Chapter 198: The Truth She Carried Back
Edward was about to attack, summoning his powers, when he suddenly felt cold, delicate fingers wrap around his hand, and he froze.
Stunned, he turned, only to see a familiar, beautiful face emerging from the shadows at the back of the cell. Soft light fell across her features, making the guards blink in surprise at the sight of a striking blonde woman standing beside him.
Her eyes gleamed blood-red, just like the man in the first cell, instantly making the guards wary of the third vampire now revealed in the dungeon.
"Cece," Edward rasped, still in shock. Before he could ask anything, she squeezed his hand, making his heart skip a beat and alerting the others to her presence. She offered him a soft smile, then turned to the guards, who now looked like drowned cats and said, "All this commotion woke me from my slumber. As if the disgusting smell in this wretched place wasn’t enough, one can’t even nap in peace."
Cece shot the guards a cold glare. "What’s this fuss about there being only four prisoners instead of five? Is someone missing that we don’t know about?"
Damien let out a breath of pure relief at hearing his sister’s voice, then broke into a wicked grin. "I don’t know, sister...but the only thing missing here is the bare minimum of intelligence."
"Seems like it," she replied, regarding the guards with her crimson eyes before adding, "Why don’t you quietly place the food inside the cells and leave. Though I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to eat in a place that smells like something died twice."
"S-sister?" one of the guards stuttered in shock before whispering again, "The crazy one has a sister too!"
"Now, now, that’s rude to call me crazy when you lot have been the ones acting like lunatics," Damien drawled, sounding thoroughly entertained by their misery.
All the guards snapped their heads toward him again, inwardly cursing their luck for being the unfortunate ones assigned to this task.
Before anyone could say anything else, a more senior royal guard arrived and barked, "What’s taking you all so long? His Highness is waiting outside for you to finish the task!"
"His Highness is waiting? I hope he hasn’t added poison in there, just so he can watch us wither away while choking on food," Dante drawled.
"What? No!" one guard blurted out. "His Highness and Her Highness personally ate the same meal before it was delivered here."
"Her Highness?" Dante repeated slowly, his eyes narrowing. "You mean Princess Evelyn?"
"Yes, that’s right. It was Her Highness who insisted on sending food for everyone," another guard answered quickly. "Now, if you all would just cooperate, we’ll deliver these trays to each cell and be on our way."
Hearing that Evelyn was the one who sent the meals, everyone fell silent. Not wanting to argue anymore, they all stepped back from the gate. When the guards noticed them retreating, they exchanged another wary glance before finally opening the cell doors and placing the food inside with shaky hands. The moment they were done, they practically bolted out of the cells.
They locked the iron gates again and said, "We’ll be back later to collect the plates."
With that, they all scurried away.
Outside the dungeon, Eve was standing beside Prince Valen as she watched the guards emerge with empty hands. She let out a quiet breath of relief, taking comfort in the fact that at least her friends wouldn’t starve tonight.
When the guards approached, they bowed, and one of them reported, "It is done, Your Highness."
"Why did it take so long?" Valen asked with a frown creasing his forehead.
"Well, there was a slight confusion before about the number of prisoners, but-"
"What confusion regarding the number?" Valen cut in sternly.
"W-we thought there were only four prisoners, Your Highness, but because it was dark inside the cell, we didn’t see the fifth one appear from behind. It seems the fifth prisoner was...taking a nap," the guard explained quickly as he was fully aware of the crown prince’s temper.
Valen listened to him carefully before giving a curt nod. "Fine. You may leave."
"Yes, Your Highness," they replied in unison before hurrying away.
Valen then turned his cocky face back toward Evelyn. "As you can see, I’ve fulfilled my promise."
Evelyn continued staring toward the dungeon from afar, worry for her friends tightened her chest, and before she reluctantly shifted her gaze to the repulsive man beside her.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her so violently that she spun around and rushed toward one of the trees in the corner. She vomited out every single thing she had forcefully eaten in his presence, almost as if her body itself was rejecting anything remotely connected to Valen.
A deep frown creased Valen’s forehead, and he hurried after her. He reached out, about to hold her hair back, when she jerked away instantly, putting distance between them before he could touch her.
"Princess Evelyn! Are you alright?" Valen asked, his brows knitting together.
"No," she snapped in irritation, "And you should have thought about that before piling my plate to the brim when I repeatedly told you I wasn’t hungry."
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I am tired, and I would like to rest now, if you don’t mind."
Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked away toward her assigned room, leaving Valen standing there with a dumbfounded expression.
He stood there in the night, watching her back disappear into the castle. His gaze then shifted to the puddle of food she had vomited, and a sharp sting of humiliation hit him with force. She couldn’t even keep a meal down that he had personally given her, and it infuriated him.
Rage simmered beneath his skin as his ego throbbed from yet another rejection she had thrown in his face. His obsession, his need to break her, to force her into submission, swelled with every defiant look, every cold word, every boundary she still dared to hold between them.
His jaw clenched tightly as dark thoughts twisted through his mind, goading him to cross every single line she drew.
And gods, he was tired of waiting, so he decided that tomorrow, after the ball, he would claim her.
Yes...that was it. She would be his....only his. He would defile her again and again until she couldn’t think of anything but him.
A feverish conviction burned in his pale eyes as he turned and strode back into the castle.
’Enjoy this little freedom of yours, Evelyn... because tomorrow, you will be mine.’
.....
Back inside the dungeon, once the guards were gone and only the five of them remained, Edward immediately pulled Cece into a tight hug. "Cece! I was so worried about you! Where were you all this time?"
He suddenly pulled back, his pale blue eyes scanning her frantically for any injury. "Did you get hurt? Are you alright? Did you get into trouble? Why did you take so long?"
He shot out questions one after another in a panicked rush, leaving Cece momentarily speechless at the sheer worry pouring out of him. Her wide crimson eyes softened, and something warm bloomed in her chest at how deeply he cared for her.
Without a word, she threw herself right into his arms again, wrapping her delicate arms around his narrow waist. She closed her eyes as she listened to the loud, racing heartbeat thundering against her ear.
Edward, on the other hand, abruptly clasped his mouth shut when she took the initiative to hug him for the first time. He didn’t know what she had faced out there, but he was simply grateful she was safe and back beside him. Gently, he lifted his hands and wrapped them around her slender body, pulling her even closer.
Everything Cece had experienced, the horror she witnessed, the sickening words she heard, seemed to fade from her mind for a brief, fragile moment as she melted into his warmth. She had never allowed herself such comfort with anyone before. Yet now, for the first time, she needed it. She needed him.
Needed someone to anchor her back to reality from the nightmare she had just escaped.
None of them said anything for a full minute, as if silently giving Cece the space she needed to compose herself. Dante and Damien could clearly hear the accelerated heartbeats of both Cece and Edward, and realised the lovebirds probably needed a moment to calm down.
Once Cece felt steady enough, she slowly pulled back and looked up at Edward, who was already watching her with deep concern. He raised a hand to gently caress her cheek. "Are you...alright?" he asked in a much softer voice.
Cece didn’t pull away from his touch. In fact, she leaned into it slightly, almost as if she needed him close just to stay grounded.
"I’m alright," she said softly. "I’m sorry for making you all worry. I really didn’t mean to take so long, but I’m not familiar with the castle, so it took me longer than I expected to find my way around."
