[If you want to see the visuals of the characters, go to "Character Profile" in auxiliary volume, just before this chapter.]
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In a world ruled by mages and vampires, every sane human feared him. Most people did, even those in power.
In some stories, he was a hero. A great soldier who won countless battles to protect his kingdom. A member of the nobility who humbly paved his own way to the top until he became the highest-ranked general.
But in other stories, which one could only hear in silent chitchats, he was portrayed as someone evil-like in nature.
They said he was a ruthless man who knew nothing but to slaughter, that he massacred a whole family in the town just because one member offended him, that he didn't respect the laws by doing anything he pleased including killing people in public, and many more that were mostly too gruesome to hear.
Yet here she was, forcing her way to his residence, ignoring all the threats his presence posed.
Lauren knew how dangerous it was to enter the devil's den, but she had to gamble. It was either do nothing or this.
"Please understand us, Your Highness, our master is resting in his chambers and he strictly prohibited anyone to interrupt him," the male attendant blocking her way to the entrance of the manor pleaded for the third time.
Even though she was in a black cloak and her dress was duller than what she usually wore, the third princess of Evardin was still recognizable up close. The three princesses were all famous in the town for their diversified beauty, but Lauren happened to be more well-known than her elder sisters. It wasn't because of her physical appearance or her status.
News of her life being the center of gossip was nothing new. She was the least favorite, the concubine's daughter, a weak mage, and the black sheep of the royal family. She was unruly and not as prim and proper as her sisters.
Her three engagements were called off, as for the reason, people believed that those gentlemen must have found out how bad her reputation was, like how she was rumored to be visiting a whorehouse to pay male prostitutes to entertain her, or how she was sneaking into gambling houses.
But her happy moments were about to come to an end. The lord of the residence where she was now was her last hope.
"Please don't embarrass me. I have been standing here for a while now and you are still refusing to let me in. My business is something urgent," Lauren said firmly, trying not to raise her voice.
The attendant looked troubled. It was like he would be beheaded once he disobeyed his master's instructions. But she couldn't care less. What she was doing now could kill her too!
"But Your Highness-"
"Let the princess in, Oswin," a voice from inside.
Finally.
Lauren went past the attendant aggressively and found a man looking at her upstairs. He was leaning on the railing of the balcony, his face dark and serious.
Of course, she had seen Alec Everston. Apart from being a respected general in Evardin and the head of the defense ministry, he also came from one of the most powerful families of mages in all lands. Not just a mage but a vampire mage. It was impossible not to see him when her father, the King, never missed a chance to invite him over whenever there were balls and celebrations in the palace. Alec only attended to some, and even though she didn't pay much attention to him, those instances were enough to be familiar with his face.
Lauren took off the hood of her cloak before she spoke.
"Pardon me for my sudden visit, Lord Everston, but I have something important to discuss with you."
She didn't wait for his approval and walked to the stairs. This might be the most dangerous thing she had done in her entire life, but she believed it was worth a shot. After all, she wasn't Lauren Monserrate if she didn't love taking risks.
She stopped a foot from him. She swallowed hard when she realized it was the first time she had seen him this closely.
He was introduced to her and her sisters before, but she could barely recall it. She was so much younger then. And in the following events they were both present, she had her own world while he was usually surrounded by important people. So they never had any significant encounters.
"I thought you were grounded until your wedding day, Princess Lauren," Alec said in a grim tone.
The mention of "wedding" made her want to throw up. After all those failed engagements, she must have developed a marriage phobia or something close to that. She hated it to bits.
"I'm sure you have heard how good I am at escaping, my lord." She smiled. The flicker of playfulness in her bright blue eyes was evident.
She couldn't smile wider than she already did, though. There was something off in Alec's demeanor she couldn't pinpoint. He looked harmless in his calm stance, but at the same time she sensed danger in his starry steel gray eyes.
"Here," he opened the nearest room to them and he entered first. He went to the table of wines and poured himself a glass.
"So, Princess Lauren…" Holding the wine glass, Alec went in front of the table and leaned on it. She was standing three steps away. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Lauren stared back at the lord with unwavering courage. In those three days of being locked up in her room doing nothing, she had thought about this thoroughly. She was sure of what she was going to do.
"What do you think about marrying me, Lord Everston?"
The ends of his lips slightly tugged up. "Are you trying to be funny, princess?"
"No, I'm serious."
"You are to marry the son of Lord Merriweather in a few days," he said matter-of-factly as if she forgot about it.
"I don't want to marry him."
"And you want to marry me?" His tone had a hint of mockery.
Her jaw clenched.
"Let's see…" He nodded. "You were engaged three times before, and all of those were called off. Some people have seen you sneaking into gambling houses, drinking liquor in the street, and visiting a lady's club to pay for men's company. If you were not a princess, no sane nobleman would take you as a wife. You are good as ruined."
"I didn't know you were that updated with what's going on with my life, Lord Everston," she said sarcastically. She wasn't offended though. She was used to people knowing even the small events in her life.
"I have ears, Your Highness. People love to gossip about the infamous Princess Lauren. It's not a secret."
"Indeed, you are right. But I'm not here to beg for marriage. To be clear, never did I fancy you. I'm here to offer you a deal."
From glancing at his wine, his gaze drifted to hers. He had that hard look, but Lauren knew she caught his attention with what she just said.
"If you marry me, I can give the King's throne to you."
He remained composed. His expression was cold.
"How sure are you that you can make me the King? You are just a princess."
"My brother is dying. My father cannot bear another child nor the Queen can. As the King, he will have no choice but to rely on his daughters. After all, some lands have done that due to a lack of male heirs. But of course, I cannot gain my father's favor if I don't have a husband with a credible background like you."
He didn't say anything and poured himself another glass of wine.
"If I truly want to be the King, with the army under my rule, I can make your father step down anytime I want to. I can do it without your help."
Lauren saw that coming. She was fully aware of what he was capable of.
"But if you do that, to the people's eyes, you have committed treason. Even if you will force His Majesty in private if he just gives the throne to you all of the sudden, do you think the people won't assume something else is happening behind the curtains? You will provoke suspicion. It will reach the other lands and the rulers might send a petition to the Supreme House for the sake of fairness."
She breathed before she continued. "But if you marry a princess and become the King's family, the people won't question your right to the throne as it was clearly stated in the book of laws that the King can have anyone from his family as a successor, including his son-in-law."
He put the glass down and in just two strides, he was right in front of her, his gray eyes staring at her with suffocating intensity, critical and scrutinizing.
Aside from being tagged as the evil warlord, Alec Everston was also famous for his looks. And looking at him in this proximity, she couldn't help but affirm how attractive he was. He was tall, manly, and had pitch-black hair with a tinge of gray at the ends, complimenting his steely eyes. He exuded power, grace, and the dangerous air of a tyrant.
"But, princess…" he spoke with utter coldness. "You should know how dangerous this plan of yours is. I will not give a damn sending another soul to hell if you fail to deliver what you promised."
"I don't care."
His lips curved a little and amusement gleamed in his eyes for a brief moment before he tilted his head and leaned closer until she could feel his cool breath. His look turned darker than how he looked at her for the last couple of minutes they had been talking. It sent shivers all over her skin.
"I'm a devil, princess, if I must warn you. And devils don't just take what they should, they take more than what they ought to have. It means I might not just want the throne and ask for something else. The question is, can you deal with that and provide for all my desires?"
The seething anxiety made Lauren's heart go frantic. Danger bells were ringing in her ears, telling her that marrying this man meant submitting herself to hell. But she reminded herself that she had her own desires. This was just the beginning of her plans. She couldn't back down after everything she had gone through in the hands of the royal family.
If she wanted to win a tough battle, she should pick a powerful ally. He was the perfect one.
"I can offer you everything I have," she said with conviction, giving up her dignity and the dream she once had of marrying someone she loved.
Even if she had to go through hellfire, she would.
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Author's note:
Thanks for picking my book! I hope you will be captivated by Alec and Lauren's bewitching love story.
This is a work of fiction and purely original. If you see a copy of this book somewhere else or the content is in another author's book, please let me know by sending me a message on one of these accounts:
Discord: macymori#9122
Email: macymori15@gmail.com