019:- A Marriage of Convenience

King Vatore grimaced as he realized what King Rolfe was speaking of. "Unfortunately, the wedding has to be held." He spoke carefully. "It'll merely be a marriage of convenience but no human can join the court of Vallyn unless they marry a Vampire, and the rule won't be broken even for my own son."

Rolfe heaved a sigh of relief at that, the tension bleeding out of his shoulders. With such a suitable reason how could he hold reservations? He had been worried that King Vatore had misunderstood his offer but now he could see that the Vampire King's hands were tied as well.

"I understand, concessions have already been made for the sake of Asten, it's only natural that we comply with the customs of Vallyn in turn." He said generously, rising to his feet. He had to go to Silvan right away to explain this in person, it wouldn't make it any easier on Silvan but at least he could lessen some of his grievances.

Vatore leaned back in his seat as he watched King Rolfe take his leave, and inscrutable look in his steel gray eyes.

-+-

Silvan sat on the ottoman at the edge of his bed, he was fully dressed, his eyes dark as he stared at nothing. The image of Prince Alessio was burned into his irises, a complicated feeling rising up his throat at the thought of Eleanor being married to the Vampire.

He had lived a sheltered life at the castle, not once had he seen a Vampire so Silvan was a bit distressed at how much their actual looks contrasted with what he had been led to believe. His mental image of Vampires came from the mosaics in the temple, haggard, sinister creatures with mangled claws and treacherous fangs.

The Vampires in Vallyn did have fangs - as he had gotten to see for himself from Butler Nicola - but that was where the similarities stopped. Vampires possessed a cold beauty that made it seem like they were carved from marble. Prince Alessio seemed to have absorbed the warmth of the sun, genuine surprise and a hint of curiosity in his pale gray eyes at the sight of him.

Silvan gritted his teeth, it didn't matter if Vampires had the looks of fallen Angels, they still drank from and killed innocents… His shoulders slumped as he gave up on his self-righteous train of thought.

Yet his father had agreed to an alliance and had even gone as far as to offer his daughter in marriage, and now he was here, to be a member of the Vampire court to strengthen their alliance. He would have to learn to forget the teachings of Kalla in his time here, the Patron Saint had turned her back on him which was no surprise, he had gone against the very core teachings of the Faith.

However, his family had sacrificed far too much for him to cling to a god that wouldn't look upon him. Silvan grimaced, it felt like he had been struck in the heart with an arrow. He glanced over at the lavish array of food laid out, he had to eat and regain his strength. In a few days, he would be the only human in a castle full of Vampires, he couldn't be weak.

So he pushed up from the velvet ottoman and took his seat at the table to eat a bit before the welcome dinner would begin. It was at this point that there was a knock on his door, pulling his attention to the tall doors.

It opened in the next moment to reveal Butler Nicola ushering his father in, the King wore a strained expression as he walked in, and despite himself, Silvan felt pity. He wouldn't easily forgive his father for treating his sister's life and death as nothing more than a bargaining chip but there was no denying the cloud of grief that hung over him constantly ever since Eleanor's death.

King Rolfe's troubled expression improved at the sight of his second son taking the initiative to eat the food offered by the Vampires. "How are you settling in, Silvan?" He forced himself to ask, his tone unnaturally formal.

Silvan ate with poise and grace befitting a member of nobility, "Well enough."

Rolfe wasn't turned away by Silvan's clipped responses, he was grateful that he was even getting one. "I just had a word with King Vatore, and there's a slight change in plans I wanted to inform you of."

Silvan paused mid-chew, lifting a curious brow. What could a change in plans possibly mean at this point? The exchange had already been accepted, Silvan might as well already be a citizen of Vallyn and a member of the Vampire court.

"A wedding will be held." Rolfe plunged right into it, he was coming to learn that it was better to just say things when it concerned this matter. "Humans can't join the Vampire court unless they're joined by marriage to a Vampire." He hurried right on to say.

Silvan's expression didn't change, despite this exchange being called a wedding in honor of what was supposed to be, there wasn't supposed to be an actual wedding. Not unless the Vampire King had a hidden daughter he was yet to announce to the world.

"It's merely a marriage of convenience," Rolfe kept talking at his son's stony expression, cold sweat forming on his forehead. "One that is valid only in name only to fulfill custom."

The image of a wide-eyed Vampire with flowing black hair filled Silvan's vision, his expression grim. So not only was he going to join the Vampire court, he also had to marry his sister's fiance? How was this merely a slight change?

"I understand if this upsets you deeply," Rolfe tried to pacify, taking out an embroidered handkerchief to wipe his sweat with. "However, the Vampires have already made many concessions for our sake, we have to try our best to follow their imposed rules."

Silvan's expression didn't change even with his father's flowery words, despite the use of plural terms, Silvan would be the one getting married to a Vampire, a male Vampire.