Claimed by the vampire prince

Chapter 560: Chapter 560

After a while, Mara disappeared toward the back of the cottage.

"I am heading into town later," she called. "If you need anything, write it down."

"I was planning on going myself."

The older woman reappeared a heartbeat later, a slight incredulous frown on her face. "Voluntarily?"

"Is that so shocking?"

"A little."

Elka rolled her eyes but she was still smiling. She had become somewhat of a recluse in the past few weeks, only stepping out of her cottage to tend to her garden or take a relaxing walk along the seashore. Mara had done her best to keep the cottage fully stocked with food and supplies at all times.

Mara chuckled at her reaction before disappearing again, leaving Elka to her thoughts.

For a while, Elka remained where she was, occasionally glancing towards the sound of the crashing waves in the distance.

The horizon stretched endlessly before her, as endless as the sky above her and the many options she could explore in life now that she was free. But even now, there were moments when this acquired freedom felt fragile, one wrong move and it might shatter to pieces in her hands.

Because despite everything, some part of her still feared losing this life. She knew how quickly peace could disappear.

One moment life seemed stable. The next, everything changed.

The fear was irrational. At least, she hoped it was. Yet it never vanished completely.

She brushed the thought aside and returned to her work.

---

The market was busy by midday.

Fishing boats had returned during the morning, and the docks bustled with activity. Men unloaded nets overflowing with silver-scaled fish while merchants loudly competed for customers nearby.

Children darted through the crowd.

Somewhere farther down the street, a musician played a cheerful tune on a battered flute.

This possessed a rough charm that Elka had grown surprisingly fond of. She moved through the market with a basket hanging from her arm.

Nobody paid her much attention.

That remained one of her favorite things about living here.

People did see lady Elka Nereth or the wife of their late prince. They only saw a woman perusing through vendors’ stalls. Nothing more.

No one cared or watched her.

No one cared who her parents were.

The freedom found in that anonymity was difficult to describe. It felt like being allowed to simply exist for the first time.

She paused beside a jewelry stall, her gaze drifting over the array of pieces displayed across the counter. Every item was eye-catching in its own way, but one in particular had drawn her attention, a delicate piece set with a sapphire that gleamed. For a moment, she found herself admiring it before reminding herself that she already owned more jewelry than she knew what to do with and she had no business buying more.

The merchant noticed her interest immediately.

"Good day, miss," he said with a welcoming smile, stepping forward before she could think of moving on. "Has any one of these caught your eye?"

He pointed directly at the sapphire piece she had been studying moments earlier.

"That one would suit you quite well."

She had just opened her mouth to respond when someone collided with her and she was roughly shoved.

The basket shifted in her grasp.

"My apologies." The man that bumped into her stepped backward, staring at her apologetically. "Are you hurt?"

"No harm done." Elka said automatically. She wasn’t injured in any way, and although he had shoved her rather roughly, it hadn’t seemed intentional. As such, she had no desire to prolong their interaction any longer than necessary.

Instead, she paused when she noticed the stranger was staring at her rather intently.

A faint unease stirred inside her.

Something about the expression on his face seemed familiar. Slowly, she watched his eyes light up with recognition and a smile curled his lips.

She knew that smile. A part of her recognized it just as fully as he did. She had seen that face before.

Years ago. In another life.

Then the man blinked. Then his eyes widened in a false show of surprise. His next words would confirm her fears.

"Princess Elka?" He said.

The title hit her like cold water. Her stomach tightened instantly.

For a moment, she simply stared, dazed. The marketplace noise seemed to grow distant now.

Nobody had called her that in a while. Nobody here even knew that she was someone of importance.

The man continued staring and suddenly she could pinpoint exactly why he felt familiar. He had worked at her family’s estate. One among dozens of servants who had passed through those halls during her childhood. Yet there was no mistaking him.

"Princess Elka," he repeated, more quietly this time. As though he still couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.

A dozen thoughts raced through her mind.

What was he doing here?

How long had he lived on the coast?

Had he recognized her immediately?

Most importantly— Did anyone else know?

The questions arrived one after another but she forced herself to remain calm.

"I believe you have mistaken me for someone else." The lie sounded weak. They both knew it.

The former servant swallowed. freeweɓnovel.cøm

His gaze shifted briefly around the marketplace before returning to her.

"No," he said softly. "No, I do not think I have."

A knot formed in Elka’s stomach.

Not because she thought he intended to harm her. If anything, he seemed more startled than she was. Him recognizing her was a problem. The life she had built depended upon being forgotten.

And suddenly she was no longer forgotten.

The servant lowered his head. "My apologies." The words sounded automatic. A habit learned from years of service. Then he stepped aside, allowing her to continue.

Elka remained motionless for several seconds as she watched him turn and disappear into the crowd.

Something felt wrong, like the feeling of standing on a beach and noticing the tide has begun pulling away from shore.

The ocean still appears calm, the sky remains clear but some instinct whispers that something larger is approaching. It whispers to step away and get to safety.

Eventually she forced herself to continue through the market yet the unease remained, following her all the way home. And somewhere beyond the quiet life she had built for herself, the first pieces of the past had already begun creeping toward her once again.