The Half-Blood Princess by Mihaela Bogdan (best books to read for self improvement TXT) 📖

calm down. Reading is a treatment for my soul when I’m angry, sad, bored, etcetera. Someone knocked three times at my door and I heard father’s voice:
  -Valentina, it is me! Can I come in?
  -Of course!
  -Are you alright?! I hope Cornelius did not upset you much. He cannot stand the presence of half vampires because when he was a child, Dragomir spent most of his time with them, helping them to become real vampires. He had no one to love him because his mother was killed and ...
  -Father, sorry to interrupt you. I know about his parents from the book you gave me to learn. Mother died when I was twelve but I don’t hate anyone for that, because it wasn’t no one’s fault.
  -Cornelius is more emotional than he shows. He behaves like this because he does not know who to trust.
  -By the way, how did they arrived here an hour after we send the letter?
  -Well dear, I send him a letter on Saint Valentine’s Day, telling him that my dear daughter returned home. I did not expect his visit today, it is indeed a wonderful coincidence. Father’s appearance was glowing with happiness and I was satisfied to see him like this.
  -And how did they get here through The Black Forest without someone noticing it? My curiosity never takes a break.
  -Another advantage of being a vampire is that we can run ten times faster than a horse. This is how Dragomir and all of our kind hunt animals for their blood.
  Father went out of my room. Before closing the door I asked:
  -Where are our guests now?
  -In one of the first floor’s bedrooms. Do not worry, nobody will come near your bedroom without permission.
  The door closed and my room sank in a deep silence. After reading few chapters I found out that romance novels bored me and I decided to get some sleep. It has been a long day and I wanted to rest before going into town tomorrow to return the boring novels and maybe get to meet Amen again. That night I dreamed about him. We were walking in a park full of colorful flowers. He picked up a red rose and put it in my hair. When he wanted to give me a kiss, Cornelius appeared out of nowhere and killed Amen with a silver knife. Then he came towards me and said with an angry face and his red eyes glowing:
  ”-You won’t escape me again, hybrid!”
  I woke up with my forehead and hands all sweating. My whole body was shaking as well. I tried to calm down because my heart was beating at its full power and I was breathing very heavy. As soon as it slowed down a little, I got off bed and try to begin a new day with a smile. Maybe a bubble bath and something good to eat will calm me down.
  At breakfast I was dressed in the same dress as yesterday. The nightmare from last night won’t go away from my head. Even grandpa got worried when he saw my plate full:
  -Are you ill, Miss Valentina? You haven’t touched your food!
  -No, grandpa! I’m tired because I had a nightmare that disturbed my sleep last night and now it’s stuck in my head.
  -Oh, dear! Maybe the thought that three vampires are living in this castle scares you. Last night I locked my door from the inside to be sure that our guests don’t want a midnight snack. If you want, you can go into town today, but don’t let anyone see the secret path!
  -Are you sure? Won’t father get upset?
  -As long as you and that disrespectful lad are separated, everything will be fine!
  I agreed with him. Cornelius wouldn’t dare to come after me in daytime. First I went to my room and grabbed the novels. The path seemed longer than yesterday. I guess when you walk alone, everything seems to last longer. After returning the books I went to the church. Being the priest’s son, Amen will certainly be there. When I arrived at the church’s front door, I stood there asking myself if it is right to go inside.
  Suddenly I heard an organ play inside. I opened the doors slowly and entered without a sound. After the doors were closed, I felt that someone was watching me. This feeling disappeared from my mind when I saw at the end of the right row of benches a big organ making a peaceful tune. My heart began to beat loudly in my chest when I saw who was playing it. It was Amen.
  The musical piece ended, he stood up and noticed my presence.
  -Hello there! Welcome to the House of God! Don’t be afraid, He won’t hurt you.
  My heart’s beats increased and I could feel my face burning. I had to say something. Standing there quietly made me look like a fool.
  -I ... I’m sorry. I w ... wanted some time ... alone!
  ”What was I saying?”
  -It is normal for people to come here for a little peace and quiet. This atmosphere is good for meditation and praying. Or do you want to confess your sins to the priest? Amen’s soft voice and kind personality really made me want to faint.
  -No ... no, not at all! I just want to think about my personal problems. I tried to act as natural as I could, but it was obvious that I was nervous. After all, Amen wasn’t just any guy, he was the one that I fall in love with, but I must not let him know that. At least, not for now.
  -Well, take a sit. He showed me to sit in the front bench of the right row.
  I did as he said and he sat next to me. I avoid looking at him and move my glance towards the big icon of Jesus Christ sitting in front of the altar.
  -I hope you don’t mind! Being the priest’s son most of the time I spend it in this church all by myself and sometimes having company makes me happy. He looked straight at me: You’re not from this town, aren’t you?
  -No, I am not. I tried to stay calm and act normal. I must not let him know what I really am. If he is a real Christian, he will try to hurt me if he knew that I was part vampire. I have heard in my journey many stories about vampire hunters, most of them being priests and monks. Maybe I will confess my secret, but first I must let him know the real me. This way the chances of getting him angry because of my true identity will be small.
  -What is your name? He asked me another question, seeing how quiet I have become all of a sudden.
  -Valentina. ”God, bless me with strength. The more time I get to spend near Amen, the weaker my body and soul gets!” I start praying in my mind.
  -A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.
  When I heard the word ”beautiful”, I felt that my heart had stop beating. It was a good thing that I was sitting down, otherwise I’d be passed out.
  -I see you are a shy one! Amen replied noticing that I was quiet once more.
  -Yes, sometimes. Just around people I truly like. ”Oh, no. What I just said!”
  -Am I one of those people?
  -Well ... I don’t know what to say. After a minute of silence I replied:
  -I don’t know who you are. I lied to him because I didn’t want to be a desperate person in his eyes. The first impression counts the most.
  -My bad, I forgot to introduce myself properly. My name is Amen. Where do you come from?
  -From the castle in the middle of The Black Forest!
  -Really?! I heard someone talking yesterday that Count Dracula has a daughter. I didn’t knew he was married.
  Then I began telling Amen the story of my life since the day mother died, without telling him that father was a vampire. If he finds out who knows what trouble he’s going to bring upon me and the inhabitants of the castle.
  -And why did your mother ran away?
  -Do you really want to know? This question somehow seemed improper to me.
  -If it bothers you, then no!
  -Good. I try to forget the past and focus on the future.
  -You are a strong girl, Valentina! I like you!
  -You do?! Then I told Amen about yesterday, when I saw him talking to the priest and the real reason why I came into town today. At first I was scared, thinking that he may have the impression of how silly my actions were, but in fact he was listening very carefully to every word I said. Soon, I got interrupted by my stomach. Skipping breakfast wasn’t a good idea and now I was hungry. Sorry about that, I should probably go home now to eat.
  -Don’t! I know a good restaurant not far from here. We can have a decent meal and have more time to know each other better.
  -Like a date? ”Oh no, my curiosity is really getting out of hand.”
  -If you want to, sure!
  He was right about the restaurant, it was two minutes far from the church and it was a medium sized wooden cottage. Most of the tables were in the front yard. Inside, the kitchen occupied most of the space. A forty year old woman with red hair, hazel eyes and freckles on her cheeks came out with a piece of paper and a pen.
  -Welcome Amen! It’s been a while since you last ate here. How are your folks?
  -Mother’s doing well, but father’s somehow ill and he is too stubborn to go see doctor Ion. He thinks God will help him if he prays all night.
  -So sad to hear this. Well, you know that most priests are fanatics. What do you expect? Never mind it, who’s this enchanting lady?
  Before Amen could respond, I took a step in front and introduced myself like a real princess:
  -My name is Valentina, madam. It is an honor to have lunch at this lovely restaurant!
  -Oh, come here sweetie and give aunt Linda a big hug! Oh, dear, how skinny you are! Don’t worry child, I make the best chicken stew in town. Sure it’ll put some meat on your bones.
  This woman, Linda, despite her fragile physical appearance, she had a lot of strength in her. Seeing that I was getting a little purple because of her powerful hug, she let go of me. After I got some blood in my cheeks again, Amen offered me a sit on a table near a flower garden. What good manners he has! Cornelius should really learn a thing or two from him.
  What am I doing?! Why am I thinking about Cornelius when I’m dating Amen at the moment?! Gosh, I feel really awkward right now!