Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 95: Test Of Loyalty

Chapter 95: Test Of Loyalty

Making her way past the pillars and into the garden, Samantha took notice of the garden’s peaceful tranquility and stopped in her gait. There was no one around, but when her eyes moved to the gazebo at the center of the garden, there sat the high Queen Carina who was elegantly sipping something from her porcelain cup, and her piercing eyes were fixed at something ahead, but Samantha knew she must be disturbingly preoccupied with what has happened recently since her return.

The vampiress had an aura that was almost too formidable to miss.

"Here goes." She breathed.

Gathering her courage since she knew there was no point backing out, Samantha found the strength that pushed her limbs to approach where Queen Carina, the powerful vampiress sat, and she came to stand in front of her.

"They say the Queen who keeps her head high is the strength of a Kingdom, it is an honor to be before your presence, My Queen." Samantha greeted with a respectable bow, keeping her steady resolve intact, and she didn’t dare raise her head or shift in her posture until she heard Queen Carina speak in an unwavering tone.

"Have a seat." She gestured for Samantha to take the vacant seat in front of her table, and it was only after her second persistence did Samantha finally sit down, but her heart continuously drummed with an unceasingly queasiness as she looked at her hands resting on her lap.

"Care for some tea?" Carina offered in a mundane tone, whilst Samantha shook her head before smiling slightly, yet it displayed her anxiety.

"Thank you for your concern, My Queen, but I am fine." She politely declined.

Meanwhile, Carina’s hazel eyes looked at the maiden from head to toe with disquisitive arrogance. She couldn’t deny that the maid was actually cute, but then she was still a lowly servant, one with an unfortunate background if she wishes to add.

Dropping her cup on the table with a gentle ’click!’ Carina crossed her legs and asked out of self-interest. "How old are you?"

"I’m twenty one."

"How and when did you meet Lord Ivan? Considering the fact he has decided to make you his bride out of the blue is stirring utter chaos which you are very much aware of." Carina asserted with a straight face, "my objection to his decision won’t change, but I need to know how much your worth will be to the Kingdom, and technically speaking, I need to understand what Ivan sees in a maid that he has chosen to make her his bride." Her eyebrows relentlessly twitched.

"Who are you?"

Samantha, who had been left mute by this could feel her hands clutch against the fabric of her dress for comfort. She blinked spontaneously without daring to lift her head up, and she had no idea how to respond since she herself is clueless of what the vampire Lord actually saw in her, and she wasn’t brave enough to say all the things Ivan had told her. Well, he was keeping her here because he thinks she can help him find the mystic orb, and that he is interested in her blood too, but of course, she couldn’t possibly tell the Queen all of that.... could she?

"My Queen." Samantha began after taking a deep breath, "I was a Courtesan slave who was about to get sold by my Madame, but it was a sudden twist of faith when Lord Ivan decided to have me as his blood servant instead. I have been fulfilling my duties as one, I visibly have a mark to prove it, but am I wrong to say that it is normal for humans to catch feelings and fall in love? Be it with a beggar, slave or servant?" She inquired with considerable daring, and the corner of Carina’s lips twisted in contempt.

"You said humans my dear, ’humans!’ so such piddling emotions should stick with humans alone, not vampires." She fired back, sounding rather pragmatic about their discussion, "in our society, for our kind, we have rules to follow and obligations to meet. Ivan you see here has a lot of obligations to fulfill if he wants the throne, and yet he is out to break all of them, the worst of all, is bringing a human servant as a bride when he is a vampire Prince!"

"But he is human too."

"Yet he has the blood of a vampire flowing through his veins, he is part of the Royal Chevalier bloodline, that makes him a vampire, so you my dear, must step back and not get involved with matters that concern the royal family," Carina simply warned, her voice dripping with hauteur as something sinister flashed in her eyes, "....or else, you will encounter problems - problems that will do you no good but bring you excruciating pain, so why not take the chance when you still have time and refuse his offer of marriage?"

Carina was clearly not done, and Samantha could feel the air around them grow tense. Queen Carina was by far more intimidating, and more persistent in her desire to make her refuse Lord Ivan’s proposal that isn’t an actual proposal. It was starting to make Samantha wonder if all this was really worth risking her life for.

"Lord Ivan is not a good man." Queen Carina suddenly added as she leaned back against her seat. "Yes, he has made many achievements, he has kept EmptyHollow protected for as long as he could, but I hope you realize the amount of bloodshed he has caused on innocent lives? You are playing with something dangerous and you’re too naive to open your eyes and see that. The throne he wishes to sit upon belongs to my oldest son, Eamon. This is a battle of rights, and dragging yourself into this war will put your life in grave danger, cause when my son returns with the evidence that proves Ivan doesn’t belong to the throne, there will be a serious problem for all of you."

"I... I cannot accept," Samantha declined apologetically, "it will ruin his reputation if I choose to act out of my own selfishness, My Queen."

"Stubborn one you are, aren’t you?" Carina’s red lips subtly curled into a cold smirk, and then she said. "That means you must be more than ready to also fulfill the duties that come with being an upcoming bride to a vampire Lord, so let us test your loyalty to my step-son since that is what you intend to prove to me."

Samantha, who could sense the alarm signals dripping from Carina’s words, almost forgot how to breathe when a knife was placed on the table in front of them. "To test a human’s loyalty, it is required for that human to slash his/her wrist and fill this little porcelain cup with their blood. Ivan must have told you about this important ritual, right?"

"W...what?" Samantha’s eyes snapped wide as her hands clutched her dress in apprehension, to the point she nearly lifted her gaze to look at Carina. She wanted to confirm if the Queen was really being serious about the ritual or just trying to jolt a specific reaction out of her, and unfortunately, she couldn’t dare look at the Queen’s face.

Carina, who sensed the maiden’s silent panic and assumed she had gotten Samantha right under her palm, decided to make an interesting request. "If you’re unwilling, I will not force you, but then how about I make a request? All I need you to do is show up at the royal court and publicly end your union with my step-son, in return, I will return you to your family and make sure you get back home to your parents. You must have a wish to fulfill don’t you? Speak, and I shall grant them as long as you’ve chosen to leave Ivan alone."

"But I have no home, My Queen." Samantha reminded Carina in a mild tone, playing safe. "The wish I have cannot be fulfilled, unless it is possible to bring back the dead, asides that, I have no other wish."

"I’ve heard about your countless attempts to escape from the Palace." Carina hinted, "If you agree, then I shall help you gain your freedom. I can take you somewhere far away from here, and you will be rewarded immensely for your cooperation. All you have to do is say yes to my condition, or you prove your loyalty to my step-son, right here, and right now.``

Samantha closed her eyes to think about the situation. She might be a stupid person, but if there is one thing her miserable life had taught her was to trust nobody. She didn’t believe the Queen would do exactly as she says if she agreed, and Samantha knew she’d be making a big mistake by accepting it too. Either one she chooses will eventually lead to her death at the end of it, so there really wasn’t any use switching to the wrong path.

What she was more worried about was her blood.

Lord Ivan already took her blood last night, and if she gives out more when she is yet to gain more blood in her system, her health could suffer in return.

"I cannot accept." Samantha surprised herself with her own refusal, whilst the Queen had a mocking sneer on her lips as she pushed the blade forward for Samantha to take.

"Then the knife is all yours, what good timing, I just emptied my cup. Start filling."