Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 87: Tales Of The Night - 2

Chapter 87: Tales Of The Night - 2

Samantha noticed the slight pause in his voice when he uttered the last sentence. She turned her head ever-so-slightly so she could look at him, wondering if he was alright since he had abruptly stopped talking without any warning, but she paused in her movement when she heard him say.

"Don’t turn." He ordered, whilst she obeyed before her mind could even process the urgency in his voice.

Closing his eyes as the weight of his past was starting to exhaust him, Ivan let out a weary breath as he let his body relax against his little lamb. With the back of their heads touching, Samantha couldn’t bring herself to disrupt his moment of quietude, but before she could comment on that last phrase he made, he continued.

"No one believed I could rule a kingdom, no one except for my Mother, Queen Silvia." The soft tone of his voice drifted with the wind as the cool breeze blew some strands of his hair to his face. "My Father had his faith in me, but he didn’t trust that I would be able to handle it as a human. When he died, my brothers had the upper-hand against me, they were more powerful, they had the pure-blood of a royal Chevalier vampire running through their veins, they trained day and night while I... I on the other hand was confined to my Chambers, reading endless books, memoirs, Palace papers, learning the responsibilities that I would have to face once I become King, I was merely a tool in the eyes of the royal court. They didn’t make me feel among, they felt I was unworthy of it, and I was weak compared to everyone else, my human visions were weak, so I got stuck with glasses for as long as I can remember, it’s a habit that I can’t throw away, which is why you see me using my human vision from time to time, I grew up with those eyes."

"Then what happens after you awaken your powers?" The curious Samantha inquired, and she heard him chuckle softly, almost bitterly.

"My brothers did something terrible to me one night, don’t expect me to tell you the details, but it was a horrifying experience for me. I thought I was going to die that night, the night where a tiny piece of the green orb was implanted straight in my heart. I was prepared to die, just like you I wanted to escape, but when I woke up from my coma, my powers had been awakened. It was the first time I woke up to see I had possessed the same crimson eyes as the ones my Father always wished to see I have, but he was dead at that time. I kept my abilities a secret when I learned I could switch, my brothers were disappointed at my recovery, and I had a good time ignoring them, but everything changed when my Mother died the night after my powers were awakened, I never got the chance to tell her, but when she got ridiculed and humiliated before the court, when she got denied the right to have a proper burial, I lost my senses, I became different, heartless, but I don’t regret it. I killed, I drained the blood of my own kind, they called me a maniac, I even had to visit some therapists, not even my Grandmother was happy with what I had become, but I liked it."

He let out another sigh, "I won’t allow myself to be pressured the same way my Father was, and there are too many scores I wish to settle." He turned his head slightly to the side, "it’s your turn, you have to tell me about your pain."

Samantha, who realized he had brought her matter up, could feel a tiny sting in her heart, but since he already told her a little of his pain, it would be wrong to not do the same.

"My Mother died when I was only nine," she began, "during that time she had been fighting an incurable illness till she no longer had the strength to stay alive. Maurice was only six, and due to GreenHollow’s catastrophe, surviving had not been easy for us. My Father had a small farm that was still fertile, and during the warm season, he would buy seeds of what he knew would turn out scarce in our village, and in early autumn we begin harvest and sell them to other neighboring villages."

A solitary smile graced her lips, "sometimes we were lucky during the harvest, and sometimes, we were not. It was so serious I had to stop my education so Maurice could continue. In our village, the people believed that a woman will end up married and become a housewife, so education wasn’t really necessary for a girl child, it was only a bonus, but my Father thought differently, the only issue was, he didn’t have the money to cater for our fees and then the house too. I was willing to sacrifice that dream for my brother. He needed that education more than I ever did. I believed he was going to make my Father and I proud of him, so I did door-to-door housecleaning to earn some money. I never really complained to be honest, I was happy doing it as long as I knew my family benefited from it, I would end up being a housewife anyway, at least that was what I thought until.... My ill-struck fate decided to intervene."

Ivan knew she didn’t want to say it directly, but he knew she was referring to the day when he visited her home with the news of what her Father had done. He knew he was a monster at that time, emotions had become a leech that irritated him back then, but for the first time, he wasn’t prompted to kill her Father at all. When she begged for her Father’s mercy, a strange feeling tugged him deep in the chest. She was a pathetic little lamb, he had uttered to himself that day, but still, he wasn’t driven to end either of them as if he knew she was telling the truth.

Apart from suspecting how her words affected him, he knew the higher-ups would show up soon to end the traitor that committed treason. He couldn’t save her Father from his fate, but since he could still save his children, he had asked her to run with her brother, he wanted them to leave the house before the higher-ups showed up, and if they hadn’t listened, she wouldn’t be here talking to him right now.

"Where are the children?" One of the higher-ups from Vesunard inquired after a thorough search had been made in the wrecked cottage. "I heard he has two children, where are they?! Their Father committed treason, and as per the rules, the children must all pay for their Father’s actions."

"I don’t know where they are." He clipped coldly, whilst minding his manners since he couldn’t mess with a powerful higher-up vampire.

"You don’t know? How strange?" The man’s intimidating crimson eyes searched into the eyes of Ivan. "We can’t have you ruling a kingdom if you’re going to be so soft-hearted Ivan, find those children, and do justice to your Father’s death. This is why nothing good comes with working with humans, did you find the mystic orb?"

"I didn’t."

"Then I guess Mr Dufort has to answer some questions before he dies. I shall take him with me, you on the other hand, focus on finding those children, and the Orb." After saying this strictly, the higher-ups excused himself from the cottage, whilst taking Me Dufort into the carriage as he was whisked away.

"Lord Ivan?"

"Hmm?" Blinking his way into the present, Ivan could hear her say. "Why did you kill those men?"

"Who?"

"The slave traders."

"Are you feeling bad?"

"No. I just, everything I said earlier was out of my own emotions, I..... didn’t mean it."

"You did mean it." Ivan corrected, but not harshly, if Samantha were to think otherwise, he sounded like he was sympathizing with her. "It’s okay to mean the most terrible things, you’re human after all, it’s part of your nature, but you don’t need to get their blood on your hands, just tell me what you want to do, and I’ll carry the sins for you."

"W..what?" Samantha had whispered in disbelief, "what do you mean by that, Lord Ivan?" When he no longer responded, Samantha came to the conclusion that he might have fallen asleep. Her heart raced when those words repeated in her ear, but it raced in a good way.

Knowing it had been a long time since he slept, Samantha stayed still so he wouldn’t wake up from his slumbers, whilst a small smile curved her lips till she closed her eyes.

—---------------

When the morning sun rays kissed her face, Samantha’s lashes fluttered from the effect before opening her eyes. She was laying on the ground this time, and the cloak had been used as a duvet to cover her small frame from the cold. Did Ivan do this?

Sitting up, she looked left and right as if hoping to spot him around, but the only thing present was the sight of his steed that rested behind one of the trees, and that only means he hadn’t left. Samantha didn’t know why, but her heart eased at the thought.

"Where did he go?" Standing up on her own two feet, she wrapped the cloak around herself and went to look for him. She hadn’t gone that far when she saw his figure approaching from where the cliff was located, and he was dusting off traces of dust on his arm when he caught her gaze.

"Little Lamb, you’re finally awake."

"Good morning." She bowed her head in greetings, and he came to stand in front of her. "Good thing you’re awake, it’s about time we leave before people show up and find us here. Fake rumors spread easier than the truth."

"But... where did you go?"

"Ah....yes, does this look familiar to you?" Reaching for his pocket, he brought out a simple-looking locket that had a green pendant dangling at the center. "I found it while going through the ruins, but I guess it belongs to you?"

Staring at the pendant for some seconds, Samantha’s eyes shook when the familiarity of the pendant made her snatch it from Ivan’s grip. It looked exactly like the type she had given Maurice.

Opening the pendant, the inside was empty, but she couldn’t have mistaken it. "It belonged to Maurice."

"I guessed it right then, come." Walking past her before she had the chance to question him on how he knew, Samantha was forced to stay silent as she quietly followed him back.

Neither of them were aware of what awaited them in the Palace.