Chapter Twenty One: Whispers of Love and Shadows of Deception

In the chamber where Elysia and Lord Draegon lay, they embraced each other. Nothing intimate had transpired, yet they reveled in the joy of being together. They loved each other, and their closeness signified their unwillingness to be apart. After holding her tightly, Lord Draegon kissed Elysia's forehead—a kiss filled with respect and care.

"Let's get up now, my dear king," Elysia said.

"My dear king?" Lord Draegon chuckled.

"Yes, aren't you the king?" Elysia asked in confusion.

"You are my amore (beloved). I don't want to hear that word from you," Lord Draegon replied.

"Then would you prefer I call you Draegon?" Elysia asked.

Lord Draegon simply looked at her and caressed her cheek, even though his face was covered. His silence was an affirmation of Elysia's question. Suddenly, a knock echoed from the door. Lord Draegon and Elysia got up to open it. They found Sophie standing there with a bright smile, eager to share something.

"Brother, there will be a final celebration today," Sophie said cheerfully.

"It seems Ernyl is in a hurry to conclude the three-week-long Blue Moon festival… or perhaps he has something planned," Lord Draegon mused.

"Brother, your intellect never fails to overanalyze things—" Sophie started but was abruptly cut off.

"Leave now!!!," Lord Draegon said coldly, shutting the door.

"So grumpy… Wait, was that Elysia? Oh my, these two!!!" Sophie teased before walking away.

As she left her brother's chamber, she ran into Lama, Vlood's sister. They never got along, often clashing in many ways. Aside from Selene and Elizabeth, Lama was also one of Sophie's rivals, known for her bad attitude. Sophie knew Lama despised Elysia and was certain she would try to harm her.

"I heard you're planning to find out what Elysia's face looks like," Sophie said with a smirk.

"Of course! Who wouldn't be suspicious of her?" Lama replied.

"You might end up like Selene and Elizabeth—driven mad," Sophie taunted.

"I won't let myself go insane like them," Lama retorted, scowling.

"Remember, your brother won't cover for you when you're at fault," Sophie added sharply.

Lama raised an eyebrow at Sophie's remark. As Sophie walked away, she felt victorious in provoking Lama. Meanwhile, Lama clenched her fists in frustration, but her plans against Elysia remained unchanged. She had never been able to suppress her malicious intentions.

"That girl is truly infuriating," Lama muttered in anger.

A few hours later, everyone gathered outside the palace. It was a tradition to celebrate the final day of the festival in the Obsidian Welry Forest (Death in the West). What puzzled Lord Draegon was why the festival was ending early when there were still two weeks left. Outside the palace, Sophie and Ernyl were already waiting. The only issue was that Sophie had no transportation, forcing her to ride with Ernyl, who hated being bothered. However, he had no choice but to let her in, knowing she wouldn't stop pestering him otherwise.

Moments later, Lord Draegon arrived, followed closely by Elysia. His vehicle was parked in front of Ernyl's castle, catching the attention of Sophie and Ernyl. Sophie immediately sensed something different between Draegon and Elysia. True enough, there was something unusual—the way Elysia quietly followed Lord Draegon, the closeness between them.

Vlood, noticing this, approached Elysia.

"Elysia, would you like to ride with me?" Vlood asked politely.

"Ah—" Elysia began to respond, but her words were cut off.

"That's not possible. She's riding with me," Lord Draegon stated firmly, his gaze locked on Vlood.

Without hesitation, he took Elysia's hand in a firm yet possessive grip. Vlood clearly saw how Draegon held her—as if declaring that Elysia belonged to him alone. Elysia turned to Vlood, silently apologizing, while Vlood forced a bitter smile. He never expected this.

At the car, Lord Draegon opened the door for Elysia and helped her inside. From a distance, Sophie's jaw dropped in disbelief. She was utterly shocked at her brother's behavior, as was Vlood.

"A miracle! This must be the magic of love," Sophie exclaimed.

"Looks like there's going to be tension between Draegon and Vlood," Ernyl murmured.

Ernyl and Sophie were the first to leave, followed by Vlood, who rode alone. Lastly, Lord Draegon and Elysia departed together. Inside the car, Lord Draegon still hadn't let go of Elysia's hand, savoring its softness and warmth. He gazed at her, unable to hide his happiness, which was mutual.

However, while love blossomed for Draegon and Elysia, the opposite was happening for Lama. Left behind at the palace with no transportation, she had no choice but to wait. Fortunately, Damien—one of the kings of Drakhenholt (Dark World)—arrived. He was arrogant and not someone Lama was pleased to see. But with no other option, she had to tolerate him.

Damien smirked as he approached, already knowing why Lama was waiting. He walked past her without a word and went straight to his vehicle—a sleek black car with glowing blue underlights and a front designed like fangs, resembling a beast ready to devour. Like Draegon, Vlood, and Ernyl, his car appeared futuristic.

Damien opened the door and glanced at Lama with a mocking smirk.

"Are you getting in or not?" he asked arrogantly.

"Of course I am!" Lama snapped, rolling her eyes.

Crossing her arms, Lama approached the car while Damien grinned mischievously, as if plotting something.

"Get in," he said, holding the door open.

Just as Lama was about to step inside, Damien suddenly slammed the door shut, bursting into laughter at his own prank.

"Are you getting lucky or what??" the young man teased.

"You're so annoying!" Lama shouted.

"Open it yourself," Damien said, laughing.

Lama stormed into the car, furrowing her brows at the young man, who still hadn't stopped smirking. She was really getting irritated with him. Damien was always the first to mock her, especially when it came to Lama.

Lama crossed her arms again and glared at Damien with a mix of anger.

"You are the craziest king of them all!" Lama said angrily.

"Hahaha! And you are the nastiest 'bitch' I've ever seen," Damien replied mockingly.

"Crazy!!!" Lama shouted.

"Tell me, what evil plan do you have? Why are you doing this? Ah... You've gone mad because of Draegon," Damien smirked.

"None of your business," Lama snapped.

"How fun is this plan of yours?" Damien asked.

"So much fun that you'll be happy when Lord Draegon is miserable," Lama replied.

"You really know how to mess with people's minds, Lama," Damien said, smirking.

"Do you want to join my plan, Damien?" Lama asked with a wicked grin.

"If you succeed, then why wouldn't I join?" Damien replied, scheming something himself.

Meanwhile, Ernyl and his companions had reached their destination. Ernyl planned to stay in Black Şehir (City of Dark) for two weeks. The city was deep within the Obsidian Welry (Death in the West) forest, surrounded by thick trees.

However, Ernyl had his own hidden motives for bringing his cousins there earlier than planned. He wanted to test the relationship between Lord Draegon and Elysia—to see if Lord Draegon was truly serious about the young woman. After all, this place was filled with beautiful women who lured men in—vampire women who had become mere playthings.

Would Lord Draegon be able to control his aggressive urges towards women, especially when the effects of the blue moon were still strong?

How far would his relationship with Elysia go? In the end, would she just end up getting hurt because of him?