Kissing Hellfire: Marry Me, Evil Lord
Chapter 187: Good News

Chapter 187: Good News

"Is she human?" Lauren asked about the baby.

"I suppose she is. Most residents in the north district are humans. Her irises don’t have red linings so she cannot be a vampire," Edith replied.

"If she’s a human, she will be easier to take care of," Lauren said, glancing at Alec.

Mage children need a lot of supervision since they might end up misusing magic, which is why they need to be taught properly at an early age. In some cases, mage babies with innate gifts had a hard time dealing with their abilities and end up hurting people unconsciously. Vampire children, on the other hand, were much work—they couldn’t be apart from their biological mothers for long because only their mothers could tame their undocile nature.

"Fine, then. Let the child stay," Alec finally agreed.

Edith’s face lit up. "Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty."

Lauren smiled, her face showing more enthusiasm than anyone else at the table. "Do you have her name? If not, you should give her one now."

"I can’t decide, Queen Lauren. Giving names to people is not one of my expertise," answered Edith in a diplomatic tone.

"How about you give her one, Your Majesty? For sure it will bless the child with a good future if a queen like you named her." Julian grinned.

Lauren was suddenly thrilled by the idea of giving a child a name because she had never done it before. However, Alec cleared his throat, interrupting her little bubble before she could come up with a suitable name.

"Why don’t we eat first and discuss important matters before giving the child a name?"

All three—Edith, Julian, and Colton sat straight, their faces serious as they turned to the king. Lauren sighed subtly when she noticed that the dining hall had become nothing less than a meeting room.

"I stopped investigating Lady Jennifer Haystone’s death as you have commanded, Your Majesty," Colton started, his voice was steely smooth just like how a royal subject should talk to his king. He was sitting ramrod straight on his seat, unmoving as stone. "I also brought good news."

Alec wiped his lips with a napkin. "And what good news is that?"

"I caught Jasper Owens and he is in the dungeon right now."

Lauren’s eyes widened. "Is that true?"

Colton turned to her and replied with a simple "yes", and she suddenly felt triumphant. With Jasper Owens in their hands, they could finally have someone to force to spill things about the rebels. She had also been waiting for the time when she could finally wrap her fingers around Jasper’s neck. Her stepmother still had a big debt to pay, and that’s what she needed Jasper for. She didn’t want to extend her life by sucking people’s lives, yes, but that didn’t mean she was planning to become a saint. She hadn’t forgotten what Thalia owed her, nor did she plan to spare anyone who dared cross her.

"It was Julian and I who were tracking Jasper Owens, but we had to stop by the north district to help the people, so I told Colton in a missive about the latest lead we had," Edith said.

"My men cornered him two villages down north district. He was with a group of vampires, and my men and I had to fight them. I suppose he was there to meet someone, but when I had the village searched before we left, we found nothing suspicious." Colton seemed puzzled. "Perhaps he was only passing by the village and was off somewhere else."

"We won’t be sure unless we ask him," Alec said calmly as he sipped some wine. "Where are you going?" he asked when Lauren stood up from the table first.

"Shouldn’t we go see him now?"

He eyed her sharply. "You haven’t even touched your plate yet and you are leaving the table? You eat first, Lauren," he demanded, releasing full authority in his voice.

"The king is right, Your Majesty. You should finish breakfast first. You look thinner than the last time I saw you," Julian seconded, which put Lauren back on her seat, the set of her lips showing her disapproval.

She just didn’t say anything and ate without tasting the food. She didn’t want to push Alec’s buttons today, not when something good happened.

Alec had stopped eating and only drank wine while watching her as if he needed to make sure that she wouldn’t waste a single bite on her plate or else he’d shove it down her throat.

The three ate with her silently. Colton seemed to be non-existent on his seat, his silver cutlery barely making any noise because of how gracefully he moved; Edith only spoke when asked, her subtle facial expression suggesting that she wasn’t comfortable at the table for some reason; and there was Julian, who seemed the most normal among the three. Unlike the first time he met Alec, he didn’t seem bothered by his presence now and was almost nonchalant about it. Though every time he glanced at Lauren’s way, she knew he had something to say but chose to hold his words, probably because he wanted to talk to her casually and it would be inappropriate—in the eyes of the people around them at least.

Edith was the first one to leave the table. She brought the baby with her. Julian followed her and carried the baby’s basket even when she told him she could do it herself. Colton left shortly after the two, saying that he needed to check his horse in the stable because it seemed to be in bad condition after long hours of travel.

Lauren rolled her eyes at Alec when she shoved her last bite into her mouth. She couldn’t believe he actually stared at her the whole time she was eating.

"Do you enjoy watching people eat now? What’s that? A new hobby of yours?" She shook her head and grabbed the glass of water. She drank half of it. She needed the water to wash away the bitter taste from her mouth.

"Why are you upset with a trivial matter? Your body needs proper nutrition. Are you tired of the taste of human food?" he smirked. "If only you weren’t a mage, I would have offered to turn you into a vampire so you’d have a change of diet."

"No, thanks." Unfortunately, the rusty scent of blood wasn’t something she liked. But perhaps vampires smell blood differently, otherwise, why would it be their primary food.

Alec held her close when they descended the stairs leading to the caste’s dungeon. The guard standing by the door of Jasper’s cell immediately took the chain off the steel bar door. Lauren’s face turned hard at the sight of Jasper Owens shackled to the wall of the narrow and dirty cell. He wore a tattered gray linen shirt with stains of blood, and his damp hair was disheveled. He was unconscious for the first several seconds since they entered the cell, but he was easily woken by Alec’s voice.

"I wish I could say it’s nice meeting you again, Mr. Owens, but unfortunately, that is far from the case."

Jasper raised his head, eyes wide open. His gaze went to Alec’s and then to Lauren’s. His jaw clenched angrily at the realization that he was in the enemy’s den, shackled and defenseless.

He bared his teeth, snarling. "All of you will die for this!"

Alec’s sardonic bark of laughter echoed in the cell. "For a pathetic prisoner, you have the guts to throw that kind of threat. I don’t know if you are acting brave or stupid, but if you think there is a way for you to escape this shithole," his eyes turned crimson as he shook his head once, "Of course there is a way. I can even lead you there." His tone was calm, kind even, but one would be a fool to take Alec Everston’s kind words literally.

"The king of hell will be pleased to see you for sure," he added and Lauren knew it was what he really meant.

She glowered at Jasper, her lips pursed tight. No one knew how much she wanted to dig her monstrous claws into his neck after what he did at Haystone’s tea party. He and Jennifer created a huge mess that led to the deaths of several people.

"I thought you were under the protection of your powerful master? Why were you suddenly caught?" She found it a little odd. According to Colton, Jasper was only with a few men. What was he doing two villages down the north district? Could it be that it was also him who corrupted the humans in the north district? The possibility sent her seething.

"Why would I tell you?" Jasper mocked as if submitting to her whims was the last thing he would do. "I’ll say nothing. Just kill me."

"I don’t think killing you easily would be fun, though." The corner of her lips pulled up, the wickedness in her eyes speaking volumes. "What do you say about torturing your dear sister in front of you? You must have forgotten that Thalia is still my prisoner, Mr. Owens."