The Vampire King's Possession
Chapter 95. Felicity

Chapter 95: 95. Felicity

Jael sensed Danag’s presence and instantly relaxed. "What part of don’t follow me, did you not understand?" Jael asked.

"Well, it was already way past the time for you to return to the castle, so you can guess my horror when I sensed you passing it."

Danag said and walked out from behind the tree.

"Don’t tell me you were standing outside."

"I may have been... The Paler escape!" Danag yelled in horror as he realized the situation.

Jael didn’t respond, he bent once again, picked up the cut rope, and studied it. The cut was done haphazardly as if something had chewed on the rope until it cut.

Jael frowned, there was no way the paler teeth could have reached the rope with the way it had been tied. Maybe, a wild animal had chewed on it. That was the only explanation he could think of.

He brought the chewed part to his nose and Jael felt his insides twist. He pulled back immediately but it was already too late, the smell was in his nostrils.

He immediately exhaled through his nose, snorting as hard as he could. He rubbed his nose as he started to feel better. He had expected a wild animal scent, not a paler, let alone one so strong.

"Paler’s drool." He said and tossed the rope to Danag.

"Whoa, and you took that straight to the nose."

"Shut up, Danag!"

Danag caught it as it flew across the air and stared at the cut. "What does this mean?"

"If I knew, Danag. One thing’s for sure, a paler had cut the rope there is no way it could have been the one I had beaten. It hasn’t gotten enough time to heal up." Jael said.

"That’s impossible!"

Jael didn’t respond, instead, he touched the ground. The low grass had been pressed down as if something was dragged across it. He stood to his feet as he stared, following the path.

The path led further into the forest and Jael felt Danag’s hand on his shoulder. He brushed it off.

"Sire, this is not a good idea. It is enough that the palers are acting strangely, to go after them alone is suicidal."

"Quit your whining. I just want to see how far this goes."

"It isn’t every day we come across a sight of Palers helping Palers. This is not something to investigate alone. It is best to bring an entire squad."

"Squad, you say? Jael scoffed and set off in the direction the track was leading to.

He couldn’t smell anything different, there was also the annoying fact that the smell was faint. Which meant whatever had transpired here happened at least two hours ago. Enough time to disperse the smell.

He could hear Danag behind him even though he disapproved of this, the vampire kept close. Jael couldn’t blame him. Single palers were already a nuisance, if there was a slim chance they were banding up, this could spell trouble.

He stopped abruptly. The rest of the track led towards the Nolands, he had known this but had simply wanted to confirm. He stared hard, hoping he would see anything in the dry earth with rocks littered around but he got nothing.

"Let’s go back, Danag."

Danag didn’t hide his relief. "Yes, sire."

"And Danag," Jael called as they headed back to the castle. "Don’t you dare breathe a word about this to anyone."

"Yes, Sire. I wouldn’t dare."

Jael squinted, this was not good. He couldn’t think of a solution, he didn’t even know what the problem was. Was this a coincidence? Was this simply a misunderstanding?

Danag had expressed his concerns after they had brought the princess back that the Paler that attacked them, acted strangely. Was this something he should be worried about?

However, even with all the strange activities, there haven’t been any records of vampires getting attacked. It was suspicious especially with all the rumors about Palers going rampant.

Unless they were just rumors and somebody was trying to spread this to cause a ruckus, he wouldn’t be surprised. If word got out about this, he wouldn’t be able to control the outburst.

This was the first paler they had seen in a full week. Before that, they had only run into two others and those were disposed of accordingly.

Jael’s frown deepened. Was he reading too much into this? Had the paler been able to reach the rope with its teeth and then crawled away from the scene?

Jael slowed as the castle appeared in view. He wasn’t too eager to go inside but there was no point staying out any longer.

"Sire," Danag called.

"What?" Jael replied stiffly, his thoughts were still churning and he didn’t appreciate the interruption.

"Should I ask around for any suspicious paler activities?"

"Danag, did I stutter when I gave the order?" Jael asked.

"No, sire. However, there wouldn’t be a better time to get information from the Lords about what they may have seen than this party."

"Danag, I understand your concerns but to ask certain questions would mean some circumstances have been happening. There is already enough distrust for me ever since I signed the treaty, to bring up something like this at such a delicate time. I am afraid it will ruin everything."

Jael stopped completely, halting Danag’s movements too. "If it is not too much, I ask that you remain quiet about this. We don’t even know what we know. It is best not to make an uproar especially if it might be over nothing. Two unclear instances aren’t enough to make a conclusive decision."

Danag immediately bowed his head, "Yes, sire. I understand, forgive my stupid suggestion. I would just prefer we curb this in the bud than let it grow into something worse."

"What exactly is growing? We have always been on the losing side against palers even though they are pretty stupid. To think we have a chance now after centuries of this is laughable. Enough about this subject, Danag. Don’t bring it up unless you have some useful information."

Jael pushed the doors and walked into the castle. His head was aching but he knew it wasn’t blood that was the problem, he was well-fed. He has not been able to sleep properly in days and it was starting to get to him.

(...)

"It’s the last meal of the night, I was hoping she would at least join us. Don’t you think it’s rude, considering how I have been asking?" Seraphino said while twirling the drink in his cup.

"I don’t see the need."

"Well, I do sire," Seraphino said with a nasty grin. "I gave up three humans for this, don’t you think I deserve a glimpse."

"If you had been that curious then you should have attended the wedding," Jael said without raising his voice.

He was more concerned as to why Seraphino was making a big deal out of this all of a sudden. However, there was the problem that Seraphino wouldn’t drop it unless he was satisfied.

"Palers, Sire. I like to keep my head."

"Then you have your answer. Enough about this, Seraphino. It is unbecoming."

Seraphino’s eyes turned to slits and he quickly covered them up with a smile. The corners of his eyes wrinkled to match his smile.

"I apologize if I seem rude but I don’t understand how my demands cannot be met, considering I gave up my felicity for this." He smiled again, pausing to stare at the rest of the vampires who sat at the table.

No one said a word and all but Lady Jevera completely avoided eye contact with Seraphino. He smiled at her, slightly lifting his cup toward her.

"If she is locked up as blood slaves should be, I don’t mind going to see her for myself. I am merely curious, Sire." He slowly turned his gaze to Jael.

Jael felt his grip on his cutlery tighten but that was the only reaction that showed he was angry. He carefully let go of the cutlery to avoid breaking it and brought his hand to his chin as he dabbed the corners of his mouth.

"I understand your request. However, I don’t see why I have to give you any special treatment. Tons of vampires had to give up their household blood slaves, I did but..." he paused for effect.

"Since you’re so curious and I am sure a lot of the vampire Lords are as most of you were not in attendance." He said, not sparing Lady Marceline the death glare.

"I have a valid excuse," she mumbled under her breath.

"I shall reveal her in the presence of everybody at the party. Consider it a surprise, something to look forward to."

Seraphino’s smile fell immediately. "All I ask is a glance, that sounds like quite the show. It’s just a human, no need to put her on display."

"That’s what I thought too, Seraphino but you’re right. It would be weird if you came all this way and didn’t see the reason why. Besides, wouldn’t that be treading on others who also gave up their felicity? I know the fact that we have enough blood to go around means nothing to you but I’m certain you’ll adjust nicely."

Jael rose before Seraphino could say a word, not like the Vampire Lord looked like he had anything else to say.

However, Jael was not happy with the outcome. He knew he couldn’t completely keep her hidden but now he was obligated to present her at the party. He touched his head as he walked out of the dining hall, he had known this was only going to get worse.