HPDBC Chapter 150: A Memory of the past
Chapter 150: A Memory of the past
'What's this!?' An intense pain built up in her veins, and her chest became tight; she felt a sensation that seemed as if her whole body was being held captive by a warm and comfortable softness, a feeling as if the very blood flowing in her veins had changed its entire nature. "WHAT... IS... THIS?!"
"Hmmm? Are you in pain?" The handsome male called Auros asked, his face close to hers, as she felt a sense of instinct, making her realise what had happened.
'This reaction... I want his blood!? Me, a pure-blooded vampire, seeks this human...?' Her lips opened, and a fang quickly extended to strike.
"So that's your true face, hmm?" Auros said with a calm smile, looking down at her and intercepting the strike with his own. Yet he didn't use power. Instead, he lifted the bookworm off her perch and carried her like a princess.
"Kyah!?" The sudden action was surprising and confusing, leaving the duchess in a daze.
"Hehe. Don't worry, you will be happy with us."
Auros smiled happily as his steps somehow set Duchess Valerie into a dizzying trance. She desired his blood, yet was powerless to overcome his actions.
Like this for the entire day, she, Sigurd, and Auros spent hours running around the palace as he told her about his father and the kingdom.
In reality, because of the horrible state of Silvara, she was nothing, a mere sacrifice made by the corrupt new queen who could never match her predecessor.
Worried that the strong Drakkur bloodline might oust her, she sent their next heir to be wed to a prince from the southeastern nation against her family's will.
'Put me down... damn bastard!' Yet, no matter how she struggled, there was not a single hint of doubt in her mind that Auros would never release her or that he would never let her escape from his country. 'This feeling... a seductive charm of sorts?'
"Valerie, meet my sister." Auros put Valerie down to introduce them. "Rosam, this is our guest, the Duchess Valerie, I've told you about."
The cute girl was short, with brown hair, but the sword in her hands gave a dangerous feeling, as her eyes looking at Valerie were rather intense.
"Y-Your sister?... She looks so small... Why are her eyes so scary?" asked Valerie in a trembling voice.
"Haha, oh? What do you think, Rosam?"
"Tsk... we are twins. What do you mean, small? Shall I shave those oversized meat bags off your chest?" As the cute girl growled with the sword pointed towards Valerie, the crimson-haired woman could not respond; the blade was silver and could kill her.
"Easy, Rosam. How many times have I told you not to be so openly aggressive? She will be your older sister in the future, you know?"
"Geh... Like I can trust anything that would try to hurt you."
"Rosam, no killing!"
"Hehe... she is just a little violent, ignore her," Auros spoke softly, then smiled as he rubbed the duchess' long crimson hair, causing her to feel unfocused and stunned.
"Y-You... hah..." She bit her tongue, trying to regain her control, but the scent of his blood was like a drug, keeping her constantly in a state of hunger.
Meanwhile, in the eastern wing of the Bhalgrim palace, Verena's rage continued to boil after being insulted and beaten by Asura; her mind became distorted with negative thoughts that even her clones spread through the country deteriorated.
"My Prince... I should have stayed by your side! It is a mistake to establish myself alone... Uuu... My love... forgive me...!" Verena cried in frustration, clenching her fist.
"That bastard, just because he's a little handsome and his blood smells delicious! I will make sure my beloved crushes him tonight at the banquet!"
The whimpering woman with broken bones, bloody wounds, and tattered clothing fell on her bed, hugging a pillow, wishing it was Prince Shang, as her madness worsened. "Prince..." Like a monster, her wounds rapidly began healing; while she looked at the shattered mirror with a ferocious face, it seemed her hatred towards Asura now surpassed her sister and her jealousy towards her.
"Time for the Banquet," the servants called out, alerting Verena that she had no time left. Because she was a shadow, they never entered this room, but the generations of the family knew of a secret double of their next heir. They treated her like a ghost because of this, only spoken to like this as the servants left the moment they shouted twice.
'I must look beautiful tonight, My Prince!'
Verena dressed in a silky pink gown, a gothic-style corset with crimson accents and a soft pink cape draping over her shoulders, hiding a strange demonic symbol on the back.
After adjusting her hair, the young woman had an otherworldly beauty and elegance that could bring a dead man back to life and give him new vitality.
She had no intention of revealing her monstrous features, only fighting with her beauty. She would seduce the man who loved her sister, then after tasting his skill in bed, would have the Prince kill him.
'Stupid Man, how dare you treat me that way!'
With this, the shadow's body became hard to recognise; only those who deserved to could see her figure. She was almost at her limit when she left the palace and approached the gate leading to the grand celebration.
'My Prince... wait for me! I'm coming!'
Soon after she left, her target entered her gaze, smiling faintly. "Hello again, Verena. You look quite ravishing today. Here..." With a calm smile, Asura came over, offering his hand.
'Die.'
In a rage, Verena kicked towards his waist, but suddenly, a strange force bound her movements; his hand grasped her neck, tight enough to slow her breathing but not enough to leave a mark, causing her to struggle and panic. "Why?! Is it fun to watch me squirm... Huaa... I'll kill you!"
"Haha. Oh? But I am so handsome, aren't I? Much better than a pathetic Eastern prince." Asura's eyes narrowed, his warm eyes now like a devil as if the gods were judging her; a searing pain assaulted her chest, forcing Verena to shriek.
"Tonight, I will destroy that man's pride, then crush you."
'No...! That face! I feel so terrified, yet why does my body jump with delight!? I am a body only for Shang!'
****
Many fates converged on a single spot, while only those who lived in the past and Asura himself knew the truths of what might happen tonight.
The poor ones who knew nothing were going to suffer at this unholy marriage banquet.