Chapter 16 Prince’s weakness
“Y-you cannot do this to me! You can’t renounce me—” Her sharp voice broke as black tears rolled down her rosy cheeks. Her hands shook, and her breath hitched rapidly. The prince’s denial struck a chord, one that would require more than words to mend.
“I just did,” the prince proclaimed again. The vacancy in his tone reflected the gravity of the moment. “By dawn, leave my kingdom. Drag yourself back to Dewwater, your den, and never return!” His voice dripped with contempt as she realized she was truly alone now—exiled without hope or companion.
Before the queen could speak, some of the guests began to tremble unexpectedly and collapse, spreading the chaos in the air.
Prince Valerio didn’t care and did not look back. Instead, his gaze met Evyths, revealing a mix of frustration and chaos behind his expression.
This time, he averted his gaze and walked out of the once-peaceful and melodic ballroom.
...
Hours and days passed, and as the chaos subsided, it transformed into a stinking rumor that circulated throughout the kingdom of Ravencroft.
After the crowned prince’s rejection of Raven Blackwin, the palace became a literal graveyard—silent and cold. Lady Raven had remained in her room, her thoughts reeling while her anger burned like the flames in the fireplace.
Meanwhile, Evyths was locked away in her cell, the coppery smell mixed with smoke hanging in the air like a dark omen.
The floor was stained with patches of Evyths’ blood and dirty water, reeking of evil—the wrath of a glorious vampire queen.
Evyths had been accused of poisoning the wine of the guests with powdered silver rose petals, causing some of them to tremble and leading to the death of the queen’s cousin.
Across the kingdom, silver rose petals were deadly, just like wolfbane but wolfbane’s effect was swifter and more dangerous.
Deep down, Evyths was convinced she hadn’t committed the crime. Somehow, she couldn’t place her finger on what actually happened. However, she did not deserve the cruelty of the vampires.
Evyths had endured torment from fire and brutal whips at the hands of the queen and the palace’s courtesans.
“I will make your soul yearn for death,” the queen repeatedly threatened while whipping her.
If it were up to the queen, Evyths would have been killed to atone for her cousin’s death. But following Valerio’s orders, her life had been spared.
Evyths’ skin was bruised and swollen, and her temperature rose higher due to the fire set in the corner of the room.
For three nights, she had been bound, left without food or water. Her lips and skin were dry, her body dehydrated. The queen’s intent was to make Evyths die from pain.
Every breath she took drew her closer to death. She was barely hanging on, suffocated by the oppressive heat.
For the first time in three days, she heard movement in the dungeon’s hallway. Although the footsteps were lighter than a feather, her sharpened senses sensed a presence.
“Who’s there?” Evyths managed to speak. She wasn’t terrified, just not expectant.
“Someone you do not expect,” a silky yet steely voice scraped the silence.
That voice… it was familiar. The predator who had once told her a secret now stood tall, separated by the bars of her cell.
“I do not need you!” Evyths’ voice became fiercer, filled with anger and conviction.
Duke Octavio chuckled dryly, a wave of satisfaction washed over him. He admired her tone; it soothed him. Everything about Evyths was oddly attractive to him.
Octavio unlocked the cell and stepped into the darkness, where the air was thick with the smell of burnt wood.
Using his icy breath, he exhaled towards the fire, which instantly froze.
Turning to his left, Octavio's gaze darted to Evyths, who was struggling weakly. He approached her and untied her wrists and legs, and she dropped to the cold, damp floor.
“What is this?” Octavio exclaimed, staring at Evyths, shocked. Her sides bled, and her skin was bruised and peeled from the whips used on warlocks and witches.
He was stunned, unable to conceal his displeasure; he knew for certain that the queen intended to kill Evyths.
Octavio held Evyths’ face in his hands; her eyes were fluttering shut, and her lips were parched.
He lifted her and rushed out of the cell, moving with lightning speed. Within seconds, he barged into the prince’s room—a large, well-ventilated, gothic space.
It was a stark contrast to the grim cell from which he had just carried her. Octavio gently laid her on the prince’s soft bed, carefully adjusting her head on the pillow, his face slightly grazed hers.
Now, he had a better view of Evyths, even in the dark. She was nearly unrecognizable, almost disfigured.
Meanwhile, Prince Valerio had been in the forest near the palace, hunting stray humans who wandered too far or were merely tourists searching for artifacts.
It was no secret that the Ravencroft kingdom was an ancient city with a civilization that lured creatures with its beauty—a trap, as the vampires called it.
For the last three days, Prince Valerio had detached himself from everyone, including his royal duties. He had stopped holding meetings and refused to see anyone who wanted to speak with him.
Duke Octavio left Evyths in the prince’s chambers while he searched for Valerio in the forest.
Among the coos of crows and hoots of owls, the chirps of bats echoed like a mournful melody at a funeral, under the crimson half moon that hung low in the sky, the prince fed on the mortal he had caught.
His bare chest was splattered with blood, and the tips of his hair were soiled as well.
“Stop lurking, or I will have you killed!” Valerio’s deep, cold voice cut through the trees. His bare hands tore the flesh apart, draining the blood from the mortal’s body.
Octavio stepped closer, his feet barely touching the ground as he stood in front of the prince, watching his best friend feed in his dark desires.
Once Valerio was finished, he groaned in satisfaction and lifted his gaze to meet Octavio’s.
“Why are you detaching yourself from us, Valerio?” Octavio asked firmly, his eyes fixed on him.
Valerio wiped the blood from around his mouth, licking his lips with precision.
“Wonderful meal! I feel recharged and reborn!” he said casually, a half-smile resting on his blood-stained lips.
He grabbed the cloak hanging from a tree and draped it around his shoulders.
As Valerio walked past him, his heavy steps crushed the dried leaves of the oak trees that covered the ground. Octavio fell in step beside the prince, the scent of acorns filling the dense air.
“You aren’t saying anything. The kingdom is suffering. You’ve refused to attend to your duties as crowned prince. Lady Blackwin is in pain; your rejection has triggered her fears,” Octavio pressed as Valerio halted in his tracks.
“Why have you come? You didn’t seek an audience with me,” Valerio growled, a frown deepening on his face.
“You wouldn’t let anyone through…” Octavio countered, his lips twitching slightly.
“What is all this? I have never seen this weaker side of you—”
“Don’t you dare call me weak, Octavio!” Valerio’s voice thundered across the forest, causing the crows perched above to take flight. His eyes blazed with fury, and Octavio instinctively took a step back, understanding the risk of irritating the prince.
“I apologize, my prince!” Octavio replied confidently. “As a friend and brother, tell me, what burdens you? Is it the rejection? Your father’s incurable disease, or the impending war?” he asked, his voice calm and steady. The concern in his eyes was evident.
Valerio turned his back to Octavio, his eyes fluttering gently. It wasn’t the rejection, his father’s health, or the war that troubled him. It was something unthinkable—something that pulled him into an abyss, gradually dragging him down, a pain that ached in his old heart.
It was unspeakable.
“All except one: the rejection. I needed a moment. The pressure was mounting. The vampires were troubled. The only place where we were never hunted, a place that felt like home, is about to be destroyed by those damned hybrids,” he said, his fangs elongating and his eyes narrowing in frustration and anger. “I smell them; I feel them. They are closer to the walls of Ravencroft. We are at a loss, Octavio..." His voice dropped as he paused, as if his heart had been staked.
Valerio remained silent, failing to respond.
“The dogs? What has the Alpha King done? Did they keep to their side of the bargain?” The intensity in Octavio’s voice hinted at disappointment.
Valerio barely looked over his shoulder. “They are dogs. They howl and await a bloody full moon to scour the earth, not all of them are Alphas or hybrids. The hybrid hunters have calculated their risks. They waited until the full moon diminished. And the comet hangs on the horizon, drawing nearer to burn us with whatever power they can harness…” His low growl sent waves of terror as Octavio listened. “Not even the dogs are enough to hold back the hunters. We are merely joining forces to form a larger army…” The prince paused, turning away as he interlaced his hands behind his back.
Octavio took a moment to digest Valerio’s words; the reality of the situation was hitting harder than it should.
With the comet approaching, the hunters and hybrids would muster their forces and summon more powers to destroy vampires and werewolves.
Neither specie was safe.
“But brother... our major reliance was on Dewwater and its vast army of sorcerers and awakened beasts. I hate to be blunt, but… the rejection was a risky move—”
“Octavio, keep your thoughts to yourself…” Valerio shot back angrily, interrupting the duke before he could continue.
Octavio scoffed slightly. “You know very well that I am right. You are going to be king; the alliances matter. Raven Blackwin was our only hope before the comet, and you’ve ruined it—”
“I will not have you dictate to me what I must and must not do, Octavio!” Valerio turned to face him like a gust of wind, sending nearby leaves and blowing Octavio’s cloak and hair to the other side due to the pressure. “If you are so worried, then fuck the sorceress and end the war…” Valerio yelled angrily, his voice echoing and cutting through the tension.
Yet Octavio was not backing down. He knew the prince very well. They had been friends since the moment they were born; Octavio could tell that Valerio was holding back for a reason he was yet to uncover.
“I am not dictating what you must do; I am telling you the truth!” Octavio’s silky voice sharpened, anger coursing through his veins. “The Valerio I know would do anything to attain power, even if it means going to bed with a virgin to save his best friend…” he stated firmly.
Valerio instantly looked over his shoulder like a wind, anger coursing through him like a meteor.
“Now tell me, why did you suddenly reject Raven Blackwin without a valid reason? Why have you risked it all in a single moment?” Octavio pressed through gritted teeth, his indignation clear. “Is it for Evyths?” he asked again.
This time, Valerio’s thoughts tore through his mind, pierced by the obvious truth he had kept secret.