A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 209: A...Mastermind?

Chapter 209: A...Mastermind?

Draven raised his eyes to look at her.

"Mhm?"

"Haven’t you ever been afraid that one of your plans would fail?" Avelina asked. "You know, you are not perfect, so I wonder, have you ever been afraid of that?"

Draven was silent while watching her. It looked as though he was in deep thought.

Avelina waited patiently for him to answer her question.

A deep breath fled Draven’s nose, and he half smiled. "I have, but that was back then when I was a boy."

"What about now?" Avelina further inquired.

"No." Draven shook his head. "There is nothing to be weary about."

Avelina flickered her lashes.

"That is...impossible. There is no way that you could possibly know something would not go wrong."

"No." Draven disagreed with her.

"Let me enlighten you about something, Avelina."

Avelina furrowed her brows, but interested in knowing what it was, she settled closer to him.

"There is something called learning your opponent and getting to the level of being able to foresee their actions and movement before they even take a first step," Draven began to explain. "I have monitored and learned about every single one of my family members."

"I can tell you what kind of person each and every one of them is. How they think, what they possibly would do, and what they cannot do. You can say that I know them more than they know themselves."

"You don’t think that I’ve survived this long by just a miracle?" He chuckled softly. "Sure, my clairvoyance ability helps, but that’s not really it. To really survive in my family, you have to be smarter than everyone. Even the ones that are intelligent. Someone like Valentine."

Avelina’s interest was further piqued, so she crossed her legs to hear the rest of his words.

Draven took a deep breath. "Every plan that I make takes me at least two to three weeks to perfectly calculate, draw, and decide how it ends. I always have to be in control. The scale of judgment must not tip out of my favor. It always has to tip in my favor and drop low on their unfortunate side."

"It had always tipped in their favor during my whole childhood, but now that I am in control..." He paused to smile at Avelina in a way that he had never done before. "...It has and must tip in my favor." There was an odd feeling to the way he smiled.

His bloody eyes sparkled brighter than normal, as though he could already picture the way everything ended.

Avelina could swear that she felt a chill run down her spine. Goosebumps had literally risen on her skin.

Immediately, she gazed at Draven with a frown on her face. She had never seen him this way before or sensed this sort of deep hatred from him. It was as though he had always covered it like a cocoon, but due to that one question, he allowed a little bit of it to spill out.

Avelina wondered. If this little bit of his hate could cause this much chill, how much more when he lets it all loose? What was the beginning, and what was the end of it?

"D-Draven, are you okay?" she inquired, deeply concerned.

Draven rapidly blinked his eyes as though snapping out of a temporary daze. He looked at her and smiled. "I’m fine."

"Are you...sure?" It was clear that Avelina did not believe him.

Draven gave a nod.

"Did I scare you?" He could sense a bit of fear from her.

Avelina swallowed and shook her head. "No. It’s just...there was this strange feeling I sensed from you, and... it’s nothing. I must have been overthinking." She cackled.

Draven did not say a word but just sat staring at her.

"Avelina..." His words came out more like a whisper.

"Yes," Avelina answered.

Draven exhaled and reached over to make a move on the chessboard. "Do you know... that there is a mastermind behind all these?"

"Huh?" Avelina was taken aback. A...mastermind? What was he talking about?

"Look." Draven pointed to the chessboard.

"This is my father, his bishops, knights, rooks, and pawns. And this is me, you, my bishops, knights, rooks, and pawns."

"Now, for every game, there is always someone behind the curtains who controls the game. The one you could probably call the host," he explained.

"The...host?" Avelina was heavily perplexed. She was not able to put together what he was talking about. "Draven...I’m lost. I don’t understand."

"You don’t have to." Draven beamed at her. "You just have to know. You can say that this mastermind is watching us right now. Every single move."

Avelina’s heart skipped a beat. "What?" She could feel her hands begin to get sweaty. "What are you talking about?"

Draven moved his pawn two squares forward. "Play." He looked at Avelina.

Avelina was reluctant, but she moved her pawn, making a move.

"Avelina, in a casino, do you understand that there is that one overseer who sits in the dark watching every movement through a camera?" Draven asked.

Avelina nodded. "I do."

"That is exactly what I am talking about," Draven said. "The mastermind is in the shadows—he has always been. He’s watching and is entertained. Who would win? I am not sure he knows that, but he does want to see the end of it."

Avelina bit her lower lip and swallowed hard. "This is really creeping me out."

Draven reached over with his hand, ruffling her hair.

"It’s okay. Nobody will hurt you—no one can. I will not allow that, so relax. I just want you to know, so that you will be more careful and sit tight with me, okay?"

Avelina nodded her head. "Okay."

"Unlike the hosts in the casino, this man is different. I’ve never met him, but sometimes I can feel it. Very strange, I must say," Draven continued.

"How do you know?" Avelina asked. "What if it’s just your thoughts?"

Draven chuckled, amused. "No, it is not."

"Avelina, do you think we are the only beings that exist, apart from your kinds, witches, and werewolves?" he questioned.