The Vampire King's Possession
Chapter 396. Unorthodox

Chapter 396: 396. Unorthodox

"Actually, that is exactly what I expect. As Danag has said, we can leave tonight if you agree," Louis said, staring intensely at Mauve.

"It’s fine if she takes her time," Malcolm replied, staring down the two vampires. "She doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to. Besides, she only just got here after spending so long in the vampire regions; she can stay for longer. Also, doesn’t the journey back take like two weeks? That’s enough reason not to rush."

Malcolm partly covered his sister with himself as he argued with the vampires. Mauve stared at her brother with bright eyes. It was nice to hear him stand up for her.

He looked like he could take on the vampires if he had to, but even she knew there would be no chance of winning.

"That’s the exact reason why we need to leave as soon as we can. If it takes that long, we won’t get to the Vampire regions until the middle of next month, and that’s even if we leave now," Danag said, sounding exasperated.

"What’s the hurry?" Malcolm said with an odd expression. "He knew she was coming home. Wasn’t there a specific time she was supposed to return? I don’t think there was because she would have mentioned it." He turned to Mauve to get confirmation.

"No, there wasn’t any specific time for me to return to the Vampire Regions." In fact, she wasn’t supposed to return at all.

"Exactly!" He said, turning his gaze back to the vampires. "There is no need to rush back because I don’t know when I’ll see her again. Nolands isn’t exactly the safest place."

"She’s not coming back..." Louis started to say but immediately added. "Soon. Besides, you don’t have to worry about her safety. Jael would ensure her safety. What’s your answer, Mauve?" Louis asked.

"I’d still like some time to decide. I understand that staying in Greenham must be uncomfortable for you, and I apologize about that, but I just can’t leave right now. I would need a couple more days. Hopefully, by them, I might be able to leave without sneaking out."

Malcolm nodded his head, "I agree with her. I would keep speaking to Father, and hopefully, he would throw away the absurd thought of using you as some kind of leverage."

Mauve smiled softly at him. "Can you do something about this, please.?" She asked. "I hate being confined to my room."

"Of course, as soon as it is morning, I will speak to Father about it. He might assign more guards to watch you, but I doubt he would keep you here like some prisoner."

Mauve tried not to roll her eyes at her brother’s words, but she could see the King keeping her here until it suited him. Hopefully, it wasn’t longer than tonight.

"Thank you for your help, Malcolm," she whispered.

"You can count on me," he said and stood from the bed. "I should head to my room, and I think it’s time for you Vampires to leave."

Louis raised a brow at Malcolm’s words, but he didn’t move an inch, and by the looks of things, he had no plan to leave.

"Unfortunately, not yet. I still have a few matters I need to discuss with Mauve," he said, casually dismissing Malcolm’s words.

"I don’t think so. It’s pretty late, and she’s not a vampire." Malcolm said, not hiding his distaste.

Louis arched his head to the side, not missing Malcolm’s jab at them. Danag looked like he was about to react when Mauve’s words cut him short.

"It’s fine, Malcolm," Mauve said. The last thing she wanted was a fight going off in her room. Besides, she could send the Vampires off if she wanted to, and that’s precisely what she intended to do.

"Are you sure?" He turned to look at her with worry lines on his forehead.

She nodded and turned to Louis, "I am all ears."

"Alone," he said stubbornly.

Malcolm’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything to Louis; instead, he lightly tapped Mauve on her shoulder. "Good night. Let me know if you need anything. I would be right outside the door for a few minutes, just in case anything goes wrong." He glared at Louis from the corner of his eyes.

Mauve tried to keep a straight face; his want to keep her safe was appreciated, but there was no denying that if they wanted to attack her, it would take more than the guards in the castle to take them down.

"You don’t have to worry," she said. "I will be fine. I am sure if they wanted to harm me, they would have done it two nights ago," Mauve responded.

Malcolm’s eyes bulged, and Mauve could see the wheels in his head spinning. "Is that how long they have been coming to your room? That’s the night they came to the castle."

"If you had allowed us to see her as we had asked at the front door, we wouldn’t have had to use this unorthodox method." Danag spat out.

"Well, I wouldn’t completely call it unorthodox. You already have a record of breaking and entering here," Louis commented.

"Lord Louis," Danag called, sounding exasperated. "Whose side are you on?"

"Don’t sound so dramatic, Danag. Prince Malcolm," Louis called. "You have my word. No harm shall come to her." He smiled stiffly.

Malcolm looked shocked. Mauve wasn’t sure if it was because Louis addressed him adequately or his promise. She was also surprised that Louis knew Malcolm’s name. She didn’t think she had mentioned it.

"Like Vampire word means anything." Malcolm threw out, not hiding his distrust.

"Actually, it does. We like to keep to our words unless the situation calls for otherwise, but we want to take her back. There would be no reason to upset her or make it so she can’t come with us so you can be assured of her safety."

Louis kept his gaze on Malcolm the whole time he spoke. There was no sign of him trying to trick Malcolm into believing his words. She could see Malcolm’s shoulders relax.

Even though Malcolm looked impressed that Louis was trying to make the situation okay for everyone, he still turned to Mauve. "Are you fine with me leaving?" He asked.

She nodded, "Yes, I am."

"Okay," he said and reluctantly started heading for the door. He looked back before he pulled the door open and walked out.

"He doesn’t know, does he?" Louis asked as the door shut closed.

Mauve blinked and forced her gaze from the door to look at Louis. "Know what?" She asked. His way of asking questions was a bit hard to figure out.

"That until two nights ago, you couldn’t return to the Vampire Regions even if you wanted to." Louis kept his head down while his eyes looked up at her.

Mauve felt a sickening feeling in her stomach as Louis said those words to her. However, that wasn’t the only thing she felt. A flash of her leaving the Vampire Regions feeling more dejected than when she got there hit her like an avalanche.

"Lord Louis!" Danag called out. He sounded genuinely concerned.

"No," Mauve answered with her shoulders high and her back straight. "No one at the castle knows."

"I figured, I mean, I already knew this after how Malcolm reacted, but I thought you would at least tell someone. I guess you don’t trust anyone here to do that, or are you trying not to make Jael look bad? I don’t think so."

"Why do you care?" She spat at him.

"Truly, I don’t. However, I still need you to make a decision. It might look like I am trying to force your hand or coerce you..."

"That’s exactly what it looks like. There is no uncertainty about that."

"However," he said in a high-pitched tone, ignoring her words. "What I really want is for you to know that it’s your decision to make. You would have to deal with your choice. So, maybe we have to sleep in the cellar for another couple of days. That’s our business. If Jael wanted to avoid this, he wouldn’t have let you go in the first place."

Mauve stared at him with her mouth open. She would never be able to understand Louis. One moment, he acted as though he was on her side. The next minute, he was chewing her out.

"I think we are done here," he said and stood to his feet. "Danag, we should leave. It is a bit of a journey to the inn, and I am starving." Louis said.

"Not yet," Danag said with a serious expression on his face. There is something I want to tell Mauve."

Louis’ eyes widened ever so slightly, and if Mauve weren’t looking at him, she would have missed it. She half expected him to stop Danag, but he didn’t.

"Make it quick," he said but proceeded to sit back on the chair.

Mauve slowly turned her gaze to Danag, "What is it, Danag?" She asked with a confused expression.

"I am the reason you saw the letter."