Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 198: A new player

Under the moonlight, Edna stood before the Dragomirs’ gates. Much like her previous visit, no guards stood watch over the property as there was no need for any of that.

The torches clinging to the pillars on each side of that silver portal ignited the instant her feet stopped. A canny yet quiet way to warn the blonde that they were already aware of her presence.

"You finally decided to show yourself,"

Edna spun around to put a face on the masculine voice that had addressed her but found none standing behind.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she could’ve sworn the sound of it emanated from that angle.

"It took you long enough,"

Those words made her flip around her heels once more, only then, a figure stood right behind the gates separating them.

"Open this damn door!" the maid kept her own voice low, and her eyes on Lauden.

"Such an uncharitable way of treating your friends," he sort of pouted, feigning offense.

"Fine then! Tell those clowns they can find someone else to puppeteer,"

With that, Edna began walking back on her tracks, away from the Dragomirs’ property. freёnovelkiss.com

The wincing of the gates came first, but then Lauden’s voice followed, "Come now, don’t make me beg," the vampire always had that light and amused air on him Edna so wished to wipe.

"Well, don’t let me stop you. Maybe some begging will change my mind," only her head sort of half turned his way.

"I was afraid you’d ask. See, begging isn’t exactly my specialty," as he looked back towards the manor, Lauden added, "When you do change your mind, we’ll be in the same room we were during our last meeting,"

After his departure, Edna took a few minutes to consider. Her feet did lead her back to them in the end, but the lack of confidence in their competence consumed her thoughts, drowning every other voice.

How more terribly could they fail for her to get the hint? Sure, she hadn’t encountered much luck in getting rid of Arabella on her own, but more hands in the dough may not have been the secret ingredient Edna believed it’d be when joining efforts with Dragomir and his associates.

They may just drag her already sinking weight down the bottom faster.

The pit in her stomach deepened upon laying eyes on Darick and Reubon who glared her figure from the highest hair on her head to the sole of her shoes, not an ounce of warmth in their eyes.

When neither said a thing, she took it upon herself to get their meeting started, "So, what else can the two of you fail at?"

"That tongue of yours might land you in trouble one of those days, girl," it was Reubon that finally spoke, seemingly calmer than he’d been in their first encounter.

"It has served me just fine so far. Keep your passive aggressive advice to yourself. Pettiness does not look good on men," the blonde spared him not a glance and plopped her weight onto the soft armchair behind her.

Standing by Lord Darick’s side, Lauden was internally beside himself from laughter, barely containing the urge to free the cackles he’d stifled at the back of his throat.

Watching as the two Lords remained mute, practically defenseless in front of a frail little girl had that effect on the vampire.

"Take a moment, the both of you," Lord Dragomir’s voice rose, "I understand I can’t expect the most fervent of love stories to bloom between you two, but all of us need to keep our heads on our shoulders,"

"I just came to warn you that this is the last time I am risking my position to sneak here. Unless serious changes occur, I see no point in dragging this any longer," Edna crossed her arms over her chest.

"Changes?" Reubon’s eyebrows twitched.

"Results!" she hissed, "I am taking twice the risk for a dismal outcome I frankly could have managed on my own,"

At those words, Reubon chuckled, not a hearty one, but a cold and calculated laugh, "And what does little missy suggest then?"

Without skipping a beat, after locking eyes with him, Edna’s jaw remained clenched as she uttered, "You’re the competent and successful businessman, that is your job, but if you can’t figure it out, I can’t drag your weight behind me forever. You are far too heavy," with her fingers the blonde mimicked invisible quotation marks and grimaced when pronouncing "Competent and successful businessman"

Lauden’s heightened senses allowed him to discern the heat escaping the men in that room. Although, one only needed a functioning pair of eyes to note Reubon’s reddened face which threatened to explode at any second.

"In any case, there has been some Developpement in our cause," Darick extended a folded sheet of paper towards Edna, "A new player has entered the... Game or so to speak,"

"Well, perhaps you should stop playing games and start working that way you’ll eradicate the possibility of losing," she took it from his hand, a sneer on her features.

That smirk, however, froze along with the rest of her body before fading very gradually the instant her eyes landed on the Lustrisian royal crest.

With the entirety of her muscles still locked in place, her lips alone seemed able to wiggle, "From the king himself," she half asked, her voice breathy.

"The prince," Reubon cleared his throat, "Read it all if... You can read, of course," he too half asked, scoffing towards the end.

But unlike her nature, Edna did not jump to snide remarks or witty comebacks as her eyes remained lodged onto the letter containing the prince’s declaration

Prince Cedric the third, in his own words, announced his desire to attend the tribute auction that’ll take place in the upcoming month.

The longer she read, the lower her shoulders slumped. Something in her seemed to break, to shatter quietly as the color of her irises faded further. Further than it already had due to the effects of the Mirari on her.

That was what Lauden had gathered from her demeanor, at the very least.

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