MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

Rose carefully gathered her words as she replied Dumpheries.

"I..." she started haltingly. "That is to say, my comfort and care are being attended to as best they can be under the circumstances."

It was a half-truth, but she didn't wish to burden the kind blacksmith with the unsavory details of her outcast status within these walls. Dumphries seemed to pick up on her reticence, however.

"Begging your pardon, milady," he said gruffly. "But you'll forgive me if I don't fully believe that silver-tongued line."

Rose's eyebrows rose in surprise at his forthrightness. The older man's expression was etched with paternal concern.

"I may just be a simple craftsman," Dumphries went on. "But I've eyes and ears in this palace like you wouldn't believe. I know your relations with the staff and Lady Gladys have been... strained, as of late."

The words hung heavy in the air between them. Rose felt her throat tighten as she processed the unexpected insight. Her pregnancy would likely only become whispered gossip and scandal before too long.

Sudden panic lanced through Rose at the prospect. If her condition became common knowledge too soon, it could put everything at risk - her safety, her future, her very life, as well as that of her unborn child's. She couldn't allow that to happen, not until she better understood the ramifications they could potentially face from various sectors.

Before she could spiral too far down that line of worried thought, Dumphries spoke again in a gruff, reassuring tone.

"But you needn't fear, milady. You have my solemn vow that not a breath of your condition will pass these lips to any soul." He tapped the side of his bulbous nose knowingly. "And I'll keep my ears to the ground for any ugly rumors that need... stamping out before they fester, as it were."

Rose felt an immense swell of gratitude and relief towards this unpretentious man who seemed so determined to be in her corner. Unexpected allies were a balm in times of such uncertainty.

"You have my deepest thanks, Dumphries," she replied, injecting as much warmth and sincerity into her words as she could muster. "Your discretion and offer of... judicious deterrence means more to me than I can properly express."

The weight of the man's solemn nod was not lost on Rose. For all his commonplace position and plain mannerisms, Damphries possessed an inner strength of character that came through in his steadfast loyalty.

"We're to have an understanding then, milady," he said simply. "I'll see to acquiring everything you need to maintain a... certain level of discretion. And you can trust that not a whisper will escape these old lips until you give your leave. Oh, and I promise to bring you fresh blood often to satisfy your appetite."

Rose allowed a small smile to grace her features as she gave the stocky blacksmith an acknowledging dip of her head. She only hoped Dumphries' offer of covert allegiance wouldn't prove too difficult - or dangerous - for the well-meaning man to follow through on.

With a grunt of finality, Dumphries turned and made his way towards the door, already seeming to be plotting out supply routes in his mind. But he paused with his hand on the latch, shooting Rose one last look over his shoulder.

"Oh! And milady?" His gruff tone took on a scolding air. "You be sure to keep getting plenty of rest, aye? A body in your condition needs its strength. I'll not have you overdoing it, understood?"

Despite herself, Rose felt a small pang of wistful longing wash over her at the man's protectiveness over her well-being. How she wished Blake could be by her side through this incredibly delicate time instead of gods knew where.

Still, Dumphries' fretting was appreciated in its own way. Rose favored him with as warm a smile as she could muster.

"Understood and heeded, good sir. You have my word."

The blacksmith seemed satisfied by that. With a last respectful bob of his head, he pulled open the door and ducked out into the corridor, already hard at discreet work on Rose's behalf.

On his way out, Lady Gladys spotted him from a distance and she wondered to herself, "what is Rose up to this time around? Why is she secretly talking to the palace's best blacksmith? Is she planning on having him make weapons for her?"

***

Once alone, Rose was left feeling lighter than she had in weeks. While a trusted friend procuring her maternity garments hardly solved all her worries, it was still one less weight pressing down on her. Dumphries was proving an unexpectedly stalwart ally in her precarious circumstances.

As relieved as she felt over that situation being settled for now, Rose knew she couldn't linger too long on such small victories. There was still the larger matter of her efforts to locate Blake being continually blocked from outside these castle walls.

Chewing her lip worriedly, Rose moved back over to the narrow window, staring out across the expansive palace grounds as if she could somehow sense where her knights were in their ongoing search for Blake. She pushed outwards with her telepathic powers once more, but again encountered only dense psychic interference.

Just what larger forces could possibly be dampening her abilities in such a way? Rose felt tendrils of dread uncurling within her over what other shadowy schemes might be unfolding behind the scenes in this place. If she could just make contact with her allies, maybe some insight could be shed on the situation.

Closing her eyes in meditative focus, Rose turned the full intensity of her vampiric mind inwards, delving deep into the nexus of her supernatural senses. She visualized Reggie's steadfast face, Randall's sardonic grin, Gunther's wild determination, and wove their impressions together into a singular, amplified psychic call.

Abruptly, Rose's eyes flew open wide, irises burning crimson with vampiric power. A feral snarl curled her lips as the amplified telepathic probe echoed off the inexplicable barrier sealing her in. The potent psychic backlash slammed into her awareness like a physical blow, staggering her backwards as her mind reeled.

Through a haze of psychic static, Rose registered a sudden, frantic knock at her chamber door. Jerking her head up, she felt an unfamiliar presence hovering in the hallway just outside.

Even as Rose's psychic defenses instinctively slammed into place, the door burst open to reveal Gladys standing in the corridor. The older woman's nostrils flared as she drank in the vestiges of vampiric energy still crackling in the air.

"Something powerful stirs in your chambers," Gladys murmured, fixing Rose with her piercing maternal gaze. "What forbidden forces do you tamper with in your isolation, girl?"

A strange expression flickered across the woman's features then, almost like fear. Whatever reaction Rose's unleashed powers had caused, it was not one Gladys had expected to encounter from her ostracized daughter.

The two vampires stared at each other in taut silence, unspeakable questions and implications hanging oppressively between them. Finally, Gladys seemed to marshal her resolve.

"See that you tread carefully on whatever perilous path you now walk, Rose," she said in a low, warning tone. "For there are eyes and powers in this place that may not look so kindly on your... activities."

With that awfully vague admonition hanging in the air, Gladys pursed her lips and stepped back, allowing the door to swing shut once more. Rose was left alone, shaken to her core with disquiet over what had just transpired.

As ominous possibilities swirled in her mind, Rose instinctively cradled her abdomen, steeling her resolve to get answers and protect her family at all costs. Whatever unseen forces were unfolding around her, she would remain steadfast against them.

Her and her unborn child's future might just depend on it.