Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 136: Similar Tragic Fate

Chapter 136: Similar Tragic Fate

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{Music recommendation; Ocean eyes by Unsecret string Quartet & Unsecret}

When the sun rose on a misty morning, Samantha stepped into the cobblestoned courtyard that had been fenced with imposing stone walls. Stealing infrequent glances at the maid who had brought her here, Samantha quietly followed behind her since she had been summoned by the Queen of Aragon herself, and she dared not arrive late. Every exhale of her breath was visible in the crisp air, and she had been grateful to herself for picking up the cozy sweater she had worn over her dress.

Venturing further in silence, Samantha’s eyes fell upon Queen Lucinda who was seated at a finely-crafted table, her expression poised and gutsy as she straightened herself against her seat. Despite the chill that emanated from the woman, her regal presence was seemingly unaffected by it. In her gloved hands was a small delicate porcelain teacup she had cradled, about two female servants stood behind her, and it was only then Samantha took note of the violinist who was in the middle of playing a sentimental tune for the Queen.

Heaving softly, Samantha moved closer to the Queen Lucinda who was yet to acknowledge her presence. Rather, she was gazing at the distance with an air of pensiveness.

"Your Majesty," Samantha dipped her head in a very low polite bow, and she would have gone lower if her back hadn’t reminded her of the lashes that were still yet to heal. "I was told you requested my presence, it is an honor to be before your line of sight." She praised in her own way, still keeping herself in that bowing posture til the Queen responds to her greeting.

Finally turning her head and letting her blue eyes settle on Samantha’s lithe figure, Lucinda acknowledged her presence with a subtle nod before gesturing for the young woman to take the empty seat. "Have a seat."

"I am fine standing, your Majesty."

"I insist that you must sit, or do you prefer I strain my eyes by having to look up all the time?" After Queen Lucinda’s firm persistence, Samantha, who felt slightly nervous to be in her presence, walked to the opposite side of where the vacant chair was placed, whilst she took her seat, but not after bowing her head in appreciation. Due to Lucinda’s request, Samantha reached for the teapot on the tray and carefully poured herself a cup of tea, the delicate aroma of peppermint and frost wafting around the quaint courtyard.

Queen Lucinda wasn’t someone who enjoyed the company of others, but seeing her having tea and listening to the violinist with a mere being, the two servants exchanged bewildered glances before regaining their composure. Their gazes drifted to Samantha whose hands trembled as picked up the porcelain cup to drink from it, and when she was done, she dropped it back on the table, using the back of her sleeves to wipe her mouth, an action both Lucinda and her servants found to be unlady-like.

"Thank you for having me in your Palace and inviting a servant like myself for tea. The courtyard is indeed a beautiful sight in the morning." Shivering slightly since it was still cold, Samantha’s air formed puffs of cloud as she uttered her gratitude in a soft tone. She was wearing a knitted sweater that could swallow her figure, and if Lucinda wanted to be honest, she never expected Ivan to be interested in such women that appeared weak, and somehow, it reminded her of her own sister.

"How is the wound on your back?" Lucinda questioned in a tone that sounded whimsical, returning her mind to the present, and Samantha who hadn’t expected her to notice or ask about her injury, could feel a slight smile creep on her lips as she lowered her head once more.

"Thanks to the kindness you have shown me, I feel a lot better." She answered.

The two women sat in a companionable silence for a while, the courtyard filled with nothing except the melodious tune that came from the violin that was being played. It was rather obvious that the Queen was engrossed in the melody, and Samantha also found her nerves calming as she began to pay attention to the rhythm of the song, with no disturbances, and when the violinist finally ended, the distant sound of birds chirping could be heard. Samantha secretly wished the violinist would continue as his tune was sending inexplicable soothing to her heart.

"Don’t you find it queer that I had asked you to join me for tea?" Queen Lucinda, whose attention reverted back to Samantha, asked as she took yet another sip from her porcelain teacup before placing it back on the saucer. "Last night I had trouble accepting a young woman whom I haven’t familiarized myself with in the Palace, but after seeing Ivan’s unusual display of affection for you, I had second thoughts, but don’t mistake my interest for benevolence."

"If Lord Ivan believes you are kind to the heart, then I do not see reasons why I have to be concerned." Samantha answered politely while fixing her stare on her teacup. "If you wanted, you could have refused my stay in your kingdom, Lord Ivan has no say in that matter since the ball is legally in your court... but you didn’t do that, and that has left me indebted to you, Your Majesty." There was a brief silence that had been exchanged between them, whilst Lucinda flicked her hand so her servants, who stood listening could excuse them.

"Do you stay in the Chevalier Palace? What are you to Ivan?" Queen Lucinda, who was still piqued by the strange unfamiliar lady, demanded with her eyes narrowed in an inquiring manner. She never believed it would be possible for Ivan to interest himself with not even a fellow vampiress, but a human, and she was going to use this human to gain the insight of the Palace.

Samantha, who had been rendered speechless, had been planning to state herself as Ivan’s servant, but before the word could leave her lips, she automatically stopped. It didn’t feel right answering the Queen only to state herself as her servant, but then a certain magical word creeped into her head.

’You are mine, and that is no position a servant would ever hold to me’ his voice when he had uttered this particular phrase, she could still remember it in her head. It was luring, sounding honeyed almost as if ready to deceive her, but when she tried to mention the word servant to Queen Lucinda, her mouth could not bring herself to say it. Rather, it sounded like she would be making a wrong move if she dared to say something like that.

"I am his...bride." Samantha said instead, and she could feel her heart swell as though she just stated something true. If she wasn’t fixating her attention elsewhere, without a doubt, the Queen would have caught her blushing for no reason.

"His bride?" Lucinda’s voice was laced with a hint of amusement, and she leaned back on her seat. "Are you aware of Ivan’s reputation? Needless to say, being his bride could also mean you’ve been staying in the Palace with him." She paused, then continued. "The lashes on your back, I know the signs of public humiliation when I see one. Someone from the royals did it to you, didn’t they? You’re being controlled, harassed, and you still want to involve yourself in a family like that? Not very wise for a human."

"The Royal Chevalier family are cruel." Samantha admitted without hesitation, but then warmth returned to her emerald green eyes. "Lord Ivan can be cruel at times, it can be misleading when one sees him take actions, but... he’s not a bad person at heart. He’s shockingly different from his family, he’s considerate enough to provide for the land by forging alliances, and I do believe he will make a good ruler if given the chance."

"Ivan is surrounded by a pack of power-hungry vampires." Lucinda reminded her. "They will do anything to gain what they want, they do not care about the life of others, and if you proceed to go through with this, those lashes won’t be the only treatment you receive."

"It may sound unbelievable but Lord Ivan has come to my aid many times, some I cannot remember, and some are ones that I hold dearest to me." Samantha looked down at her fingers which she had subconsciously interlaced. "EmptyHollow won’t be safe for anyone if Lord Ivan’s brother’s got their hands on the throne– they are the main culprits! And the court of public opinion might make a decision soon. Ivan and I share a similar tragic fate, but I believe one of us deserves to be happy."

"What fate?"

"A fate that makes me see the good that I’ve been blinded to." She answered softly, her voice portraying emotions that only piqued Lucinda’s interest. Mustering the courage, Samantha took a deep breath and said. "I know I have no right to ask you for this but, is... is there any way you can help him keep his name? I have not been able to stop myself from worrying, I have tried but I am genuinely worried to death so please... I.. I was wondering if... if you could come with me to the Chevalier Palace and help him."

Samantha requested with pleading doe eyes.

—--

Sitting in the drawing room amidst his brothers, Hadrian had ordered a servant to get him some fermented blood drink. When the servant, who happened to be Lucy returned with a tray of blood drink, she handed it to the three Princes, whilst hiding her disgust for all of them.

"How’s Ivan doing?" Emeric had asked Eamon who appeared to be deep in thoughts, and he added. "Did you see? The Orbs last particle had successfully turned Ivan into part Demon, and he currently possesses the power you’ve always wanted. With the Orb gone, how do you intend to gain the shard of Orb?"

"We will find the Orb." Eamon announced as he sat up properly on his seat, his crimson eyes glinting with a shrewd ambition. "I’ll find the Orb once I find that girl..." he said to no one in particular before rising to his feet. "Assemble a few guards for me, I don’t know where Ivan must have hid her, but once I find that woman who possesses the pure powers of the Orb, she can lead me to the Green Orb. Let’s go!"