The Royal Revenge
Chapter 130: On A Mission

Chapter 130: On A Mission

High Priestess Naya watched as the young couple’s silhouette faded in the dark corridors of the palace. She turned to the sentries and thanked them, and then walked the other way. A smile was etched on her face, a calculating and cunning look overcoming her.

’From a kingdom far away but is no more,’ she recalled the words Elys responded to her question. ’Fascinating... now we can narrow down places to look for.’

The High Priestess’ steps echoed in the empty corridors of the palace. She wanted to try again if she could find Sir Wiriam. Much to her joy, she saw the noble vampire’s back walking towards the Great Hall.

"Sir Wiriam," she called out to him.

"?"

The first-born son of the Farvars turned around and saw the thrilled face of High Priestess Naya. She strode faster, and in less than a few steps, reached him with a bow.

"Congratulations on your new position as Knight Commander," High Priestess Naya smiled at him. "Gizem told me about it."

"Gizem?" Sir Wiriam repeated.

"The youngest daughter of the Igniss family. You met her on her way out of the palace tonight."

"Ah, that young lady who served within the High Courts," Wiriam recalled. "Yes, lovely woman with the brightest evergreen eyes."

There was a prolonged pause after that, and Sir Wiriam was about to excuse himself when the High Priestess spoke.

"Be careful, Sir Wiriam," she warned him, her voice low but clear, "I didn’t think Aleksander would have appointed you knowing you had been closest to taking the crown. There is most definitely a storm brewing in that mind of his."

Wiriam chuckled as he adjusted the cufflinks on his sleeve at the same time.

"Don’t we all want to watch our backs, High Priestess Naya?" he retorted. "King Aleksander and his queen aren’t to be taken lightly, that is quite obvious already. They did take us all by surprise. Who would have known, right?"

The High Priestess pressed her lips together into a tense line.

Wiriam bowed to the High Priestess and walked past her. Before he was out of earshot, she added one last thing to remind the Farvar’s young master.

"The vampire clergy is going to support you, Sir Wiriam," she spoke in a hushed tone, "I just hope you keep your end of the deal, boy."

The young master of the Noble House of the Farvars turned his body halfway.

The High Priestess proceeded to leave the Great Halls and went out to return to their headquarters. Wiriam watched her blonde train sway in the dead of the night, the moon shining brightly in the skies.

A carriage was awaiting in the distance. By the time the palace gates shut close and High Priestess Naya was most definitely out of the palace ground, Wiriam let out a small scoff.

"Nobody can get to control me, but me alone. I play my own game, and I have my own mission to fulfill, High Priestess Naya," he muttered under his breath.

+++

Around the same time High Priestess Naya and Sir Wiriam met in the palace,

Cordelia had traveled alone out into the outskirts of the Western Kingdom under the instructions of Elysianne. She was tailing the activities of Lady Catalina, the lady in waiting that attacked the night Aleksander and Elys took the vampire’s throne.

The lady in waiting and the shady people she interacted with within the day lead Cordelia where she was now. The town was silent, with the occasional coughs of the sick and poor vampire populace out on the streets.

The old woman silently mounted the horse she tied around a quiet corner.

She was ready to return to the palace and report her day, but something caught her attention. From the corners of her brown eyes, Cordelia glanced over to the noise that scurried from the other direction.

With a dagger in hand, Cordelia slipped down from the horse and crept slowly towards the suspicious noise. The source of the sound had stopped moving, making Cordelia wary that it wasn’t just the winds.

Cordelia steadied her breathing. She flattened her back on the wall, and slowly, peeked around the corner.

Apparently, there were a couple of silhouettes over the other side. They seemed to be conversing without words, papers in hand and passing it back and forth.

Both of the figures wore hooded cloaks. One was facing her, while the other had his back towards Cordelia. Their shoulders were wide, making the old woman assume they were probably both men.

"Have you brought it?" the masked man asked.

"Of course, I did, old friend," the other man responded as his hands moved under his cloak, perhaps grabbing whatever it is that the masked man had asked of him. "I never forget, see? Now my payment if you will."

"Payment after I see the actual item, if you will," the masked man countered.

"Hmph! Always the careful man, are we now?"

"That is to be anticipated, my friend. This is a town of scoundrels and fiends, after all."

"Here it is," the man who had his back towards Cordelia said, his hand outstretched to show the masked man an item he got from under his cloak.

Cordelia craned her neck as much as she could, at the same time trying to hide all together. Unfortunately, her position was at a disadvantage and the man’s cloak had shielded the item in his hand.

The masked man was silent for several seconds, as if he was observing the item being handed over to him, before finally grunting with satisfaction.

Cordelia’s grip on the dagger tightened, and her brows drew together, a line forming in between as she concentrated on the ongoing conversation.

She tried to identify the two figures, but she couldn’t tell much due to the fact that the one facing her had a mask on. Her eyes lowered towards the man’s chest, and Cordelia struck luck as his hand moved to receive something.

Recognition dawned on her face as she identified what she saw.

’The royal emblem?!’ Cordelia thought at the back of her mind.