Kissing Hellfire: Marry Me, Evil Lord
Chapter 31: Husband’s Duty

Chapter 31: Husband’s Duty

Lauren’s jaw tightened, her tongue aching for rebuttal. But as much as she wanted to show her contempt for Alec’s words, she was reminded of her desperate move. She did sell herself to have a deal with him, foolishly ignoring that she was dealing with the devil himself and putting her life at the tip of his fingers.

"But I believe you should not put it that way, milord. I did tell you I can offer you everything I have, but calling me your possession like I’m a mere object is a little too much."

"Why do you think so? Giving you my name is giving you power, a foothold in your family that you want so much."

"And I promised I shall give you the king’s throne in return."

His lips curled, giving her a mocking look.

"You seriously believed I accepted your offer of alliance solely for the throne?"

Lauren didn’t answer, trying to decipher the lord’s thoughts. She knew how greedy a man could be and she truly believed what made Alec say yes to her proposal was the promise of giving him the throne.

"My, what an innocent little thing you are, princess." His tone reminded her of the actor in the theater who played the character of a ruthless villain.

"What do you mean?"

Lauren loved toying with people but this time she felt like she was the one being toyed with.

Inching closer to her, he replied in a velvety voice, "If I have been coveting the throne all this time, don’t you wonder why I haven’t done anything to take it? You know, devils like me... when we want something, we do everything in our power to take it regardless of the consequences."

"So you don’t really want the throne..." Taken aback by the realization, Lauren pondered what his real motive was. "Why are we here then? Why did you accept my offer and marry me?"

"Shouldn’t you use that pretty head of yours." He clicked his tongue. "Think."

"You can’t be obsessed with me and I don’t think you are after my blood or my body. You also don’t seem to have something against the royal family."

Lauren’s eyes narrowed sharply. "It only means one thing... you accepted my offer for your entertainment. You find my plans interesting and you want to play with me."

He didn’t say anything but the look he had was enough to tell her she was right. Lauren felt a burning lump in her throat as she nodded, realizing that she didn’t think about his motives carefully. She was too desperate to make her plans work and now she was stuck with this vampire who married her not because he wanted what she could offer, but because her life was entertaining enough to mess up with.

Thinking that she had been fooled, Lauren smiled sarcastically. Her blood was boiling but she remained composed.

"Now that I know you are not after anything but only want to satisfy your curiosity, there is no point in having this stupid arrangement. Who knows if you will suddenly leave me hanging in the middle of this after getting the fun that you want?"

"Our deal is a gamble, dear Lauren. And in gambling, you know people don’t always win. You can only hope that you get lucky. It is the same as our arrangement. I can’t guarantee your plan’s flawless execution. Why don’t you just see for yourself how long you can keep me entertained."

This man was insane, Lauren thought.

"And how do you want me to keep you entertained? By being your blood bank?"

He smirked. "That is one thing. But you can do a lot more." Lauren couldn’t even dare imagine what this ’a lot more’ he was talking about. "Besides, even if I originally don’t want the throne it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t find pleasure in acquiring it."

Lauren thought about it. He was right. She knew it was a big gamble for her. Marrying someone she barely knew and as dangerous as Alec was like walking on thin ice. One wrong move would put all her efforts in vain. She was calculative but she was desperate, and now that they had reached this point, there was no way to undo everything. All she could do was bet all her cards on this devil in front of her.

"You can choose to walk away from our deal, but the question is, can you deal with the consequences?"

His question made her jaw tighten. Their wedding was a controversial one that reached other lands. Annulling their marriage just days after the wedding would surely be a big scandal, one that the King wouldn’t forgive. No matter whose fault it was, her father would put the blame on her, and worse she would be disowned by the royal family.

"Just admit it, princess. I am your ace in this game. You can either choose to bet your luck on me or die without putting up a good fight."

Alec gave her a devious smile before his eyes dropped to her wrist, his eyes darkened upon noticing the beige handkerchief around it covered with blood now. For him, her blood was too precious to waste. He couldn’t wait to give his daring little cousin a lesson for touching what was his.

"Sit on the bed," he commanded which got Lauren confused.

"And why should I?"

"Your wound is bleeding. Unless you want to be the apple of the eye of thirsty vampires and find yourself in trouble, we need to do something about it."

"I don’t think that is one of your concerns milord-"

"Yes, it is. I’m the only one who is allowed to taste your blood. You should remember that to prevent what happened today from happening again. I shall not tolerate negligence."

Before Lauren could speak, Alec pulled her other wrist and made her sit on the bed. He then kneeled in front of her and held her wounded wrist gently.

"This is not necessary-"

"I’m your husband. Isn’t it my duty to take care of my wife," he said playfully, untying the handkerchief soaked with blood.