"It's time we took an active stand! The witches are getting bolder, they even dared to attack on your birthday?!"
"Yes, we should start a war immediately!"
"What war?! Do you realize the bigger casualty loss in a war? Humans! And they account for ninety-nine percent of our diet," He hinted at the fact that animal blood was not sufficient enough.
This was the scenario King Romulus faced as his lords battled with words against each other. Romulus didn't say a word, rather he watched them with his chin propped up on his arm. Nor was he even interested in stopping them - they were putting up a good show for him.
"And so?!" The other lord countered, "Are we going to sit down and watch the witches slaughter us like animals,"
"Funny, but we're actually animals," Romulus suddenly said with a crazy smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "We are undead creatures, you know,"
An uncomfortable tension washed over the lords; some shifted on their feet, while the others took away their faces.
"A-hem," One of the lords cleared his throat before starting, "Your majesty -"
"Oh, I'm your majesty now, lord Andreas?" Romulus interrupted him, "Lots of you didn't seem to acknowledge that when you were quibbling in my presence like lads," He scoffed.
Lord Andreas was startled at the acidity in the king's tone. That little bastard, doesn't he know he was older than him in human age?
Unfortunately, he could only bear the grievances in his heart and bowed to the vampire king saying," I'm sorry your majesty if we had unintentionally offended you in the process of caring for our kingdom,"
"Caring for our kingdom?" Romulus snorted mentally. That sly old snake, if it wasn't the fact he was useful to him, he would have killed him already.
However, Lord Andreas was the most influential amongst the other lords and had his own followers. However, as expected, conflict of interest has played a huge role in dividing his lords into two, three factions? Romulus couldn't exactly tell.
"Your majesty," Lord Nero spoke, "This is a critical time and we saw that when that witch attacked,"
"It wasn't a witch!" someone boomed from behind and everyone turned to the source of the voice.
A path was instantly created as a powerful pale-looking man decked in battle armor strode into the room and upon getting to the middle of the throne room, fell upon on his knees as he hailed, "Long live, my king!"
"General Alaska, you are finally here. Perhaps, you can now finally give them the result of your finding seeing that I'm tired to speak," Romulus gestured to him while he lazily settled on his throne once again.
"Of course, your majesty," General Alaska accepted without hesitation. As much as Romulus looked like a satiated tiger at the moment, one must know that a tiger on a full stomach tends to play with its prey. King Romulus might be a magnanimous king on the surface, he was a beast beneath.
"The girl from last night was not a witch," General Alaska declared with confidence.
"And how are you so sure?" Lord Nero asked.
"She's merely a badblood,"
"A badblood that was able to vanish without a trace? Really?" Lord Andrea sneered, challenging his statement.
"You saw what she did to Rhode last night. The Rhode clan would not stand still. You of all people should know how predatory vampires are. The Rhode clan would surely rain down vengeance upon the humans. Moreover, it was the palace's fault for not properly filtering the doners properly, I wonder how you would resolve that?" he smirked.
There was a tick in General Alaska's jaw and his fist clenched by his side. Lord Andrea had a tongue that could ruffle even a man with the biggest self-control.
"Sadly, sorting out human donors is not my jurisdiction," General Alaska retorted, staring Andreas dead in the eyes with a firm look.
Everything about General Alaska was designed for war. He was tall and had a brawny structure with a strong jawline and steel blue eyes that had become red from anger. His long blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail and his body was poised to act if Andrea made a wrong move.
"Indeed, it isn't your duty, however, you would have been the one clearing our dead bodies had we lost our senses to the scent of her blood," Lord Andrea pointed out the fact that they would have lost their senses and drained the girl's blood leading to their death - and the girl's as well.
Although badblood comes from a long line of witches, that was not the exact reason they were being hunted and killed. Deprived the potential to become witches in the long run and cursed to forever be a bane to vampires, Badbloods have attractively sweet blood that entrances a vampire once they catch a whiff of it.
Like a siren call, a vampire would be unable to break away from the scent unless distracted by another party else he would feed to his death. Just like a werewolf reacts to wolfbane, the vampire would be poisoned from the inside out unless help arrives on time.
The witches had created and cursed such bloodline during the Great War, and after the witches had been defeated, it was left for the vampires to clean off their mess - the bad bloods. Thanks to that, the badbloods became extinct or even ceased existing until she arrived.
"Are you done?" Romulus said as both men stared off at each other.
Thanks to that comment from the king, the both of them broke apart but not without glaring at each other.
"So what happened to the girl or what remains of her?" Romulus asked, having remembered he ordered her death.
General Alaska turned to him, "She escaped into the red river last night and was unable to follow. However, I think I drowned her,"
"You think?" Romulus raised his brows questioning.
"I still haven't found her body," The general announced and there came a hushed murmuring from the crowd.
"Well, do, find her," Romulus ordered him," And once you do, bring her to me,"