The Vampire King's Pet-Chapter 279: Anger?

"No, I’m fine," Aria said as she soon got ready. Dressed in a dark blue gown, the soft fabric clung lightly to her frame, and her hair was made up in a way that accentuated the delicate lines of her face, making her look even more beautiful than she would otherwise look. A faint shimmer from the morning light that streamed through the tall window caught against her earrings, casting tiny sparkles that danced across her neck and cheek.

Slowly, Aria got off the chair she had been sitting on and moved to head out, even as she spoke to Rymora with a severe expression on her face.

"Get another drug of the same kind! It’s better to make sure than to guess!" she told Rymora, who instantly nodded her head as she followed behind Aria, her footsteps light but hurried.

Realizing though, in the same breath as they stepped out, that if Lord Drehk could stop her from buying it, then the king could do even worse.

’I don’t think I’ll be able to buy the original one, would I?’ she thought to herself, reinforcing her intention to run away even now more than before.

They stepped out of the room, the echo of their footsteps fading against the stone floor as Rymora followed behind Aria, who headed in the direction of Varret, her sword instructor—her teacher, whom she was supposed to meet.

She was supposed to take lessons from him, and even on the days she didn’t meet him, she was confident that he would still wait for her until their allotted time was over. That was the kind of man Varret was—disciplined to the bone, patient but strict.

It didn’t take long to get to the duelling room, where Aria stepped in with Rymora doing the same and closing the heavy oak door firmly behind her. The sound echoed through the otherwise silent room, where the faint metallic scent of sharpened blades still lingered.

"Lady Aria!" Varret said with a low bow, his voice deep and formal, but Aria simply rolled her eyes as she strode closer to him, her skirts brushing lightly against the polished wooden floor, even as Rymora moved to stand close to the wall with her hands folded neatly in front of her, ignoring the steady glance Varret sent her way.

"You’re here!" Aria said—an almost inconsequential statement, yet it carried a subtle authority as she watched Varret nod, moving closer to her with a soft, respectful smile on his face.

"Yes, My lady! I’m here in case there’s anything you need to relay to the house of Elvane!" he said, but Aria had to bury the urge to roll her eyes again as she listened to him speak, even as she went ahead to say what was truly on her mind.

"I need the ritual! I’m keeping to my own end of the bargain, but I’m not getting anything for my troubles. That is hardly fair!" she outright told him, her tone firm and her expression severe as she continued.

"The werewolf king, as you’re aware, is in the castle—and he has made an interesting offer, one I’m very much tempted to agree to!" Aria said, satisfied to see the faint smile on his face fade into a more contemplative one as he stood still, still holding a wooden sword loosely in his hand.

"Tell them I want the ritual or the deal is off!" she told him sharply, her words cutting through the air like a blade.

"If we give you the ritual, then what’s to keep you from stabbing us in the back and going against your word?" he asked, his voice lower now, a dark gaze forming in his brown eyes even as a sly look appeared on Aria’s face as she shrugged her shoulders with careless grace. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Nothing! I guess you’re going to have to trust me for a change!" Aria told him, the corners of her lips curling into a faint, daring smile even as Verret’s gaze hardened. He settled his eyes on her with open suspicion before opening his mouth to speak.

"I’ll have to speak to them. I should be able to get a response by tomorrow!" he said finally, his tone clipped, even as Aria nodded her head with the clear intention of leaving, not seeing any reason to continue to remain there since the conversation was over.

But she had just turned around to leave when Verret spoke to her again, his voice low—something akin to a warning that made her pause mid-step.

"It would be better to decline the Werewolf king’s proposal. The werewolves have nothing they can offer you!" he said, but Aria didn’t even bother turning around as she responded to his words.

"You won’t say that if you had heard the offer. Desperation does that to a person. It helps that I’m the only one that can identify the zygons!" she said with a hint of pride in her tone, her chin tilted slightly upward even as she continued toward the door Rymora stepped forward to open for her.

Following behind her after she had shut the door, Rymora didn’t speak, having heard the conversation but knowing better than to get involved. The last thing she wanted was to be entangled in affairs that were far beyond her control—especially since she had already made up her mind to run away as fast as she could.

Honestly, the first thing she had considered was getting rid of the baby, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn’t want to.

Her family had rejected her for being a runt, and Gregory had simply tolerated her presence. For Rymora, there was a strong, painful desire to have a family of her own—one that belonged solely to her, something she could call hers without fear of rejection.

Touching her belly gently, she rubbed it in silence, her fingers trembling slightly as she accepted the unwanted gift she had received, even as Aria began to speak again while walking slightly ahead of her.

"Who do you think I’ll side with?" Aria asked, glancing back at Rymora, who she noticed had been unusually quiet after the meeting with Verret. She assumed the girl was still going over the conversation they’d just had.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Rymora responded at last. "Both of them!" she said, which made a smile spread across Aria’s face as she nodded her head and continued walking, heading straight toward the food hall. She was aware that there were only a few moments before she would be late for breakfast, which meant getting there before Zyren did.