Alistair's POV
I leaned back in my chair, watching the city's lights flicker against the night sky. Swain's voice droned on, delivering news that barely held my attention. He finally gets to the update about the contest.
"Sire, the fliers have been distributed in our country and around the world. We've already received multiple calls suggesting candidates. I'm very pleased with the canvassing thus far."
Pleased. I smirked, The word almost made me laugh. As if I cared for Swain's satisfaction. He looked back at me and I kept my expression neutral, letting him continue his praise as if it meant something.
"Have the responses been... sufficient?" I asked, not out of curiosity but to remind him of the standards I expected.
Swain nearly tripped over his words in his eagerness to reassure me. "Yes, Your Majesty. Humans and hybrids alike—many candidates have drawn immediate interest. The contest is already gaining attention worldwide."
"Naturally," I muttered, disinterest lacing my tone. I rose slowly from the chair, feeling the weight of everything I commanded. The contest was just a performance, a distraction for the masses, but this time I couldn't afford for it to be just that. The selection had to matter.
I turned to face Swain, watching him shrink slightly under my gaze. "Make sure only the strongest are presented. I have no patience for weakness."
He nodded quickly, bowing deeply. "Of course, sire."
I allowed myself a moment of silence, thinking ahead to what truly mattered. The contest, the spectacle—it was trivial. What I needed was more than a figurehead. I needed someone who could stand at my side, not beneath my feet.
This time, I couldn't make another mistake. Could I trust Swain to be able to carry out finding my one?
"Keep me informed," I said, my voice issuing a warning. "And ensure none of these candidates embarrass the process. There isn't room for failure."
Swain bowed again before backing out of the room, his eyes wide with the fear that kept him sharp. I turned back to the window, narrowing my gaze on the city below. Things would be different this time. They had to be.
I watched Swain leave, his hurried steps fading into the hall beyond. The room fell silent, but the weight of what lay ahead pressed in on me. The contest—this farce of selection—was already in motion. Outside, the world clamored for their chance to be Queen, oblivious to the fact that most were little more than fodder for the spectacle.
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the tension knotting at the base of my neck. The thought of sifting through these so-called candidates felt like such a waste of time, but there was no other way.
Someone worthy had to emerge from this charade, someone who could stand beside me through the trials to come. I couldn't allow for another mistake. Not now.
The fire crackled in the hearth behind me, its heat doing little to ease the cold that had settled in my chest. A familiar chill, a reminder of the pressure mounting from all sides. I had enemies circling like vultures, waiting for any sign of weakness. This contest had to be flawless—no room for missteps.
I turned back toward the window, the darkened skyline a reflection of the kingdom I held in my grasp. Somewhere, one of those contestants held the potential to change everything. They'd fight tooth and nail for a chance at the crown, but what I needed wasn't someone who could play the part. I needed strength. Resilience. Someone who could withstand the storm that was coming.
But trusting any of them? That was a risk I wasn't sure I could afford.
I thought of my mother, her voice echoed in my mind
**Alistair you have been given a specific opportunity to make this world something we haven't. You're differences and your condition is one that has never been seen in this world. Perhaps you will be able to right the wrongs that have been committed. Maybe you will be a prince for all, not just Transylvania.*
She had believed that my condition wasn't a curse but a blessing to right the blood lust our family has sated with its continued stream of death and destruction.
She had tried so hard to get me to understand that fear was not going to help me on my ultimate path. I sighed and watched the storm flash brightly in front of me.
The torrential downpour obscuring the window. All at once, tires screeched and I could hear a scraping of metal against metal as a car and another vehicle crashed and the smaller one flipped in front of my home. A flurry of activity ensued and the victims were immediately taken by ambulance away.