Bound to the vampire I must kill-Chapter 56: Make him pay

Chapter 56

The guard shifted uneasily under Rhydian’s gaze, the weight of the tension hanging in the air between them. Sweat beaded at his temple. "She’s waiting in your chambers, Your Majesty."

Rhydian’s expression barely changed, but inside, a sharp jolt of irritation flickered

He never liked anyone entering his chambers without permission. His chambers were meant to be his private sanctuary, a place where he could think, rest, or simply be away from the prying eyes of others. He didn’t remember ever permitting Karin to enter his chambers without permission.

"Send her to the meeting hall," Rhydian ordered curtly. "I will meet her there."

The guard hesitated for a moment, but then quickly nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty." He turned to leave but stopped, his voice faltering slightly. "She... she insisted on waiting inside, sir. She didn’t want to leave, we tried to stop her but she refused."

Rhydian clenched his jaw. "Fine. I’ll deal with it." He straightened, taking a deep breath before heading toward his chambers.

As he approached the door, he thought of a dozen way he would break the new to her without making her upset, she was no longer his betrothed and she had to know that. When he opened the door, his gaze immediately found her lying on his bed and leaning against her elbow, a smile already stretching across her face.

As soon as he sighted her on his bed, anger bubbled slightly, not only had she entered without permission, she had also settled on his bed like she owned it.

"Rhydian!" she exclaimed, practically leaping to her feet. Her arms opened wide, eager to embrace him.

Before she could reach him, Rhydian held up a hand, stopping her in her tracks. His eyes met hers, the warmth he had once felt for her nowhere to be found.

"Karine," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. "We need to talk outside. I don’t like anyone entering my room without my permission, you should know that more than anyone."

Her excitement faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered, the smile still on her lips. "But I—" she began, but he cut her off.

"I meant it, Karine. Let’s talk outside."

She hesitated, her gaze flicking between him and the room. "But this is my room too. I’m your betrothed—"

Rhydian’s patience snapped. He took a step closer, his voice lowering with a cold edge. "Not anymore. I’m married now. I’m trying to play nice here but I’ll tell you this, I never planned on going through with our marriage. I see you only as family, nothing more."

Her face paled, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You’re married?!" she gasped, her voice cracking. "When? With who?" She staggered back, shaking her head in shock. "I just went away for a month, and you already found someone else to replace me?"

Rhydian’s expression softened slightly, but there was no hint of remorse in his words. "With or without someone else, Karine, I was never going to marry you. The court made a political match, not a personal one. And now... I’m married to someone else."

"Who?!" Karine’s voice rose in pitch. "Who could you possibly choose over me?"

Rhydian hesitated for only a moment before answering, his voice calm but resolute. "She’s also someone chosen for me for political reason, she’s the witch princess."

The words hung in the air between them like a charged storm, and Karine’s eyes narrowed, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "A witch?" she scoffed, her voice dripping with mockery. "So you’ve settled for a witch, then? Is that it? Did you marry her because her blood will give you more power? Make you unstoppable?"

The insult stung, and Rhydian’s temper flared. He stepped toward her, his gaze hardening, his voice low and dangerous. "Don’t you dare mention her like that again."

Karine blinked, taken aback by the force of his reaction, she had never seen him gazed at her this coldly. But then, the laughter in her eyes returned, though it was laced with bitterness. "Oh, so you love her, then?" she mocked, her tears now mixing with her anger. "Look at you, breaking down just because I mentioned her in a way you don’t like. You’re not even hiding it, are you?"

Rhydian took a deep breath, struggling to contain the anger rising in his chest. "This isn’t about her blood or power, Karine. It’s about emotional attraction. Something I never had with you."

The room fell silent for a moment as Karine processed his words. The shock and hurt in her eyes were clear, but so was her disbelief. "You... You really don’t care about me?" she asked quietly, her voice trembling. "After everything we went through, after all the years we spent together, you’re just throwing it all away for a witch?"

Rhydian’s gaze softened, but he refused to back down. "I never cared for you that way, Karine. I’ve told you, and I’ll tell you again... you’re no different from a sister to me... understand?"

Her face crumpled as tears welled up in her eyes. "How could you do this to me?" she whispered, almost pleading. "How could you choose her over me? You know how much I’ve loved you. You knew, Rhydian. You knew."

Rhydian’s eyes darkened, his frustration rising again. "I’m done having this conversation, you should go meet Ella. She’s back too, she should be able to explain stuff to you."

"Ella... your sister knows about this? About you getting married to someone besides me?" Her voice quivered, disbelief mixing with betrayal. "How could you all do this to me? You were supposed to be mine."

Rhydian’s jaw clenched, fuck patience, cos he was done dealing with a this shit. "Just get out, and don’t ever come into my room again."

Karine looked at him one last time, eyes wide with a mixture of hurt and rage. "I’ll never forgive you for this, and trust me when I say I’ll make you pay, I can’t wait to see what this new wife of yours looks like, you love her right? I’ll crush her. " she spat, turning on her heel and rushing out of the room.

Rhydian ran a hand through his hair, frustration boiling over. "Great," he muttered to himself, the tension in his chest rising. "What a way to ruin my morning."

He wasn’t afraid of Karine meeting Seraphina—someone like Seraphina would never be intimidated by a woman like Karine, she wanted to crush Seraphina? That would never happen even in her wildest dreams. But there was something that made his panic slightly, he was afraid that Karine’s words, her bitterness and even lies might make Seraphina doubt him.

And that was the last thing he needed right now.