The Vampire Prince's Toxic Consort (BL)

How was it possible?

Volke said Silvan was hibernating, and Lucius even saw his comatose body with his own eyes when they shipped him back to Emberton. He and Dorian watched as the guards laid Silvan down in the same chamber where the ex-King Cosmo rested.

How was he awake and talking?! Was someone lying to him? Did Volke betray him? But why? Or was Volke also fooled? Who was working against him?!

But right now, it was all meaningless. Silvan was here, and Lucius knew the wily prince would destroy him.

“Guards! Arrest the traitor!” Lucius commanded exigently.

“I am not the only one who committed treason here.” Silvan thundered as he raised his head and looked directly at Dorian, “Brother, you and our country are in grave danger. Please allow me to speak!”

“Everything coming from your mouth is a lie!” Lucius bellowed. He then turned to Dorian and whispered, “Don’t fall for his trap. You know how manipulative he is.”

However, Dorian seemed hesitant. It was a shock to him as well. He thought he would never see Silvan again in the foreseeable future, and though didn’t want to admit it, he grieved for it. When they were younger, up to the point when he was exiled with his mother, Silvan and him were inseparable. Silvan used to look up to him, following him everywhere when they were still children, sneaking into his room when the wind wuthered and thunder blustered.

And then, it all changed when Silvan’s mother framed Dorian’s mother for murdering her daughter. Now they were enemies, each trying to tear the other apart. However, beneath all the scorching hatred and smoldering feud, Dorian still had some soft feelings for his half-brother.

Dorian’s voice was cold and distant, “You’ve tried to kill me twice. Why should I believe anything you say?”

“I never wanted to kill you, brother,” Silvan said earnestly, “I admit I plotted to usurp your crown, but I only wanted to imprison you. You distanced yourself from me because the throne stood between us, and I know if you take the throne, you will kill mother to avenge Queen Mitra. So I thought, if I am the king, mother, Archie and my sisters will be safe, and somehow I may find a way to fix our relationship. If you remember, the dagger I gave your consort was merely to demobilize you.”

“How do you explain the assassination at Crowsnest Ridge?“Lucius retorted.

Silvan frowned in bewilderment, “that was not my doing.”

Lucius scoffed, “of course you won’t admit it.”

“I have no illusion that I will be absolved from the death penalty. But the assassination was not me. ” Silvan insisted. His countenance and tone were firm and sincere, without his usual disarming smiles or beguiling words.

Dorian was quiet, but his gaze was sharp like razors, scrutinizing every tiny change on Silvan’s mien. He contemplated for a while, glancing around the Assembly Hall. Eventually, he said, “Why did you fake your hibernation?”

“Because someone wants me dead so that I won’t tell you who is the real traitor. That same one also made sure I lost my voice and ability to communicate in the Labyrinth, so I had no chance to speak to you.“Silvan pointed the finger at Lucius and proclaimed, “Royal Consort, whose real name is Lucius Rosenfield rather than Julian Rosenfield, is a spy sent by Anthor.”

At first, the grand hall sank into a dead silence, but an unsettled din exploded among the crowds shortly after. All eyes focused on Lucius, and Lucius felt like a deer being forced into a corner and had no way out.

Silvan continued his accusation loudly, “As many of you know, the real Julian Rosenfield is a special person for human’s Luminion belief. He claimed that he had heard God’s voice since he was ten years old and performed miracles on several occasions, and since age fifteen, he periodically entered into a trance state, during which he made many prophecies that were proved to be correct shortly after. He had no memories of what he said in those so-called “Epiphany” moments, but his words were carefully recorded by other priests and kept as a state secret, and not even Julian Rosenfield himself was allowed to read it.

“And according to one of his prophecies, humans can one day defeat Vampires with a bioweapon. The weapon is derived from an Elder’s blood, which contains the Seed of Origin that shapes all vampires’ bloodlines. And if they unleash the weapon on us, all vampires will be significantly weakened and crippled, making us easier to kill.

“His prophecy even provided formulas and technologies for such a weapon, and Anthor founded a special Division Nine to study his prophecies and develop the said weapon. However, they didn’t have any access to Elders’ blood. When Your Majesty requested them to send Julian Rosenfield to Eternia, they saw an opportunity.

“They wouldn’t send the real prophet to us, of course. Instead, they sent Julian’s identical twin brother, Lucius Rosenfield. And he came here with one real purpose: steal an Elder’s blood from us. However, Elder’s blood is almost impossible to acquire, so their secondary plan was to gain access to a First Generation’s blood. And worst of all, they have gotten it.”

And then Silvan continued to recount how he intercepted The Durchville Witch’s blood, how he used it to blackmail Lucius, and how Lucius traded it back in the desert.”

“His loyal servant, the ex-vampire hunter Florian Edelstein, has escaped after Lucius Rosenfield’s ‘death’ and transported the blood back to Anthor. They have probably started to build the weapon.” Silvan bowed in shame as he spieled, “I admit it was my fault. I endangered all vampires’ lives for personal gain and regretted it deeply. I will submit to any punishment for it. However, I cannot let the real traitor stay so close to the crown.”

Lucius felt like an unembodied hand was choking at his throat, tightening the grip with each word that came out of Silvan’s mouth. But he kept all the panic within him and scoffed, “I admire your imagination, Silvan. And I’m amazed you hate me so much that you’d rather incriminate yourself to frame me.” And then he turned to look at Dorian, and the latter gave him a slight nod as if trying to reassure him that he didn’t need to worry and that Dorian trusted him.

And that look of faith stung Lucius poignantly, for he knew he didn’t deserve it.

Dorian said confidently, “I knew about Lucius’s identity from the beginning. It’s a special agreement that I made with Anthor just to end the war. And the rest of your accusations are groundless. Making up stories about my consort won’t do you any good, brother.”

Another wave of murmuring undulated across the room, and Lucius regarded Dorian with astonishment. He didn’t expect Dorian to admit his real identity publicly and even made up a story to make it legit. Dorian was probably already planning to return his true identity to him so he didn’t have to assume the false name anymore.

However, Silvan was not discouraged. His lip corners lifted slightly, forming a calculated smile.

“I have a witness.“He said simply while signaling Sebastian Beaumont with a look. Beaumont stood up and ordered a guard, “Bring in the prisoner.”

Dorian frowned. He didn’t like where this was going, and a sick feeling began to rise in his stomach.

And Lucius was petrified.

Witness? What witness?

The door of the Hall of Imperial Assembly opened once again, and a guard walked in, leading a chained prisoner. It was a middle-aged man who was fitter and taller than most slaves. He was surprisingly unblemished, and the way he looked at Silvan as if the vampire was the most sacred and beautiful being in the world was... unnerving.

The man glanced at Lucius, and his expression was full of guilt.

Silvan said, “This man is a mole Anthor planted among us four years ago. His real name is William Brook, an experienced special agent of Division Nine. I caught him when he was trying to retrieve the Durchville Witch’s blood from a deposit box. After about two days of interrogation, I managed to breach the defensive wall in his mind and get a confession out of him.”

Lucius’s heart sank.

What he feared came true. Silvan captured the liaison.

Dorian’s brows furrowed deeply as uncertainty crept into his mind. He quickly glanced over at Lucius, and for a fleeting moment, he saw a glimpse of fear.

Dorian never used his soul magic on Lucius. Never even attempted to probe his emotions, as it was a form of invasion and attack. But it would have been an easy task. Unlike most other Apostles, especially Azreal line Apostles like Silvan, who were trained to guard their minds and make them extremely difficult, if not impossible, to breach, Lucius was just a regular human with no special training. If Dorian wanted, he could breach the shallowest level of Lucius’s mind and sense his emotions without him knowing it.

But Dorian didn’t want to do it because it would be a sign of distrust and suspicion. And he promised Lucius that he would trust him. Probing Lucius’s mind as if he was an enemy would be an irrevocable betrayal. And he refused to destroy the love they finally confided in each other unless it was something he couldn’t ignore.

Silvan began questioning William Brook, who answered every question with elaborate details. He listed the names of all the higher-up agents and officers, including Dan Emerson. Then he even divulged significant detailed information about the bioweapon, though he only had fragmental knowledge about it. He then confessed how he was ordered to check the deposit box daily while transporting dead meat out of the city and how he planned to send the blood back to Anthor.

Lucius sat there, listening to the man revealing everything he had tried so hard to hide, and he felt as if he was floating in a puff of mist and everything around him distant and unreal. His name sounded strange and unfamiliar, as if it belonged to someone else.

He didn’t dare to look at Dorian. Neither did he brave enough to imagine his husband’s feelings. He sat strict and frozen, knowing that no matter if Dorian chose to believe him at this instance, the seed of suspicion had been planted, and it was only a matter of time before Dorian found out everything.

The only thing he could do was wait. Waiting for the judgment.

Dorian didn’t speak for a very long time while the ruckus grew louder and angrier with each answer William Brook gave. Most of the aristocrats and the council members already took Silvan’s word as truth at this point, for they had never trusted a human among them in the first place. The only one who was speaking for Lucius was Darius.

“Let’s not forget Lilith Line’s ability to manipulate and infatuate a lesser mind.” Darius remarked loudly, “How do we know if the man is telling the truth rather than what Prince Silvan wants him to say?”

Several council members were nodding in agreement.

Lilith lines’ hypnotic magic could ensnare their prey’s minds, forcing them to fall in love with them and serve them loyally and unconditionally like dogs. And the burning desire and fervidity in Brook’s eyes must result from such a spell.

Lucius used to wonder why Silvan didn’t try to use the love spell on him to compel him to do his bidding. Perhaps he worried Dorian would have noticed the trace of his magic.

Silvan looked around each face and rejoined confidently, “All the information he just gave can be easily proven with more investigation, and if you don’t trust the truthfulness of his word, anyone from the Azreal line can penetrate his mind and take a thorough look. I’ve broken his mind wall, so there won’t be much resistance. With such a deep dive, his mind will likely be fried afterward and won’t be available for more use, so I would suggest Your Majesty do the diving so you can see everything.”

William Brook trembled to hear such a cruel, possibly worse-than-death fate. But the enchanted look he had for Silvan hadn’t changed. The piteous look anguished Lucius in unexpected ways.

What would it feel like to be hurt by someone you love?

He had done it to Dorian, and he soon, too, would probably find out.

If Dorian dived into Brook’s mind, he could tell if William Brook was lying for Silvan or if he was merely telling the truth under Silvan’s coercion.This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.

And Lucius knew which one was true.

There was no more way out.

He was trapped. And it was only a matter of time before Dorian found out everything in that poor man’s mind.

Ere long, Dorian finally opened his mouth after the long silence and his countenance unreadable.

“Since you don’t have any real evidence, Silvan, I will not lend you any credibility.” He paused and turned to one of his guards, “Take them both into custody. I will dive into the human’s mind later.”

Just as the guard pulled the trembling man up from the floor, Lucius suddenly said calmly:

“No need to torment him anymore. There is no point.” Lucius was surprised at how even his voice was, and he felt not much of anything except exhaustion. After all this time, such a result was unavoidable. Lucius had always known it deep in his heart.

Lucius turned to Dorian, taking in the disconcertment and disbelief on the King’s beautiful countenance, feeling as if a knife was slicing his heart piece by piece as he spoke, “It was all true, my love.”

Book 1 End.

___________

A/N: Book one is finished! However, Lucius and Dorian's story has not ended yet. What would happen to Lucius after the big reveal? What was Asmodian’s role in all of these? And would Dorian ever love Lucius again after such a betrayal? You will find the answer in the sequel story “The Vampire King’s Toxic Consort.” I have already started posting the second book, you should be able to find it in my profile (though I'm not sure if it will show up normally as will review the first few chapters submitted).

Here is the link to The Vampire King’s Toxic Consort: https://www./stories/fantasy/1278353

If you like my work so far, please follow me and leave me any feedback. Your support means the world to me!