When Evelyn was fully dressed in the gown, she made her way to the front door of the castle where Queen Mother Rohesia and Lady Oriana stood. Queen Rohesia didn't even spare her a glance as she bowed, nor did Lady Oriana, whose gaze was fixed on the carriage that was been brought to their front. Oriana held her head high.
Evelyn looked around then turned back to look inside the castle, her fingers intertwined. She continued to stare, waiting for Sebastian to appear from the corridors. She couldn't shake off the feeling that that the Witcher had actually called her name.
But Sebastian didn't arrive. When the carriage pulled to a stop in front of them, she was forced to enter without seeing him. She didn't know if he would be attending the party with them.
Away from the ground floor, Sebastian stood at the window and stared at the woman who looked reluctant to leave. As the carriage doors closed and it pulled out of the castle, he continued to stare until someone spoke from behind him.
"Do you think she won't ask?" It was Leif, walking to stand beside his brother.
"She already did, and I won't be surprised if she continues to ask," Sebastian replied, turning to look at his brother briefly.
"She's very inquisitive," Leif remarked, fiddling with the sleeves of his shirt as he tried to fasten his cufflinks.
"It's better that no one else recognizes her," Sebastian muttered under his breath. Leif caught on the words and his lips were pulled at the side.
"Any more you've found?" Sebastian asked.
"None. I have sent guards throughout the forest and mountains in case any are sighted."
"We can kill them at once without having to bring them here if it disturbs you," Leif said. Sebastian's face tightened. He moved away from the window and picked up his coat from the stand.
"Have them all brought here. It will serve as a lesson to others trying to learn the dark power," he said as he put on his coat.
Even though he said this, Leif knew otherwise, but he did nothing but bow his head in acknowledgment.
"The rogues have been locked in the dungeon, and a letter has arrived from Vrussia," Leif informed him.
To this, Sebastian raised an eyebrow, looking at his brother before nodding and walking out of the room.
In the royal carriage, Evelyn sat opposite the vampiress, her eyes glued to the window as she remained guarded and aware. Unfortunately, Queen Mother Rohesia had decided to treat her like an interesting piece in an art gallery, continually staring at her. Rohesia maintained a stoic face as she examined the human.
"Some of the vampires have become brave enough to continue learning the art of witchery," Lady Oriana started a conversation amidst the growing silence.
This broke the Queen's attention, "It's a good thing Sebastian didn't spare him. It would only encourage them to continue with the forbidden practice." Evelyn tried not to listen to their words, but there was no way she could pretend not to hear their conversation.
Forbidden? Her ears perked up at the word, and she frowned slightly as she wondered why it was forbidden.
"Father told me there was only one hybrid, and she was killed a long time ago but the ones she had taught continued to practice the magic," Oriana said and from her tone, Eve thought she was trying to show off how much she knew about the Kingdom and its enemies.
Her words made the older Lady shift her eyes back to Eve. Her red eyes gauged her face as she wondered why the girl looked familiar to her.
"It was only for the good, a vampire was never to marry any other creature but one had. He fell in love and married the only surviving witch and gave birth to a hybrid."
"When her parents were killed, she managed to escape but Sebastian was enough to catch her, he was the bait to the last of them but we never knew she had gathered a few puppets," the old woman clicked her tongue at the end.
It occured to Eve that the vampires were too proud creatures than she had imagined, they looked beneath every other creature and considered a union between them forbidden. It was no wonder the woman didn't like her for her son but good news.. she also didn't want the man.
It was the first time she had heard about the existence of witches, and she waited for them to continue speaking. However, none of them said a word. She turned to the group to find the Queen still staring at her with her dark red eyes. The carriage hit a bump, causing it to shake. The sudden impact made Eve flinch as she hit the side of the carriage.
"Weak creatures," she heard Queen Rohesia mutter in disgust.
"Remember, you won't be the Queen who will rule this Kingdom so long I live," Eve heard her warn out of the blue. Then you can die right now? Eve thought, but she wasn't interested in holding the Crown title. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Oriana smile.
She bowed her head as deep as she could as she said, "I never wanted to be, Mother Queen."
The ride in the carriage after that was silent as everyone was consumed in her thoughts, Eve heard a lot of questions, questions that was making her head ache. In her Kingdom, the witches were only center of attraction in books, to think they were actually real. Why didn't they know about that in Vrussia?
The carriage came to a stop snapping Eve out of her thoughts. The doors were opened and stools were quickly placed on the ground for them to step on.
The neighs of horses from behind caused Eve to turn, and she saw another carriage arrive. Sebastian stepped out of it, wearing a dark green coat over his lemon shirt and black trousers. His disheveled hair was combed back, making him look even more handsome. Unlike the Queen Mother, Eve noticed he wasn't wearing his crown.
His scent evaded Eve's nostrils even before he reached where she stood. He only spared her a glance before walking towards Lady Oriana and held her hand and walked into the huge mansion. She could hear his arrival being announced as she walked behind Leif and Queen Rohesia into the mansion.
Sebastian stood in front of an older couple and a young woman stood beside them. She had a soft look in her eyes and her lips were pulled in a smile as she greeted the King. The whole room brimmed with guests and it only made Evelyn cautious.
It wasn't the first time she had been in a room so full of vampires. On her previous stay, she had kept her face covered, but this time she wasn't veiled. Her legs shook with nervousness, though she tried to convince herself that no one would bother her; after all, she was just a human. Eve took solace in the fact that Sebastian had chosen Lady Oriana to accompany him into the castle, which meant she would likely be able to avoid most of the attention today.
..but she was wrong.
Sebastian who stood at the front, his turned to look at Eve, his red eyes caught her fidgety self and he walked back to her and picked up her hands.
"I believe you haven't met her as you didn't attend the party at the castle. Meet my beautiful wife, Evelyn." He kissed the back of her hands.
Sebastian's voice boomed loud in the hall and Eve's face paled as everyone turned their direction in one place.
Her.