Claimed by the vampire prince

Chapter 97: Chapter 97

Jayran didn’t usually visit his mother’s atrium. He only did so out of pure necessity, and now was no different. He knew that it was where he would find his mother at this time of day. But as he approached the atrium, a few things stuck out to him.

First was the lack of guards at the entrance. There were usually at least two armed guards standing there at all hours, even when the atrium wasn’t in use.

He heard two voices coming from inside, one belonging to his mother and the other sounding like Laheir Tavish. Jayran stepped closer to the doors and caught the tail end of a conversation.

He had never truly understood the nature of his mother’s and Laheir’s relationship. At times, they behaved like allies, and at other times they deliberately opposed each other publicly.

Checking that no one else was around, he pressed his ear to the cold wood to listen more intently to what they were saying.

Laheir’s voice drifted from the door. " —People are disappearing every day, and the people are worried. They are displeased with the king’s inaction."

"Good," Jayran heard his mother say in response.

He was so focused on eavesdropping that he didn’t hear the person moving closer to him until it was too late.

His brother spoke right behind him.

"I’m sure you have better things to do than listening in on private conversations," Azul said, with that condescending tone he had perfected over the years. "But I’m truly not surprised. You always had a habit of getting involved in matters that have nothing to do with you."

Jayran kept his expression neutral as he turned to face his brother, as though he hadn’t just been caught doing something he shouldn’t have.

"Is Hairan any closer to becoming king?" Jayran asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. Azul’s lips thinned. "Instead of focusing on me and what I do with my time, why not focus more on winning our bargain? After all, I wouldn’t want to see my twin brother poor and desolate when I take half of all you own."

Azul’s eyes narrowed. "That kind of confidence is dangerous."

"It’s only dangerous to those who don’t have the actions to back it up," Jayran shot back, pushing past Azul.

But his brother’s next words made Jayran halt mid-step.

"I know about your visit to Ragnar’s manor. Don’t tell me he’s who you are betting on, brother?" Azul asked disparagingly.

"And if I was?" Jayran shot back.

Azul laughed, low and mocking. "I thought you were smarter than that. A distant cousin of ours would have a better chance at becoming king than Ragnar. You are practically begging to become desolate if you believe this plan of yours will work."

Jayran merely straightened his back and stared at his twin, unblinking. "If I needed your opinion, I would have asked for it. I would greatly appreciate it if you avoided interfering in matters that don’t concern you. Not everyone is as understanding as I am."

As Jayran spun around to leave, a cunning smile spread across Azul’s lips. Just as Jayran disappeared from view, the doors to the atrium swung open and Laheir stepped out, glancing at Azul, who still stood at the entrance.

"Kingmaker," Azul greeted with a bow and a smile.

"I heard you speaking with someone," Laheir said as he scanned the empty hall.

"I was speaking to Jayran. He just left," Azul replied, choosing not to divulge why he or Jayran had been there in the first place. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Laheir looked at him once more but said nothing, letting the unspoken words linger between them. He always liked to leave the people he interacted with in a perpetual state of uncertainty when he was silent like that, but Azul had played this game with the queen for years, and it hardly ruffled him now.

"If that is all, I would like to bid you farewell, Kingmaker," Azul said, stepping away.

"Wait," Laheir called, making Azul pause. "There is something else."

"What is it that you can’t pay someone else to handle?"

"Ragnar. I just made a very unsavory discovery. Turns out he has more allies and supporters in the court than we thought," Laheir said bitterly.

"And are you truly surprised, when most citizens see him as a war hero after the battle in Westeria?" Azul asked, the ghost of a smile on his face. "I heard there’s a children’s rhyme about him now."

"Even more reason why I need you to handle him. Make sure he doesn’t pose a threat to us in the future."

Azul looked contemplative for a second, then let his hands fall to his sides. "I don’t make it a habit to inflict harm on my brothers. Ragnar and I have no quarrels."

Laheir took a step closer. "You want Hairan to become king, you said it yourself."

"I did say that, and I still stand by it," Azul said.

"Then which side are you on?" Laheir scowled.

"Mine and mine alone. Surely you should have known this by now, Kingmaker."

---

It was a day like any other in Kemia when the local fishermen decided to set sail and venture into the waters. They were in the process of loading up their boats with supplies when a shriek pierced through the other sounds on the beach.

Heads turned in the direction of the sound as the fishermen exchanged questioning looks. Before they could ask any questions, a young woman came running toward them.

"A man," the woman gasped when she reached them. "There is a body on the beach."

The fishermen followed her to where she had found the body. When they reached the spot, most of them gasped in horror and disgust at the sight.

The body belonged to a young man none of them had seen before. He was dressed in modest clothes and was covered in dried blood from the neck down, his entrails spilling out of a deep gash in his abdomen. His face was blotchy and his lips were blue.

The sweltering heat only made things worse, as the body was already starting to reek of decay.

Next to the body was a single bag full of personal belongings, left untouched as though lying in wait for someone to find.

He must have been a traveler who was attacked on his way; the fishermen concluded among themselves. There was no way of identifying the dead man or even knowing where he had been journeying from. But what they didn’t know was that the truth was far more sinister.