The Vampire King's Possession
Chapter 726. The Most Fascinating

Chapter 726: 726. The Most Fascinating

"They’ve questioned me for years, Mauve. First for waiting to ascend the throne, then for the changes I’ve made. None of it has stopped me, and this won’t either. Let them talk."

Their talks he could handle. It would be a different case if they tried to do something about it, like harm Mauve or the child, but Jael didn’t mention this part. He was absolutely serious about not giving Mauve anything to think about, and he intended to keep his word.

Mauve nodded, and the rest of the conversation trailed into silence. Not long after, Jael led her back into the castle. It was almost time for the last meal, so they both headed to the dining hall, which was already filled.

As Mauve settled into her seat next to Jael, she could feel the subtle shift in the room’s energy. The dining hall, though grand and expansive, felt smaller under the weight of so many eyes. Conversations quieted, forks clinked against plates, and whispers floated around like ghosts. Mauve kept her posture straight, her hands resting lightly on the table.

"Good evening, Mauve," Lady Marceline said warmly, her tone soft yet firm enough to draw Mauve’s attention. "How are you feeling today?"

"I’m managing," Mauve replied with a faint smile. Lady Marceline often shuffled between calling her Mauve and My Lady, but recently Lady Marceline stuck to her name, Mauve. "The walks help, though Jael insists on hovering." She shot him a stare, which resulted in a smile from Jael.

Lady Marceline chuckled, glancing at Jael, who had already turned his attention to Erick. Mauve was unsure what they were talking about, but it didn’t seem too serious.

"That sounds about right. He’s always been protective, but with a child on the way? He’ll be even more so, and he has more than enough reason for that."

Mauve was surprised Lady Marceline was able to blurt out the fact that she was expecting. It was loud enough, and with vampires’ sharp ears, more than a few were sure to pick it up. At the same time, there was no point hiding it; all the vampires sitting at the dining table were very much aware of her pregnancy. Though none had confronted her, she knew it wouldn’t take long before someone did or snitched. They most likely already did the latter.

Mauve glanced toward Jael, catching the slight tension in his jaw despite his calm demeanor. She sighed. "I know he means well."

Marceline leaned closer, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "Exactly," Lady Marceline replied. "It’s a good thing, you know. He’s doing what any mate would do—what any vampire would do. He might have a few screws loose, but he would still do the right thing for his family."

During the past few weeks, Mauve had discovered something; Lady Marceline was quite chatty, and she spoke a lot about Jael. For every good thing she said about him, she almost made sure to add a fault. Mauve found it amusing, and she knew it hurt Lady Marceline that Jael truly wanted nothing to do with her. She didn’t rile him up as she usually would, and she would only mock him in conversations with Mauve.

Mauve laughed at Lady Marceline’s comment, earning her a scowl from Jael, which only made her laugh harder as she didn’t think he had been listening in on the conversation. "You are right, Lady Marceline."

Mauve half expected her to call her Auntie, as she had insisted more times than Mauve could count, but Lady Marceline only did that in private. Mauve knew she would never be able to call her that, not when Jael had refused to. She knew he didn’t like that Lady Marceline would remain in the castle until after the birth of the child, and she didn’t want to make things more uncomfortable for him.

Lord Alaric, on the other hand, got even quieter as the days rolled by. He would always whisper words of greeting her way, but he made no effort to engage in any conversations other than that, and Mauve didn’t push. However, Mauve did wish they would converse more. She had a feeling Alaric was quite interesting.

"Would you like more food?" Jael suddenly asked, interrupting the rest of her conversation with Lady Marceline.

"No," Mauve replied, turning her gaze to him.

He didn’t look very pleased with her reply, and Mauve couldn’t help but wonder why. She was eating more than she usually would—almost twice as much—and he still had the guts to look displeased whenever she refused more food.

"That’s a shame," he mumbled.

Mauve’s eyes widened, but she refused to take his bait. She paid attention to her plate and cleared up the rest of the meal. Despite everything—the stares, the whispers, the uncertainty—Jael’s presence grounded her. He could be annoying, but the little things made her happy, even his annoying habit of asking if she wanted more food.

Dinner continued with relative ease. The low hum of conversation filled the room, and though Mauve still felt the occasional glances in her direction, it wasn’t anything she wasn’t used to. As the meal wound down, Jael got up and walked closer to her, his hand resting lightly on the back of her chair as he leaned down to speak softly. "Are you ready to leave, or would you like to stay longer?"

Mauve glanced at Marceline, who simply nodded, and then back at Jael. "I think I’m ready."

Jael straightened, offering his hand as usual to help her up. As they left, Mauve could feel the weight of the stares following them, but she kept her head high. Once they were out of earshot, Mauve sighed in relief. "That wasn’t so bad."

"I suppose it wasn’t," Jael replied absentmindedly.

She frowned and then recalled he had been speaking to Erick. "What did Erick say?" she asked.

Jael shrugged as they walked up the stairs, her hand in his. "Nothing I didn’t expect."

"Which is?" she replied.

"We received a few letters. He hadn’t had the time to check them as they had arrived just before the last meal, but there’s a chance this is about the lords receiving the news."

Mauve couldn’t help the twist in her stomach. It was so intense it almost stopped her from walking, but she managed to suppress it before Jael noticed.

"Are you worried?" he asked when she didn’t say anything.

Mauve tried to appear nonchalant. "I would be lying if I said I wasn’t," she replied. "But I am sure we will be fine."

Jael squinted his eyes at her and then nodded. "Yeah, you’re right."

They got to the door of the room, and Jael led her into it. Mauve was quick to sit on the bed while Jael took his time slowly walking to her.

He got in front of her, and she stretched out her hand to him. Jael took it, and Mauve pulled him down until he was forced to join her on the bed. She then rested her head on his shoulder and let out a loud sigh.

"Are you tired?" Jael asked as he sat stiffly so as not to ruin Mauve’s position.

She shook her head. "No," she replied. If she dared say yes, he would most likely say the walk was the reason she was tired, but that was really the only exercise she got. She didn’t want to lose it.

"Sleepy?"

"Nope. Are you?" she asked and looked up at him.

Jael’s eyes scanned her face before he slowly shook his head. Mauve smiled softly and rested her head back on his shoulder. "Good," she murmured. "Stay with me for a bit."

Jael hesitated for a moment before relaxing against her. "I wasn’t planning on leaving," he said, his voice low and steady.

The room fell into a comfortable silence. Mauve closed her eyes, savoring the rare moment of peace. She had grown accustomed to the constant hum of tension in the castle, but here, with Jael, it felt distant.

She could pretend there wasn’t much to worry about—that they were the only people in the world, including her growing baby.

"I can hear your heartbeat," Jael said quietly, his hand lightly brushing against her cheek.

"Is there ever a time you don’t hear it?" she asked with a soft chuckle.

"Well, no. I always hear it, and I like that very much."

"Sounds creepy, especially when I can’t hear yours," she teased.

"Sorry," he mumbled, and this made her laugh.

"What are you apologizing for?" She laughed and threw herself on the bed. "I think it’s fascinating."

"Creepy," he held her gaze with a hint of a smile on his lips. "I don’t think most humans would call a vampire fascinating."

"Well, that’s their loss. You all truly are, but you," she smiled at Jael, "are the most fascinating of the bunch."

Jael’s smile vanished. "If you keep saying things like that, I can’t promise..."

"Jael," Mauve cut in, palming her face, and Jael burst into laughter.