Captured To Become A Vampire Prince's Bride {Book 2}

Captured To Become A Vampire Prince's Bride {Book 2}: Chapter 41

"Doesn't he just look adorable," Jayden leaned forward to whisper jokingly.

The crowd took a lot longer to be quiet than when The King was up, but Alexander let them have their moment, before raising a hand in to the air to silence them. "Prince Austin, as I'm sure the rumours have told, has been captured and arrested. He will never see the light of day again, and his council members will also be put on trial for conspiring against the crown. Because of this, and due to Drecott having no more heirs, it is now under the ruling of the Monaghan family. We will do everything in our power to make the country as idyllic as our own. We'll ensure the people are our top priority and follow in the footsteps of all of you. The war is officially over, and things will soon return back to normal with your help and cooperation. Prince Emmanuel of Praeceps Sinum has also come to our aid, and will now talk to you. Thank you for listening."

Again, the crowd began clapping and cheering as Alexander was replaced by Emmanuel.

Emmanuel slightly adjusted his mustard coloured blazer and began talking over the crowd, who gradually became quiet, "as you all know, a great many things have occurred here in Nox Aterrima over the past year or so. Things that the royal family have tried their hardest to stop for the sake of everyone here and abroad on Drecott. Most notably, my good friend, Alexander and his step siblings, no, his brothers Leyton, Jayden, and the soldiers who asssisted with the capture of Prince Austin in order to bring this war to an end receive my greatest thanks. It is within my power to help clean up after the war, bringing supplies and providing power to help rebuild this beautiful country. I am here to provide any aid that I can. Lastly, for the brave man who, without him, we wouldn't be able to stand here without fear of conflict , a gift, for Prince Alexander, Nox Aterrima's saviour."

Emmanuel stepped aside slightly and extended his arm out towards the fabric shielding the statue from everyone's view. At the click of his fingers, the curtain fell and the pristine statue of Alexander's mother was revealed for everyone to see, dazzling in the sunlight.

Alexander shot up, taking a few steps forward, his eyes had widened and lips parted slightly. Tears slowly pooled in the corner of his eyes, tears of joy for once. I took his hand in mine, flashing him a smile, trying to hold back my own tears. I really hadn't seen him this happy in such a long time.

"Can we get a louder round of applause for this?" I heard the King's jovial voice boom through the microphone.

"Emmanuel, thank you for this. It's perfect, just like how she used to be. After all the difficulties I've caused, I don't think I deserve such a gift, but nonetheless, thank you." Alexander pulled his friend in for a hug, and then also began clapping along with with the crowd.

The Queen took her place beside the King, turning to give Emmanuel a dainty little clap too once she realised the crowd wasn't going to calm down anytime soon.

"We have all played our roles that got us here today, and all help has definitely allowed us to come far. Although we still have a way to go until we are back to how we once were, as long as we work together and stay positive, we can all achieve our goals in little to no time. Thank you for your time, and we hope to meet you later today," she said, before taking her seat once again.

The King stood at the podium once again, "as your King, I will be taking some leave to recover from all the stress and pressure I've been under, however, rest assured, you'll be in great hands..."

"If he leaves Genevieve in charge, I will gladly go back to Drecott," I heard Jayden mutter to my right.

"...Alexander and Arianne," the King's voice resonated through the air.

In that second, all eyes were on us. A mixture of shocked, bewildered and thrilled expressions all directed towards me and Alex, who also appeared frozen by the delivery of the King's news. My palms suddenly felt sweaty as my heartbeat in my ears grew louder and louder, drowning out the sounds of the crowds.

Jayden was up in front of us in a matter of seconds, a smirk on his face as he pulled us both up, "looks like you guys have an unplanned acceptance speech," he gently shoved us in the direction of the King who was beaming at us.

Henrietta was older than both of us, so I didn't understand why the King wouldn't choose her. Surely she must've been fuming. When was this even decided and why didn't he tell us beforehand? At least we could've prepared an "acceptance speech". I had no idea what to do!

"Thank you for this amazing opportunity Father. I promise you, and the rest of Nox Aterrima, that we won't disappoint," Alex then turned to me, subtly signalling for me to say a few words.

I nodded in agreement, "yes, we ensure that we'll put our best feet forward and continue to make the Monaghan family name proud."

The crowd continued to celebrate as I stepped back, unsure of if my voice sounded shaky or raspy. I hadn't at all planned on addressing the audience, who clearly didn't care for the surprise on mine and Alexander's faces.

Rigidly, I stood beside Alexander as we all formed a line at the front of the stage, trying my best to keep control of my expression. I wasn't exactly sure how I felt in that moment. With news like that, in front of so many people, my mind was in a haze.

"So, like, you're a deputy king now?" Jayden muttered.

"Are you stupid?" Alexander hissed through his teeth, keeping up his smile, but the venom in his voice could be felt.

I had to physically stop myself from rolling my eyes and rubbing my temples at Jayden's ridiculous question. For his sake, I hoped he was joking. There was no way he could be so stupid.

Deputy king...

What even was that? Wasn't that pretty much what a prince was?

Despite how it felt, it wasn't long after that we finally exited the stage. The King snaked an arm around the Queen's extremely slender waist to help guide her off the stage, and the rest of us followed.

Everyone approached the base of the statue, faces of awe and amazement as they took in its beauty and grandeur.

Charlotte and Leandra not long later came over with iPads in their hands, looking ready to dish out the day's duties.

"Superb job up there everyone," said Charlotte. "Today is quite a casual thing for everyone except the King and Queen. You'll be shown around by a series of hosts. You can ask any questions you'd like while there. But as this is mostly for appearance, make sure you appear interested."

She continued a little more, reading her notes on her iPad, going in to slightly more detail for each of us.

"You have iPads in your allocated vehicles so you can read up some more information on the different locations you'll be visiting. At 6:30pm you'll all be dining at Masashi No Shinden." Leandra added.

The cars we arrived in had stayed where they dropped us off, and after some very brief goodbyes, we got in to our cars, and separated for the day.