Bride To His Darknes Chapter 40: Stuck Between Two Prince

Chapter 40: Stuck Between Two Prince

Entering the central part of the Palace, a servant who stood on guard at the Queen Mother’s front door, imdiately offered a quick bow to Lord Ivan before opening the door for him. Ivan, whose expression was laced with worry as he stepped inside, headed towards the bed where his Grandmother laid. Just like Gustav had inford him, Grandmother Abrielle was indeed sick, and the frail signs were visible on her aging face.

"What’s wrong? What happened here?" He asked the royal physician who just finished checking up on her health. Unaware of the crowned Prince’s imposing presence, the old physician imdiately offered him one of his deepest respectable bows before saying.

"My Lord, I’m afraid I cannot say for now the source of her ailnt. Her illness occurred so suddenly, and it will take ti to process the real course."

"Leave us."

Offering another bow, the old physician gathered his dicine equipnt before stepping out of the room, giving the two of them so privacy. Grandmother Abrielle gently sat up on her bed when the physician had left. Ivan, who noticed how weak she had gotten in a day, moved forward, and he carefully helped her up, placing one of the soft pillows behind her back.

He pulled her thick duvet up so she could keep warm, and Grandmother Abrielle smiled at the care in his eyes which were now blue in color. Ivan had been so focused on making sure she was comfortable, he got startled when she placed her palm to his cheek, but he didn’t shy away from her touch.

"Grandmother, you need to rest for the ti being. Uncle and I will handle tonight’s soiree, so you have nothing to worry about." He assured her with utmost certainty, but when he noticed the faint smile on her lips, he frowned in concern. "Is there sothing you wish to say to ?"

"You do not need to worry about , I’ll be fine. It’s probably due to my old age." She chuckled heartily before taking her palm away from his cheek. "Do not forget I’m still human, it’s normal to experience this sort of weakness once in a while."

"I know." Ivan lowered his gaze, and he patted the back of her palm. "You are not allowed to leave

just yet. I know we have many disagreents, but you’re still my rock. Please be strong for , till I find the orb at least." The tone of his voice softened as he held her hand, and Grandmother Abrielle lovingly clasped her other hand against his, understanding the silent need in his tone.

The ways of the royal family had been complicated since the day she was betrothed to a Vampire Lord (Ivan’s Grandfather) whilst being human. The mystic orb had chosen her to be the bride of a Vampire Lord, and although not many were in agreent with the Vampire Lord’s choice, everyone dutifully followed the confidante that were being chosen by the orb, as it was said that following the right confidante would strengthen and bring good luck to their Empire. It was a family tradition that had been going on for years, but there was a complication with her son, Muzan, who didn’t locate his bride on ti, and that led to his arranged marriage with a vampire princess from the neighboring region.

It was a tough decision Muzan had to make in order to save his throne, since he couldn’t be crowned King without a Queen by his side. A marriage was finalized and he got married, but five years after the marriage, Muzan t his actual bride on a battlefield, and she was the human princess of GreenHollow. After winning over the land and forming a relationship with the humans, Muzan wanted the princess as his prize, and that decision led to other things which brought about the birth of Ivan.

In spite of being the youngest amongst his four half-siblings, he was chosen to rule the borders after his Father’s place. With older male Vampires who were pure-blooded, it was impossible for them to sit and fold their hands while the youngest sibling they hated ruled in their place. More reason why Grandmother Abrielle feared their return. She wouldn’t want to leave her Grandson’s side knowing his life could be in danger, he needed her.

"You speak as if you do not know the type of Grandmother the heavens have blessed you with, I am stronger than you think." Grandmother Abrielle chuckled weakly "It is a sha I won’t be able to attend tonight’s soiree, I was really looking forward towards it, but lest I forget, do not stay up for too long, rember you’re going on a hunting trip with so of our royal guests and the courtiers at dawn. I made sure Abdiel reminded you of it."

"Yes, he did."

"Good." Grandmother Abrielle coughed into her handkerchief, and then she said. "Make sure to find a bride like I said. News of your older brothers reaching the borders will be heard soon, and life with them will not be easy for you. I don’t have a good feeling about their return, so it will be better if we do not throw caution to the wind."

"Worry about getting better first." Ivan wasn’t concerned about his brothers. "Do not think of anything but your health. Once the physician is able to detect what happened to you, our problems will be solved."

"Indeed it will."

The sound of the door opening made Ivan turn his head to see Abdiel step inside. As always, his uncle carried an expression that was unchangeable. Reaching his Mother’s side, Abdiel looked at Ivan and placed a hand to his shoulder.

"You need to go downstairs and see the guests. I’ll take care of her."

Nodding at his uncle’s word, Ivan smiled faintly at his Grandmother before taking his leave. Abdiel pulled out a chair and sat beside his Mother, and they engaged in their usual discussion concerning the kingdom politics.

Ivan stole one last glance at them, and after reassuring himself that his Grandmother was in safe hands, he quietly left the room.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Ivan’s gaze scanned the crowd below as so of the guests where being welcod in. His expression was stoic, impassive and revealing nothing of what he thought of the people below. Being a prince, he had already experienced the hollow falsehood that ca with living in the palace.

He cared little, or rather, nothing at all about the glitter and Pomps. The words of his Grandmother reminded him of the fate that awaited him if his brother’s were to return, and the only way to avoid being their scapegoat, he had to take the crown first by marrying soone, but who on this God forsaken earth would fit the bill of a wife?

As his crimson eyes continued to scan everyone with pure disinterest, the Vampire Lord instantly caught sight of his little lamb amongst the many crowds, and that made his eyes widen. Her presence was undeniably baffling as he wondered how she ended up there when he left her in the room. Just as he ordered, she was beautifully dressed in a green gown, and stood near the buffet table, away from the mingling guests.

The young woman’s features were delicate, with piercing green eyes that glinted under the warm chandelier light. Ivan’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched her gaze shift from the different al that had been placed on the buffet table, the delight in her eyes made her no different from a child who was given the chance to taste her favorite al on that one special occasion.

Even with her delight, his little lamb failed to hide how uncomfortable she felt in her green dress, subconsciously tugging at the hemline every now and then. He found her gesture strangely endearing, followed by a sudden pull of interest.

Samantha, who was oblivious to the piercing eyes that followed her like a hawk, continued serving herself and filling her plate with different delicacies. She internally cursed the Vampire Lord for making her wear this dress, and what’s more annoying was when she kept stepping on the hem.

She felt out of place in the fancy dress, and she wanted to find Lord Ivan so she could be free from attending this...is it soiree they called it again? But when she sighted the mouthwatering food that was being served downstairs, Samantha didn’t want to miss the opportunity and decided to feed herself tonight. Thanks to the leaf-colored green dress that suited her perfectly, no one seed to recognize her, and for those who did, she had kept herself out of sight to those she was sure would recognize her the minute they saw her.

"Who knew a lady of your caliber would openly eat this much in an event. I have to admit, I’m impressed." A polite, but uninterested voice nearly had Samantha throwing away the al she had suffered to gather, and Samantha didn’t realize there was a second way to witness her life flash in front of her eyes till her food nearly spilled before her.

"Thank goodness!"

When her soul returned back to her body, Samantha whipped her head to the right to see who had dared interrupt her, but she lost her voice when the man standing in front of her offered a small smile.

He was good-looking, with brownish hair and coffee-brown eyes to complent his hair color. Samantha had barely gotten a word out when she heard the young man chuckle at her sudden stillness. It sounded.... Attractive.

"Forgive

if I startled you, but is this your first ti attending a soiree?" He asked, and Samantha, who gulped at the terrible situation she was placed in, wanted to nod her head, but then paused and shook her head mid-way, as if deciding her answer at the last minute.

Her adorable state of confusion only attracted the prince who spoke to her.

"I’m Prince Nichole, and you are?"

"S... Samantha." She quickly bowed her head since it had beco a habit to be respectful to all royals, and the young man nad Nichole returned her bow. Samantha could already imagine how furious he would get if he knew he just bowed his head to a common maid.

"Forgive

if I’m prying, but which Kingdom do you co from?" He moved to stand beside her as he carried a glass of drink from the table. "I have never seen you before, which is surprising, given that I’ve been part of this event for a long ti."

"Actually.... I... I’m not--"

"Little Lamb." Hearing Ivan’s voice behind her, Samantha imdiately swirled around to look at the Vampire Lord. The prince approached her with asured steps, trying to appear calm and composed.

"Lord Ivan?"

"Where did you run off to?" He arched a quizzical brow at her, ignoring the other prince who had started a conversation with her first. Samantha, who noticed the slight glare in his eyes, imdiately shook her head.

"It’s not what you think, I only ca here for--"

"Dance with ." And he took hold of her hand. Shifting his attention to the puzzled Nichole, he said. "If you don’t mind, I’d like to take what is mine from here." He uttered it so naturally, but for so reason, Nichole could sense the cavalier in his tone, but he said nothing.