Every time Raphael gave her his blood, she couldn’t help but wonder how anyone could enjoy it at all. Of course, it wasn’t something terrible that could make her feel sick, but it couldn’t be called pleasant either. Like a tasteless medicine.

- Why do you think I want to do something to my stepmother? Why? - she asked warily after a moment.

- Isn’t she the one who ruined your life? Don’t you want to get back at her?

- Revenge? Is there a need for this? Father accepted her himself, I can’t do anything about it.

- What are you going to do about Lillian killing your mother? - Shock, disbelief, fear and horror mingled in Thea’s insane gaze, which was fixed on the smug vampire.

He didn’t have a goal to hurt her by revealing this truth, but he knew that the only way he could make her throw out all her strength.

Only anger was initially an effective way to use the forces to the maximum, but it was also more difficult to control them in anger.

- You have to explain your words. - She answered coldly, literally withering him with her eyes. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Her heart was breaking, and her head was boiling with memories of her beloved mother, whom they could not save.

For so many years she had been looking for excuses and explanations for what had happened, but there was no answer, and now Raphael so confidently declares that her stepmother was involved in her mother’s death? How could he know? And why didn’t he mention it earlier?

- I was very angry when Artemis’ crown disappeared from Abion. – he began cautiously, watching the reaction of the princess. - I didn’t kill your parents, but your mother... I... I broke her magic barrier.

Thea’s face suddenly paled, losing its former colors, as if her soul had left her body. Blinking often, she tried to fight the tears that had accumulated in her eyes. This was not how she had imagined this morning.

- Why did you do that? What for? - she pushed him hard in the chest, puffing with anger, bursting into tears.

- You’re making premature conclusions. Listen up! - he grabbed her hands, trying to hold her down. - It was only slowly killing the magic in her, but it wouldn’t have killed her.

- You just... - she gritted her teeth without finishing.

- A monster? - chuckled. – I know.

A minute’s pause took over the silence while Thea forcefully pressed her trembling lips.

- But there was something that I couldn’t help but feel at that moment. – he continued when Thea stopped resisting. - Your mother was under a strong spell of dark magic. Only later, when you and I were at the ball, I felt the same energy from Lillian.

His voice was confident and firm, unshakable, declaring that his words were truly true, without a drop of doubt.

Thea’s heart shuddered, weakness overcame her body at the moment and she slid on her legs to the floor, curled up in a ball and sobbing. She blamed herself for living under the same roof with her mother’s killer for so many years. So many years...

Raphael squatted down in front of her, but did not touch her, but only watched. She needed to think about the information she had received, and time would heal the wounds.

- You have to get stronger. - He said softly, hoping that she was listening to him. – Tethys said that she saw in you a powerful witch who would bring destruction to all of us, involved in the disappearance of the Artemis artifact. That’s why I had to find you then. But now, I think her prophecy has been misinterpreted. There is so much more to you than I could have realized until now.

Sniffing, Thea wiped her nose with the sleeve of her sweater and cast a sharp cold glance at Raphael. The air in the room became cooler, and her stern dead look screamed that she would not forgive Lillian. Never.

- Are you mad at me?

She turned her gaze to him, lifting her chin proudly.

- I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t mad at you. But this is not the anger I feel for Lillian right now. – she answered him emotionlessly.

- Great. I couldn’t have hoped for more. – he caught a barely noticeable change in space, as if the air around them was shuddering impulsively, forcing the fire in the fireplace to completely extinguish, and the windows were covered with crystal-icy ice.

Without saying a word, Thea got up and walked past, completely ignoring him and slammed the door behind her.

Could he not have calculated the strength of her reaction when he revealed this truth to her? For a moment, he doubted that he should have talked about it at all, but after all, he was pursuing a good goal to increase her aspirations...

He was sorry to lose the warm atmosphere that reigned between them some time ago.

He looked out the window, noticing her frail silhouette heading towards the house of Jake, Marcel’s right-hand man, where he and his wife are currently staying.

Guided by an invisible force, Thea seemed to feel that this was where she should go. It was on a whim and as if an inner voice was calling her, paving the way ahead.

Raphael grabbed his raincoat and, without using the door, jumped out of the window, landing firmly on his feet so that the snow scattered around him.

He caught up with her and threw his cloak over Thea’s shoulders. His stupid girl was so out of her mind that she left the house in the bitter cold in only trousers and a sweater.

- You’ll get sick if you’re so careless about yourself. - he said, forcing her to stop to fasten her cloak, covering her neck and then her entire body.

The woolen cloak was thin in appearance, but surprisingly warm, and Thea felt the warmth begin to envelop her to the tips of her fingers when the icy wind could no longer break through the fabric. She looked at him gratefully and smiled, and that was enough for both of them not to say unnecessary words.

Her eyes were still glistening from the remnants of tears, but her expression was no longer harsh towards Raphael, so the stone from his heart began to gradually roll down.

Marcel sensed the approach of the vampire and the witch even before they reached Jake’s house, so he was already waiting for them on the threshold of the house.

- Good morning. - Thea greeted, but the tone was still formal and businesslike.

- Is everything all right? - Noticing some changes in her behavior, Marcel stiffened a little.

When he first saw her, when he had the opportunity to communicate closer, she looked completely different. And now it felt like she had thrown on her years abruptly.

While still at the lake, when Marcesl noticed that her wounds were not healing like everyone else’s, vague doubts crept into his head – was there vampire blood in her body? After all, only vampires could not help the water from the lake.

And now that he was convinced of her connection with the vampire king, he wondered if Raphael could have caused her sudden change of mood?

- Is everyone here? - Raphael interrupted, pushing through him into the house.

- It’s been a long time. You were delayed. - He looked at the interlaced fingers of Thea and Raphael as they passed him.

They walked through a small living room and down the stairs to the basement, where there was a large meeting room.

There were at least five dozen werewolves gathered here, and they all exuded an aura of malevolence and skepticism.

If it wasn’t for Raphael’s hand, which was tightly gripping Thea’s hand, she would have wanted to escape from here, remembering the words of Adeline and Nicole. But Raphael’s presence gave her confidence that she was not alone and she should not be afraid.

Next, Klaus appeared in the room, who stood next to Irma, saying something in her ear, attracting her attention.

Without waiting for Marcel to start the meeting and to the surprise of Rafael, who was going to speak before the werewolf to make a statement, Thea was the one who did it first.

- I welcome everyone who gathered here today. – she said as loudly as possible so that everyone could hear her voice. - My name is Teanna Rivaldi, Princess of Riiya, daughter of Horel and Catherine Rivaldi.

Someone in the audience grinned, as if belittling her status, which put her in an awkward position, but she did not betray this importance and continued, feeling Raphael squeeze her hand encouragingly.

- I know that our presence is annoying you, but I am here on important business and I ask you to listen to me carefully. - Thea continued. – I won’t go into the details of my life and how it got to the point that I ended up here, but all you need to know first of all is that war will break out on the continent soon. And I want you to take our side in this war.