Page 55 of House of Ydril

I let out a frustrated breath and I slam the empty water bottle on the counter next to the fridge. “How could I not be intense, huh? What’s the point of all this?” I ask with a wave of my hand.

Uncle frowns and then takes a step closer. “You know we’re not as powerful as we used to be, nephew,” he starts in a gentle voice, “which is exactly why it’s so important to be in control of our own image.”

“I’m not talking about the bloody Trials, uncle,” I snap at him and then let out a sigh. “I’m talking about my life.”

Uncle peers into my eyes. “Should I be worried about you, Andreas?” he asks cautiously.

“Look, uncle,” I start, “juggling being a student and a ruler takes a lot of work. And I honestly don’t mind, but what does my role as a prince amount to? Being a glorified diplomat who never gets to actually do anything, that’s what.”

This pisses him off, I can tell from the way he’s squinting at me. “Is that why I let you run things even before you’re of age, nephew? So you can complain about doing your duty?”

I scowl at him. “I know how importantdutyis, uncle,” I drawl, “I only wish it involved doing something meaningful.”

Uncle just looks at me for a second. Then he gets in my face and says, “The faes are more dangerous than they like to let on, the shifters are constantly in search of another war to wage and the Scions are apes in possession of increasingly dangerous toys. You don’t think keeping thebloody peaceis meaningful?”

By the time he’s finished, his chest is heaving.

I make myself snap out of it. “You’re right, uncle. You won’t hear another word from me.”

He nods and straightens his shirt. “Good luck with the Count,” he says, his voice back to normal.

And with that, he leaves me to get ready for the meeting.

I just stand there for a second, trying to fight it. Then I walk up to the window and look out. No sign of the girl. Uninvited, the memory of her telling me never to touch her again floods my mind, making me want to smash things.

I turn on my heel and I walk out of the gym. Who the fuck does she think she is, I keep ranting as I make my way down the hallway leading to my bedroom. Once I’m there, I get out of my training clothes and start putting on my suit. Or better yet, does she seriously think I’d end up touching her if I weren’t wasted at the time?

Just the possibility of her walking around thinking that fills me with a burning rage. I’ve had women throwing themselves at me, gorgeous women, since before I knew what to do with them. How dare she think I’d ever evenwantto touch her again?

As I stand in front of the mirror in my bedroom, my hands are shaking, but I somehow manage to finish buttoning up my shirt. No, I snarl at myself. I won’t waste another second thinking about her. I take one last glance at myself in the mirror and walk out of my bedroom.

As my assistant Max walks with me into the drawing room, I straighten up and I smooth out my shirt. I take one deep breath and we go inside.

There, the old, dried-up Count Eichel and his minions are already waiting for me. They scramble to get out of their sofas to bow. “Your Majesty,” the Count immediately addresses me, “we apologize for the intrusion, but this is an urgent matter.”

Whenisn’tit, I think to myself as I take a seat, gesturing for the Count to start talking. The rest of them immediately follow suit. The Count is the Ambassador for House of Lilith in the Western Scion lands, which is why I have a sneaking suspicion he’ll be talking about the latest occurrence of the Originals breaking the Treaty.

He does. He tells me all about the vampire killing a couple of Scions, getting caught and causing an entire avalanche of responses from the human community.

And even if it weren’t the same old story told in a different way, I’d still know about it simply because I make sure to have eyes and ears everywhere. But I keep listening without letting this be known. It’s something I learned a long time ago. When you’re in a position of power, it’s sometimes better to keep those around you clueless as to the true extent of your knowledge.

As I listen to the Count drone on, I start wondering if she’s read about the incident. She probably has, a busybody such as herself. And what the fuck does she think she’s doing, trying tojoin the Vipers? Does she seriously think that I wouldn’t find out? That Sarya wouldn’t come running to me right after? And however I look at it, I don’t see a motive, but if there’s anything I know, it’s that she’s definitely up to something.

I frown, forcing myself to snap out of it. I’m not letting the ghost of thatgirlmess with my concentration three times before I’ve even had lunch. But when I shift my focus back onto the Count, I find that he’s once again being a complete idiot.

“He didn’t even feed on those two, he just killed them,” he tells me with conviction as he leans forward and presses one finger on the table, “and those fucking Lesser-”

“Scions,” I cut in.

“Scions,” he corrects himself, “are still demanding he be processed as an Anti-Treaty criminal.”

“Let me guess,” I say with a sigh. “You don’t want that to happen, do you, Count Eichel?”

“That’s right, Your Majesty.” The Count is nodding, although it’s clear that the tone of my voice is making him hesitate. “The man didn’t deserve it and the Lesser-”

“Scions,” I cut in,again.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he says with a curt nod, “the Scions are only being emotional, as always-”

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