Claimed by the vampire prince

Chapter 532: Chapter 532

The palace had been abuzz all morning with talks of the strange violent tremors that had shaken the kingdom earlier that day. The quakes had been powerful enough to rattle entire buildings, sending fragile objects crashing from shelves and tables to shatter across stone floors. Even the palace itself had not been spared from the chaos. Servants and guards alike had scrambled for cover in blind panic, some dropping to the ground while others hid beneath tables as the earth shook beneath them.

For a terrifying few moments, it had felt as though the ground was about to split apart.

Thankfully, when the tremors finally ceased, no lives had been lost and no one had been seriously injured. The damage had mostly been limited to broken furniture, and shattered glass. Still, that did little to ease the fear now spreading throughout the palace. Everyone wanted answers. Everyone wanted to know what could possibly have caused something like thise

Circe had done her best to ignore the endless murmurs surrounding the incident. Throughout the day, guards and maids alike had approached her with cautious concern, asking whether she had been harmed during the tremors. Each time, she dismissed them with a firm no before quickly ending the conversation altogether.

She trusted very few people within the palace walls.

She suspected that not everyone had welcomed the idea of a human queen, no matter how beloved Ragnar was. Some members of the court had hidden their displeasure behind polite smiles and lowered gazes, but Circe was not foolish enough to believe loyalty came easily, especially after everything that had happened with Nheera.

There were undoubtedly still those within the palace who secretly remained loyal to the former queen, and Circe could not tell which concerned questions were genuine and which were not.

So she kept the truth to herself.

She alone knew that the tremors had been caused by her magic.

Though deep down, she suspected it would not remain a secret for long.

And Ragnar likely already knew already. Otherwise, he would have found her by now, and demanded to know if she was hurt. He had always been like that with her, impossibly attentive to even the smallest injury or discomfort she suffered. The fact that he had not appeared yet told her enough.

The thought lingered in her mind as she returned to their chambers later. Exhaustion clung to her body like a second skin for barely sleeping a wick last night, and all she wanted was to sink into a warm bath. She was just about to summon one of the maids when a knock sounded at her door.

Circe frowned faintly before crossing the room and pulling the door open. A young maid stood on the other side.

"Your Majesty," the woman greeted with a quick bow. "There are some matters that require your attention."

Circe suppressed a sigh. The bath would have to wait.

She followed after the maid, though confusion steadily grew with each passing second. The servant remained frustratingly vague no matter how many questioning looks Circe sent her way.

That confusion only deepened the moment the doors before her were pushed open.

Circe stopped short.

The room beyond was overflowing with gifts.

Piles upon piles of lavish items covered nearly every visible surface. Ornate chests sat stacked against walls while velvet-lined boxes littered tables and couches alike. Silk wrappings shimmered beneath the sunlight streaming through the windows, and the faint scent of expensive perfumes hung heavily in the air.

For a long moment, Circe simply stared.

"What is all this?" she finally asked.

One of the maids nearby looked almost amused by her bewilderment.

"They arrived while you and Lady Thalora were away this morning, Your Majesty. Noble houses from across the kingdom sent gifts to congratulate you on your coronation."

Circe blinked slowly.

Apparently, along with the gifts had come servants bearing handwritten notes and cards signed with the names of the noble families who had sent them. Thankfully, the palace staff had carefully organized everything separately, otherwise it would have been impossible to tell which extravagant offering belonged to whom.

At first, Circe had assumed Ragnar was somehow behind all of it, but judging from the sheer number of items flooding the room, that clearly was not the case.

A frown slowly formed on her face as she wandered deeper into the chaos.

The gifts themselves were absurdly lavish. Gold jewelry adorned with precious gemstones glittered beneath the light. There were silks so soft they practically slipped through her fingers like water, delicate perfumes bottled in crystal containers, jeweled hair adornments, embroidered gowns, rare wines, decorative daggers, and countless other expensive offerings she could barely keep track of.

It all felt far too excessive.

Circe continued examining the gifts out of pure curiosity more than anything else, though she still had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to make of any of it. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Then movement caught her attention.

Another maid approached from across the room carrying something fairly large draped beneath a white tarp.

Circe’s gaze immediately narrowed in suspicion.

Before she could even ask what it was, a loud squawk suddenly pierced through the room.

Circe froze.

The sound unmistakably belonged to a bird.

Instantly abandoning the jeweled necklace she had been examining moments earlier, she crossed the room toward the maid with poorly concealed curiosity. Without hesitation, she grabbed the tarp and yanked it away in one swift motion.

A brightly colored bird stared back at her from inside an ornate golden cage.

Circe blinked in stunned disbelief.

The creature was beautiful, its feathers a striking mixture of deep blues, emerald greens, and vivid gold that shimmered almost iridescently. Its sharp black eyes studied her with equal amounts of caution and confusion, as though it too was trying to understand how it had ended up here.

The bird tilted its head to the side.

Circe stared right back at it. frёewebnoѵēl.com

For several long seconds, neither moved. Then the bird let out another loud squawk.