The Royal Revenge
Chapter 221: A Helping Hand

Chapter 221: A Helping Hand

Aleksander’s heart almost exploded as he saw his wife mouth the words that he didn’t think he wanted to hear so badly. No sound came out of her mouth, but it was enough already to constrict his chest. Happiness was overflowing from inside him.

"My queen," he groaned, as if frustrated by the fact that she was so wonderful it hurt.

"Your majesty," Lady Azalea said as she bowed down, "we pray for your safety and success." She turned to Aleksander and then added, "And you as well, King Aleksander, may your battle be swift, striking fear into the hearts of those that dare to attack our kingdom."

Aleksander and Elys stood side by side, and they bid the young queen’s ladies in waiting a temporary farewell.

"I will be back," Elys said with determination, "take care of Cordelia, and the rest of the palace for us."

She turned away quickly that Elys couldn’t catch the twitch of her ladies in waiting’s eyes as she mentioned her maidservant’s name. Aleksander caught them in the act though, and glared at the noble ladies as if saying – don’t you even dare.

The young king followed his queen as she marched off towards the stairs in a haste. On their way, they encountered Henry who exited a room meant for distinguished guests.

"Is that?" Elys started to ask, and Aleksander quickly replied.

"Yes, Cordelia is inside," he answered her unfinished question.

"I will be with Cordelia, your majesty," Henry said as he bowed down his head slightly, "she will be safe, you can trust me on that."

Elys nodded and then said, "That would be most appreciated, Henry. I will leave her to your care then."

"Your majesty," the old attendant turned to his king, "your weapon is readied by Marquis Lanz. He is waiting for you at the main palace grounds."

"Very well," Aleksander responded, "thank you, Henry."

Aleksander and Elys left the Rose Palace both dressed and ready for battle. As they reached the main palace, just as what Henry said, he was already waiting for Aleksander with his weapon and a couple of horses to use too.

"Your majesty, do you really have to go to battle?" the Marquis worried. "We don’t have enough information on what is happening as of the moment. It is far too dangerous and reckless to immediately run to the forefront."

The vampire king swung his leg around his steed and Elys shortly followed as she mounted on her horse as well. Aleksander glanced at Marquis Lanz and a smirk was etched on his face.

"Do you really think I am that weak, Marquis Lanz?" he asked the young secretary.

"Of course not, your majesty," Marquis Lanz replied in a hurry, "But - "

"HYAH!"

Even before the Marquis could even continue to air out his worries, Aleksander kicked his horse and rode off towards the palace gates. Elys rode after him, quickly gaining speed as she whipped her horse with her scabbard.

Marquis Lanz couldn’t believe his eyes.

’They are mentally suicidal!’ he thought at the back of his mind. ’They risk losing the throne if both of them die in battel without an heir!’

The palace gates closed with a loud thud as the young king and queen rode off towards the battlefields. Their borders were being compromised, and they were not going to sit idly without doing anything.

They were going to fight.

+++

The vampire clergy were alerted of the attacks around the borders perhaps just around the same time Aleksander started receiving letters from his Knight Commanders.

High Priestess Naya had gathered all of her priests and acolytes, even those volunteers of the church for an emergency meeting.

"The palace might contact us anytime soon if things don’t go well with the battles around our borders," she said with a voice full of apprehension, "I don’t think that would be a far-fetched assumption as the clergy had always been a helping hand throughout the kingdom in times of needs."

"Your Holiness, High Priestess Naya," someone raised their hand, "are all of us going, in such cases?"

The person who raised her hand had been Gizem, Lady Azalea’s sister. She had been a volunteer in the vampire clergy for over three years now, and was pretty much what one might call a errand girl.

"You are one of the exceptions, Gizem," High Priestess Naya said, "you don’t have the right skills to make it out alive in battle. Let the priests and acolytes do their job, while the rest of you support with whatever you can for them."

"But this is just an assumption, right, High Priestess?" another asked, this time around a priest from the back side of the room.

High Priestess Naya nodded and rubbed her temples as if she was already having enough troubles around the kingdom’s churches and Aleksander’s and Elys’ reign.

A stupid question wasn’t one that she had the patience at the moment to respond in a much gentler manner.

Rolling her eyes at the question thrown at her, the High Priestess turned to the priest who asked. Her face was dark and even the ones right in front of her could tell that she wasn’t happy to accommodate the question she was about to answer.

Suddenly, a smile spread across High Priestess Naya’s face. But instead of relief, everyone inside the room, including Gizem and the other volunteers, trembled in fear.

High Priestess Naya never smiled so wide without a reason. And when she did smile the way that she was doing at the moment, it was bound to be because of something she didn’t like.

Everyone in the vampire clergy knew of that side of the High Priestess Naya.

All the more did they know what comes after it.

High Priestess Naya opened her mouth, her wise lips parting as she started to utter the words she wanted to speak of. Gizem clamped her hands immediately to her ears and shut her eyes in anticipation.

"YOU USELESS IMBECILE!" the High Priestess yelled at the priest.

The next thing that the young daughter of the Igniss House knew of was that she was knocked down to the ground. Apparently, a huge wave of sonic plus electric energy erupted from where High Priestess Naya stood.

The ones who were too late to notice were like sitting ducks that waited for the hunter’s rifle gun’s bullet to hit them. Although everyone knew it was coming, they couldn’t judge the right timing so they could prepare for the worst.

"Questioning me like that without using your common sense is quite pathetic for a priest," she said as she pretended to study her plain fingernails. "I have had high expectations of you."

The priest she was talking to tried to get up from being blasted with the High Priestess’ elusive magic. He struggled to get up, and required a few hands in helping him stand upright.

He took a deep breath and then said with, "Forgive me, High Priestess Naya. I didn’t – bleurgh!"

The priest couldn’t continue with his apologies as he coughed out blood. Apparently, it wasn’t just an ordinary wave of energy that struck the priest.

The High Priestess had used hypersonic waves. Upon hitting the vampire priest, her magic did more damage to his internal organs than that of the external.

At this moment, the priest’s organs were either ruptured or crushed from the waves of magical energy that High Priestes Naya released. Gizem looked with terror at the priest that slumped down on his chair as he wheezed in pain.

"Anyone else with a stupid question in mind?" the High Priestess snapped.

All of the priests, priestesses, acolytes, and volunteers shook their heads in response. They didn’t want to fuel the High Priestess’ raging emotions.

"Alright, if you don’t have anymore questions, then you are free to go and prepare for whatever comes in the next few hours, maybe even less," she ordered the whole clergy.

Everyone scrambled out of the room, and Gizem was one of the last to move out. She was seated at the farthest side from the exit, and the High Priestess saw her as she wobbled.

"Gizem," she heard the High Priestess call out her name.

The young noble lady stiffened at the mention of her name. Slowly, she turned her body to face the High Priestess. Bowing her head and almost falling on her face, Gizem responded to the High Priestess.

"Your Holiness," the noble lady said, "how may I serve you, High Priestess Naya?"

The High Priestess looked at Gizem. Her eyes stared at Gizem as if piercing through her head. It didn’t make her feel at ease, but the young noble lady stayed still as if her life depended on it.

"You are of the Igniss House, yes?" High Priestess Naya asked her.

"Y-Yes, High Priestess," Gizem replied, "I am the second youngest daughter to be exact."

The High Priestess smiled cunningly at Gizem and then reached out a hand to cup her cheek.

"I have something to ask of you," she said, "and I hope that you can lend me a helping hand."