Kissing Hellfire: Marry Me, Evil Lord
Chapter 88: The Crown Prince

Chapter 88: The Crown Prince

In the royal castle of Evardin, two days later after King Martin had made his decision on who he should pass his throne to, the crowning of his successor was held. It was a ceremony that no one of the aristocrats would want to miss.

The castle’s main hall was crowded with all sorts of people in the high society. Noble families, businessmen, vampires, mages, humans, everyone who had earned the right to be present in a royal ceremony attended the event to witness the coronation of the crown prince.

Before Eloise’s death, most people believed that once she married Dominic, choosing between Dominic and Alec on who should be the crown prince was a hard decision to make. But after Eloise’s marriage plans were put in vain, the townsfolk were quick to conclude that Alec was the best candidate for the crown prince’s position unless Cassandra married a royal from another land.

As much as most hated to think that the rebellious princess who was notorious for her improper deeds was going to be the crown princess and the future queen of the land, their support was still on Alec. With the rise of black mages and the threat of a possible rebellion, a warlord who was used to dealing with sinister circumstances was who they could rely on at a critical time like this.

"A toast for the newly crowned Crown Prince of Evardin!" King Martin raised his glass to share a toast with everyone after the ceremonial rites were done.

"Your royal highness," Lauren offered Alec a curtsy with a playful smile on her face to tease him.

"Now you officially have a royal title. Do you feel great, Prince Alec?"

Without a warning, she pulled him into the dancing crowd. It was a night of celebration and she felt like they should not waste it as the next days and weeks might become rather dire. Now that Alec was crowned as the King’s successor, there was no need to waste time.

"Am I supposed to?" Alec asked as if it did not matter that much.

"Yes, you should I believe. Why, don’t you feel more accomplished now that everyone bows before you as the future ruler of our land?"

His eyes narrowed. "I’m not sure about that, but I do know you feel more accomplished than I am. I can see it in your glowing eyes."

Lauren could not help her smile because it was true. Who wouldn’t be satisfied with this accomplishment anyway? A month ago, her thoughts were all over the place, thinking that there was no way for her to escape her marriage with Peterson Merriweather and that she would put her painstaking plans in vain. But now everything was going as she planned.

After their dance, Alec went to the King’s table where important guests were waiting for him. As the table was filled with males and the King might not want her to tag along, Lauren did not come with Alec and just joined the ladies. Most noble ladies now wanted to be friends with her to grow their influence.

Lauren knew most of them were just trying their best to please her now that she was the crown princess, but she knew at the back of their mind they were not taking her seriously and thinking a load of bull about her. After all, they were the same ladies who were always by the side of Eloise and Cassandra.

"My older sister is hosting a tea party this weekend in our mansion. You should come, Your Highness!" Marianne said giddily, a half-vampiress who was a bit younger than Lauren. She used to be one of Eloise’s minions but now she was looking at her like a kitten who just found her master.

"If I would have time, I shall not refuse your generous invitation, Lady Marianne," Lauren replied with a sweet smile. She didn’t get the chance to participate in any theater play but her long years of living in the castle honed her into a great actress.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

As the ladies tried to entertain her, Lauren suddenly felt someone bump into her back. She smelled a female scent and knew it was a woman.

A handkerchief fell on the floor but when she turned, she saw no one and the nearest woman on her back was two meters away.

She picked up the beige handkerchief and she froze when she saw what was embroidered on it. The same design of the hairpin that caught her attention at a store back when she and Vivian had a stroll in the town. The hairpin that the woman with ruby and emerald rings laid her hand on before she could. It was way too detailed for her to be mistaken.

This could not be just a simple coincidence!

Ignoring the ladies talking to her, Lauren looked through the crowd and her eyes stopped at the woman wearing a red dress walking toward the main hall’s doors.

Without excusing herself, she left the group of ladies who were dumbfounded at her sudden leave. When they were sure Lauren could not hear them anymore, they started to call her improper and rude, and how she did not deserve to be the crown princess.

A lot of people blocked Lauren’s way for a greeting which delayed her, but she ignored most of them. She did not care if they would think she was rude. At the moment, her goal was to run after the woman in a red dress because she must be the one who bumped into her and intentionally left the handkerchief.

Why would a sane lady leave her handkerchief if she saw it fall anyway? And the embroidered design on the handkerchief... it made Lauren realize that the woman with ruby and emerald rings went near to her that day in the town with a purpose. Perhaps she wanted her to be aware that she knew what she was doing, that she was trying to investigate the rebels and the deranged humans.

But why was the woman doing this? To tease her?

The woman in a red dress successfully left the main hall. Lauren hurried when she saw her exit the doors. Holding the sides of her gown, she ran out of the hall and didn’t mind the bewildered expressions on the guards’ faces when they saw her rushing out.

However, even when Lauren was already out of the castle and now at the front yard where the tall gates could be seen ahead of her, she did not see anyone around apart from the guards.

A normal human or a mage could not be that fast... unless she was a vampire.

Lauren gritted her teeth at the thought. Who could it be?

"Are you perhaps sightseeing in the dark, Your Highness?" A deep voice from behind brought Lauren back to her senses. She realized she had been standing in the same spot for a long minute.

When she turned, a familiar man came into her view. She had seen him countless times before but like how she did not know most gentlemen’s names whom she never talked to before, she couldn’t find his name in her memory, but she knew he must be someone from the court or council.

"It is Simon Lancelot. I work for the council," he said politely when he noticed the subtle confusion in her eyes for a moment.

"Oh," Lauren nodded. "I’m sorry, I have seen you before in celebrations but we never crossed paths so I didn’t have a chance to remember your name. I hope you won’t take it as an offense, Mr. Lancelot. Or is it supposed to be Lord?"

"Lord Lancelot," the man corrected. "But it doesn’t really matter to me. I went out to hit a cigar but I did not expect to see you standing here as if you are waiting for the moon to fall," he said lightly like he was joking with a friend. When he realized his words, he cleared his throat. "Pardon me for that, Princess Lauren. Please don’t take it as an offense."

"No, I wasn’t offended at all, Lord Lancelot." She huffed her breath. "Well, I just needed a minute to breathe some air. You see, it is too crowded inside."

Giving too much information to random people wasn’t something Lauren was accustomed to, so she just said the easier words.

"It is crowded indeed. Everyone wants to witness the crowning ceremony of Lord Everston, the Crown Prince rather."

"It is a kingdom’s affair, after all. It is only right for the people to be interested in who their future ruler will be," Lauren replied. Her eyes went past the pathway leading to the garden when she saw something moved in the shadows.

"Excuse me, Lord Lancelot. I have something to check." Without waiting for the man’s reply, she walked past him and disappeared in the dark pathway heading to the dark garden.

Lauren stopped on the spot where she saw something moved a moment ago. However, she saw nothing but the bushes.

She took two steps forward and halted when she saw something on the ground. It was another beige handkerchief.

Only that this time what was embroidered in it were letters.

Congratulations... it said.