The Bride He Hates-Chapter 90: Logic or Compassion?

Lyanna was in her room, seriously considering Roland’s offer of refuge when someone knocked at the door frantically.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" A servant burst in without waiting for permission.

"What’s wrong?"

"It’s Emma, Your Majesty! The girl you saved months ago. She’s very sick. The village elder brought her to the castle because the village healer said there was nothing more he could do."

Lyanna froze.

"Where is she?"

"In the healing room. The healers say it might be measles, and if it is..." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Lyanna immediately ran towards the healing wing, her heart pounding with fear. She burst into the healing room and saw the village elder sitting beside a bed where Emma was lying.

"Your Majesty." The village elder said when he saw Lyanna. "You saved her once before. Please, save her again."

"Your Majesty, I’m afraid the prognosis is poor. It’s measles, and it has spread very quickly. The child has high fever. Her lungs are filling with fluid. At this stage, even in a healthy adult, survival would be unlikely. In a child this young..." The head healer, John, said.

"How long does she have?" Lyanna asked, walking towards Emma.

"Hours. Maybe a day if she’s strong. I’m sorry, Your Majesty."

Lyanna stared down at Emma. She was an innocent child who had done nothing wrong and had her whole life ahead of her. Suddenly, a thought came into her mind.

"Vampire blood!" She said. "We can heal her with vampire blood."

The healer looked uncomfortable.

"Your Majesty, that’s complicated. Vampire blood can heal injuries, but disease is different. And in a child, the risks..."

"What risks?"

"The transformation process could begin, or the blood could kill her if her body rejects it. We don’t know what happens when you give vampire blood to a diseased child. It’s never been tested."

"Because no one has ever tried." Lyanna said. "But vampire blood works on injuries and poisons."

"Your Majesty, I understand your attachment to this child, but we cannot experiment on human children with vampire blood. The political consequences alone..."

"I don’t care about political sequences." Lyanna replied. "Call His Majesty, immediately."

Fifteen minutes later, Azrael entered the healing room with Sienna.

Of course.

"Lyanna, what happened?" Azrael asked, as his eyes moved to Emma on the bed. "Is that Emma?"

"She’s dying." Lyanna replied. "She has measles. The healers say she has hours at most."

Azrael’s expression softened. He had met Emma a few times and knew how much Lyanna cared about her.

"I’m sorry. That’s... terrible."

"It doesn’t have to be." Lyanna said. "Vampire blood can save her."

"Lyanna..."

"Don’t tell me it’s complicated or risky. I know that. But she’s dying, Azrael. We have the cure in our veins, and they are telling me we can’t use it!"

"It’s not that simple." Sienna said, walking closer to examine Emma. "Vampire blood on a diseased child is untested. The risk is huge."

"The risk of doing nothing is death." Lyanna shot back.

"Your Majesty." Sienna said. "I understand your love for this child. But we cannot make medical decisions based on feelings. We need to consider..."

"We need to save her life!" Lyanna’s voice rose.

Azrael raised his hand.

"Let’s think rationally. John, what exactly are the risks of giving vampire blood to a child with measles?"

The healer gave them a detailed explanation of all possible outcomes: the blood might cure the disease, trigger a transformation the child’s body couldn’t handle, or cause organ failure."

"So we’re not sure." Lyanna said. "But at least with vampire blood, she has a chance."

"A chance at what?" Sienna asked. "Survival? Or a horrific death as her body tears itself apart trying to process vampire essence? Your Majesty, sometimes we need to accept death."

"She’s a child!" Lyanna was shaking with rage. "She deserves every chance at life we can give her!"

"Even if that chance causes more harm than good?" Sienna asked. "Even if we’re increasing her suffering rather than ending it peacefully?"

"You don’t know it will cause suffering! You don’t know anything because no one has ever tried!"

"Exactly." Azrael said. "No one has ever tried. Which means we’d be experimenting on a dying child that could make her last hours even more painful."

Lyanna stared at him.

"You’re refusing?"

"I just want us to think about this carefully..."

"There’s no time to think carefully! She’s dying!"

"That is exactly why we shouldn’t make rash decisions." Azrael said. "Lyanna, I know you care about Emma. But we cannot use vampire blood on human children without understanding the consequences. If this goes wrong..."

"If we don’t do anything, she dies anyway!" Lyanna was screaming now. "At least let her have a chance!"

"If we save this child with vampire blood, word will spread. Every sick human in the kingdom will demand the same treatment. We cannot set that precedent." Sienna said.

"So we let Emma die to avoid political inconvenience?" Lyanna asked.

"We need to protect the stability of vampire society." Sienna replied. "If vampires become known as miracle healers for human disease, our blood will become a commodity. We’ll be drained dry by humans."

"That’s the most cynical thing I’ve ever heard." Lyanna said. "We can save lives and you’re arguing we shouldn’t because it might be inconvenient?"

"I’m arguing because it’s unsustainable." She sighed. Your Majesty, I understand you’re emotional right now..."

"Stop calling me emotional like it’s a weakness!" Lyanna exploded. "Yes, I’m emotional! A child is dying and I care about that!"

"Lyanna!" Azrael said. "Sienna has a point. If the word spreads that vampire blood can cure human diseases, the political consequences..."

"I only care about Emma not your political consequences."

"And I care about the thousands of other children who will die in the future if we make a stupid decision now." Azrael replied. "As much as it hurts, we have to think about the larger picture. Sometimes we have to make difficult choices."

"This isn’t difficult!" Lyanna screamed. "You’re making it difficult by overthinking it and listening to Sienna’s political calculations."

"Your Majesty." Sienna said. "If you had more experience with governance, you’d understand that rulers must sometimes choose between bad options."

"And if you had any compassion, you’d understand that some things matter more than politics! But you don’t, do you?"

"That’s enough!" Azrael’s voice interrupted the argument. "Both of you."

He turned to Lyanna.

"I know you love Emma. But I cannot allow you to use vampire blood on her. The risk is too much. We don’t know if it will even work, and if it goes wrong..."

"You’re choosing politics over compassion?"

"Sometimes rulers have to make difficult choices..."

Lyanna stepped closer to him.

"I thought I knew you. But I was wrong. You’re a ruler who values power and stability over compassion and human life. But I’m not going to let her die. I don’t care what you say. I’m going to save Emma."

"Lyanna, I’m forbidding you to use vampire blood on her as your king."

"Or what?" Lyanna challenged him. "You’ll punish me? Imprison me? Divorce me? Go ahead!"

"If you defy me..."

"I’m defying you."

"Lyanna..." He warned her.

"Your Majesty, if you do this, you’ll be going against His Majesty’s authority. The council will demand consequences. You could be..."

"I don’t care!" Lyanna whirled on her. "I don’t care about the council and consequences." She turned back to Azrael.

"I’m giving Emma my blood. You can watch, or you can leave, but you can’t stop me."

"If you do this, there will be consequences. I will have no choice but to..."

"Then do what you have to do." Lyanna cut him off. "And I’ll do what I have to do."

She walked towards Emma’s bed but Azrael grabbed her arm.

"Lyanna, don’t. Please. Think about what you’re doing."

"I have thought about it." She replied, pulling herself free. "And I’ve decided that I’d rather be punished for saving a life than praised for letting someone die."

She grabbed a small knife from the healer’s table and cut her wrist.

"Lyanna, stop!" Azrael ordered.

She ignored him. She held her wrist over Emma’s mouth, letting the blood fall onto her lips.

"No!" Azrael lunged forward.

The village elder, threw himself between them.

"Please, Your Majesty! Let her try! Please!"

Azrael stopped, staring at Lyanna with shock and fury. Lyanna kept her wrist at Emma’s mouth, praying it would work.

For some time, nothing happened. Then Emma gasped. Her eyes opened suddenly, and her body convulsed.

"What is happening?" The village elder asked.

"The blood is fighting the disease." The healer said, rushing forward to monitor Emma’s vitals. "Her fever is increasing, and her heart rate is erratic!"

Emma screamed in pain.

What have I done?