The throne room opened and Gregory was dragged in by two guards. He was looking so exhausted and tired, probably, from all those torturing he had received from Alexander Marco's men. He was dragged and pushed down to his knees in front of Alexander Marco who was seated on his high throne with Wiz standing at his right hand side and his uncle, Van Basten at his left.
"Ahh! The traitor is finally here!" Van Basten declared. "I always knew humans can never be trusted, you proved me right!" Van Basten said as he walked towards Gregory. He stood over him and stared down at him like a demigod as Gregory pleaded with Alexander for mercy.
The entire elders had gathered in the room and Gregory's daughter who also worked in the plantations alongside Andreina was present. Other humans who worked for them were also present.
"You humans are not worthy to be in the same room with creatures like us. But today I brought you here so you can witness firsthand, by yourselves, what will happen to any of you who decides to go against me, your new master." Alexander declared as he stepped down from the throne.
"Master, I swear on my life, I did not commit this heinous act. I have served you and your father a great deal" Gregory explained in tears.
"Do not dare mention my father again or I will have your tongue chopped off and given to you to digest!" Alexander interrupted Gregory before he could complete his statement.
Gregory was the driver of Alexander's father. On the day of the ambush and murder of Alexander's father, Gregory went missing after abandoning the car during the Werewolves ambush. He was later found in a boat by Alexander's men when trying to escape.
"Do you recognize this dagger?" Van Basten flaunted a dagger made of pure silver in Gregory's face.
"Look at me when I speak to you!" Van Basten's voice raged. Gregory was too frightened to even take a glance at his face.
"No, my Lord." Gregory said to Van Basten after momentarily staring at the shiny, silver dagger. "I have no idea what it is." Gregory said.
Alexander grabbed the dagger from Van Basten's hands and brought it closer to Van Basten:
"This, this is a silver dagger, the only thing that a Vampire Lord can't heal from. If my father could not heal from the stab wound, then he must have been stabbed with this. And guess where we found it? In your room!" Alexander exclaimed.
"No, Master. That can not be true." Gregory fell at the feet of Alexander. "You know I would never betray you after all these years." He cried.
Gregory's daughter, Charlotte, was among the spectators watching. She was hoping that her father would be vindicated, but it turned out that more evidence had piled up against him.
"You mean to say this dagger doesn't belong to you?" Van Basten questioned Gregory. "I personally searched your humanly filthy room and I saw this among your belongings." Van Basten continued after pulling Gregory up by his hair –
"Are you trying to say I am making this up?" Van Basten yelled.
Alexander wore a disappointed face. Even though he never trusted humans, he had grown fond of Gregory. In fact, Gregory was among the few humans that had ever had a meal on the same table with Alexander.
"You were caught on a boat, trying to cross over to Valor's land. How do you defend that?" Alexander questioned Gregory.
"When the attack started, someone knocked me out. I woke up by the river, surrounded by your men. I have no idea how I got to that place, please believe me."
Gregory said in tears.
"He is obviously a liar!" Van Basten said to Alexander, concerning Gregory. He continued –
"He thinks creatures like us who have lived for thousands of years can be fooled so easily? This is even worse than the crime of treason that he has committed!"
Alexander whispered something to Wiz. Then, Wiz whispered to a guard to get someone. The guard left and later returned with a man dressed in black garment and a red mask.
"He is going to test if this dagger has been graced by any vampire's blood." Alexander said to the crowd. He turned and faced them:
"If it has not, then I will let Gregory go, and compensate him for the troubles. But if it has, then Gregory must bear the consequences."
Alexander handed over the dagger to the man, but as soon as the man touched it, he threw it to the floor and snarled violently.
"Not just any blood, master Alexander. But the blood of a vampire lord, the blood of your father." The man declared.
"I sentence you to death! And you will be beheaded in accordance with our laws and your blood shall be used as wine for the feast between me and the elders tonight." Alexander spoke without fidgeting.
"No! No!" Charlotte squeezed herself through the crowd and fell at Alexander's feet. "Please, my Lord, do not do this to my father, I beg you."
"Take her away!" Wiz immediately ordered that Charlotte should be removed from the council room. He did not want Alexander to lose his temper and punish her.
As for Gregory, he knew he was doomed. Alexander was always rigid with his judgment and almost never took it back.
"Go fetch me, Andreina. She is the one to give the order for his execution." Alexander instructed a guard.
"But that is not contrary to our laws." Wiz whispered to Alexander.
"And is marrying a human also according to our laws?" Alexander asked under his breath.
Wiz knew that Andreina might not be able to do it since she was Charlotte's best friend. Moreover, Gregory was always like a second father to her.
Gregory could still hear Charlotte screaming and begging. He kept swearing that he had nothing to do with Alexander's father's death, but no one was ready to believe him.
The guard Alexander sent to get Andreina then returned, but she was not with him.
"Where is she?" Alexander asked impatiently.
"I am sorry my Lord, but I could not find her." The guard answered.
"What do you mean?" Alexander asked.
The guard was scared to speak up, but he had to. "I think she ran away."