The Vampire King's Possession
Chapter 689. Not Subtle

"There is nothing to worry about," he whispered, cupping her chin and staring deep into her eyes.

Mauve closed her eyes and nodded. "I know," she mumbled, slowly opening them, "but Lord Garth looked even angrier than Lord Levaton"—who you had a relationship with his daughter, she almost added but held her tongue.

"His anger or actions can’t change anything. Might explain why he is so angry," Jael smirked.

Mauve wished she could be as casual as Jael was, but with each lord that arrived, the dagger in her side seemed to twist tighter. She knew she would have to get used to it; they weren’t even halfway through, and the next few days promised to be hell.

"I wanted to ask you something," she suddenly blurted. Now that she had the thought, she didn’t want to push it aside for later. She would like to know so she could brace herself.

"Go on," he replied.

"Will Lord Seraphino be invited?"

Mauve watched the smile disappear from Jael’s face. She didn’t want to ask the question, but she wanted to know what she was dealing with, and by the expression on his face, she already had his answer.

"You will be watched at all times, I promise. He won’t touch a hair on your head."

Mauve nodded. "I just wanted to know," she whispered. She knew he would prevent this if he could, but Lord Seraphino was an important lord in the Vampire Regions, and his presence was important. Besides, she was Jael’s mate now; he couldn’t treat her as he once did.

Also, he has been at the castle multiple times since the incident, so it would be weird for him not to be here. However, the party he had tried to attack her was thrown to introduce her even though she didn’t attend, she couldn’t help but think history might repeat itself.

She smiled at him with what she hoped was her best smile, but Jael didn’t even smile back. "I could kick him—" he started to say, but Mauve interrupted.

"It’s fine. I’ll be sure to lock the doors to my room, and I know Mill will be with me at all times. Louis would also keep his eyes on me. I don’t want you to have to deal with more problems than you already have."

Jael wanted to tell her it wasn’t a problem, but he had to invite someone who attacked her, so he simply nodded curtly. He intended to give strict orders to the guards, be he would take it further and have Seraphino watched closely. Perhaps, if the scum wanted to try something, there would be no opportunity for him.

"You should go," Mauve said when he didn’t say anything. "You can’t keep them waiting."

He could keep them waiting, but he didn’t want to give her another reason to frown, so he slowly let go of her. She walked into her bedroom and he closed the door behind her.

No sooner did the door shut than a guard appeared beside him. "You’re not to let her out of your sight regardless of what happens." Mill wasn’t there yet, but he knew she would join Mauve to keep her company. However, there was also the chance that Mauve might not remain in her room. He wanted to make sure the wrong people didn’t bother her. "Turn Lady Marceline away if she comes knocking."

The guard nodded and bowed. Having gotten his orders, he moved to the side of Mauve’s door and stood guard. Satisfied with this, Jael turned away and slowly walked toward the drawing room.

At the door, a guard opened it without him needing to pause. The Garths were seated. Lady Arora held onto her mate’s hand as they sat down, likely trying to calm Lord Garth down.

Jael took note of the scene but thought little of it. Whatever conversation would ensue, it won’t change anything.

Lord Garth and Lady Arora quickly rose to their feet as they caught sight of him but Jael raised a hand to stop them. "No, please remain seated."

Lord Garth didn’t move until his mate pulled him down to sit. She gave an apologetic smile to Jael, but he ignored it and took his seat across from them, his back to the door. Jael didn’t speak; he just sat with an imposing aura as he waited for Lord Garth to state his concerns.

Lord Garth pulled his hand from his mate’s grasp. "Sire," he began, losing neither his confidence nor his anger, "I don’t approve of a human as your mate."

"That is pretty obvious, Lord Garth. You haven’t exactly been subtle about your feelings in the matter."

"There are several ladies that could have sufficed as your mate. Even a servant would do better than a hum—"

"Careful now, Lord Garth. You are speaking about my mate. I understand your grievances, and out of respect for our relationship, I’m willing to listen. But I won’t tolerate insults toward my beloved."

Lord Garth’s face hardened, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Lady Arora interjected. "We apologize, Your Highness, but surely you must also see the situation from our perspective. A human? It’s unheard of, Sire."

Jael smiled at her. "I know, but a lot of things have changed, haven’t they? This shouldn’t be too far-fetched."

"It is. There is a difference between the changes and this. We might as well start serving the humans at this point," Lord Garth stated.

Jael’s smile dropped. He had not expected to have a hard time with Lord Garth. He thought Levaton would be the one to give him the worst of it, but it was pretty clear the lord in front of him wasn’t going to listen. However, it wasn’t his place to convince him. They would all have to condone it whether or not they liked it.

Unfortunately, this was Lord Garth. He couldn’t be rude simply because he was grateful the vampire got the fence ready in time. It was the reason Mauve could freely roam the castle walls.

"That’s a gross exaggeration, Lord Garth." Jael rose. "I see this is still a sensitive topic for you. We’ll revisit it later—perhaps after the other lords have arrived. Hopefully, you’ll see reason then."

"There is nothing to see—"

"Thank you for your time, Sire. We hope we can reach a cordial understanding," Lady Arora said, cutting her mate off.

She bowed, and Jael smiled. Lord Garth didn’t do the same, and Jael left. It was rare to see the lord so stubborn. He didn’t think Lord Garth had an aversion to humans. If it was Lord Phelan, he could understand. It didn’t make sense to him.