured before. But since her transition and the events surrounding it, she could not help but feel diminished at times, less than what she once was.

A sudden commotion from the courtyard below broke through Rose's ruminations. Peering down, she saw Damien gesturing angrily while the rest of the household staff and knights looked on. Evidently, the confrontation with Dravena was still unfolding in some capacity.