The Bride He Hates-Chapter 83: I Don’t Regret Marrying You

"Lady Sienna, under what grounds are you requesting asylum?" Azrael asked.

"Staying with Crimson Dawn would mean my execution." Sienna replied. "The faction in control doesn’t value those who opposed Queen Elise’s alliance with the Holy Order. They’re purging anyone they see as disloyal to the new regime."

"Convenient timing." Victor said. "These purges coincide with attacks on our territories."

Sienna looked at him.

"Indeed. It’s not a coincidence, I assure you. I have information about those attacks; who’s behind them, and what they’re planning." She looked back at Azrael. "But I’ll only share it with you, Azrael and in private."

Lyanna fisted her hands in anger, and Azrael noticed.

"Anything you have to say to me, you’ll have to say in front of my wife."

Sienna smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

"How modern of you. Very well." She addressed them both, though her body leaned towards Azrael. "The attacks are being planned by a coalition of Crimson Dawn remnants and a reactivated Holy Order cell. They’re calling themselves the Crimson Cross."

"That’s impossible." Lyanna interrupted. "Vampires and the Order are enemies. They’d never work together."

"Under normal circumstances, no. But these aren’t normal circumstances, queen. Both groups see your husband’s cooperation initiative as a major threat."

"Do you have proof of this alliance?" Lyanna asked.

"I have documents, correspondence, and witness testimonies." Sienna took out a sealed leather case from her cloak. "All here. But to understand the context, you first need to understand the players involved, which is why I need to speak with Azrael privately."

Azrael put his hand on Lyanna’s arm.

"Sienna, I appreciate the information, but anything concerning Thornfield’s security will be discussed in the presence of my wife. If you can’t accept that, perhaps your asylum request should be reconsidered."

Sienna looked annoyed, but she immediately changed her expression and smiled.

"Of course. Forgive me. Old habits, you know. In my day, political matters were handled by kings, not their consorts."

"Things have changed." Azrael replied.

"Indeed they have." Sienna glanced at Lyanna. "Quite dramatically."

They walked to a smaller council chamber to review Sienna’s evidence. Victor joined them, along with Adrian and Lady Morgana.

"This correspondence," Victor said, examining a decoded letter. "mentions the final solution to the cooperation problem. That aligns with your claim about the Crimson Cross coalition."

"The maps show planned attack routes." Adrian added, studying the strategic documents. "The border territories were just the beginning."

Sienna leaned over the table, unnecessarily close to Azrael.

"They’re planning to attack the embassies where human and vampire diplomats work together. They want to destroy every symbol of unity." Lady Morgana added.

"When?" Azrael asked.

"In a month." Sienna traced a route on the map. "They’re consolidating forces now, building supplies, and coordinating timing. The border attacks were tests of your response capabilities and a distraction from their real target areas."

Lyanna studied the maps, feeling uneasy.

"The target areas are in neutral territories, which means they’d need permission or cooperation from local powers to breach the security there."

Sienna looked impressed.

"Very observant. Yes, they’ve been bribing or coercing local lords."

"Names?" Victor asked.

"They’re in the documents, about forty nobles." Sienna straightened, and Lyanna noticed how her shoulder touched Azrael’s arm. "This is bigger than you thought, isn’t it?"

"We suspected coordination." Azrael replied, subtly shifting away from her touch. "But not on this scale."

"That’s why I risked everything to bring you this intelligence." Sienna’s voice became intimate. "I remember when you were building Thornfield, Azrael. You always had this vision That’s why I..." She glanced at Lyanna. "I supported you in those early years."

"How long were you in Crimson Dawn’s inner circle?" Lyanna asked.

"On and off for about two centuries." Sienna replied. "But my primary loyalty was somewhere else." She replied while looking at Azrael.

"Victor, take these documents and verify everything you can." Azrael ordered, ignoring her words. "Adrian, review the military intelligence and start strategic planning for defending potential targets. Morgana, coordinate with our allied courts."

As the others gathered documents, Sienna touched Azrael’s hand.

"Can we have a moment? There are some personal matters I’d like to discuss."

"No." Azrael pulled his hand away. "Whatever you have to say can wait until after this crisis is solved."

"But Azrael.."

"Lady Sienna." Lyanna interrupted. "You’ve provided valuable intelligence, for which we’re grateful. His Majesty will ensure you’re given appropriate accommodations as a political refugee. But he has made it clear that his priority is Thornfield’s security, not reminiscing about the past. I’m sure you understand."

The two women stared at each other.

"Of course. Security first." Sienna smiled and left.

After that, they both also went to their chambers. The moment they entered, Azreal went to his desk, reviewing documents.

"So. Sienna?" Lyanna said.

"What about her?"

"Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m asking."

He put down the papers and looked at her.

"We were friends. Our friendship ended when I chose Elise. I only considered her as my friend. I haven’t seen her since."

"I see."

"It was a long time ago, Lyanna. It’s history."

"For you, maybe. You’ve lived for four centuries. But for me, a year is still important."

Azrael stood up and walked towards her.

"It was centuries ago. Moreover, I didn’t have any feelings for her."

"But she clearly still has them for you. Did you see how she looks at you? The way she touches you at every opportunity?"

"I’m discouraging it."

"Really? You’ve been politely deflecting but not actually shutting her down." Lyanna snapped.

"What would you have me do? She brought critical intelligence. I can’t antagonize her when we need her cooperation and information."

"You could make it clear that you’re unavailable. That your marriage to me is important to you." Lyanna’s frustration was growing. "Instead, you’re treating her like any political ally, not as a woman who clearly still wants you."

"You’re being jealous..."

"Yes!" She admitted. "I’m jealous! She’s powerful and beautiful. She’s a real vampire, not some turned human pretending to be a queen."

Azrael’s expression changed to anger.

"Is that really what you think? That I see you as pretending to be a queen?"

"I think the council is right to pressure us about heirs because I probably can’t even give you one, and you’ll eventually realize you made a mistake marrying me when you could have had someone like her!"

Azrael stared at her in shock.

"What do you mean you probably can’t give me an heir?"

Lyanna froze. She had said too much, revealed the secret she had been hiding.

"Lyanna! What did you mean?"

She couldn’t meet his eyes.

"I’ve been researching vampire fertility, and found out that turned vampires have difficulty conceiving, especially recently turned ones. And if the transformation was violent or involved silver poisoning... they might never be able to get pregnant."

"How long have you known this?"

"A few days. Since the council meeting about heirs."

"And you didn’t tell me?"

"I was trying to find out more information first. I didn’t want to worry you."

"So instead you kept it secret and let me go mad thinking why you were suddenly insecure and picking fights?" He ran his hand through his hair. "Lyanna, this is something we need to discuss together, not separately."

"I know!" Her voice cracked. "I know I should have told you. But I was scared, Azrael. I was scared that if you knew I might be barren, you’d regret marrying me, regret choosing me over someone who could actually give you everything a vampire king needs."

He moved closer and held her shoulders.

"Listen to me. I don’t regret marrying you. And I sure as hell I don’t want anyone else."

"But children..."

"If we can’t have biological children, we’ll find another way. Adoption, choosing an heir from the noble houses, I don’t care. But I won’t let you go, no matter what."

She wanted to believe him but the doubt lingered.

"The council won’t accept that."

"The council will accept what I tell them to accept. I’m the king. My word is law. And if they try to pressure you about this again, I’ll dismantle the entire council and rebuild it with people who understand boundaries."

Despite everything, that made her smile.

"That seems excessive."

"I’m an excessive person." His thumb brushed her cheek. "Lyanna, I need you to promise me something. No more secrets about important things. If something is worrying you, you need to tell me immediately, not after you’ve built up worst case scenarios in your head."

"Only if you promise the same. No more shutting me out when you’re stressed, no more handling everything yourself and informing me later."

"Deal." He kissed her forehead. "And about Sienna, I’ll make it clear tomorrow that she’s a political refugee and nothing more."

Then they hugged each other and the fight ended but the worries were still there.

"Your Majesties? I’m so sorry to interrupt, but Lady Sienna has requested to see His Majesty. She says it’s urgent. It’s about the intelligence she provided. She’s waiting in the reception hall." Clara said, knocking at the door.

They went down to find Sienna pacing in the reception hall, looking genuinely worried.

"Thank goodness." She said when she saw them. "I just remembered something important. There’s a name in those documents, someone who is coordinating with the Crimson Cross from the inside. Someone you know and who is close to Thornfield."

"Who?" Azrael asked.

"Lord Cedric. According to the intelligence I gathered, he has been feeding information to the Crimson Cross for months. He’s the inside source."