Chapter 155: The Missing Prince
Unrestrained tears streamed down her cheeks as her heart ached for the man in her dream, his pain still echoing through her chest. She tried to calm her ragged breathing, forcing the tight lump in her throat back down.
Her trembling fingers brushed away the tears as she blinked rapidly, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness around her. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in Ivan’s arms after another heated, breathless session together.
Ivan!
At the thought of him, she turned to her side, only to find the bed empty, the sheets cool where his warmth should have been.
With the curtains drawn, there was no light seeping in.
"Ivan?" she called softly.
No answer.
A chill crept up her spine as she sat up, her hands crept to the side table until they brushed the cold metal of the candle stand and the familiar shape of a matchbox. She fumbled with it with her clumsy fingers in haste, before striking a flame.
The tiny light flickered to life, casting trembling shadows across the room...but no one was there.
Swallowing hard, she lit the candle lamp beside the bed and rose to her feet, her bare steps soundless against the floor.
Her heart drummed faster as she made her way toward the bathroom door. Standing before it, she knocked lightly and asked, "Ivan...? Are you in there?"
But she was only met with silence again, she panicked, already at the edge with the dream she saw, a sense of foreboding crept in. Not knowing where he was, she entered the bathroom, finding it empty. She then went by the window to draw the curtains, only to find it dark outside. She didn’t know how much time had passed.
’How long did I sleep?’ she thought, her brows drawing together. She paced around the room for a minute, but when she couldn’t wait any longer, she adjusted her dress and decided to search for him.
Shutting the door behind her, her eyes scanned the luxurious yet eerily quiet corridor, lined with distasteful statues of women. She thought about checking the courtyard. ’What if he needed air? Where could he be? Is he eating? And if so, why didn’t he wake me up?’ Questions swirled in her mind with no one to answer them.
Soon, she ran into one of the hotel staff members and quickly stopped him. "Excuse me?"
"Yes, milady. How may I help you?" The staff boy bowed politely.
"I’m looking for the dining area. Could you guide me to it?" Eve asked.
"Of course, milady. It’s just straight ahead and to the right, down the stairs."
"Alright, thank you," she said quickly before hurrying off.
When she reached the dining area, she didn’t find him there. In fact, she barely saw any students around at this hour. Searching the courtyard and nearby halls only deepened her worry. Then suddenly, a thought struck her: Damien! Maybe he’d seen Ivan.’ Without another moment’s hesitation, she rushed to his room.
After knocking twice, the door swung open. Damien’s surprised expression quickly turned into a bright smile.
"Evelyn! What a pleasant surprise! I must say, I was expecting that lady who couldn’t stop eyeing me at dinner-"
"Damien, I’m sorry to cut you off," Eve interrupted, "but have you seen Ivan?" She knew that if she didn’t stop him now, he’d go on forever.
"Ivan?" Damien raised a brow, then smirked. "Don’t tell me there’s been some lovers’ quarrel and he stormed off?"
"What? No, why would you say that?" Eve’s brows furrowed deeper.
Damien chuckled, "Just guessing. The last time I saw him was around noon, when we all went back to our rooms to rest. I thought about calling you two for lunch...or maybe dinner, but I figured you didn’t want to be disturbed."
"Oh." Eve’s heart sank at his words. But she pressed on, "We were asleep, and I just woke up. When I did... I was alone in the room. He was gone."
"Hm...did you check the dining hall? He might’ve gotten hungry after skipping two meals in a row."
"I did! I checked the dining hall and every room on the premises, but I couldn’t find him anywhere!" Her heart began to beat faster in panic, and Damien could clearly hear it in her voice.
He knew Eve wouldn’t panic about Ivan like this unless something was seriously wrong. "Well...why don’t we calm down," he said gently, "and I’ll help you look for him, alright?"
Just then, Cece stepped out of the room, fresh from her shower, her damp hair clinging to her shoulders. Hearing Evelyn’s worried tone, she glanced between the two and asked, "What’s going on?"
"Evelyn says Ivan wasn’t in the room when she woke up, and she’s searched everywhere but can’t find him," Damien explained.
Cece frowned slightly. "Maybe he just went to grab a snack? You two did miss your meals."
"I thought that too, but I can’t find him anywhere..." Eve’s voice, growing increasingly worried, alarmed even Damien and Cece a little. They both knew Ivan had a habit of disappearing from time to time for work, but right now, they were in a different kingdom. And though they were aware that his elite squad followed them in the shadows, Eve was not privy to that fact.
Thinking he might have gone to speak with them, they decided to probe further, seeing her this distressed.
"Evelyn, Ivan has a habit of vanishing occasionally for work, and he’s not exactly the best when it comes to keeping people informed," Cece said gently. "Since you were asleep, maybe he didn’t want to disturb you. I’m sure he’ll be back soon."
But Eve had a nagging feeling she couldn’t quite explain. The unease gnawed at her, especially after that dream, pushing her to share what she had discovered after yesterday’s attack.
"The thing is..." she began softly, "there’s something you both need to know about what happened yesterday. Normally, I wouldn’t be this worried knowing how he is, but I just-"
"Why don’t you come in and tell us?" Damien interrupted, glancing down the empty corridor. "It’s best to talk inside."
Understanding his caution about being overheard, Eve quickly nodded and stepped in.
Once the door was shut behind them, they all took their seats on the lounge sofa.
"Alright," Damien said, his tone serious now. "Tell us what’s got you so worried?"
Eve continued, "Yesterday, after Lora’s attack, Ivan was injured by her nails. Since he had blood on his hands, I offered to clean it for him. But he tried to hide it from me. When I finally made him show me, his injury hadn’t healed."
Damien and Cece’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at the revelation.
"And it’s not just that," Eve went on, her tone tightening. "The skin around his wounds looked...strange. Like dark roots spreading out, as if it were infected." She ran a hand through her hair, frustration and fear written on her face. "He told me not to worry, that it would heal on its own and by morning, it did. But maybe I’m overthinking, I don’t know...he just seemed different. A little on edge. I can’t explain it, but something tells me this isn’t a small issue. And now he’s disappeared. I’m worried...something’s wrong with him, because of that wound."
Damien and Cece exchanged uneasy glances before Cece asked, "Has something like this ever happened to a pure-blooded vampire before?"
Damien’s expression turned grave. "I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like that...but there have been cases of vampires becoming corrupted after coming into contact with dark magic."
Eve’s eyes widened at his words, her pulse spiked. She felt dizzy, as though her heart might leap straight out of her chest. Almost in a whisper, she asked, "What happens when a vampire is...corrupted?"
Damien exhaled slowly. "They lose control...go berserk. Their thirst for blood becomes insatiable. They start killing indiscriminately, but no matter how much they drink, their body rejects it. Eventually...they wither away."
Eve felt her heart plummet to her stomach. "No..." she breathed, shaking her head. Her voice trembled as she asked, "A mere wound from someone under the influence couldn’t possibly trigger this corruption, right?"
Her eyes darted between Cece and Damien, both of whom wore grim expressions.
When the silence lingered too long, Cece finally said softly, "I’m sure that won’t happen to Ivan. He’s the strongest vampire ever known in history."
"I agree, Evelyn. I’m sure he’s okay. But just to be sure, we’ll help you look," Damien said.
Eve nodded, knowing she wouldn’t be able to stay calm until she saw him again. Cece, Damien, and Eve had just stepped out of the room when all three of them froze.
Ivan stood right at the doorway, wearing a blank expression.
Though he looked completely normal on the surface, there was something off about him. His molten-red eyes, usually calm and composed, now carried a wildness barely contained beneath the surface. And when their gazes trailed to his neck, all three of them noticed it...a single drop of red clinging to his skin.
Blood.
