A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 309: So, Are You Going To Accept It?

Chapter 309: So, Are You Going To Accept It?

Early in the morning the next day, Valentine lay in his bed, napping with his arms wrapped around the pillow his head was resting against.

A sudden knock came at his door, and he groaned, blinking his left eye open.

"Who is it?"

"It’s me, Adam," Adam responded.

Valentine crumpled his face, annoyed. "Come in."

Adam opened the door and walked into the room. He approached the bed and bowed to Valentine with his hand on his chest.

"Young master, please get up."

"Why?" Valentine grumbled onto the pillow.

Adam sighed, exhausted.

"Young master, you know that it’s time for breakfast. Your family is already at the pavilion. His Majesty will be really angry with you if you do not leave now," he explained.

Valentine blinked, raising his head. "Oh. I forgot." He quickly got down from the bed and slipped his feet into his shoes.

Adam shifted closer to him and helped him button his shirt. Unbothered to comb his neatly tousled hair, Valentine ran his fingers through it and exited the room. He left for the general pavilion, and upon arrival, he met everyone, already seated at the grand table with delicacies that pleased the eyes.

He cleared his throat, walking over to take his seat. "Bonjour, Père."

"You are late again!" Old Master Lenort bellowed at him.

Valentine awkwardly smiled. He explained, "I wasn’t feeling too well and took a nap."

Old Master Lenort looked away from him and grabbed his utensils. "Bon appetit."

"Bon appetit, father," Ryan said, grabbing his utensils to dig into his breakfast.

The breakfast was so peaceful that it could not help but surprise Valentine. Never had they experienced a tranquil breakfast. Something was meant to definitely go wrong. Either one person started an issue or their father lost his temper and went off barking at each and every one of them.

I guess this is nice. At least... His thought wasn’t even completed yet when Ryan abruptly dropped his utensils.

Everyone lifted their heads to look at him. Old Master Lenort, with a frown on his face, questioned, "What is the problem?"

Ryan tightened his fist and stood up from his chair. He turned his attention to his father, saying, "I have a request, father."

Old Master Lenort’s crinkled brows "Can’t you wait till breakfast is—"

"No, Father!" Ryan shook his head. "I believe it is much better to say it now before the presence of everyone."

Old Master Lenort took a deep breath and dropped his utensils. "Alright. Go ahead."

Ryan took a moment to glimpse everyone looking at him. He began to speak. "In the royal law book, page five, it was stated that an individual who has been wronged can issue a death duel against his or her opponent, and it will be granted by you, father. It was also stated that one does not need evidence to prove that he or she has been wronged because the outcome of the duel cannot be determined, so it is a fair fight."

"Am I correct?" He diverted his gaze to his father.

"Yes, you are correct." Old Master Lenort nodded. "But where exactly are you going with this?"

Ryan smiled emotionlessly. "Nowhere actually. It is just that, I would like to challenge Draven to a death duel!"

As though it were a click in a moment, the time stopped, and no one moved. They all found themselves momentarily dazed due to shock, with their eyes widening in disbelief.

Old Master Lenort’s face darkened. "What?"

"Yes, father." Ryan nodded. "Draven is the murderer of my wife, and since I do not possess any evidence to prove it, he cannot be punished lawfully by you nor executed. So the only alternative as of this moment is to challenge him to a duel. I’d like to fight him to death and get justice for my wife."

Draven, who had stopped eating for a moment, smirked to himself, seeming amused. Of course, everyone did not fail to notice, and this especially angered Ryan even more.

He looked at Old Master Lenort, his teeth gritting. "Please allow me, father!"

"Are you sure about this?" Old Master Lenort raised his brow at him.

"Absolutely!" Ryan nodded with confidence brimming in him.

Old Master Lenort took a deep breath. He glimpsed Draven and pinched between his brows. "I will think about it."

"Have your seat and eat."

The rest of the breakfast went on in complete silence, and the first to leave was Draven, who grabbed Avelina’s hand. They exited the pavilion to return to their quarters, and as soon as they entered their room, Avelina could not help but come to a stop.

She raised her head and looked at him, asking, "Are you going to accept it?"

"Accept what?" Draven glanced at her with a raised brow.

Avelina tightened her grip on her dress and exhaled. "Ryan wants to challenge you to a duel, right?"

"Yes." Draven gave a nod.

"So, are you going to accept it?" Avelina further questioned.

Draven shrugged. "Why not?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Avelina frowned, stepping towards him. She gazed at him with angry eyes. "Why would you want to accept it? Don’t you think something might go wrong? I mean, for Ryan to challenge you to a death duel, it means he is confident in winning, so—"

Draven gripped her hand, yanking her into his arms and hugging her. He buried his face in her neck and began to run his fingers gently against her back.

Avelina’s expression fell in shock and annoyance, and she pressed her hands against his chest to push him off, but Draven wasn’t letting her.

"Are you worried about me?" His voice was so soft as the gentle wind that it felt like a melody to her ears.

Avelina blinked, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. She immediately gulped to compose herself. "T-that’s not it. It’s just..."

"Just what?" Draven asked.

Avelina gave up trying to push him off and dropped her hands to her side. She took a deep breath and responded, "What if this is another attempt to kill you?"