Chapter 116: Let Destiny Run Its Course
He pointed a finger at Septimus, "This is all your fault! You were the one who suggested sending her away!"
Septimus stood completely unfazed by the king’s outburst and replied in a calm, steady voice, "Your Majesty, you wished to have the princess married? May I remind you of the prophecy given at her birth? She is no ordinary princess. Her existence itself was willed by the gods, and no matter what we do, her fate cannot be changed. At this point, it is her destiny itself guiding her through the events unfolding in her life, and neither you nor I can change that."
"Are you saying I should believe that blood-sucking creature is my daughter’s destined one?!" King Solan snarled.
"If the princess has allowed him close to her, then it means there is something at work that we cannot see. And just because we cannot see it does not mean it does not exist. Her fate is tied to her twin flame, and such a destiny will never allow anyone else to interfere. For if we do, we will surely be burned by it."
"Impossible! I will never allow a Princess of Luminear to be with a vampire!" Solan huffed.
Septium remained silent, staring at King Solan, his thoughts quiet but sharp: ’No matter how much you try, you will not be able to change the course of events. Such a powerful fate will burn anyone who interferes. I hope you do not lose your way too far, King Solan, for the outcome will not be pleasant.’
"Your Majesty, I must caution you against this. It is dangerous to play with fire when God’s will is involved. We cannot change what has been prophesied, and no matter what, the princess’s soulmate will come for her. It is their destiny," Septimus warned in a grave tone.
Enraged, Solan violently swept his hand across the desk, knocking everything to the floor, and barked, "She has done nothing but bring misfortune to this kingdom! I will not allow her to further damage the kingdom that I have built!"
As Septimus watched the wreckage in the king’s study, he exhaled slowly, thinking, ’It was I who suggested to the king that she be sent to Blood Moon Academy, guided by the goddess of light in my dreams. What is happening now...it is Princess Evelyn’s destiny taking its course. I can only hope that this father hers does not inflict any more pain than he already has over the past so many years.’
Guilt gnawed at him, releasing, ’By now, she must have discovered the truth, that the locket suppressed her powers all these years, leaving her open to ridicule and scorn. She must feel betrayed by all of us...including me. But duty bound my hands. Now, I will do everything in my power to protect her. I wish her all the happiness in this world. And if the vampire prince is truly her other half, then may nothing ever tear them apart. Let destiny run its course...’
His eyes drifted to the garden outside, where Evelyn had once sat by the fountain, silent, somber, and all alone. A whisper escaped his lips like a prayer, "I hope...you can smile now."
....
Back in the academy, every student was instructed to gather in the assembly hall for the Headmaster’s address. Eve was dressed in a black, full-sleeve dress that hugged her figure perfectly; her hair, tied in a high ponytail, made her look lovely. She stood with Cece on one side, waiting for other students to settle in lines before the speech began.
Eve leaned towards Cece and asked in a low voice, "Any idea what this is about?"
Cece scoffed, "Who knows? If it’s this academy, anything is possible." Her dark red eyes scanned the room before adding, "Where are the others? I didn’t see any of them around breakfast?"
Eve followed her gaze, "I’m not sure, although Ivan said he’ll join the assembly." Her voice trailed off when her eyes caught someone new. A human with brown hair and mischievous brown eyes came to stand next to her. She was about to look away when he grinned. "What a lovely morning it is, Princess Evelyn, that I get to be in your company today."
Some students turned to look at the human who was trying to speak to the lumen princess.
Eve didn’t want to be rude, so she politely replied, "It is," and then looked straight ahead.
"I’m Prince Aden Blackwell, from the Kingdom of Sunfire. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Evelyn," he went on, introducing himself.
"Likewise," Eve replied again, out of courtesy.
Cece glanced at the strange human prince rambling beside Evelyn and could only count his lucky stars that Ivan wasn’t around to witness this.
"Must I say, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. My kingdom is very wealthy and flourishing; you must visit sometime," he continued, adding more with barely a pause.
Whispers started swirling around them like buzzing bees, as they thought maybe the man did not get the memo. To be bold enough to openly hit on Princess Evelyn, who was famously claimed by the icy prince. Soon, the crowd behind them began parting like they were avoiding a ticking time bomb, muttering things like, "Somebody tell him, please!" Yet Prince Aden remained oblivious of the approaching danger.
He went on, "I was wondering...would you like to get something cold to drink later? My throat seems pretty parched." Eve blinked at him with a straight face, wondering how exactly one politely rejects a prince without invoking a scandal.
She opened her mouth to respond, but when her clear blue eyes flickered behind him, she promptly shut her mouth. Aden, who continued grinning at her, felt a hand tap on his shoulder. As he turned... he immediately wished he hadn’t. Ivan’s icy glare hit him like a winter storm.
"P-Prince Ivan," Aden stammered, his earlier bravado failing miserably at the sight of Ivan.
Ivan spoke in a calm yet terrifying voice, "Why don’t you go get that cold drink you so desperately wanted?" With a light shove, Aden went flying sideways like a puppet with tangled strings rather ungracefully.
Ivan then smoothly wrapped his arm around Evelyn’s waist, pulling her close. He leaned in and asked her in his velvety, teasing voice, "Did I keep you waiting?"
Eve blushed at Ivan’s public display of affection and murmured, "No."
Cece rolled her eyes at Ivan’s possessiveness and murmured under her breath, "Well, that was the shortest courtship attempt in history."
Damien, who had followed Ivan, stepped up beside him and gave the human another light shove, pushing him further away, and mumbled coolly as if he hadn’t done anything wrong, "Honestly, some people really don’t have any sense of danger," earning quite a few snickers from the crowd. Aden agape at what just happened, but he felt like he just avoided a disaster. While the onlookers couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor human prince.
The women, on the other hand, burned with jealousy at the sight of the gorgeous prince showing affection towards Evelyn. Amongst them was Leah, of course, whose blood boiled with a fury she could barely contain, yet she looked away quickly, not wanting to suffer under Ivan’s powers again.
Back to Eve, she tried to pry his hand from her waist and whispered, "What do you think you’re doing?"
"I’m keeping the bugs away; looks like some did not get the memo yesterday," he murmured, giving a light squeeze to her waist that made her bite her lips to stifle a squeak that threatened to slip from her lips.
She shot him a half-hearted glare, "Well, you’ve successfully managed to keep him away. Would you mind behaving yourself now?"
Ivan’s lips twitched as amusement danced in his eyes at the sight of her being all shy while glaring at him, "Really? But I am behaving. You should be grateful, I’m sparing him a broken jaw."
Eve was left agape at his brazenness, while Damien and Cece let out a chuckle at his merciless remark.
Soon, their attention was drawn to the stage as Professor Dante appeared on the podium, wearing his trademark thousand-megawatt smile. "Good Morning, my lovely students! Isn’t it a wonderful day, with the sun shining on us like never before! You all must be wondering why we’ve called you here on such a bright day. Well, fear not, I don’t have any grim news.... at least, not the kind Headmaster Charles will deliver, followed by a couple of announcements."
Despite his claim, the sheer manic enthusiasm plastered across his face suggested the exact opposite. Several students exchanged nervous glances, silently questioning exactly how many screws Dante had lost on the way to the podium.
He then stepped aside, allowing Headmaster Charles to take over, "Good Morning, everyone. As Professor Dante mentioned, there are a couple of things I would like to bring to your attention. This academy consists of nobles from all across the continent, which naturally makes it a target for those seeking to create rifts between kingdoms or for those who work with the dark forces. That is why strict rules and security measures are in place to ensure the safety of every student...."
