A Bastard's Allure-Chapter 48: A Meeting In The Dark

Elena walked into the Queen’s chambers in hopes of finding about Darion’s whereabouts. As usual, Jessica was seated on the chair with a maid working on her fancied hair. She was quick to notice Elena’s presence from across the mirror. A smile curved up her face before she turned to face Elena.

"You look stunning in that dress!" She feigned surprise, letting her eyes travel Elena’s length in staged awe. Her eyes however turned a shade darker when she spotted dark marks on Elena’s arm, which Elena was quick to hide upon feeling the Queen’s eyes on her.

"How did you get that scar?" She asked, already upstanding. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed the maid.

Elena cast her eyes on the floor until the maid left. "I... I got a cut... Fork and knife while I was eating," she lied, and judging from the Queen’s expression, she wasn’t so good at it.

Jessica nodded though she knew there was more to it than a cut. Weren’t those bite marks? But again, the scars looked similar to those inflicted on her son’s chest. And it all led to one person, Gabriel.

Turning to pour herself a glass of blood, she asked, "What brings you here Lady Thornhart?"

Elena swallowed the lump in her throat, nervous at how everyone had started calling her Lady Thornhart yet she was married to Gabriel. In Mysthaven, such action would be considered treason, and only punishable by death! But again, this was Eldoria, the land of vampires!

"Ser Darion, a member of my husband’s kingsguard, has been missing for the last two days. I was wondering if you knew anything about his whereabouts." She lifted her eyes to meet with the Jessica’s.

"He must be so dear to you," Jessica pointed, her eyes calculatingly studying Elena’s expressions. And judging from how she reacted, something must have definitely happened between these two.

"He saved my life once. I’m just returning the favor," Elena lied, and this time it was flawless. She didn’t even blink!

The Queen took a sip of the blood, running her tongue over her fangs, all the while, her eyes never leaving Elena’s. And when the human’s heart raced, she inwardly smirked.

"I have no information about your Set but if I do, I’ll be certain to inform you. You’re like my little daughter after all," she said, offering Elena one of her unruffled smiles. And as if she had remembered something, "Speaking of which I haven’t seen that little witch since morning. Excuse me!" She slapped her forehead and run out like a headless chicken. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Elena released a sigh of relief and left for her chambers. Her mind was racing with possibilities all the while. She had paid a half breed (the only one she had the courage to approach... No, not her. It was Jophiel) to search for Darion all over the capital but he returned fruitless.

Her eyes fell on the marks on her arm. They had been reduced to black spots that doted her fair skin, now visible from a mile away! The dress she wore did little to hide the marks, especially the short sleeves.

She spotted the maids in the hallways who would stop their chats to spy on her hand. Their voices and laughter rang in her mind whenever she took a corner, instantly giving her the image of a haunted castle!

A huge sigh she released when she was finally in her chambers. Her back rested on the back of her door, heaving heavily.

"My Lady?" Her heart raced in an instant, whipping her head to the direction of the voice. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the little princess hiding close to her bed.

"Princess? Your mother is looking for you," she said, walking towards the hiding place. The little one was seated near the nightstand, her head rested on her curved knees which were lost in her long dress.

"Mother doesn’t love me," she said, her innocent eyes meeting with Elena’s.

"When I was a child, I thought my mother hated me too. She couldn’t let me play with the boys or commoners or leave the palace either. But when I grew up, I realized she was doing it to protect me."

She held the girl’s hands and sat her on the edge of the bed. "Mother says Riel bought you to secure our future meals," she innocently replied.

Elena had a flash of annoyance crossing her face. What kind of information was the queen feeding her daughter.

"Gabriel didn’t buy me. I willingly accepted to be his wife," she replied.

"Do you love him?" Lilith asked, her eyes looking expectantly at Elena who appeared awed by the princess’s question.

"Yes, I do," she answered and caressed Lilith’s cheeks before messing with her hair. "You need to leave now before your mother comes looking for you."

The girl nodded exaggeratingly, getting a reassuring smile from Elena. She gathered the homemade doll she carried and dragged it all the way to the door. She was about to turn the knob when she turned to Elena again.

"I heard them talking last night..."

"You don’t want to keep Her Majesty waiting, do you, dear?" Elena asked, wanting to keep away from the Queen’s troubles as much as possible.

"It was about your missing Knight," she said and Elena’s face grew in surprise. She paced to where the girl stood and opened the door to check if there was someone eavesdropping on the conversation. When she was certain it was clear, she sat Lilith back on the edge of the bed.

"Tell me everything you heard," she coerced, kneeling to be at par with Lilith’s height.

"It was my mother and another man in the dark. I didn’t see his face, only his voice."

"What were they talking about?" Elena enquired, already impatient.

"The stranger was saying that he had tortured a knight from Riel’s kingsguard. He told mother they’ll be evacuating him from the cells since father might find out."

The door suddenly turned open with the queen escorted by two knights barging in. Elena was quick to her feet and the little one tugged her skirts as if she had seen death come to claim her.

"Please don’t let her take me!" She whispered, tugging Elena’s skirt even harder. Elena nodded, a false promise to the little one.

"I’ve been looking for her everywhere while you’ve been hiding her in your room!" The Queen said, now fuming in anger. And turning to the knights, "Arrest her!"