Page 18 of Married to the Vampire Prince

The enemies were endless. I killed, I turned around, I killed again. They came at me with a ferocity I didn’t understand. Did everyone just want to be the one to kill the enemy commander? That determination was probably the reason for their viciousness.

I wasn’t sure how long the battle continued. Luke later told me I had fought for eight hours straight while he took on the role of commanding our forces.

I emerged from the battlefield soaked in the blood of my enemies. I returned to the camp in that state, red with blood. I saw the fear in the gazes of my soldiers.

After that night I became known as Silas the war hero, the monster.

Legend said I had killed hundreds.

I had no idea how many lives I had actually ended, and that fact made me disgusted with myself too. Every life was precious, and yet the enemies had thrown themselves at me in waves, like they cared little whether they lived or died. All of that needless death just to support their kingdom’s expansionist desires, to achieve the glory of killing the enemy commander.

Pointless bloodshed.

“Hey.” Luke waved his hand in front of my face.

I looked back up at him. His gaze was compassionate and worried.

“Are you alright?” Luke’s voice sounded kind but concerned.

I looked back down, trying to gather my thoughts. I needed to sound strong and sure of myself. In the face of the new war between our neighbors, I needed to give Luke my commands – not as Silas, but as the Prince of Estone.

Yet, I was Silas right now, just sitting in front of my friend; my friend who was one of the few people who knew how much the war had really affected me.

I tapped my fingers on the desk, upset and impatient with myself. “I’m not fine.” I finally admitted. “Another war? Really? What does Rosworth want now?” I looked up, and our gazes connected in understanding.

“Same old,” Luke said. “They want more territory.”

“Will their hunger for more never end?” I asked.

Luke didn’t reply. I didn’t know the answer to that question either. The King of Rosworth never stopped thirsting for expansion. As a vampire hungered for blood, so too did he crave as much territory as possible for his kingdom. He wanted to swallow us all. He wanted an empire.

At least, an empire was what he had wanted twenty years ago, when his forces had attacked ours.

“If Athalis falls, will Estone be next?” I said into the silence of the room.

It was yet another question we couldn’t answer. Would Rosworth really be satisfied with conquering just one neighboring kingdom?

Probably not.

“Luke, monitor the situation closely,” I finally ordered – not as Silas, but as the Prince.

“Roger that,” Luke nodded.

“And…” I continued after some consideration, “I will go with you out into the field, to spy on the two kingdoms.”

Luke’s eyes widened. “You will?” Some excitement gleamed in his eyes. He seemed happy that we would venture out together again.

However, he quickly hid his joy behind a stern look. “But Silas… you have a cute little wife now. Do you think now is the right moment to leave the palace for an extended period of time?”

I arched my eyebrows. “Why not?”

Luke frowned. “It’s the first week after your marriage ceremony. Don’t you want to be around her as much as possible?”

Were my feelings that obvious? Yes, I wanted to be close to Grace. More than anything I wanted to hold her in my arms and never let her go.

All the more reason to stay away, right? I was a monster who didn’t deserve her. She would only serve me by providing her ruby blood. I shouldn’t long for more from Grace.

“You just told me our neighbors are at war – a war that may come to our doorstep. Don’t you think investigating that danger is more important than being cozy with my new wife?” I let annoyance seep into my tone.

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