The Vampire Prince's Toxic Consort (bxb)

Chapter 25 The Blood

Three months ago:

"I can't do it!" Lucius paced around the room, ruffling his hair in distress, "I'm just a regular guy! Actually, I'm less than a regular guy! I'm a proper coward! I couldn't even kill a rabbit during the autumn hunting! Why can't you get one of your spies or agents to do it?!"

"Unfortunately, none of them managed to become the Crown Prince Consort of Eternia." Dan Emerson, one of the top agents from Division Nine, lit a cigarette and crossed his legs, "bloodline is very important to vamps, and certain secrets they will only let royal family members know. The more they underestimate you, the higher chance you will succeed in discovering the secrets of the Elders."

"You all are unbelievable!" Lucius exclaimed angrily, "isn't it enough that I'm marrying the devil himself in my brother's place?! Now I have to somehow find an Elder, of whom not even vampires knew their whereabouts or even if they still exist in this world, and steal their blood for your mad scientists. Do you know how crazy you are sounding?"

"We know it is a lot to ask. But this is humanity's last hope." Dan exhaled a puff of smoke, his countenance unflappable with a smudge of gloominess, "even if you can't find an Elder, a First Generation can be helpful, too."

"And I suppose those First Generation vamps are super nice people and will just let me take their blood so humans can invent some sort of bioweapon to terminate their kind?" Lucius gruntled sardonically.

Lord Rosenfield put down his scotch and raised his piercing hazel eyes, staring at his son intensely. Lucius squirmed under his father's gaze as Lord Rosenfield rarely gave him full attention.

"Son, it's ok to be scared. But I know you have courage." His voice was deep and sonorous as always, naturally muting all other noises in a room whenever he opened his mouth, and even the plain words became profound and meaningful when he stared at you with his affirming, elegant eyes, "I know you won't let the Crown down. And you won't let me down because you are my son. You are a Rosenfield."

Lucius was transfixed under the weight of those words.

God knew how many times he had tried to impress his father, wishing to hear something like this. And now, he finally got it, but he wasn't even sure if it was sincere.

Three months later, when Lucius descended deep into the darkness, surrounded by ancient sleepwalking vampires, and stood in front of the Durchville Witch, the memory suddenly returned to him.

Was all of this craziness just another pathetic attempt to impress his father?!

"Hey...Florian, are these things running in the veins of her blood?" Lucius took a few stealth steps and studied the tangled veins on one of the branches extended in front of him.

Florian nodded, "possibly, she seems to have integrated herself with the earth around her. Her blood is probably running across this area, protecting the entire Durchville family's land."

"This is easier than I thought." Lucius took out the knife and a small vial. The sharp edge broke the vascular wall easily, and some thick, almost black syrup-like liquid oozed out, slowly filling the small vial. Lucius glanced at the face on the tree trunk nervously, but her eyes were still closed.

Before he could relax, Florian suddenly warned quietly, "do not move."

Lucius looked back and saw Florian staring at something above. He followed the gaze, looked closely, and detected movement on one of the lower boughs above them.

It was a vampire, pale and lanky, just like the figures they saw, and his elongated body was barely covered by some half-rotten tatters. He crawled onto the branch and licked something red seeped out of the bark.