Chapter 241: Between Dreamland And Deceit
Ivan was taken aback by her ferocity and found himself marveling at how beautifully she was blooming into a strong and fierce woman, so different from the shy, self conscious girl he had first met. He had always known she was a resilient soul, needing only the right environment for her true nature to emerge, and now it was finally happening; all he could do was revel in it.
In the short span of time Ivan had come to know her, he had realised that Eve had always been a ruler in the making. With her awakening, she had now become something far more formidable, a true force to be reckoned with. It was this very quality that had made him fall for her so deeply in his past life, and to his own surprise, the pull he now felt towards her had intensified to an almost dangerous degree, far beyond anything he had thought possible.
With one side of his lips curling up ever so slightly as he gazed at her with such intensity and spoke in a low baritone, "Didn’t I tell you not to tempt me, Eve?"
Her golden eyes shifted back to blue at his unabashed words, and a beautiful crimson bloom rose swiftly to her cheeks, making her all the more captivating. ’Ah, there it is,’ he thought.
’One moment she is fierce, like a goddess passing judgement, and the next her shy, gentle side resurfaces, every time I say something to throw her off.’ He loved every reaction he drew from her, every effect he had on her, each one feeding the desire that made him want to devour her whole.
Tracing her blush with the back of his fingers, he asked softly, "Why are you so lovely?"
As if in a trance, she leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. Drawing in a deep breath, she inhaled his intoxicating scent and smiled gently as she replied, "Because of you, of course."
Ivan pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, then pulled her into his embrace, holding her close as though he wanted no space between them at all. Before they realised it, they finally drifted together into a much needed deep, peaceful slumber.
While on one side the two lovers lost themselves in dreamland once more, on the other, in the Kingdom of Luminear, peace was the farthest thing from the crowded courtroom.
King Solan sat upon his throne with a grave expression, his cold blue eyes fixed on the scene before him. Ministers shouted at one another as though it were not a royal courtroom at all, but a fish market.
"What do you mean it does not change anything?!" one of the ministers yelled. "With all the reports, it is evident that Princess Evelyn is the best candidate to rule this kingdom. Not only has she emerged as the strongest Lumen in the history of mankind, but her relationship with Prince Ivan has also strengthened our ties with the strongest kingdom on the continent. We would flourish under her rule!"
"Nothing is confirmed. For all we know, those reports might not even be true," another minister said unabashedly, clearly a supporter of Prince Ryan.
"Are you saying the official reports are based on mere rumours? Are you being deliberately ignorant, or have you truly lost your mind, Lord Seraph?" another minister snapped.
"Of course I am not saying the reports are false," Lord Seraph retorted. "All I am saying is that people have a habit of exaggerating facts to dramatise their impact!"
"This is preposterous! I cannot believe what I am hearing. You cannot seriously be suggesting that the reports have been tampered with!"
"Minister Seraph merely means to say that it may be true that Princess Evelyn’s powers have awakened, but what proof do we have that they surpass those of Prince Ryan? As it stands, we cannot accept the reports unless we witness it with our own eyes."
"Are you also implying that the claim she is the reincarnation of a celestial being, born of our Goddess of Light, is false?"
The opposing minister scoffed. "And do you truly believe that? If that were the case, then, no offence, why did her powers not manifest at birth?"
Solan stiffened at the remark, yet he remained silent.
"We believe it! If it is in the reports, then it must be true! There were sightings of divine beasts in Dartmouth, and our king was present there as well!"
At that, all eyes turned to Solan, waiting for his confirmation.
Solan’s cold eyes swept across the ministers of his kingdom as they waited for his response. He knew that if he confirmed the reports, Evelyn would indisputably become the rightful heir to his throne. He still remembered her golden, defiant eyes and the sharp words that echoed in his mind again and again, grating on his nerves. Then there were those dangerous molten orange eyes that had looked at him as though he would be reduced to ash without a second thought, a memory that wounded his ego and pride deeply.
’How dare they?’ he thought. ’Do they believe that I, King Solan, would cower in fear before such a display of power?’ Yet, even as he bristled inwardly, he could not deny the truth he tried so hard to suppress. The fear of the vampire prince had already taken root within him. And then, unbidden, his wife’s words returned to him, a chilling reminder of what could come to pass should Evelyn end up marrying Ivan.
Never. He would never let it happen.
On top of that, his current wife, Queen Elara, had her eyes firmly set on the throne for her son. It was not that Solan had any objection to handing the crown to his son, but it had to be done seamlessly. With the court divided as it was, and the risk of civil unrest looming, he needed the majority to stand behind the decision.
And so, he chose what he believed to be the most effective way to undermine the reports.
"No," he said flatly. "I did not see any divine beasts."
The courtroom fell into absolute silence.
The heads of Edward’s and Oliver’s families exchanged grim looks, their expressions hardening instantly. They knew at once that the king was resorting to an outright lie to sway the court in favour of Prince Ryan.
Not only had the sightings been documented in the official reports, but they had also been confirmed by Lucian, a member of the High Council. For the life of them, they could not fathom what King Solan was thinking when he chose to utter such a blatant falsehood before his own court.
So they pressed on. "King Solan, the High Council also mentioned in their report the sighting of the beasts-"
"Are you saying that I, your king, am lying?" Solan demanded, his voice cold and commanding.
Some among the opposition snickered at their predicament, one of them remarking, "It certainly seems that way, Your Majesty. It does make one wonder whether they even regard you as their king."
"Do not spout nonsense, Lord Romanov!" Lord Edgar, Oliver’s father snapped. "I was merely stating what is written in the reports of the High Council."
"And by doing so, you are also stating that you choose to believe them over your own king," Lord Romanov replied, earning nothing but glares from the opposing side.
"That is enough!" Solan’s voice thundered through the courtroom. "This is my court, so take your bickering elsewhere. I have made my position clear. We will resume this discussion at the next meeting. This session is adjourned."
With that, he rose from his throne and strode out, leaving the eyes of the court fixed on his retreating form.
The supporters of Evelyn understood exactly why Solan had ended the session so abruptly. He did not wish for any further questions to be raised on the matter.
Witnessing Solan’s actions against his own daughter, they could not help but wonder whether she was truly his child. They knew they needed to come up with a strategy to push Princess Evelyn forward and they needed to do it soon.
Releasing frustrated sighs, they rose from their seats and began to leave the courtroom.
.....
In the dark, dingy chamber, where the stench of rot and iron hung in the air, the chanting grew louder and louder until the large black sphere of thick smog began to react as if alive. Soon, the sphere pulsed more violently, and with a loud, guttural sound, a man’s voice, wracked with utter agony, echoed through the chamber. The sphere then began to be absorbed into whatever now surrounded it. Candle flames flared wildly, a heavy cloud of smoke filled the atmosphere, and the chanting abruptly stopped.
Little by little, as the thick smog dissipated, it revealed a figure that no longer looked human. A long, snake-like tail slithered behind it. Its unnaturally thin body was slick and covered in snake-like black scales. Its hair retained its original grey colour, though much lighter in shade, but its face was now marred by a permanent, jagged grin, sharp, pointed teeth fully on display. When its eyes finally opened, they were light grey, just like its hair.
The creature inhaled the thick air as though breathing for the very first time. It ran its large hands, tipped with deadly claws, through its long grey hair and drawled in an inhuman voice, "Ah....I feel so....alive. So very powerful."
