Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 121: A Game Of Chess

Chapter 121: A Game Of Chess

—--

"Is it mandatory for us to be there?" Ivan, who was rather skeptical about Abdiel’s decision, tore his gaze from the window of his carriage as he seemed mentally disturbed about something. Abdiel was currently going through some historical records and paperwork that concerned his brother’s last visit to Vesunard, but upon listening to the indecisiveness in Ivan’s question, he stopped in what he was doing so he could lift his indifferent stare to look at his nephew.

"Well... we do not have a choice now, do we?" Abdiel returned his attention to the paperwork, "not everyone in EmptyHollow knows you in person, you can blend in with the crowd with no one recognizing you. However, your name has labeled you with a bad reputation where as Eamon, who the people have seen and had a chance to interact with before his leave for Vesunard, has been quite famous till date. He will use that trick card to gain more favor during the court of public opinion, and you will fall balefully in front of him. Is that really what you want?"

"I understand what you’re trying to say to me." Ivan’s troubled gaze shifted to the window once again, looking out at the hills they passed by whilst venturing into the neighboring kingdom, but it was quite obvious he was staring at absolutely nothing, and then he said, "You know the circumstances in the Palace, and the woman I intend to get married to is in there, all by herself, and I have every right to be bothered. I would have made plans to bring her with me if you told me sooner we were going to Aunt’s place."

The worry in his voice had Abdiel blinking for a couple of stunned seconds, and he had studied Ivan quite well to know when the vampire Lord was genuinely concerned about the safety of someone else. Ivan simply leaned back against the headrest, and he was starting to feel anxious for no particular reason..... there was a reason actually, and that was leaving his little lamb to fend in a Palace filled with vampires! What was he thinking to not have taken her with him, regardless of where he thought they might be going?

"I honestly thought this was going to be a short trip." Ivan complained nevertheless, still irked that his uncle had only informed him about where they were going once they were out of the Palace, but at the same time, he understood why his uncle took that measured step.

"Listen Ivan, if you’re finding it difficult to make this journey, then we can always turn back this carriage if that is what you want, but then, you also have to forget about getting the throne." Abdiel suggested with an unsmiling demeanor, and his words definitely caught Ivan’s attention. "If we turn back now, there will be no time to settle this matter with your Aunt, Queen Lucinda, and you know very well what that means, don’t you? It’s either the throne, or you go back to that human girl."

Abdiel didn’t hesitate to lay out the consequences for Ivan who met his stare, but it was only for a brief moment. If there was another thing he despised after his brothers, it was getting to pick between two choices that challenged his inclination. With his lips pursed and eyebrows drawn, Ivan gave no response.

"I’ll take that silence as an answer." Abdiel ended the conversation there, with no further comments on the topic as he returned his focus to the history record in his hand.

After what felt like a long boring ride, their regal carriage eventually stopped at the grand entrance of Queen Lucinda’s Palace. Stepping down from the Carriage, Ivan’s eyes landed on the Palace he had only visited once as a child, and that was the day the ties between their kingdom and his Aunt’s kingdom were broken due to differences and arbitrariness between their kind.

The Palace stood tall, reflecting the opulence only a Queen could possess. It was intricately designed with towering spires adorned with intricate carvings of mythical creatures. There was nothing about the structure of the building that had changed, except that Queen Lucinda herself had personally shaped it up to her own preferable taste.

Well, they were here.

Glancing at Ivan, Abdiel gestured for the Prince to walk ahead of him, which he quietly complied to with a click of his tongue. As they approached the giant double doors, an average-looking man dressed in the outfit of a butler was waiting just right outside the door, and his wide-set eyes shook slightly before he stepped forward to greet them with a polite bow of his head.

"Queen Lucinda awaits your presence, follow me." The butler delved straight to the topic as he turned around to lead them inside. When the guards dressed in silver armory opened the giant doors for them, it revealed a grand reception hall that was lit by sparkling chandeliers.

Gilded mirrors lined the wall, reflecting the radiance of the room. As the butler led the two vampires across the hall, the lush red carpet beneath their feet stretched across the marble floor, and at the end of it was another door that was guarded by two silver armored guards.

"Inform the Queen of their presence." The butler said to one of the guards who glanced sneakily at the two vampires before acknowledging the butler and stepping into the room. He stepped out a few minutes later with permission from the Queen to let them in.

"Please, go in while I send for refreshment." The butler ushered them in. Ivan and Abdiel, who weren’t expecting this type of welcoming, exchanged troubled glances before stepping inside the room, and the door closed behind them.

When they moved deeper into the elegant spacious space, on the right side of the room was Queen Lucinda who sat on one of the couches that wasn’t too far from where her majestic throne was placed, and just merely glancing at the woman, revived the images of what Ivan remembered his Mother to look like.

Her ebony-black hair that shimmered in the light, cascaded down her back in elegant waves. She wore a gown of Midnight blue, adorned with intricate silver embroidery that reflected her status as royalty, but her piercing blue eyes, which appeared presently focused, did not move away from the chessboard in front of her. Unlike his Mother whose presence carried warmth and affability, his Mother’s sister, Queen Lucinda of the Agroven Kingdom, was the complete opposite of warmth, for her aura and humorless countenance reeked with a penetrating chill that even Ivan secretly shuddered from.

"What perfect timing." Lucinda’s voice echoed within the premises, but it lacked ardor. "I was just about to send for someone who I can indulge myself with in a game of chess, and then like a wrapped-up gift you’re here."

"Queen Lucinda.."

"Hold on," she stopped Abdiel with a raise of her finger. When she lifted her eyes from the chess board, they landed directly on Ivan who couldn’t decipher why she was staring at him with interest, whilst her lips curved into a slow indecipherable smirk.

"Join me." She said, gesturing at Ivan to take the seat beside her. "We can begin the reason for your visit while also seeing who is best at chess. I hope your families taught you well, for I won’t help someone who can easily be beaten in a mind game, and by that I mean, if you end up losing, you and your uncle will see yourselves out of my Palace." She offered a smile that didn’t reach her blue eyes.

Clearly, this meeting wasn’t going to end anytime soon.

—-

Back in the Royal Chevalier Palace, Samantha had been locked in the dungeon as ordered. When the guards left, leaving her alone under the scrutiny of the semi-darkness, Samantha’s weak knees sank to the ground upon finding herself back in a cell. Her experiences with cells never ended up great, and this might end up being her last experience cause nothing except death awaited her.

There is one thing she was yet to understand, and that was the orb sharing some sort of connection with her blood. Her identity was figured out due to the Orb room’s mysterious awakening, and that part of the story still doesn’t make sense to her. How did her blood awaken the Orb room? That was a one time mistake when she had touched the petal-shaped object out of impulse, and she had hurt herself due to her foolishness, but even then, she was so sure no one would figure it out.

They must be mistaken, maybe someone else must have gone there and is trying to implicate her. Her blood has nothing to do with this.... What if they come for her blood now? What if she’s been targeted? They’d drain her out!

Samantha could feel her hands turn clammy from sweat, and her heart drummed. Was it her fear?

The sound of approaching footsteps had Samantha regaining her posture, and when whoever it was stepped into view, Samantha wasn’t surprised to see it was Claire. Out of everyone in the world who would be happy to see her dead, the vampiress was at the top of the chart board. The sound of her footfalls clicked against the floor as she came to stand in front of Samantha’s cell, a smile plastering her lips to see Samantha in this condition.

"Aren’t you a brave little servant? But who’s behind the cells now?" Claire giggled tauntingly before adding, "I warned you did I not? And trust me when I say, I will personally make sure you meet your maker." She promised before turning her head to the side and showing Samantha the visible bite mark that was yet to fade.

"He did this to me because of you, and the craziest part of it all was that I never even touched you." To Samantha’s horror, she watched as Claire’s lips parted to reveal her fangs that had visibly elongated, looking ready to pierce at anything. "So why not allow me to return the favor."

"She is not your blood bank." A low deep voice resonated from the shadows within the same cell Samantha was confined in. The voice had Samantha jolting to the side in fear, but when the owner of that voice stepped out from the shadows where it watched them in silence, Samantha’s eyes momentarily widened when the flickering candles illuminated his face.

"I dare you to step inside this cell." Caddel challenged the princess.