Vampire King's Consort

Chapter 79: Livia

They rode in silence on the path familiar to her. It had been the same as when Orion had led her back to the Vampire Kingdom and, in the end, had been named Queen and fell pregnant. This path also brought back memories from the time she had killed Elias. Every now and then, she'd glance to the ground as if she would travel right next to the Princes decayed carcus, where the only remnants of their battle would be a few strands of hair, empty eye sockets, and broken dusty bones. Yet this all felt numb at first, for the terrible memories that lay in this forest for her had become a repetitive occurrence no longer surprising her. Even though she expected something to occur, anything really, in a way, one could say that this forest was haunted or even cursed. For her, at least. It was an absored thought, the forest haunting or curing her, and not fear settled in replacing the numbness, but rather, it was strength. Strength had helped her overcome every obstacle, and if, in fact, anything did occur in the future, she felt confident in herself that she could overcome it.

Lifting her eyes up, they automatically landed on his back. It was broad, the muscles strained and moved with each step the horse took, and those locks, dark as raven feathers, had now grown to surpass the shoulders moving softly with the wind. But regardless of how her heart fluttered as she watched him from afar, her eyebrows furrowed, and the heart within its cage began to harden, filling with a slowly growing anger and impatience. Many times, she reminded herself to wait for he would come to her when he was ready, yet the past few days, not once had he come. And now, he has gone as far as to ignore her existence completely.

She was trying to be understanding and think from his perspective, but it hadn't proven easy. Used to the side of the bed he slept on to be warmed each night or to enjoy each other's company as she ate her meals had all gone and disappeared overnight. It had torn her to pieces when he ignored her when she called out to him in the middle of the night last night-reminding her of when he and she first interacted. He was cold, indifferent, and intimidating. At the same time, she kept silent and hid away, afraid of a monster that was unknown to her at the time. At least with the Lycans, she could tell when they were upset, wanted to be left alone, or shown affection. This man in front of her was still unraveling each layer as if she were picking the petals off a well-matured peonie. An endless fruitfulness. Each petal held a story needing to be listened to and appreciated, whether good or bad.

Shutting her eyes lightly, she sighed heavily, uncaring of those around her who may have heard. It was the duty of a Queen to protect, help, and sacrifice for the people, but what about the King, her husband, without causing him more harm and distress? When she opened her eyes, his back was still in the same line of view as before, unchanging, and this time, she did not glare at it-instead replaced with sadness, feeling utterly useless at that moment. For her mind could not conjure up a plan that would benefit both of them. And she didn't know how much longer she could take of him ignoring her, especially for five long days and nights. And what if when they arrive at the Elven Kingdom? Would he treat her as cold as he did now? Then those around would speculate, spread rumors, or worse, treat her more as a mistress rather than the Queen Consort.

The glare reappeared, and she saw him flinch slightly, making the strained bridge of the nose relieve itself into a puzzled expression. Could he feel her emotions? She knew he could smell them and hear her heart, but could his senses detect when she simply reacted to emotions? Well, she hoped he could. Many times, she wanted to go to him and express herself, but in fear that she'd do more damage, she kept her distance, afraid to hurt him more than he was already. But now she simply wanted to make him see and understand she was suffering too and that instead of ignoring her, they could have come up with a plan together. She was alone all night, losing sleep, and in the morning, completely miserable and distracted, she racked her brain for a way that they could at least stay next to each other without him feeling the urge to drink her blood.