At that moment, they all believed without a doubt that the talent suppression was indeed real. Xavier assisted Cassie in ascending the throne. He picked up the crown adorned with the sacred symbols of the blood race from the tray held by the elders and, bowing down, placed it on Cassie's head. All blood members simultaneously kneeled, devoutly chanting hymns.
The coronation ceremony, neither too long nor too short, concluded swiftly. Following that was the banquet—the vampire feast, showcasing enormous golden cages lifted, containing blood servants clad in scanty attire, waiting to be chosen like dishes on a dining table. Ironically, most of them volunteered to become blood servants, attracted by the prospect of a lifetime of wealth and beauty.
In the banquet hall, there were no regular foods; instead, various containers presented blood of different shades, resembling shades of lipstick.
Just moments ago, Cassie was a human, never having experienced the life of feeding on blood. Three days had passed without her partaking. Now, in the face of the wafting aroma of blood throughout the hall, her instinctive urge to feed was awakened, causing a slight frown on her face.
With Xavier absent, a few young blood members, blushing, attempted to strike up a conversation with her. However, upon her icy gaze, they were frightened into silence, their prepared words left unsaid.
"Xavier," in a corner of the banquet hall, a glamorous woman in a luxurious gown nearly shattered her high goblet, "you actually made that woman the queen? Are you out of your mind?"
She had always thought that Xavier was the most ambitious among the eight major clans. The fact that he effortlessly held the lifeline of the eight major clans, effortlessly manipulating the entire blood race, fascinated her.
But to make a just-awakened queen, he could have killed her and easily manipulated her as a puppet. So why did Xavier choose to crown her?
She had never seen such a gentle expression on Xavier before. His indifferent attitude irked her.
"Xavier!" Seeing him about to leave, princess Karida hurriedly grabbed his arm. "Listen to me; we can cooperate—"
Her malice towards Cassie was evident.
Xavier shrugged off her hand, mockingly curling his lips. "Cooperate?"
"Do I need to cooperate with you?"
His tone was as gentle as ever. "Don't be too presumptuous, Princess
Karida."
Karida lost her composure, watching him leave, watching him switch to a smiling and gentle tone with that woman.
Why... why did he willingly crown her?
Cassie observed him.
Xavier took out a handkerchief and casually wiped the spot touched by Karida. "Apologies, Your Majesty, it got a bit dirty."
She just nodded lightly, but her mind was racing—how could she make Xavier willingly offer his heart to her?
The current Xavier may seem accommodating, but who knew what he was truly thinking?
This man's mind was too profound.
She did know some spells to control people, but arriving in this world, her abilities were completely restricted. She could only play the role of this blood queen.
In all honesty, having lived for nineteen years without ever experiencing love, she found herself entangled with someone like Xavier.
She pondered on how to enhance their relationship.
She suddenly remembered something.
Xavier was gazing at her with a smile.
The queen always liked to daydream, lost in her own thoughts. Her absent-minded appearance was also quite cute, with her golden hair lazily cascading behind her, resembling a lazy Persian cat.
Cassie grabbed his sleeve.
This surprised Xavier. Subsequently, he heard her call, "Xavier."
Xavier stiffened for a moment, seemingly taken aback.
This was the second time Xavier heard her speak, and this time, she called him by his name.
Her voice was as cold as ice, yet it couldn't conceal the softness of a young girl.
She asked again, "Can you go to the outside world?"
This time, it was a complete sentence.
Xavier was utterly stunned.
He struggled to suppress the joy within him, gently looking at her and replied, "Is Your Majesty referring to the human world?"
She nodded.
"Of course, Your Majesty wants to go?"
She nodded again.
Xavier gazed at her, his eyes deep as if he wanted to devour her. "How does Your Majesty know about the human world?"
Having just awakened, her activities were limited to a corner of the castle, lacking any experience in dealing with the world. She was like a blank canvas.
Cassie replied succinctly, "Books."
Xavier had placed many books in her room, mostly travel logs and novels that young girls would find interesting. Originally meant for decoration due to their beautiful covers, he didn't expect her to actually read them.
Quite the clever little rose.
"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty, all right?" He leaned closer, still in a gentle tone. "I need to attend to some matters, and I can only take Your Majesty out tomorrow."
Cassie nodded.
He was too close, and she struggled to restrain her blood-sucking desire.
This feeling wasn't pleasant. It was different from the hunger felt as a human. It was more like... thirst. Like a person trapped in a desert for years who suddenly discovers a clear spring, the mere scent made her feel refreshed.
She licked her lips.
Xavier noticed her subtle movement.
He didn't say anything, casually straightened his collar, exposing a small area of skin. "Is the prepared blood not fresh enough? Why doesn't Your Majesty use it?"
Throughout the entire banquet, he observed her absent-mindedly admiring, swaying the cup in her hand, but never taking a single drop of blood.
Cassie retorted, "Aren't you?"
Xavier burst into laughter.
He disliked feeding during such banquets and didn't like biting living people. He usually used blood elixirs.
Who knew if there was something unclean in these cups? He had witnessed the madness of those female vampires at such events.
"Your Majesty is quite clever," he praised. "You even know how to refute me."
Cassie: "..."
She had no idea what was praiseworthy about that.
Perhaps this was what it meant to be a lickspittle.
"Your Majesty," he said meaningfully, "please rest assured and wait for me."
Cassie returned to her crystal coffin.
She lay there, but sleep eluded her— the more she was alone, the stronger her desire to feed on blood became.
Her sense of smell was still sharp. The night guards outside the door could provide blood, but their quality was low and couldn't arouse her appetite.
She didn't want to feed.
She needed to find a solution quickly.
In the dark of the night, someone pushed the door open, and the rich sweet fragrance drifted in. She instantly became alert, her purple eyes reflecting a luster in the darkness.
The person was Xavier.
Different from their earlier encounter, he had taken off the tails of his coat and wore a shirt.