Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 142: After The Coronation

Chapter 142: After The Coronation

Samantha had been thinking more about what that hunter had told her, but due to the unfavorable occurrence in the Palace, it had limited her from finding time to see the hunter again, moreover, she never expected to still find herself alive at the end of it. She had assumed her worst possible death which fortunately, didn’t happen thanks to Lord Ivan’s constant intervention.

In order to repay her debt to him, she decided after much thinking that once she helps Lord Ivan get what rightfully belonged to him, she would visit the hunter so he can tell her where exactly her brother was, and once she finds him, they would both leave EmptyHollow, whilst she’ll have to forget about everything, leaving her memories of EmptyHollow behind her and continue on with her life, in a new place, away from the haunted memories.

"Will you let me go?" She asked in a tender whisper, sounding more dolorous this time around.

Ivan, who listened to the request he hadn’t expected to hear, was immediately lost for words. His expression dropped glumly at her decision to leave him, and he wanted to refuse it, he really wanted to refuse it, but the way her doe eyes kept begging him to accept, Ivan still couldn’t bring himself to say it as he turned away from her, looking away from her eyes so he wouldn’t have to say what he didn’t mean.

"Is your brother alive?" He asked instead, and Samantha bobbed her head in response before moving to stand in his line of sight, and he probed further. "How do you know?"

"The... The hunter told me." Samantha stammered a bit, lowering her gaze as she revealed it all to Ivan. "He has seen my brother, he knows where Maurice is and... and all I have to do is just ask him about his whereabouts, I’m certain he’ll tell me where I can find Maurice."

"And you’re going to trust the words of a hunter who played tricks to get into the Palace?"

"He... he’s not a bad person." Samantha said to Ivan, meeting his judgemental gaze. "The princess had me locked in the dungeon, and the cell I was forced to stay in, he was there too, and he told me everything I needed to know about Maurice. All the while we had a conversation, I never brought up Maurice, he told me about my brother himself so how can I not trust that he’s saying the truth. I believe him."

"I’ve heard." Ivan swiftly ended her explanation with those sentences, and Samantha obediently kept quiet. Ivan cryptically contemplated what he had heard, but his main reason for keeping her shut was because he didn’t like how she defended another man in front of him. Regardless of his brewing jealousy, he was also concerned about her safety and wouldn’t let her fall into the trap of any other person, not anymore, and then he said.

"If your brother is still alive as you say, then I will find him for you. I don’t want you to get involved with that hunter. If finding your brother is the case then you should not worry about it, I’ll make sure to find him and bring him to you."

"You do not have to do that," Samantha shook her head, declining his willingness to help. "I want to find him myself. You have done enough for me, you’ve saved my life multiple times and because of you, I wasn’t flogged to death. I appreciate all you’ve done for me till date and I want to continue on this journey alone, I want–"

"Are you worried that your brother will hate me like you once did?" He asked, causing Samantha to blink at him in slight surprise. "Are you worried that if he sees me, he’s going to try to kill me, and in the process I might kill him?" Ivan inquired with a questioning eyebrow, and her hesitation to respond didn’t go unnoticed.

"W– well, I... that wasn’t..."

"If you’re concerned about the fact that I might hurt him, then you don’t have to be. I won’t lay a finger on him even if he stabbed me, but it won’t be because I don’t want to, but it’s because you don’t want to see him get hurt, and that is something I’ll keep in mind." He assured the speechless Samantha before holding her hand, "I will do anything you ask of me, but I’m not going to let you leave, not now, not ever."

His endearing tone that blended fluently with his velvety voice had left Samantha feeling a strange tingle that no words could express. Unable to hide how flustered he made her feel, she asked with uncertainty in her eyes. "Why... Why have you been nice to me? I don’t under–"

"Ivan." Hearing Abdiel’s voice sounding from a corner like he was approaching this part of the Palace, Samantha quickly pulled away from Ivan, maintaining a good distance. Abdiel stood a few meters away from them, and he beckoned Ivan over with a positive gleam in his facial expression. "Come, you’ll need to say a few words to your people before they take their leave. You wouldn’t want them to return when the day gets darker. The night is still dangerous."

Informing Ivan that he still had people waiting for him, the vampire Lord glanced at Samantha who remained rooted at her spot. Knowing she wasn’t going to leave here, Ivan gestured for the young woman to walk ahead before he followed behind.

Returning to the Throne room, Ivan made his way to the front where the Kingdom’s advisor stood waiting. The four Lords were engaging in their own conversation when Ivan stepped in, and after the Kingdom’s advisor had uttered a few words of gratitude to the crowds, thanking them for their contribution, he ushered Ivan to stand on the platform so he could address his people.

"Citizens of EmptyHollow." He began, his voice low and captivating to the audience. "Today, you have honored me with the most humbling gift, and to be sincere, it was one I hadn’t expected. By choosing me as your king, you have placed your faith in a creature born of darkness. But rest assured, I am no monster." Ivan’s voice held a bit of vulnerability as he looked over at the gathered crowds with a sense of longing, and he declared with all sincerity.

"On this auspicious day, I vow to bring a new era to EmptyHollow, cause with or without the Orb, we shall continue to live without being dependent on what has caused the dividends of our Kingdom. Conversely, I plan to mend the division between our realms, and so, I invite each one of you, from the lowliest of farmers to the esteemed scholars to witness the dawn of a new era. Join me, my people, on the night of the approaching full red moon, also known as the blood moon. Under the starry skies where my coronation shall take place, I endeavor to see each one of you there."

By this time, even the servants had joined in, and Lucy went to stand beside Samantha whose face brightened upon seeing Lucy, and they watched Ivan say his heartfelt speech to the people of EmptyHollow.

When he was done, Abdiel’s voice rang out. "All hail, King Ivan!"

"All hail! King Ivan!"

The crowds followed with genuine admiration as Ivan stepped down from the platform. When he got to Draven whose smile held a different contrast with his eyes, Ivan politely received Draven’s hand, but then he leaned closer as if giving him a hug, only to whisper.

"Your cup hasn’t been filled yet, but I advise you to watch your back. You never know where I might strike from?" Ivan’s voice was laced with a tinge of danger as he warned Draven with a smile.

Pulling back to meet Draven’s eyes, Ivan gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before turning around to exit the throne room. Queen Lucinda walked beside him as she followed him out, and a smile curved his lips.

"You surprised me."

"I guess that makes us even. A quick reminder though, don’t make me regret choosing you. I will be seeing you later." She took a different corner that led her to the Palace exit, and Ivan took the left corner that would lead him to his Chambers.

Later in the evening, Samantha showed up in Ivan’s chamber, and when she found him busily getting dressed like he had somewhere important to be, she noticed his high collars were slightly bent at the edge, and although he was facing a mirror, he still didn’t notice it.

Shaking her head at his ignorance, Samantha came to stand in front of Ivan, and without asking, she moved closer to adjust his collar for him. "You need to be more attentive, no other servant will be able to tolerate your demands the way I did. That is if you get one."

"Hmm... how wrong of me to think I was pampering you back then." Taking hold of her wrist, Ivan pulled her against him, and Samantha’s breath hitched when she felt his other hand below her waist side, close to her hips, and he pulled her closer till there was no gap left between them.

"You smell nice," he complimented, whispering it into her hair before moving her hair aside and exposing her alluring neck. Before his fangs could sink in, he heard her ask.

"When is the blood moon?"

"Two days from now, why?"

"After your coronation, you have to let me go."