Chapter 78 Royal Chaos
Kira’s POV
Before I could even move or blink twice, Lady Margaret shot up so fast her chair scraped back.
“Your Majesty, are you letting this slide? This is an insult to the throne! To every noble seated here! Need I remind you that Princess Loretta—” she gestured dramatically at the vampire princess “is seated right there, looking every inch the future bride that would seal the alliance between our kingdoms, while this…this immature girl—”
“Need I remind you,” Adrian cut in, voice dropping into that low, lethal growl that made spines straighten, “that she is my mate.”
The room felt the weight of it. Even the fire seemed to shrink. He didn’t shout. Didn’t need to.
“She is my mate and your queen,” he repeated, slowly and clearly for everyone to hear. “And it’s just a piece of clothing. Why are you making a big deal out of it?”
Lady Margaret murmured something incomprehensible under her breath, but still sat down grudgingly.
Adrian’s eyes found mine again.
That same hunger. That same admiration. Like I’d just done something heroic instead of throwing a tantrum in front of two royal courts to embarrass him.
“Come,” he said again. Softer this time.
I wanted to strut right past him. I wanted to flop into the chair like I didn’t care. I wanted to keep the upper hand.
But my body betrayed me.
One step. Then another. Like he had some invisible remote control wired straight into my bones.
I reached him. Slid my hand into his. Felt the heat and roughness of his palm. The way his fingers closed around mine like they belonged there.
He guided me down into the chair. Only when he’d sat beside me..thigh brushing mine, heat radiating through the sweatpant did the spell break.
I blinked rapidly. Snapped back into myself.
What the hell was that?
I looked around the table, cheeks burning, and my gaze landed on the so-called Princess Loretta.
She was pale. Not sickly pale. Ethereal pale. Skin like fresh snow under moonlight. Hair black as ink, falling in perfect waves. Eyes the color of fresh blood…dark, rich, impossible. The most beautiful vampire I’d ever seen.
Not that I’d seen many.
Our eyes met.
And she smiled.
Small. Real. Almost…relieved…like I was exactly what she thought I would be.
I couldn’t help it. I smiled back.
Adrian’s voice rolled out over the table, calm and commanding.
“We are here to cement the alliance between our kind and the vampires. The marriage of Prince Levi and Princess Loretta will secure our borders, our trade routes, our future. Tonight we discuss the matters affected by this union. We set a date. The floor is open for contributions.”
Conversation exploded.
Pack elders. Vampire lords. Boundary disputes. Blood tithes. Shared patrols. Trade concessions. Dates. Ceremonies.
I tuned it all out, because I had no idea what they all meant.
And I was starving. Like, stomach-growling, head-spinning, might-actually-bite-someone starving.
I shifted in my seat for what felt like the hundredth time, my stomach staging a full-blown rebellion.
Victoria stood about ten feet behind me, hands neatly clasped, the picture of calm
professionalism.
I crooked a finger at her.
She caught the signal and glided over, silent as a ghost.
“I want to eat,” I hissed into her ear.
She didn’t even blink. “Uhm, Your Highness,” she murmured, voice painfully patient, “they can’t serve you while the council is still arguing about kingdom politics. You can’t be the only person eating while everyone else is talking.”
“I don’t care, Victoria,” I whispered back, deadly serious. “I’m hungry.”
Before I could add anything else, she was already retreating to her post like we hadn’t just spoken.
I waved at her again.
Nothing.
I waved harder, arm slicing through the air with far less royal grace.
Victoria suddenly became deeply invested in a nearby tapestry…studying it like it held the secrets of the universe. Her eyes flicked everywhere but in my direction.
Traitor.
I groaned under my breath in frustration, then raised my hand like I was in third grade.
“Hello? Excuse me, everyone?”
The man speaking…some old council member with a beard down to his chest…cut off mid-sentence.
Every head turned.
I blinked at them all, innocent as anything.
“Sorry to interrupt. But, can we skip to the dinner part? I’m famished.”
The room froze like someone hit pause on a movie.
The man’s mouth hung open mid-sentence. Every eye landed on me in disbelief like I had disrupted a sacred ritual. Even the crackling fire seemed to hold its breath.
I kept my hand raised, blinking like this was the most normal thing in the world.
“I mean,” I added with a shrug, “you guys have been talking about borders and blood quotas for like twenty minutes. I’m pretty sure the borders aren’t going anywhere in the next five if we eat first. And I’m about two seconds away from gnawing on the tablecloth.”
A snort came from somewhere near the middle of the vampire side.
I didn’t look. I was too busy staring down the entire table like I hadn’t just committed social suicide in front of two royal courts.
Adrian’s thumb brushed the back of my hand…once, slow, almost absentminded, but he didn’t say anything. I swear it felt like a warning and a caress at the same time.
Lady Margaret recovered first, of course. Her voice sliced through the silence like a knife through butter.
“Your Majesty, this is beyond inappropriate! The princess has no decorum, no respect—”
“Enough,” Adrian cut her off, his voice barely raised. But the single word landed like a hammer.
Lady Margaret’s lips pressed into a thin white line, but she sat back down so fast her chair creaked.
Adrian turned his head toward me. Just enough that I could see the corner of his mouth twitch…like he was fighting a smile and losing.
‘Why is he not mad at me?!’ I groaned in frustration. ‘Why is he not embarrassed?’
“Dinner,” he said simply, addressing the room. “Now.”
A beat of stunned silence.
Then servants poured in from every side door like they’d been waiting for this exact command their whole lives. Platters appeared…roast venison dripping with rosemary and garlic, glazed root vegetables, baskets of fresh bread still steaming, trays of cheeses and fruits so perfect they looked fake. Wine bottles were uncorked. Crystal clinked.
The tension cracked, just a little.
I dropped my hand and immediately felt every pair of eyes back on me. But honestly? I had a feeling I wasn’t the only one silently starving in that room. A few of those looks felt less judgmental and more… grateful.
Like, thank you for saying what we were all too hungry to admit.
Adrian leaned in, voice so low only I could hear it. “You’re impossible.”
“Yeah, well,” I muttered back, “you insisted on keeping me by your side. This is what you get.”
His laugh was quiet, rough, and it did stupid things to my stomach.
I grabbed the nearest bread roll before anyone could lecture me about etiquette. Tore into it like I hadn’t eaten in hours. Which, honestly, felt true.
Victoria appeared at my shoulder, placing a plate in front of me with trembling hands. Like she’s reconsidering her life choices about denying me earlier. “Here… Your… uh…highness.”
I grinned at her. “Thanks, Victoria. You have a lot to answer for later,” I said, glaring at her, making sure she got exactly what I meant.
She looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor as I turned back to the table.
I piled food on my plate…venison, potatoes, more bread, some kind of creamy sauce I didn’t even identify. I was two bites in when I realized the whole table was still watching me eat like I was a zoo exhibit.
Princess Loretta tilted her head, studying me over the rim of her wine glass. She hadn’t touched anything yet. Vampires, right.
“Princess Arabella. You’re very…direct,” she said. Her voice was smooth, cool water over river stones.
I swallowed. “Is that code for rude?”
“No.” She smiled again…small, real. “It’s refreshing. Most people here spend hours choosing their words. You just…say them. I like that.”
I pointed my fork at her. “You’re not mad I crashed your engagement dinner looking like I just rolled out of a laundry basket?”
She laughed…quiet, musical. “If I were easily offended, I wouldn’t have survived three centuries of court life.”
Three centuries. Right. Vampire. How old is she by the way?
I took another huge bite of venison. “Cool. So you’re, like, ancient.”
“Ancient,” she agreed, amused. “But I still remember what hunger feels like. I mean…aside from blood, I still eat normal…food,” she finished, casually picking up a piece of bread and taking a neat bite.
The way that last statement rolled off her tongue sent a strange chill through the hall.
Or maybe that was just me overthinking it…because suddenly, the room felt a little too cold.