Chapter 290: Bonus Chapter! The Hunt Begins
Cece smiled softly at her friend’s words. She knew Evelyn had not lived an easy life, even as a princess. Her own people had made her feel lesser, and seeing her finally bloom into her full colours was something Cece could only thank the gods for.
"But enough about me," Eve said, her smile turning teasing. "I can see that you and Edward have grown much closer. Is there something I should know about?"
Cece flushed deeply, the colour blooming across her cheeks in a way Eve had rarely seen. She cleared her throat, buying herself a moment. "Well....I....ahem, he is good."
"He is good?" Eve repeated, arching a brow.
"Yes, I mean," Cece inhaled slowly before letting out a nervous laugh, which only made Eve’s curiosity sharpen. It was not often that Cece looked this flustered.
"He is kind to me," she continued, her voice quieter, "And understanding, which is rare." She hesitated, then added, "Evelyn, you know I can sense people’s intentions with my innate vampire gift, right?"
Eve nodded in acknowledgement.
Cece continued, "I have always kept my distance from others, because I can sense their intentions the moment they try to draw close to me. But Edward..."
She paused, drawing in a deep breath, "He is different. He is like a rare gem. He cares without expecting anything in return, understands without me needing to explain myself, and most of all, he brings me a warmth I never believed I would feel from another man."
Eve did not interrupt and smiled gently as she listened.
"So you like him," she said softly, giving voice to what already hung between them.
Cece met her gaze, her blush deepening as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She hesitated, then nodded faintly. "I do."
Eve’s smile widened, warmth shining in her eyes. She then asked carefully, "Have you told each other how you feel?"
Cece’s eyes widened slightly before she quickly shook her head. "N-no. I honestly do not know how he feels about me."
Her voice dropped further as she admitted, "I know he is kind, gentle, and a wonderful friend. But everything he has done for me, I am not sure if it was only out of friendship or something more. I do not want to get ahead of myself and assume."
She then said almost in a whisper, "And if it is only friendship, I do not want to ruin what we have by making things awkward between us."
"Cece, I understand where you are coming from," Eve said gently, "but I feel that if you keep all of this bottled up, it may not be good for you. If you never take a step forward, you will never truly know how he feels."
She paused, then smiled softly. "I have learned to take chances. Had I not spoken my feelings out loud to Ivan..." She let out a small breath. "You know he is not a man of many words. If I had not taken that step, we might not be here today."
Eve reached for Cece’s hand. "So what I want to tell you is this. Take a chance, Cece. You are one of the strongest women I know, and I trust that you will handle it with grace, even if things do not turn out the way you hope."
Cece fell silent for a moment, as though she were debating with herself.
Yet Evelyn’s words reminded her of who she truly was. She was Cece Silver, a fearless woman who never bent nor held back when it came to voicing her truth.
Taking another deep breath, she met Eve’s eyes once more and nodded. "You are right. I think I have been a coward, hiding, but I know one cannot hide forever. I need to do this, at the very least to get it out of my system, regardless of his answer."
Eve clasped Cece’s hand more tightly. "I know my best friend is strong, and you should know that I always have your back, no matter what."
"Thank you, Evelyn," Cece replied, covering Eve’s hand with her own as they shared a warm smile.
A gentle breeze swept through the balcony, ruffling their hair. With soft smiles still lingering, they turned back to their tea, the moment settling into quiet resolve.
"By the way, how do you plan to handle tomorrow? There will be many bees buzzing around Ivan," Cece smirked as she asked.
Eve appeared unfazed on the surface, but her eyes suddenly glinted with a coldness that could freeze hell itself. "I will let them know what one must simply not do."
Cece chuckled softly. "I am very much looking forward to that."
...
Next evening, as the hour of the ball crept closer, Minister Silas’s estate hummed with quiet urgency. Servants moved briskly through candlelit corridors, final preparations unfolding behind closed doors.
In one such room that was heavy with perfume and silk, Lady Maribel stood behind her daughter, adjusting the fall of a gown that left little to the imagination. She circled her slowly, sharp eyes assessing every line, every deliberate reveal, tugging the fabric just enough to ensure it clung where it should and dipped where it was most dangerous.
"Stand straight," she instructed coolly, smoothing the bodice lower than modesty would ever allow. "You must be seen tonight, my dear. Not merely noticed."
"No," she said flatly. "That will not do."
Her daughter scoffed, eyes wild as she stared at her reflection. "It is already revealing enough."
Lady Maribel laughed softly, a sound devoid of warmth. "Revealing enough for a ball, perhaps. Not for what you are meant to accomplish."
She stepped closer and adjusted the fabric again, her fingers unbothered by the way the gown clung obscenely to her daughter’s flesh. "You are not there to be admired. You are there to be wanted."
The daughter’s lips curled into a hungry grin. "Good. I want him to choke on the sight of me."
Lady Maribel’s smile sharpened. "That is the spirit. Desperation suits you far better than dignity. With the lumen witch, Evelyn, out of his bed, you will take your rightful place next to him."
She tilted her daughter’s chin upward, forcing her to meet her own reflection. "You will stay close to Prince Ivan. You will laugh too loudly, touch too freely, and make yourself impossible to ignore. Men like him are not immune to persistence—only to inconvenience."
The daughter’s breath hitched; excitement and a raw hunger to devour the man gleamed dangerously in her eyes. "I do not care if he wants me or not. I just need him to look at me, or to find me in a place where we are alone!"
Lady Maribel nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Once his eyes are on you, rumours will follow. Once rumours begin, truth becomes irrelevant."
The daughter leaned closer to the mirror, her fingers grazing her collarbone before drifting down to her cleavage. "And if he resists?"
Lady Maribel’s voice dropped. "Then you push harder. A little scandal never ruined a man of power; it merely forces his hand. I will have his ’special drink’ prepared."
A manic laugh slipped from the daughter’s lips. "I will make sure he remembers me." She licked her lips lasciviously at the thought of having the strongest man in the realm at her mercy tonight.
"That is my girl," Lady Maribel said calmly, stepping back to assess her work like a merchant inspecting wares. "Tonight, you are not my daughter. You are an investment. Remember: no mistakes."
She leaned forward and whispered in her daughter’s ear, "And dear, should you succeed, your reward shall be the most powerful position any woman in this kingdom can hold....Crown Princess of Versailles."
A vicious smile bloomed on both mother’s and daughter’s lips.
Below, in the heart of the estate, the air was thick with the scent of expensive tobacco and desperation. Minister Silas stood at the centre of a circle of vipers; his fellow ministers leaned in, their eyes gleaming with the hunger of men vying to auction off their daughters to the highest bidder, which was Prince Ivan in their eyes.
"Minister Silas, a miracle!" one man chirped, his voice strained with veiled envy. "His Highness treats these social trifles like the plague. By what dark sorcery did you manage such a legendary feat?"
Silas took a slow sip of his wine, letting the silence stretch until the other men shifted uncomfortably. He offered a thin, condescending smirk.
"Sorcery? Please. I didn’t even have to beckon. He chose to grace us with his presence, which suggests he finally understands the necessity of the hour."
He leaned in, letting his voice drop to a low, oily purr, "My sources within the palace confirm the King has finally broken his son’s defiance. The throne will require an heir, and a throne cannot be shared with a ghost."
He paused, relishing the sudden stillness of the room before delivering the killing blow.
"Since Princess Evelyn has been rendered a useless cripple, the space beside the Prince is officially vacant. He isn’t here to socialise....but to inspect the stock."
The words hit the room like a physical blow. The silence that followed was not one of shock, but of a sudden, violent shifting of calculations as every man in the room realised the hunt had officially begun.
