Chapter 177: The Queen’s Game
As Damien finished, his dark red eyes shifted deliberately toward Evelyn, and the effect was instantaneous. The faint smiles on Valen’s and the other Dartmouth delegates’ faces vanished like they’d been burned.
It was then that Ivan finally loosened his grip on Valen’s hand and stepped back. He gave a side eye to Damien before turning toward Eve. Without a word, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close in full view of everyone.
Eve’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed crimson as she looked up at him in startled embarrassment. Ivan met her gaze briefly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips before he gave her a quick wink that made her heart skip a beat.
Then, as if the tension moments ago had never existed, he turned back toward the others with a bored expression, his molten eyes landing on Professor Dante. "So...are we doing this tour?"
Cece, Edward, and Oliver bit back the smiles threatening to break across their faces at Ivan and Damien’s blatant display before the royals of Dartmouth.
Professor Dante, on the other hand, flashed his bright, borderline psychopathic grin at Ivan, an expression that almost looked like a reward for thoroughly entertaining him.
"Yes, Your Highness," Dante said cheerfully as he turned to the gobsmacked Valen. "Shall we begin the tour?" he asked, his tone brimming with sadistic delight.
Valen quickly schooled his expression before responding stiffly, "Yes...I suppose we shall."
But as he turned, his pale green eyes once more shifted to Ivan and Evelyn, and they drifted to the place where Ivan’s hand rested possessively around her waist. His jaw twitched as his hands curled into tight fists until his knuckles whitened at the sight of his bride-to-be being held so intimately by a damned vampire prince.
Clenching his jaw, Valen continued to stand there for a moment until the Queen finally stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm.
"Prince Valen? People are waiting," she said with a reassuring smile, though her eyes carried a silent warning...’Not now.’
Valen drew in a sharp breath to steady himself, forcing his composure back into place before giving his mother a small nod. Then, with firm steps, he turned and walked beside her as she guided him away.
When they neared Lord Renwick, the royal advisor, and some royal officials who were already privy to the prospect of marriage with the Princess of Luminear, who was clearly with the Crown Prince of Versailles, opened their mouths to object to the queen with their public display of affection. But before they could utter a word, the Queen’s gaze turned icy sharp, and she raised her hand to effectively shut them up from speaking.
In a low voice meant only for them, she said, "Not now. We’ll discuss it later. We have guests to attend to."
And though she spoke quietly, every vampire present could clearly hear her.
She then turned around and gave them all a carefully staged smile. "Thank you for coming all this way. I’m afraid I must excuse myself to attend to some official matters, but Prince Valen will remain to guide you all. I hope you have a pleasant tour."
With that, both professors bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The students followed suit, bowing politely in courtesy.
The Queen’s gaze shifted briefly to the striking vampire prince standing beside her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. Her eyes gleamed dangerously with an unspoken promise that this arrangement would not last for long, before she turned to leave, the royal officials following in her wake.
Prince Valen remained behind, with Jareld standing dutifully at his side. He flashed them all his practiced smile and gestured toward the entrance. "Please, follow me."
With that, he led the nobles inside the castle.
....
As the double doors of the luxurious royal office burst open to the very room where the ruling monarch conducted official duties, Queen Viva stormed in, rage blazing in her eyes like that of a madwoman after what she had witnessed at the castle’s entrance. Lord Renwick and the other officials followed close behind.
She strode straight to her desk and, with a furious sweep of her arm, she sent the neatly arranged items scattering across the floor. The sharp crash of shattering glass sliced through the air, freezing the officials mid-step.
Viva huffed for air, trembling with rage as she sneered, "That little Lumen princess dares to display affection for another man in front of my people!"
"Your Majesty, I implore you to calm down," Lord Renwick said as he stepped forward cautiously.
"Calm down?" Viva’s voice rose sharply. "And how am I supposed to calm down when the woman who is supposed to marry my son is openly wrapped in the arms of another man?"
The officials swallowed hard as they watched the Queen seething with rage. Yet one of them was brave enough to speak. "Your Majesty, how should we handle this situation? People in the royal palace have already seen the princess with the vampire prince. Rumours will spread quickly that they are together. In light of that, how can we openly announce to our people that the woman claimed by the vampire prince is to be our Prince’s bride?"
The Queen’s eyes blazed as she glared at the official. "You think I don’t already know the situation? I witnessed it with my own eyes!"
The officials pressed their lips together as silence filled the room. The Queen began to walk slowly, each step crunching over the mess she had made on the floor until she reached the tall window of her office. Her pale green eyes burned with malice, and her blood-red lips curved into a chilling smirk. "I think it cannot wait any longer," she whispered.
Those who couldn’t quite hear her asked, "P-Pardon, Your Majesty?" one of them stammered.
She remained by the window, her gaze fixed outside as she spoke in a voice just loud enough for all to hear. "I will take care of it. You need not concern yourselves. Focus on preparing for tomorrow’s special guests arriving for the ball."
The officials stared at her back for a long, tense moment before bowing deeply in submission. "We hear you, Your Majesty."
With that, they turned and took their leave, fully aware that their queen was no ordinary woman. In fact, none of them had ever encountered someone as ruthless as her in their entire lives. So when she said she would take care of it, they believed her without question.
Lord Renwick, the royal advisor and her most trusted confidant, was the only one who remained after the others departed. His tone was serious as he asked, "Your Majesty, are we still following the plan for tomorrow?"
Viva’s crimson lips curved slightly. "Yes. I don’t see why we should change anything over a little hurdle, do you?"
"But that hurdle is not small, Your Majesty," Lord Renwick said cautiously. "In fact, he may be the most dangerous obstacle we’ve encountered so far, considering how protective he was of the princess. He didn’t even let Prince Valen greet her."
Viva’s expression didn’t waver, "Like I said, he will be taken care of, Lord Renwick. Have I ever failed to deliver anything I’ve set my mind to?" She finally turned, and the cold glint in her pale green eyes returned af they were soulless.
Lord Renwick held her gaze for a moment before bowing deeply. "Then I leave this to you, Your Majesty. I’ll see to the preparations for tomorrow."
An unsettling smile curved her lips as she let out a low hum, "Now, let me see how my dear husband is faring."
With that, she stepped forward to leave the office. Just as she reached the door, she paused and said coldly, "Have this room cleaned before I return."
Then, without another glance back, she sashayed out of the room.
Lord Renwick let out a low sigh before turning to the guards outside. "Why are you still standing there? Get the staff and have this room cleaned immediately."
"Yes, Milord," one of the guards replied before quickly scurrying off to carry out the order.
...
As the Queen set her plan in motion on one side of the castle, on the other side, Eve and the others were preparing to act on their own.
After being led inside the grand Castle of Demos, there was no denying its beauty, but it could hardly compare to the majesty of the Castle of Light in Luminear or the Dracoria Palace in Versailles.
Footsteps echoed through the vast hallway, where servants stood at intervals with their heads bowed, ready to attend to the guests at a moment’s notice.
The limestone castle had cream-colored walls inside as well, with grand chandeliers illuminating the halls, even though the Gothic-style windows already let in ample sunlight. Elegant green drapes adorned the window frames, adding a touch of colour to the pale interior. As they walked deeper into the castle, the unsettling ceramic statues of women became more frequent, spreading throughout the corridors as eerie decorations.
