The Vampire King shifted in his seat, the heavy rings on his fingers glinting in the torchlight. For the first time since the meeting began, he looked… uncertain.
He cleared his throat, the sound echoing slightly through the vast hall.
"Your Majesty," he said carefully, choosing his words with visible hesitation, "but… I had already arranged Lilith's engagement."
The court grew even quieter.
The King continued, his voice lower now.
"With the Duke's son."
A faint murmur passed through the gathered vampires like a cold wind moving through dry leaves.
Lilith's shoulders stiffened beside me.
Lucien slowly leaned closer again and whispered under his breath.
"…This just keeps getting better."
I shot him another glare.
Across the hall, Veltheryion folded his arms, clearly waiting to see how the Queen would respond.
But the Queen herself didn't react immediately.
She simply sat there on her throne, chin resting on her hand again, her crimson eyes half-lidded as if the matter bored her.
Then—
She laughed.
Not loudly.
Not warmly.
Just a soft, amused sound.
"Oh?"
Her gaze shifted slowly to the King.
"You arranged something?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
The Queen straightened slightly in her throne.
"How fascinating," she said softly.
"Because I don't recall asking."
Lilith suddenly stepped forward.
"No."
Her voice cut through the silent hall before anyone else could speak.
Every eye turned toward her.
She straightened, her bruised cheek catching the torchlight, jaw tight with frustration.
"I—" she hesitated for a moment, then forced the words out. "It was against my will, Mother."
Her voice echoed softly against the stone walls.
The Vampire King shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Lilith's hands curled into fists at her sides.
"I never agreed to it," she continued, her crimson eyes burning with stubborn defiance. "Father arranged it without asking me."
A tense silence followed.
The Queen slowly turned her head toward her daughter.
Her expression didn't change.
But the weight of her gaze alone felt enough to crush the entire court.
"Forced?" the Queen repeated quietly.
The word hung in the air like a blade.
Lilith didn't look away.
"Yes."
Then it happened.
We all felt it.
The force.
It crashed into the hall like an invisible wave.
The air grew heavy—so heavy that my lungs struggled to pull in a breath. My knees nearly buckled under the sudden pressure pressing down on my shoulders.
It wasn't just me.
Everyone felt it.
Vampires who had lived for centuries stiffened, their expressions tightening as the crushing aura spread through the chamber.
But for me, it was worse.
Much worse.
It felt like the weight of a mountain had settled onto my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs. My heart pounded wildly as every instinct in my body screamed the same thing.
Danger.
The torches along the walls flickered violently as if even the flames were trying to flee.
The Queen hadn't moved.
She still sat on her throne, one elbow resting on the armrest, chin supported by her hand.
Yet the pressure pouring from her presence alone filled the entire hall.
It wasn't anger.
It was something far older.
Something primal.
And in that moment, every single person in the room understood the same terrifying truth.
We were not equals.
We were not rivals.
We were prey.
And she—
She was the predator.
The pressure kept rising.
The air in the throne room felt impossibly heavy, pressing against my ribs with every breath. My vision blurred at the edges as the Queen's aura continued to spread like an invisible storm.
Several vampires had already dropped to one knee.
Others clenched their teeth, struggling just to remain standing.
Then a deep voice broke through the suffocating silence.
"Mother."
Artherion—the eldest of Lilith's brothers—stepped forward.
Even he looked strained, his shoulders tense as he fought against the crushing weight filling the hall.
"Mother… you will kill them."
His voice was firm, but there was urgency in it.
"Stop."
The word echoed through the chamber.
For a moment, the pressure didn't change.
Then the Queen's crimson eyes slowly shifted toward him.
The invisible weight in the room wavered slightly, like a storm hesitating before breaking.
Artherion didn't back down.
"Please," he added more quietly, glancing briefly at the court—at the vampires struggling to breathe, at me barely holding myself upright.
"If you continue… there will be no one left standing."
The Queen's gaze drifted slowly across the room.
Vampires struggled to remain standing. Some had already fallen to one knee, their hands pressed against the cold marble floor as they fought just to breathe.
Then—
She pointed.
At me.
Her pale finger cut through the torchlight, steady and deliberate.
"That human," she said.
Her voice was calm, almost amused.
"Can you believe it?"
Every eye in the hall turned toward me.
My legs felt like they were made of stone. My lungs burned from the pressure crushing the air out of my chest, yet somehow… I was still standing.
The Queen tilted her head slightly, observing me like a curious scientist examining an unexpected result.
"He is still standing," she continued softly.
Around the room, more vampires struggled, their bodies trembling under the weight of her presence.
"While half of the vampires in this court," she added, her tone faintly mocking, "are struggling to do the same."
A ripple of uneasy silence spread through the chamber.
Lucien, beside me, looked just as shocked as everyone else.
"…Huh," he whispered quietly.
I swallowed hard.
Because the truth was—
I didn't know how I was still standing either.
The Queen slowly lowered her hand.
The crushing pressure in the hall began to fade, like a storm retreating back into the horizon. Vampires who had been struggling finally drew deep breaths, shoulders rising as the invisible weight lifted from their bodies.
Then the Queen smiled.
A slow, sharp grin.
Her crimson eyes turned toward Lilith.
"Do not worry, my love," she said softly, her voice smooth and almost gentle now. "I will take care of that matter myself."
Lilith didn't respond, but her posture relaxed slightly as the Queen's attention shifted away.
Then the Queen looked toward the Vampire King.
It wasn't a dramatic movement.
Just a glance.
But the meaning behind it was unmistakable.
Her gaze was cold.
Promise-filled.
The kind of look that said this conversation is not over.
The Vampire King stiffened under it, his jaw tightening as if he understood perfectly well what awaited him later.
The Queen leaned back against her throne again, resting her chin on her hand as though the entire confrontation had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
But the message had already been delivered.
Clearly.
We will discuss this later.
The Queen settled back into her throne once more, her posture relaxed, one hand supporting her chin as though the entire court bored her again.
The silence in the hall lingered for a moment.
Then she spoke.
"So…"
Her crimson eyes drifted lazily across the gathered vampires.
"Where is the Duke's son?"
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that made the room feel colder.
Several nobles shifted uncomfortably where they stood. A few glanced toward the massive doors of the throne hall as if suddenly hoping the man in question would not appear.
The Vampire King cleared his throat quietly.
"He should already be here, Your Majesty," he replied.
The Queen's gaze slowly returned to him.
One eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Should?" she repeated.
The single word carried a dangerous edge.
Behind the throne, Crimson Death gave another faint metallic tremor.
As if the sword itself were waiting to see what would happen next.
The Queen's expression darkened slightly.
Her crimson eyes narrowed as she leaned forward just a little in her throne.
"Summon him."
Her voice was quiet.
Cold.
But the anger beneath it was unmistakable.
The command sliced through the hall like a blade.
Several vampires immediately straightened, their movements sharp and hurried as the order reached them.
The Queen's glare swept across the court, lingering just long enough to make everyone lower their eyes.
"Now."
The single word carried more weight than a shouted command.
The torches flickered against the stone walls as a pair of guards quickly moved toward the massive doors of the throne chamber.
No one spoke.
No one dared.
Because the Queen looked only slightly angry.
And somehow that was far more terrifying.
A moment later, the massive doors of the throne hall opened with a deep groan of ancient hinges.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the marble floor.
Then he stepped inside.
The Duke's son.
He walked with calm confidence, the long dark cloak over his shoulders swaying gently with each step. His posture was straight, proud—someone who clearly knew exactly where he stood in the world.
And yes… he was handsome.
Sharp jaw. Pale skin. Dark hair tied neatly behind his head. His noble clothes were embroidered with silver thread that caught the torchlight with every movement.
He looked like the kind of man people expected to see standing beside a princess.
But why did I care?
I looked away with a quiet sigh.
Not my problem.
The young noble reached the center of the hall and stopped before the throne.
Then, with a smooth and practiced motion, he bowed deeply.
It was the most refined greeting I had ever seen.
One knee lowered gracefully, one hand resting over his chest, head bowed in perfect respect.
"Your Majesty," he said, his voice calm and confident.
"My Queen."
His gaze briefly lifted toward the throne, composed and steady.
"My name is Lord Cassian Valtheris, son of Duke Valtheris."
His eyes flickered briefly toward Lilith.
Then toward me.
A faint curiosity passed across his expression.
But only for a moment.
Then his noble composure returned.
"I was summoned."
The Queen watched him for a long moment.
Her crimson eyes were calm, but there was something sharp behind them now—something dangerous.
The entire hall seemed to hold its breath.
Then she spoke.
"Cassian."
His name echoed softly through the throne chamber.
The young noble straightened slightly but kept his respectful posture, his head still inclined toward the throne.
The Queen leaned forward just enough for the torchlight to catch the cold gleam in her eyes.
"Where were you…"
Her voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
"…when the Alpha attacked my daughter?"
The question hung in the air like a blade suspended above the court.
Every vampire present went still.
Not even the torches crackled loudly anymore.
Cassian's confident posture stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Across the hall, Lilith watched silently.
Lucien leaned slightly toward me and whispered under his breath.
"…This is going to end badly."
I didn't answer.
Because the Queen's gaze hadn't moved from Cassian once.
Cassian didn't answer.
The silence stretched across the throne hall like a tightening wire.
He remained kneeling before the throne, head slightly lowered, but the confidence he had carried into the room seemed to fade little by little under the Queen's gaze.
Seconds passed.
Then more.
No one in the court dared speak.
The torches flickered softly against the stone walls, their light dancing across Cassian's still figure.
The Queen's crimson eyes never left him.
"Interesting," she murmured.
Her voice was soft, but it carried effortlessly through the chamber.
"I asked you a question."
Cassian's jaw tightened slightly, though he still didn't lift his head.
Across the hall, several vampires exchanged uneasy glances.
The tension in the air was thick enough to feel.
Even Lucien, who normally couldn't resist making a comment, stayed quiet.
Because everyone understood something in that moment.
The Queen was waiting.
And silence was not the answer she wanted.