Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 108: Into His Trap

Chapter 108: Into His Trap

—-

It was the first time she had seen Lord Ivan act like this, and the words he left her with had made it difficult for her nerves to stop malfunctioning....at least that was what it felt like to her, cause there was nothing more literal to explain why her heart hadn’t calmed down, or why her skin still tingled relentlessly, despite being in his absence - but even in his absence, she felt haunted by other elements that are intrinsically associated with him.

Turning to both sides on the bed as if her body was restless, finding a comfortable position had been futile.

She was in his chamber, it smelled just like him. His favorite spot in the entire room was the dark shadowy corner where his Chaise lounge was located. If he wasn’t on his bed attending to records with the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, he’d be slouching on his personal space, drinking some blood wine from his crystal goblet and irritating her with his endless commands.

Every morning after his daily training she would get his bath ready, and when he was done, he would step out from his bathing chamber while emanating the sweet scent of lavender - it reminded her of the appealing woody scent of bergamot, very calming, but his attitude was a contrast compared to his relaxing scent. He’d do the same thing every night after a hectic day, it was a routine she had learned to follow after being his servant for months now, and when it came to actual food, she has never seen the royal Chevalier family come together to have a meal at the dinner table.

According to Lucy they preferred to eat at their own time, or when they felt like it. Since they weren’t Humans who needed to eat three square meals a day, a daily meal wasn’t necessary in the Palace, unlike how taking blood was more important.

Another place Samantha knew she hadn’t seen Ivan stay or spend time in was the balcony that adjoined his chamber. Piqued by her own surprise as she too hadn’t stepped into the balcony since she came here, Samantha saw it as another great opportunity to divert her mind from Lord Ivan, whilst she carefully got out of bed and went to slide the glass door open.

Planting her bare feet on the ground, Samantha hurried to place her hand on the balustrade before looking below, her curiosity bubbling to see which part of the Kingdom this side of the balcony had to offer, but when she finally feasted her eyes on it, the revealing sight sent a shudder down her spine, the smile on her lips fading into a subtle frown.

It wasn’t about what she had seen, but whom she had seen.

Before her eyes, she noticed one of the Four Lord’s was standing before a dead flower in the garden. He had stooped down to pluck it from the ground before rising to his full height. His crimson-red eyes studied the dull, lifeless flower with mirth, a minatory look gracing his features, and before Samantha knew it, she had accidentally locked gaze with the frightening Lord.

Bizarrely, she was unable to look away from his trapped gaze.

He offered her a charming smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and then in his hand, he maliciously crushed the flower in his grip, eliciting a jolt from Samantha who watched the thing crumble in his hands, as if she was the one who got crushed and not the flower. He didn’t look away from her, his crimson eyes were piercing into her skull, so much so that the alarm bell began to ring in her head, but to her quick relief, another vampire Lord showed up, helping them break contact.

"I see you have enough free time to pick on dead flowers." Commented Lord Damien who came to stand beside the slightly irritated Draven. "If you have enough free time then I need you to spare me a bit of that time, will you?"

"What do you want?"

"I think there’s about to be a change of history." Damien simply noted with folded arms, and when Draven knitted his eyebrow to show his lack of understanding on the matter, Damien’s eyes turned cryptic. "I cannot explain it in detail if that is what you expect, but I’ll need you to follow me to the orb room so you can see what I mean yourself."

"What nonsense are you saying to me?"

"Are you coming or not? Don’t waste my time, Draven, I still have to inform others." Damien’s sophisticated tone had Draven rolling his eyes to the back of his head before walking away with him, and they exited the garden.

Samantha, who remained at the balcony couldn’t help but feel worried the minute they left, as if something terrible was about to happen soon.

"Why does he keep staring at me like that?" She silently wondered.

—---

In the middle of the desolate domain of a dried forest, Ivan, who was dressed in a commoners cloak aimlessly wandered about in his human form. His fangs were hidden, and his eyes were as sparkling blue as the turquoise color of water. Adjusting his glasses against the bridge of his nose and fixing his cloak properly, the vampire Lord continued to wander through the forest with a purpose in mind.

He received a missive two days ago, informing him about where the hunters he was searching for would make a journey through during day break. Suspicious of their approach, he had to confirm with his guards if anyone would be taking this route on this particular day and time. A certain guard had notified him that a few of them would be taking the forest route to another kingdom to get the stocks and commodities that were essential from the city of Velleity, and then it clicked.

They were going to harm his guards again, but this time, Ivan had been prepared for them since he laid out the trap last night. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to test it since he had to return to his little lamb who was unwell, but it wasn’t the first time he was setting this kind of traps, and that assured him to a point that there would be no mistakes.

With each step, Ivan’s senses reached out, attuned to the faintest whispers or movement behind the trees or dried-up grasses. He could feel their presence, and when he inhaled the scent of their blood, he made a rough guess that they were about six of them heading towards his direction. A sly smile that could not be seen played on his lips when he realized they were closing in, but he kept moving, unguarded, and unarmed.

"Boss!" One of the fellow hunters who had positioned his bow and arrow, ready to strike at any incoming carriages, paused upon sighting a commoner in a black cloak suspiciously heading somewhere. "Boss! There’s someone here."

Caddel, who had joined his henchmen and was positioned in another direction, was thrown off guard by the voice of his entourage. Confused, he moved closer to see what his henchman was talking about, and truly, there was someone wandering in the forest. With his eyes narrowed, Caddel waited to have a good-look at the person’s face.

When the stranger slightly turned as if to look behind him, even in his human form, Caddel recognized him at first glance.

"The vampire Lord?!" His eyes widened as he breathed the name through his teeth, and the henchman who was beside him automatically froze since this is the first time he was laying eyes on the vampire Lord himself.

"The vampire Lord? Are you sure it’s him?? But what is he doing out here?"

"Boss, this is our chance to get rid of him!" One of his henchmen who found this an opportunity, had set his bow and arrow, aiming for Ivan’s back, but Caddel immediately stopped him.

"Lower your weapon. Nothing about his presence feels right." Caddel hissed, a look of contempt taking over brown eyes. "Why would a prince wander off in the forest with no guards? Remember, we’re not dealing with any type of vampire here, we must act–" before Caddel could finish, another henchman who was positioned at the top of a tree, already fired his arrow at Ivan who walked ahead.

"No! Dammit!" Caddel raised his voice.

Ivan, whose steps were purposeful, yet seemingly unaware of their pursuit, quietly relished on the moment when he would not only outsmart these hunters, but outmaneuver them. As if timed, the snap of a twig reached his acute ears, and he had narrowly escaped the arrow that had been masterfully aimed at him, because when he blinked, the arrow he recognized had hit a tree.

Caddel, who managed to stay still, hid himself when he noticed the vampire Lord had come to a stop, but rather than turning around and attacking them, he suddenly darted forward, his movements no longer those of a mere mortal cause in the next second, he was out of sight.

"Boss! He’s getting away!"

The hunters, caught off-guard by his sudden burst of swiftness, gave chase without hesitation. Their hearts pounded as they chased the running figure in a black cloak, each step bringing them closer to their quarry. Unbeknownst to them, Ivan expertly navigated the twisted paths of the forest, leading the hunters to a clearing.

Just as they drew near, another arrow was fired, forcing Ivan to come to a halt, and his arms were up in surrender.

"Hey! Turn around right now!" They commanded, and when Ivan slowly turned around, they met his blue eyes. "Don’t you think it is a crime to chase and harm a commoner? You could be punished for this."

"Cut with the crap!" One of the hunters spoke with hostility, already setting another arrow on his bow. "Drop to your knees! We know who you are, so don’t give us false claims. Drop! Now!"

"Fine, but don’t point that thing at me." Ivan clicked his tongue in distaste before dropping to his knees. His blue eyes shifted to Caddel who hadn’t uttered a word but kept staring, as if trying to uncover his hidden motive.

"Where are your guards?" Caddel questioned him, sounding demanding, and when Ivan didn’t respond, Caddel took the blade of the henchman closest to him and had it placed around Ivan’s neck, threatening to slice it off. "Where are your guards?"

"Over there." A smile played on Ivan’s lips, and the next thing they heard was the sound of horses galloping in their direction. Caddel’s one mistake was looking away from Ivan, cause when he did, it gave him the opportunity to reach for the chain hidden beneath the sand, and when he pulled it swiftly, releasing them from their hideout, all six men were suddenly wrapped in his spike-filled chains, and about ten guards surrounded them.

The spikes in the chain plunged into their skin, rendering them weak and trapped as they couldn’t even make the slightest effort to wiggle or break free. When they glanced at Ivan upon realizing his plans at the end of it, he had taken off his cloak, revealing his regal attire, and his crimson eyes were at their display.

Maurice, who was accompanied by Macho since Caddel insisted they meet here, immediately hid themselves behind one of the trees upon sighting the vampire Lord who now had his new friends trapped.