Chapter 587: Welcome to the Palace of Black Blood.
The capital of the Vampire Kingdom appeared before them like a black crown embedded among dark mountains. Tall, slender towers cut through the reddish mist, connected by suspended bridges that looked like iron threads stretched over deep abysses. Curved walls surrounded the city in layers, each one higher than the last, until they reached the royal palace at the highest point, where red windows glowed like open eyes in the permanent night.
Kael watched everything through the carriage window and remained silent.
Sylphie noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Kael did not answer right away. His eyes moved across the streets, the pointed rooftops, the dark canals, and the squares lit by lanterns of crystallized blood. The last time he had been there, the atmosphere had been different. The entire kingdom had seemed to breathe through clenched teeth. Every patrol carried hostility. Every gaze hid fanaticism or fear. Even the air seemed dirtied by wrong orders, poorly restrained hunger, and far too much propaganda.
Now it was different.
It was not peace.
Not yet.
But there was order.
The soldiers at the checkpoints were alert, but disciplined. The old banners tied to Vlad had been removed or replaced by red and black standards bearing Liza’s restored symbol. In several squares, newly raised stone plaques bore names engraved in silver, surrounded by low candles and dark flowers. Kael did not need to ask to know what they were.
Memorials.
Sylphie followed his gaze, and her expression became more serious.
"Are those for the children?"
Violet, mounted beside the carriage, heard the question and answered carefully.
"Yes. By order of the Queen. All confirmed names were engraved in public spaces. The missing also have places reserved."
Kael kept looking at one of the plaques until the carriage passed.
"This was not here before."
"No," Violet answered. "Before, many things were hidden."
Amelia, seated in front of him, observed the city with diplomatic attention. There were organized lines in front of some official buildings, where vampires received sealed vials of blood from royal officials. It was not a festive distribution. It looked like controlled rationing, but without chaos. In some streets, patrols escorted human and mixed families through protected corridors, and no one seemed authorized to even look at them the wrong way.
"A great deal has changed," Amelia said.
Irelia nodded, looking through the other window.
"Too quickly to be natural."
Violet did not deny it.
"Queen Liza retook the throne amid collapse. She needed to show that authority had returned before the clans began fighting over the remains."
Kael turned his eyes to the commander.
"And did she manage it?"
"Partially."
"Honest answer."
"It would be useless to lie to you."
Sylphie looked at Kael with a small smile.
"See? Even the vampires learned quickly."
Kael grumbled something incomprehensible and returned his gaze outside.
The carriage advanced down a wide avenue, and that was where the preferential treatment truly began. As soon as the royal escort’s standard appeared, the capital’s inner gates opened before Violet even made any signal. Vampire soldiers lined along the sides of the street knelt in perfect rows. Servants dressed in black and red lit lanterns along the path, and deep bells sounded in the nearby towers, not as an alarm, but as an announcement.
Kael frowned.
"Is this necessary?"
Violet looked ahead.
"It is protocol."
"For visitors?"
"For the King of Witches."
He closed his eyes for an instant.
"Of course."
Sylphie leaned closer to him, smiling.
"You are receiving royal treatment."
"I technically am one."
"Then stop complaining."
"No."
Irelia let out a low laugh.
"This is still less embarrassing than Celestial Sun."
Kael pointed at her without looking.
"Do not bring that title into foreign territory."
Amelia, with cruel serenity, added:
"Perhaps the vampires prefer Scarlet Storm."
"The three of you are forbidden from creating titles for me."
Sylphie rested her head on his shoulder.
"I like Scarlet Storm."
"I know. That is the problem."
The carriage continued without needing to stop at any post. At every barrier, the guards were already kneeling before they arrived. At every bridge, the chains were raised in advance. In every square, civilians moved aside and lowered their heads, some out of respect, others out of fear, others with an almost reverent curiosity. Kael noticed vampire children watching from behind the adults, red eyes shining between dark cloaks.
That bothered him more than it should have.
Not because he was being watched.
But because some of those children looked too small to understand why a foreigner was receiving so much reverence inside their city.
Sylphie held his hand beneath the window.
This time, he squeezed back without saying anything.
The escort climbed a spiral road leading to the palace. The higher they went, the heavier the air became. The royal building was immense, built of black stone, red stained glass, and metal points that projected like claws against the sky. Around the upper walls, statues of ancient vampire monarchs watched the city with severe expressions. Some were intact. Others bore marks of recent restoration, as if they had been damaged during the retaking of the throne.
The palace gates opened completely.
Not just one passage.
All of them.
Three layers of black iron gates rose at the same time, each accompanied by a line of kneeling guards. A dark carpet with red borders was unrolled from the courtyard to the main entrance before the carriage stopped. Servants were already waiting on both sides, holding trays with warm towels, sealed goblets, water, wine, and small communication crystals in case the guests needed anything.
Kael looked through the window.
Then looked at Violet.
"This is exaggerated."
Violet dismounted calmly.
"The Queen decided it would be better to exaggerate in respect than risk any sign of discourtesy."
"Does she think I am going to attack the palace because of an etiquette mistake?"
"I do not know if attack would be the correct word."
Amelia raised an eyebrow.
"What would be?"
Violet thought for a second.
"Reorganize."
Irelia laughed discreetly.
Kael released a long sigh.
"I hate that this makes sense."
The carriage door was opened by two servants at the same time. Before Kael could step down on his own, a small cushioned step was positioned before him. He looked at it with an almost offended expression.
"I can get out of a carriage."
The servant remained still, clearly not knowing whether that required an answer.
Sylphie pressed her lips together to avoid laughing.
"Your Majesty, please do not destroy their protocol."
"It is a step."
"A diplomatic step."
Kael looked at her.
"That does not exist."
Amelia answered immediately:
"It does now."
He gave up.
He descended using the small step with the least dignity possible, which still seemed enough to make half the servants lower their heads in reverence. Sylphie descended right after, holding his hand more out of provocation than necessity. Irelia and Amelia came next, both receiving deep bows and formal treatment appropriate for visitors of extremely high political value.
Violet approached and placed a hand over her chest.
"Queen Liza awaits you in the upper wing of the palace. Before that, she ordered that you be offered rest, a change of clothes, a bath, food, and any accommodation necessary."
Kael stared at the commander.
"We just arrived."
"Yes."
"And she thinks we need rest?"
"She thinks offering rest demonstrates courtesy."
"She is trying to disarm me with excessive politeness."
Violet held his gaze.
"Probably."
Sylphie let out a small laugh.
"I like her."
Kael turned his face toward her.
"You were jealous until now."
"I still am. But that was intelligent."
Irelia observed the lined-up servants, the motionless soldiers, the carpet, the open gates, and Violet’s impeccable posture.
"It is a very well-calculated reception."
Amelia nodded.
"She is saying several things at once. That she respects Kael. That she controls her own palace. That she does not want conflict. And that she has enough resources to turn an arrival into a spectacle."
Kael looked up at the palace.
"She is also saying she knows exactly how to avoid giving me a reason to complain."
"Is it working?" Sylphie asked.
"That irritates me more."
"So yes."
Violet did not smile, but there was something in her eyes that suggested discreet approval.
They were led through the main entrance. The palace interior was even colder and grander than the facade. Black columns supported high ceilings painted with scenes of ancient vampire kings, battles, pacts, and coronations. Thick carpets muffled their steps, and red crystals floated near the walls, illuminating long corridors with a light resembling diluted blood. Guards stood positioned every few meters, all motionless, all lowering their heads as Kael passed.
The preferential treatment did not decrease.
It increased.
Doors opened before they arrived. Servants removed nonexistent obstacles from the path. An old butler, with gray hair and red eyes almost faded, appeared only to inform them that the chambers reserved for Kael had been prepared in the royal wing, close enough to the meeting room for convenience and far enough for total privacy. Another servant informed them that the kitchen had prepared dishes suitable for witches, elves, humans, and beings of unknown metabolism, in case any of the guests did not fit traditional categories.
Sylphie looked at Kael.
"Beings of unknown metabolism."
Kael murmured:
"Nidhogg would have liked it here."
Irelia answered:
"She would probably try to taste a column."
Amelia added:
"And cause a diplomatic crisis before dessert."
Kael almost smiled.
Violet guided the group up a broad staircase that led to the noble areas of the palace. At one point, they passed through a portrait gallery. Some faces had been covered by dark cloths. Others had their nameplates removed. Kael slowed his steps upon noticing.
"Temporary rulers?"
"Some," Violet answered. "Others were direct allies of Vlad during the period of control."
"Will they be destroyed?"
"The Queen has not decided yet. For now, they do not have the right to look at the hall."
Kael looked at her.
"That is symbolic."
"Vampires place great value on symbols."
"So do witches."
"Then perhaps this meeting will be productive."
The answer drew a curious look from Amelia. Violet was more than a military commander. She understood protocol, public shame, signs of strength, and the political use of every gesture. That explained why Liza had chosen her to escort Kael. It was not only protection. It was reading the field.
Finally, they reached a wide corridor, sealed by two black doors adorned with silver and rubies. Before them, twelve royal guards knelt as soon as Kael approached. The butler announced in a low voice:
"His Majesty Kael Scarlet, King of Witches, accompanied by Lady Sylphie, Lady Irelia Ainsworth, and Lady Amelia."
The doors began to open.
Before entering, Kael stopped and looked at the three women by his side.
"Last chance to turn back."
Sylphie merely intertwined her fingers with his.
Irelia smiled elegantly.
Amelia adjusted her posture.
Kael sighed.
"That is what I imagined."
Violet inclined her head and stepped to the side.
"Then welcome to the Palace of Black Blood."
The doors opened completely, revealing a room lit by red stained glass, a long table prepared at the center, and, at the far end, two women waiting on their feet.
Liza and Elizabeth.
Kael felt Sylphie tighten her hand around his.
He heard Irelia breathe quietly.
He noticed Amelia straighten her shoulders slightly.
And he thought, with resigned calm, that this meeting would be much more complicated than any report had managed to explain.
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