Chapter 190: Five Prisoners and One Idea
"What an absolute mess this is..." Edward let out a tired sigh, and everyone fell silent.
It was Cece who spoke softly, "What do you think their discussion is about?"
Damien answered humorlessly, though the worry beneath his tone was unmistakable. "What else? She’s going to give the queen exactly what that woman has been dying to get...in exchange for sparing us. Or rather..." he drawled, "she’s going to make the queen think she’s giving her what she wants."
A heavy silence stretched before Cece asked quietly, "Damien...why didn’t you stop her?"
Damien leaned against the iron bars of his cell and exhaled. "I was going to...but her eyes were telling me to trust her." His voice was barely above a whisper.
Edward sighed again. "This is not good. The people who support her back in Luminear will be in an uproar, and not to forget..." he hesitated, "...Prince Ivan."
Another grim silence fell over them until Seira finally spoke. "Prince Ivan seemed to be under the influence of dark sorcery. It was faint and well concealed, but as a sorcerer, I could feel it."
"That witch is going to pay for it," Damien hissed, rage rising in him again at the thought of what she had done to his brother.
"Had we known something like this was even a possibility, we would’ve never left the dining room." Cece’s voice dripped with regret.
From the next cell, Dante, despite looking like a man contemplating his own funeral, tilted his head just enough to give the impression of raising a brow even though a wall blocked his view of them. "Mind explaining," he said dryly, "why the two of you left the dining room in the first place? And don’t bother lying. Professor Seira and I are now proudly rotting in this lovely establishment because of all of you. I think we deserve the truth."
Cece went quiet for a moment, contemplating on what to do. She then turned to her side, where, even in the dim light, Edward was gazing at her intensely with his pale blue eyes, silently demanding answers.
She knew there was no point in hiding it when they were already so deep into this mess. So, releasing a slow breath, she began recounting everything that had happened so far and what she and Evelyn had been up to when they slipped away.
Damien, who already had his suspicions, listened quietly. When she finished, a small, proud smile tugged at his lips. "Evelyn really achieved all that on her own, huh?" he chuckled softly. "That prince is really an idiot for spilling everything so easily."
Dante and Seira exchanged troubled glances before asking, "But why are you all so interested in the Vault? Why go to such lengths?"
"Let’s just say it was important enough to take those risks," Cece replied quickly. She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to reveal Evelyn and Ivan’s connection through their dreams.
Dante narrowed his eyes. "Hm...I’ll figure it out sooner or later, you know. Now that I’m aware you’re all hiding more, my lifespan has officially been shortened."
"It’s not our place to reveal it to Professor Dante," Damien replied calmly. "Either Ivan or Evelyn should be the ones to tell you...if they choose to."
Dante let out another dramatic sigh, slumping against the cold stone wall. "Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. You children really do want to see me grey and ancient before my time, don’t you? At this point, I should start writing my will."
Seira, who had been silent until now, spoke softly, "I’m worried about Prince Ivan more than anyone else. Whatever influence he was under wasn’t weak. When King Iskara finds out what happened to his only son...he’ll surely wage war."
All their faces grimaced at the thought.
Cece let out an exasperated sigh and hissed, "I cannot sit still knowing both my brother and my friend are in danger because of those vipers!"
"Well...what can we do, Lady Cece?" Dante drawled lazily. "We know for a fact they’re not letting us out of this gutter anytime soon. Even if Evelyn said she’d be quick, that wicked queen will definitely decide to keep us here the entire night or rather, until the ball tomorrow is over."
"Dante, I’m worried about the other students!" Seira fretted, pacing in a small circle in their cramped cell. "They have no idea what happened here."
"Don’t worry," Dante replied with a dismissive wave. "I’m sure the queen will send them back to the hotel. She knows exactly what kind of trouble she’d face if even one of them so much as stubbed a toe, considering they’re nobles from all twelve kingdoms."
Seira pursed her lips when Cece quietly said, "I’ve decided to check on them."
Edward, who had been leaning casually against the wall while keeping a calm eye on Cece as she fretted, straightened instantly. His brows shot up. "Cece...you’re not planning to break out, are you? You know that if they see anything broken, it’ll make the situation worse."
Cece pressed her lips together, looking far too guilty for her own good. When she went silent, Damien suddenly burst out laughing.
Edward’s frown deepened as he genuinely wondered if Damien had finally lost his mind. And he wasn’t the only one; Dante and Seira exchanged the exact same bewildered look, both thinking the same thing.
Composing himself, Damien quipped, "Well, well, well... sister, what are you planning to do now?" he asked, clearly amused. Knowing exactly how pure-blooded vampires hide their abilities from others, and right now, there were three people present who would witness it if she decided to use them.
Cece remained silent as she thought deeply about it, which only confused Edward further. He continued watching her closely before asking again, "What is it?"
"Well..." Cece released a helpless breath. "The situation is dire enough that doing this is better than sitting here and worrying."
Damien’s lips curled into a knowing smile, as if he had already predicted this would happen the moment his sister opened her mouth.
Edward stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "What are you planning to do? Why are you talking in such a cryptic way?"
It was then that Dante rolled his eyes at the drama. He was sharp enough to understand exactly what she intended to do. "Well, there’s no need to get so dramatic, Lord Edward. Lady Cece, you may go ahead and do what you need to. As you can see, we’re all in separate cells, which conveniently restricts our view of whatever powers you’re about to unleash. Although," he added dryly, "as your educator, my only concern is that you don’t get discovered or do anything stupid, like vaporise a guard or... you know... leave any evidence behind that screams ’Hi, I’ve escaped’. So just go ahead and do it."
Seira, having caught on as well, nodded. "I agree with Dante. As long as you’re confident you won’t be caught, feel free to proceed."
Hearing their exchange was when Edward finally realised what this was all about. He had heard about pure-blooded vampires sometimes possessing unique gifts. Abilities they kept strictly hidden from others. That realisation made him intensely curious about what Cece’s gift could be...but it also filled him with worry. Because if she got caught, there was no telling what the consequences would be.
The guards weren’t inside the dungeon, but they were stationed right outside. That only made him more anxious about how was she supposed to slip past them without being detected?
Cece looked at Edward and offered him a meek smile. "I guess you’ll be the only one who gets to witness it," she murmured. "And I trust you’ll keep it to yourself?"
Edward met her gaze, and his heartbeat quickened. "Cece, you don’t have to ask," he said softly. "But...are you sure you won’t be discovered?"
Cece’s meek smile shifted into a confident one. "Yes. I won’t. I’m certain."
Edward regarded her for a moment longer before pulling her into an unexpected hug. Cece was stunned to say the least, to see him act this way for the first time. Heat quickly rushed to her cheeks at the sudden warmth, yet she made no effort to pull away. They stayed like that for a few seconds before he said softly, "Please be careful."
He then drew back and stepped away. In the faint light, he could see the deep crimson colouring her cheeks, and his eyes softened.
She cleared her throat quickly and murmured, "I will."
With that, she took a deep breath. The dim sconces flickered as the flames trembled under the disturbance, and shadows began to gather around her once more.
Edward’s pale blue eyes widened as he watched her form slowly get swallowed by the darkness until she vanished completely from sight. He inhaled sharply and rasped, "By the gods..."
A moment later, Damien saw a patch of shadow gliding past the front of his cell. He whispered, "Be careful, sister..." before the darkness slipped away toward the stairs leading out of the dungeon.
With Cece gone, all they could do was wait and hope she returned safely.
