Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord
Chapter 107: Backstabbed (5)

Chapter 107: Backstabbed (5)

Darius returned to the palace as if he hadn’t stormed out after what Vivienne told him. He had long calmed down and was ready to see her again.

By now, Vivienne should have gotten rid of the ridiculous idea of wanting two men at her side. Darius thought of speaking to her father to have him talk some sense into her.

Giving him one son wasn’t enough since Darius wanted to have many more children with Vivienne. Starting with a second son and then many daughters who could marry the sons of powerful men around the kingdom.

Vivienne was living in a fantasy world if she believed she could have lovers. She was his and his alone.

On his way to meet with Vivienne, Darius spotted the man he knew was quite close to Xavier though he liked to deny it.

Darius walked in a way that would block Isaac’s path so he had no choice but to speak. "In a hurry to be somewhere?" He asked.

Isaac felt his whole day was ruined now that he crossed paths with the king. "I am on my way out to check an attack that happened last night. I will provide a report to be sent to you as soon as I gather everything. If you would excuse me."

"I am curious what I have done to make you try to be so quick to get away from me. I have always tried to get close to you. How you have found a friendship in Xavier but avoid me is a mystery," said Darius.

"Lord Blackthorn is a well-respected man but we are hardly friends. We have not changed to be friends since the last time we spoke so there wouldn’t be any help to you approaching me for him," Isaac said for what might be the hundredth time.

The king had made it too obvious that he only showed interest in Isaac because of Xavier. Isaac wished to know what had the king so convinced that he was friends with Xavier. Had the king missed the times he tried to get away from Xavier?

"I just want to be close to all members of my court and the matter you are taking care of is quite important to me. I want all the humans who think they can attack my people to be captured and punished," said Darius.

"It is not as simple as that-"

"They are far weaker than us. To say that you can’t find the bunch behind the attacks means that you might not be suited in the court. I want this taken care of before it gets out of hand. Imagine what they must think of us," Darius said, knowing the ones behind this must see them as weak.

Isaac was angry to see the king still didn’t see this as a bigger matter. "With all due respect, you must give more of your time to what is happening. There was a time when we were at war with humans. They think their God gave them ways to kill us and they have gravely injured many vampires."

"It has always been said that we are only to take blood from the humans offering us. We pay them for their blood. Now some vampires take blood by force and kill their victims. That goes against the order we placed," Isaac said, hoping the king would understand the concern.

Unfortunately, based on the king’s smile, Isaac knew that nothing had gotten through to Darius. The king was stuck on thinking that vampires couldn’t be harmed.

Trying one last time to convince Darius, Isaac said, "If they go around killing innocent humans then that is less blood for us. It might scare the ones who sell their blood. The numbers for our kind have greatly increased. We need more blood. We need our agreement with the humans to hold."

"I am focused on the numbers you spoke of. I should have it that we outnumber them-"

"If we outnumber them then we will need to take more blood from them. Everything needs to be balanced," Isaac argued.

"The purebloods are the ones who will have blood first," Darius replied.

Isaac wanted to laugh. He had heard of the king only caring about purebloods but now he had seen it firsthand. Given the history of Darius’s elders with them helping to turn humans into mixed-bloods, he should care for the others. Especially since there weren’t as many purebloods as there were mixed-bloods.

Should the mixed-bloods turn on the king as well then it would be hell for the kingdom.

"I must be on my way," Isaac said, wanting to get back to his escape. There wasn’t any point in speaking to Darius. Again, Isaac wanted the conversation of who should be king to come up again.

"You know, it doesn’t matter if you are close to Lord Blackthorn. He needs someone in the court he could get along with so if you would be so kind as to be his friend, it would please me. There is one thing I don’t understand," Darius placed his hands behind his back as he approached Isaac. "How did someone who isn’t his friend attend his wedding?"

"I don’t know why I was invited but I always make sure to attend those kinds of events. Lord Blackthorn getting married was not something anyone would want to miss. I showed support on behalf of the court. Should I have not attended?" Isaac asked.

Regardless of how he felt about Xavier, Isaac would have always showed up to see for himself that the wedding was real.

"No, it is good that you did. It is time that you stop claiming you are not friends. You might end up offending him and take it from me, you will not like it when he is angry. Do you enjoy working in the court?" Darius asked, knowing Isaac got where he was going.

Isaac smiled, revealing his fangs. "If you are thinking about threatening my place in the court if I don’t help you with Xavier in any way, then it won’t work as you plan. I don’t enjoy my time in the court that much to be your little spy but you will lose someone good if you try to."

"There are plenty of good men who could replace you. Do not think you are irreplaceable," said Darius.

Isaac knew someone could take his seat but it would be someone who blindly followed Darius and ignored real issues. "I hope you are well aware that everyone is replaceable. You should find your way to the throne, King Darius."

Isaac excused himself before Darius responded. From the way the smile Darius wore was wiped off his face, Isaac knew his message came across well. Darius wasn’t outside the loop in knowing that the court and other families wanted to consider someone else as king.

They specifically named Xavier but the other families had heirs they wanted to consider. Darius’s place on the throne wasn’t secure and given how he handled the attacks, he wasn’t helping himself.

’He could push himself to be just a noble,’ Isaac thought.

Xavier and Darius could exchange their titles with Xavier becoming the king and Darius, a lord.