In a world where duty and love collide, Nia, the eldest daughter of an aristocratic family, finds herself thrust into a political alliance with the ruthless Vampire King, Kiyoshi.
As both kingdoms grapple with the mysterious disappearance of human...
As Kiyoshi and Nia returned to their own chambers, they exchanged worried glances.
"It has to be Daemon," he sighed, sitting heavily on the bed.
"But Kiyoshi," she said, her voice soft, "how could he? He may be ambition driven and ruthless, but to kill his own wife..." She trailed off, shaking her head.
"He had a motive, Nia," he said, his voice low. "Remember when he stormed into my study, fuming about me supposedly embarrassing him in front of the council?"
Nia nodded slowly; her brow furrowed in thought. "Yes, I remember. But that wasn't..."
"In a fit of anger, I exposed Elspeth's affair with a servant. It did not go over well. He might've seen it as an insult to his manhood. He could not get the throne and he could not control his wife. Perhaps he saw this as an opportunity to regain some power." Nia leaned against the wall, considering this new information.
"But to commit murder," Nia protested, shaking her head. "That is truly terrifying to think about." She paused; her eyes distant as she tried to comprehend the depths of Daemon's rage.
A deep sigh escaped Kiyoshi's lips. He understood Nia's scepticism. She always saw the best in people, even those who did not deserve it. However, Kiyoshi had seen the darker side of Daemon's character many times before. It wasn't impossible that he could have snapped and committed such a terrible act. Kiyoshi, overwhelmed by a sudden surge of protectiveness, walked up to Nia and took her hand in his.
"Nia," he began, his voice gentle, "this whole situation... it scares me. Elspeth's death, Daemon's accusations... I fear for your safety." He paused, meeting her eyes.
Nia met his gaze, her eyes searching his. "Kiyoshi," she started, "we talked about this before. Remember my promise?"
A memory washed over Kiyoshi – their tender goodbyes, filled with bittersweet words of separation and promises. His heart ached at the recollection.
"Promise me," Nia's voice echoed in his mind, "that after all this is over, you will never leave my side again. You will come back to me, and we will build our life together, here in the palace. We will have children of our own, and we will love them with all our hearts."
Kiyoshi squeezed her hand gently. "I will never forget that promise," he said, his voice husky with emotion. "But this is different. The situation has escalated. I cannot bear the thought of anything happening to you. You are my life, Nia. My heart. My everything." He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away a stray tear from her cheek. "I need you to be careful. I need you to promise me that you won't go anywhere alone."
"And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, Kiyoshi," she replied softly, leaning into his touch. "I will be careful, I promise. But... you must also promise me something."
He frowned, not quite understanding. "What is it?"
"Promise me that you will be careful too. That you won't do anything reckless or put yourself in danger. I cannot bear the thought of losing you either. We need to keep each other safe."
He nodded solemnly, taking her words to heart. "I promise, Nia. I will be careful. For both of us."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
