"Yes." Draven nodded and exited the room. Avelina quickly dropped the book on the bed and hurried after him.
They proceeded outside and strolled into the garden. Their destination was a pristine white swing, nestled amidst a serene grove. Its wooden fra was delicately carved with intricate patterns.
As they approached the swing, Avelina’s eyes lit up in awe. She ran towards it and admired the delicate web of moonlight, intertwined with gossar thread. It adorned the swing’s seat and it had pearl-like ornants hanging around it, giving it an unreal beauty.
"This looks nothing like I have ever seen before. It’s... beautiful," Avelina said in a hushed tone while scrutinizing the swing.
Draven sat her down on the swing and settled himself beside her. The second their bodies embraced the seat, a gentle breeze fluttered around them, scattering the leaves on the ground in the process.
As they began to sway gently, Draven pointed far from where they sat. "From here, you can see the town and its activity. This way, you wouldn’t need to go out to see the town. You can just watch from here and feel safe."
Avelina’s eyes were twinkling. "I have never glimpsed sothing so lovely. I never thought the town was like this. It looks like a town straight out of a book."
The brightness of the moon and stars blessed the town, and the light from the gas lamp as well as the flickering ones made the town look more magical than it already was. Alas, it was only bloodsuckers who occupied such a beautiful world.
"Peaceful, isn’t it?" Draven glanced at her.
Avelina nodded in agreent. "It is."
She lifted her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Draven."
Draven looked at her. "What is it?"
"I don’t an to pry, but... where is your uh, mother? I haven’t seen her around since the ceremony." Avelina was curious.
"Oh..." Draven shrugged, unbothered. "She left. She doesn’t really stay at the royal mansion, but rather at her family house with her father."
"Ah...I see." Avelina slightly nodded.
Draven stared at her and slowly tilted his head to his right side. "Why does it look like you have more questions?"
Avelina was startled, as she did not expect him to read her expression. She smiled awkwardly and let out a quick breath.
"I do. So, um, if you don’t mind, I am quite curious to know what the inheritance is. It’s okay if you can’t tell . It just feels weird that I don’t know what exactly I am helping you to get." Her face was lowered, unable to et his gaze.
"I don’t mind telling you, but why are you lowering your head? Is everything okay?" Draven was perplexed.
Avelina chuckled and lifted her head. "It’s nothing. Don’t mind ."
Draven was quiet for a few seconds before shrugging. "Well, it’s two things. The first one is the royal crown."
"You see, in our monarchy, the crown determines the next heir. It chooses by itself who is worthy to rule and wear it. This ans that whether you are the first, second, third, or even the last son, none of it matters. It could be any of you."
"Does this an that the next heir may not be Ryan?" Avelina asked, deeply interested.
Draven gave a nod. "Yes. The heir could be Valentine, Lestat, or Lumian."
"Now, for the second object, it is a magical heirloom with the ability to bring back the dead. It is what I am after."
"You...want to bring back your wife?" Avelina inquired. She could already guess.
Draven confird, "Yes. Left for the throne, I don’t care at all. I just want the heirloom."
Avelina’s eyes suddenly beca distant. She was pondering sothing. "Draven, how can you get the heirloom? I an, how sure are you that the crown will choose you?"
"Oh, no, no." Draven shook his head. "This is different. Unlike the crown, each and every one of us will duel for the heirloom. Whoever wins gets it. The crown is a different case."
"I got married because I needed to qualify for the inheritance. If I am not, I won’t be able to duel for the heirloom."
"I see..." Avelina nodded. "May I ask why you guys are required to be married?"
Draven responded, "Because for the crown to even consider you a royal participant, you need to be married and, even better, have kids. So Ryan and Lestat are quite ahead of Lumian and . My family probably thinks that I am after the throne."
"You could say in the beginning, I was sort of interested in the throne of a thing because it was kind of fun, but after I lost my wife and son, all the interest I had...flew out the window. Now all I want is just the heirloom."
Avelina understood. She took a soft breath and brought her legs down to slip her feet into her shoes. "I have one more question, but I am not going to ask it yet. It is a sensitive topic."
She smiled at him and stood up from the swing. "I will go inside first. I want to sleep."
Draven watched as she walked off. He averted his gaze and let out a soft breath.
——-
Valentine slowly blinked his eyes open.
He rubbed his forehead and glanced around to realize that he was on the couch. Does this an that he was still at Olive’s place? A barely audible groan sounded from him.
A deep breath fled his mouth as he scratched the back of his neck. His nose suddenly began to twitch at the sll of sothing nice, and he imdiately stood up to his feet.
He tilted his head and gradually walked towards the room where the sll was coming from.
A door ca into view. Valentine slightly opened the door a bit and poked his head inside. He peeked around, only for his gaze to fall on Olive, who was standing by a counter doing what one would call...cooking.
Valentine was surprised. He could not believe what he was seeing. Who would have thought that Olive could cook? He did not look like the type to do so.
"You’re awake," Olive, who had noticed him, said.
Valentine straightened up and cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Can I co in?"
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