※ Chapter 24 ※

Sehun's POV »☆●

The servant leaves the room and two familiar faces enter, the two assistants of D.O. Chaen smirks gazing at Angel. Kai bites his lower lip and excitedly looks around the courtyard.

"Damn, look at that sword in King-regent's hand. Looks hella pricey," Kai grins snapping his neck.

Chaen hits her fist on his head, "Shut up, dumbfuck. It's time for D.O.'s dramatic entry."

"Oh right.." Kai and Chaen move aside dramatically, revealing D.O. who was standing behind them. He's short enough to be completely covered in their shadow.

He shoots an icy gaze at the two, looking damn mad at their behaviour. Then his eyes fall on us and he steps forward, stopping right before me, "Sehun, we must talk man-to-man. Now."

I roll my eyes, scoffing at his serious face, "More like man-to-beast."

I notice D.O. trembling a little on his feet in fear but he shakes it off, getting back to his much-practiced poker face, "Look, you're Mark's son. We're allies. You're young and naive. Killing you is too easy for me. But I don't actually wanna kill you. That's my own loss. So I'm here to offer you a deal."

I scoff, "And what the deal might be?"

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued. But deep inside, I'm embarassed for him. He's speaking his insecurities aloud. He's scared to face me but won't admit it. He knew declining in public would hurt his prestige so he came in private to make terms.

"The deal is you cancel the duel, we let the people know we're in good terms and I forget our past disagreements and that you kept secrets in our alliance. We'll start new and fresh," he says.

"And what happens to her?" I gesture at Angel with a side-look.

D.O.'s brows furrow in anger, "What else? We turn her over to Prince Karry and live like kings."

I sigh, "In case it wasn't clear before, I stand with her."

"Forget about the wench. Without her Kingdom, she's nothing!" he growls, making my temper rise again.

"Don't you dare speak of her like that!" I snarl at him.

"Fine! If you won't save your skin, I'll enjoy taking it!" Kyungsoo growls, "I was tryna help you but you wanna die. You're soft, little boy. You haven't even been in a real fight yet."

I scoff, he thinks he has me figured out but damn, is he wrong. I shrug, "We'll see about that."

"On the ring, tomorrow," he gazes at me with fire eyes, before stepping back to leave, his eyes fixated on me. Kai and Chaen also turn around to leave.

I bow to them and turn around to secure my sword back to the wall..

•

Meihua's POV »☆●

When the mercenaries are on their way to leave and Se and I turn around, I hear footsteps, rapidly coming closer, faster.

But before I can turn around, D.O. has already lunged at him. Within a blink of an eye, he knocks Se to the ground and the sword he was about to hang on the wall, falls out of his hands to the ground.

He took advantage of Se being distracted and attacked when we weren't expecting. The duel hasn't started yet. He legally has no right to attack him now, be it any manner. I immediately grab Se's sword from the floor and point at D.O..

"That was violation of rules. Back away from him!" I growl at him.

He laughs, "Good instincts..for a royal."

I scowl at his twisted compliment. And before I can realize. he pulls a dagger out of his sleeve and throws it, cutting my hand, causing me to drop my sword.

"Don't point a sword at me, little girl. Unless you're planning to stick it in me." he snaps at me, then glares at Se, "And you're welcome for giving you a taste of what's to come. Maybe you'll take my offer now, your regency?"

"Never," Se growls.

He laughs, "I hope your angel is ready to see your head rolling by her feet. I'll make sure she gets a good view."

My blood boils in disgust. "That won't happen," I snarl.

"And how will you stop it? By letting someone else die for you? You rulers are all same! That's why my men and I bow to

none," he roars.

It's almost like he slapped me on the face. All of a sudden, I'm speechless, physically unable to let out a word, and in more pain than I ever imagined possible. I hate how right he is, how he shoves the truth in my face and makes me swallow it.

"Angel, pay him no mind," Se mutters reaching out to me.

"No, Se, he's right," I murmur, my voice breaking in every word.

"I am?" D.O.'s jaw drops and eyes widen. He wasn't expecting this reaction from me. He was tryna hurt me. And he succeeded. But I won't deny what's the truth and the truth is he's right.

I take hold of my tears and use every ounce of power left in me to speak, "Yes, you are. I can't sit and watch safely while others die for me. If I rule, it won't be because someone handed me a crown. I'll earn it. I'll fight my way through every last enemy standing in my path."

I won't be like the other rulers. I can't be like other rulers. If I'm gonna be the Queen people fight for, I must prove I deserve their loyalty. And that starts now.

They all gaze at me. Se leans closer to ask, "Angel, what are you implying?"

I gaze at him, then look back at D.O., "Nothing too crazy. It's quite simple actually. I'm implying that I'll fight D.O. myself."

•

Yifan's POV »☆●

"Feels good to be back, huh?" Tao's voice comes from behind as he enters the room, the windowless flush metal door creaks as he pushes it open. I frown slightly, bothered by the unwanted noise.

I swirl my glass of brandy before taking a sip. Closing my eyes, I nod. Oddly, it does feel good to be back. There's no denying I fucking hate this place but this is the first place I had a proper home at. Besides, this return feels different than I anticipated. I've a strange yet good feeling about this.

I rest my head against the wall behind my chair when I hear the door creak again. It's my associates, Xiao Zhan aka former Captain Xiao of Wuluan, who got transformed with me and Wang Yibo, who has been a knight in Gaius's clan for about twenty years. Gaius assigned them to follow me and work with me. They're the only vampires I allow in confidential matters besides Tao and Gaius himself.

We're having a meeting in our secret chamber in Gaius's mansion, that now belongs to me. The chamber is located in the farthest corner of the mansion. This is the only place in the mansion which is completely disconnected from the rest. It's a plain room with sparten furniture, quite small in space. The walls are constructed with solid core masonry blocks to provide a high degree of soundproofing. Loud speech - even shouting - isn't audibly recognizable through the walls so communications that take place within the room can't be heard in adjacent rooms or in the hallway. The ceiling is high and a lantern is hanging in the center of the ceiling. There's a teakwood table, four chairs and two huge shelves filled with confidential scrolls regarding vampire history and our clan. The hanging lantern, though old and rusty, still brightens up the whole room. There are two oil paintings embedded on the two opposite walls of the room and a miniature wooden sculpture of Gaius, which I tossed aside the very day I came here.

"So, any news?" I lean forward on the table, questioning Zhan and Yibo as soon as they sit.

"The wolf boy sounds like quite the character. Not only did he trick King Ming into succession, but he's also the new Alpha of the pack," Yibo informs.

"The name is Oh Sehun. Very young yet threateningly strong," Zhan adds.

"How strong are we talking about?" I clasp my hands to the front and lean my face over them.

"From what I heard, last week the south clan and some rogues attacked the pack and he alone took half of them down," Zhan says.

"I see," I arch an eyebrow, "And how young are we talking about?"

"Twenty," Tao groans, "Only twenty, and Alpha, and King-regent!"

I turn to him, "Any information about the attack? Vampires don't attack for no reason."

Tao shrugs, "The reasons are still unknown, even they don't know."

"Interesting," I stroke my chin pondering. Why'd the south clan and rogue attack them? Why are they working together? Wolves never wanna work with vampires, even when they leave the pack. Rogues only team up for personal achievements then break off. On the other hand, the South Clan knows this is our territory so they don't have a fucking chance to reign here even if the pack is destroyed. Then why the fuck are they attacking here? There's alot to unpack.

"Do you wanna arrange a meeting to rediscuss the treaty with the new Alpha. You know, as the deal was with Mark?" Yibo asks.

I give a dismissing nod. I don't have time for that shit. It's their great luck that I decided to create a peace treaty with them. If there's something to talk about, they're gonna fucking come to me themselves to talk. It's Mark's responsibility to enlighten his son, not mine. And he doesn't have a choice. It's either this or I fucking annihilate them from existence.

"Alright, just a heads up, the next event is the last of the primary events. After that, the main events begin and the contestant must attend those themselves so prepare for social seasons," Tao grins.

I roll my eyes, "You'll attend those just like you attended the previous ones."

Tao sighs and plops on the chair next to me, "Brother, we talked about this. You need to take the crown. You were born to be a King!"

I scowl, "Funny you say that, because I fucking hate royals."

Tao was about to say something but he pauses as he notices Yibo and Zhan sitting in front of us. He dismisses them, gesturing them to leave. Then turns to me, "Forget it now. We'll talk at night, when we go for run."

•

Meihua's POV »☆●

"I can't let you do this. It goes against everything I believe in," Se mutters.

I shrug, smiling, "Well, I can't let you do this. It goes against what I need to become."

"And what's do you need to become?" he raises an eyebrow.

"A leader that even people like D.O. would respect and bow to, a leader who can remove the stigma that all a ruler knows to do is command. How do you think I propose that? Hiding on your shadows?" I cross my arms.

He shakes his head, "But listen-"

"No, you listen," I cut him off, "I can't bear to live like this. I just can't. Everyday waking up with immense guilt about every burden I caused to you and your family. I'm getting sick of this! I have a purpose which I'm alive for. You fighting for me may give a greater probability to dodge the current danger but I won't ever go forward like this. If Wuluan is reclaimed one day, you're not gonna rule in behalf of me, are you?"

He goes silent.

"Exactly. That's what I thought. So tell me now, what's it gonna be? I fight like you've trained me for days to fight and be able to recognize my worth," I take a step closer, "Or you fight and no matter the outcome, I amount to nothing?"

"Gods..you're not gonna bend, are you?" he sighs, his voice full of concern.

I shake my head, "I never learned to bend."

I know he's coming from a place of affection and worry, and he didn't mean to put me down in any manner. But he needs to believe I'm strong enough to go through this. I need to earn his trust too.

"Alright," he gives me a weak smile, "Then let's get you fight-ready."

I smile, "Aye, coach!"

We burst into laughter, then Se begins to walk through me a training exercise while we discuss the duel.

To Be Continued »☆●