Mated To The Dead Prince
Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Chapter 31

As Rose walked into the great hall, the atmosphere in the dark room was tense and foreboding, with the flickering candles casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Her hands tightened around the tray to keep them from shaking, she would immediately lose her life if she let anything fall to the floor.

Her heart is heavy with the weight of her newfound reality. She was still reeling from her encounter with Cassius, and the revelation that she now bears his scent. The implications of what it meant were still unclear, but Rose sensed that it may be a double-edged sword, offering her both protection and peril.

Her hair rose behind her neck as the chill atmosphere of the room gave her the creeps, and as she neared them, she could hear an elder’s voice listing a set of rules to Cassius.

She gulped when she got closer to them; Cassius, the master vampire, exuded an aura of power and intimidation as he stood before the elders, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of anger and curiosity as he stared at the man who was speaking.

However, he suddenly removed his eyes from the man who was speaking and locked his eyes on her.

Rose was immediately faced with a sea of unfamiliar faces, their eyes gleaming with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion as they stared at her; it felt as if they were under Cassius’ control, wherever his eyes went was where theirs followed.

The air was thick with tension, and Rose could sense that she was walking into a potentially volatile situation.

Rose slowed down her steps as she got closer to the table; she could feel their jugful eyes on her the closer she went.

Cassius tuned out every sound around him, his senses were focused on Rose, her heart was increased, indicating her fear, and he could see her eyes wavering around the place as if looking for the closest exit if something should happen, and her steps were slow, showing her reluctance of getting close to them...to him.

He knew he was the reason she was scared, he had treated her quite badly, but he was sure she’d get used to it. However, if he didn’t care, why was he lost in staring at her?

Rose finally paused beside Cassius, her eyes glanced over at Dabmond for a split second before she focused on Cassius.

"Silence," Cassius quietly announced, and Jaroslav instantly kept quiet.

Rose gulped, sensing that this was her time to speak "Master...I brought the drinks," Rose quietly spoke beside him, not looking at him but at the table.

This was the first time Rose was addressing him as Master in public instead of "sir." He felt like she was getting more distanced from him, but he couldn’t do anything about it; he was the one who asked her to address him as one.

"Serve, slave," He replied coldly and finally sat down.

Rose nodded and started to place the gasses down in front of them.

She first placed the glass Cornelia had pointed to her in front of Cassius, then proceeded to pour some blood into it, keeping in mind not to go past half of it.

Cassius watched Rose with keen eyes; she was so close to her, her pulse sounded loudly in his ears, and her delicious scent called out to him. Her face was the resting place for his eyes, and he did try to look away, not wanting people to know of his relationship with her, a human, but it was too late; Dabmond had already noticed it, and Jaroslav saw it too.

Jaroslav narrowed his eyes at Rose, wondering why Cassius was so interested in her face.

Rose finished pouring the blood into Cassius’ glass and started going around the table to do the same for the vampire elders.

She had her jaw clenched each time she went near an elder to serve him. The dislike was obvious, and she could feel their piercing gaze on her as if they couldn’t wait to bury their claws in her neck and tear her skin.

She came to the last elder, the one who had been speaking when she came in.

His aura was the worst.

She knew she didn’t have any supernatural powers but she felt like she could detect the darkness from him. All vampires were dark creatures, but he was extra; it felt so malicious and evil; if she was really in a novel, then this grey-haired elder was the villain in her story.

She had to be very wary of him. Avoiding him was her best option, he looked like a corny and manipulating man, one who would sneakily kill you whilst making you believe that he was with you.

She quickly poured the drink and went back to her previous position beside Cassius.

"I’m done, Master," She said and stepped back a little from the table.

Cassius ignored Rose and picked up his glass of blood.

He stood and the elders immediately stood with him, the place deathly quiet.

Rose felt her insides twisted with unexpected excitement when she heard Cassius’ calm and quiet voice ring out in the quiet hall.

"To the eternal bond of our kind, may our unity be as unbreakable as the curse that binds us. May the shadows forever shelter us, may our thirst forever be quenched, and may our glasses run red, and our hearts remain forever cold."

The elders all chanted in unity, "And to you, Great master of the night, our father, our solace, and our domain. May you forever reign supreme."

The clinking of glasses was heard before they all gulped the liquid down in one go.

Rose shivered, the toasts drew her deeper into the dark, mysterious, and exclusive nature of the vampire world, making her understand the themes of unity, power, and the supernatural among them.

Dabmond found her eyes and nodded at her, she immediately understood what he meant.

She waited for Cassius to sit first, then the elders followed before she walked forward with her tray and started to pick the glasses up from the table.

"Jaroslav," Cassius called once again.

"Yes, Master," Jaroslav answered beside him.

"You have been in charge of the council in my absence, yes?" Cassius questioned.

"Yes, Master," Jaroslav answered again.

Cassius nodded, "And you have proven to everyone present that you know the rules guarding the Krevborne Institute of Purebloods, right?"

Rose picked up the last glass from Jaroslav’s front as he replied, "Yes, Master,"

She guessed her work here was done, she slowly turned to walk out of the hall but Cassius’ voice stopped her.

"Come here, little human," Cassius called.

Rose gritted her teeth.

’What now?’ She grumbled internally.

She just wanted to leave the cult-looking room.

She slowly walked back to Cassius, standing a foot away from his chair.

"I have a question for you, Jaroslav," Cassius continued as if he hadn’t beckoned on Rose.

Rose shifted her weight from one foot to the other; she didn’t say a word; if he wasn’t giving her more orders, it meant he just wanted her to stand there and be quiet.

The elders all exchanged a secret look among themselves, each glancing at Rose weirdly.

This was their great and sacred hall and only Cassius, his siblings, and the elders were allowed in there.

They had understood that Rose was the master’s slave, and it was with his permission that she had entered to serve drinks, but asking her to stay further after she was done was something new to them.

Especially to Jaroslav, who felt like it was an insult. He had a feeling that Cassius was about to say something to him, and he would feel very insulted if that stupid human watched him get criticized by Cassius.

He cleared his throat and replied.

"Yes, Master," Jaroslav sent Rose a secret death glare.

"Why did your daughter to Krevborne?" Cassius’ voice sent chills down everyone’s spine; the table in front of him was slowly illuminating from the color change in his eyes.

Rose took another step back, she knew what it meant when those eyes started to glow red.

"Master...I...she is pure-"

"Finish those false words and have your head rolling on the floor, Jaroslav," Cassius’ face was darker than the night, his aura, blood-curdling.

Jaroslav gulped, "I’m sorry, Master, I believed that as she carries my blood, she was eligible to attend the institution," His voice was shaky, his eyes staring around the table for any support from his fellow elders.

But no one would risk their heads for him.

Cassius stood, making them all hold their breaths.

"Her mother, what is she?" He questioned, slowly walking around the table.

Jaroslav clenched his fists on his thigh, "She’s Elven, Master," He replied.

Cassius nodded, walking past Rose without looking at her.

Somehow, he felt like her presence was an inhibitor to his emotions. She had been very angry when he walked into the great hall, but now, the topic didn’t seem to annoy him that much anymore; his mind was always drawn to her.

"You could have been pardoned, Jaroslav, but you didn’t stop there. You asked your daughter, Scarlet, a half-blood, to waltz into my castle, and your body demands that she lives here, too. Because you’ve made everyone believe that Krevborne gives them the right to Pureblood inheritance, am I wrong, Jaroslav?" Cassius paused beside Jaroslav’s chair, pinning his cold eyes on him.

Jaroslav sighed, "Master, I believe it’s only fair, Prnive Athan and your mother aren’t- Argh!"

Cassius speedily pushed Jaroslav down to the floor together with his chair; in the blink of an eye, he stood beside Jaroslav, his eyes fully changed to the color of blood as he raised his hand high above his head, his claws extended, the candles flickering on the shiny and sharp surface.

Rose watched as everyone watched Cassoud about to tear someone’s head from his shoulder, no one dared to say a word.

Her heart was pumping rapidly, and she was finding it harder to breathe. The moment Cassius’ hand was about to come in contact with Jaroslav’s neck, she removed her eyes and felt the tray and glasses falling from her hands.

’No!’

Cassius felt a sharp, long pain in his head as he heard the loud voice in his head, making him halt his claws that were just a breath away from slicing through Jaroslav’s neck.

He immediately turned and pinned his red eyes on Rose, she had her hand over her mouth as she realized that she had let the tray fall and shattered the glasses.

’I’m dead,’ She thought in panic.

She could feel all eyes on her, and the moment she saw Cassius leave Jaroslav and start to walk toward her, she visibly started shaking; her lips trembled, and her limbs shook like she had a high, convulsing fever.

"No, I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up, please," She fell on her knees and reached out for the tray.

However, before she could touch it, she felt Cassius’ hand on her arm, and before she could even register what was happening, the darkness consumed her, but not for long, for in the next second, she found her back pressed against the bark of a huge tree in a dark and misty forest.

"What have you done to me?" Cassius asked as he pressed her shoulders and leaned his face into hers.

Rose opened her mouth but no sound came.

"Answer me, little human," Cassius growled very lowly.

Rose sucked in a sharp breath, "I’ve done nothing, Mast-"

"Liar," He snapped and slammed his lips against hers.