A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 268: Shall I Lead You On?

Chapter 268: Shall I Lead You On?

Santino sat down on the passenger seat and signaled to the chauffeur to start the car engine. As soon as the royal guard opened the gate, they drove off onto the road.

As unfortunate as Avelina was, the ride to the destination was a hectic one. One could not tell if it was because of the king’s birthday, but there was huge traffic like never before.

Avelina grumbled under her breath, tired.

"What is the time?" she asked.

Santino, who was scrutinizing the road for any space to drive through, took a quick glance at his pocket watch. He replied, "Eight p.m., my lady. A little bit till it clocks nine p.m."

"We are late!" Avelina exclaimed.

Santino, who knew that she was right, did not say a word but exhaled cynically. He thought for a second before suddenly suggesting

"My lady, would you mind if I flew you there? I really doubt that we will get there anytime soon."

"Fly...me?" Avelina blinked, confused.

Santino gave a nod. "Indeed. Flying is quite fast. So if I could fly there, you would arrive in the next ten minutes."

"Is it alright with you?" He glanced over at her.

Avelina took a moment to think about it. She was sure that Draven must have already left and probably arrived there. As late as she was, there was no doubt that all eyes would be on her, after all, the others must be there if she’s not incorrect.

Left with no other choice, she nodded.

Santino stepped down from the car. He opened the door and politely took Avelina’s hand to help her out of the car.

He shut the door, leaving the car in the hands of the Chauffeur.

"Shall we move, my lady?" He turned to Avelina.

Avelina nodded, proffering a smile. "Yes."

Santino took his coat off and folded it, leaving it in the care of his bent arm. He spread his pitch-dark wings and took Avelina’s hand, pulling her close to him.

"Please hold on carefully, my lady. This will be a quick flight. My young master would kill me if you got hurt."

Avelina darted her eyes at his statement and slowly held onto him. Slowly but steadily, Santino flew up into the air. He flapped his wings and heightened the motion to go faster.

Avelina, who could catch a glimpse of the ground where they were far from, swallowed, suddenly wondering how bad it would be if she accidentally slipped out of Santino’s grip.

Luckily, just as Santino had estimated, they did indeed reach their destination in less than thirteen minutes. Carefully, he landed on his feet, making sure that Avelina didn’t lose her balance.

He inquired, "Are you alright, my lady?"

"If perhaps you feel dizzy, you can let me know, and I will find—"

"No, Santino, I am alright. Thank you very much." Avelina smiled at him. She took a deep breath, raising her head to glance at the entrance, where the red carpet rolled all the way to where each individual car stopped the guests.

She smirked, grabbing hold of her dress.

"Let’s go," she said to Santino.

Santino, who had slipped into his coat, nodded, immediately taking his position beside her.

He must keep her safe, just like his young master had asked him. It would be a lie if he said he could not catch onto the gazes of the arriving guests landing on Avelina every now and then. It was more than expected that most of them did not know her. All the more reason to raise his guard.

"Santino." Avelina looked at him as they began to walk toward the entrance door.

Santino answered, "Yes, my lady."

"What is this place?" Avelina probed.

"Oh..." Santino glanced at the huge building ahead. He clarified, "This is his majesty’s royal grand villa. Since the ceremony is taking place till morning, the royal family will be spending their night here while the guests leave, and then whenever they are ready, they can return back to the royal mansion."

"Each of the princes has an assigned guest room, including my young master."

"Ah..." Avelina nodded. This probably meant that she and Draven would be spending time there after the ceremony was over.

She took a deep breath.

Having arrived late, she was unfortunately one of the last to stand at the entrance door.

She could hear an announcement being made within. Slowly, the huge double door was pulled open, revealing the interior of the hall of the grand villa.

Due to her being late, the first thing she saw was two lines of dances facing each other. The women were on the right, and the men were on the left. They bowed and curtsied toward one another. Light music could be heard playing in the background.

In the entryway, Avelina wore a red gown shimmering with silver sparkles.

"Will you be alright, my lady? Shall I lead you on?" Santino, who stood beside her, asked.

Avelina replied, "Thank you. That would be very kind of you." She smiled, politely taking hold of Santino’s gloved, extended hand.

She descended the first staircase and walked through the door, making her way into the vast, extravagantly decorated hall. Santino followed beside her.

White blossoms hung down the far walls of the hall in long strands and decorated the banister and clusters.

Within and quite far from her, guests turned and looked at her, their gazes subconsciously glued to her.

Avelina immediately wore a coy smile, tightening her grip on Santino’s hand. Although calm and composed, she could feel her skin crawl. All those gazes weren’t simply mere gazes. Some were of confusion, some were of spite, and some were of one that made her appear as prey.

But the ones that scared her the most were the ones of lust!

She scowled inwardly, feeling disgusted, but she didn’t allow it to show on her face.

Feathery ornaments adorned Avelina’s long, bright ginger curls, which cascaded down her back like lush pigments. They perfectly complimented her dress and her hazel eyes, which seemed to suddenly burn brighter under the glimmering light of the fine, enormous chandelier hanging above the ceiling.