Bound to the vampire I must kill-Chapter 60: Ruthless

Chapter 60

Karine stormed through the grand halls of her family estate, her footsteps echoing with fury. The guards bowed as she passed, but she didn’t even spare them a glance. Her fists were clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms. Her jaw was set, her chest tight with anger and humiliation.

She didn’t stop until she reached the large oak doors of her father’s study. Without knocking, she shoved them open.

The Duke looked up from the scroll in his hand, his sharp grey eyes widening slightly. "Karine?"

He stood, clearly surprised to see his daughter, wondering when she had returned. But that surprise quickly shifted to concern as he noticed her tear-streaked face and trembling shoulders.

"What’s wrong?" he asked, stepping forward.

Karine’s lips wobbled before she threw herself into his arms, her voice breaking. "He married someone else!"

The Duke stiffened. "Who did?"

"Rhydian!" Karine sobbed, clutching at his robe like a child. "He abandoned me and married someone else!"

He blinked, taking a moment to register her words. Then, to her horror, he chuckled softly. Karine’s sobbs turned even louder because she thought her father didn’t care and was mocking her.

"Is that what you’re upset about?" he asked, pulling her gently away to look at her face. "Karine, you don’t seem to realize, him getting married doesn’t change anything. You’re still his betrothed." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Karine shook her head violently. "No, Dad, you don’t get it! He said he never intended to marry me. He said he only sees me as family! He even told me not to enter his room ever again!" Her voice cracked as she choked on the next words. "Rhydian doesn’t want me."

The Duke’s expression hardened instantly. "He told you all of that?" He knew Rhydian and Karine had been close as kids, not playfully close...but he never once bullied her and never treated her differently from his sister Ella...so he was a little surprised to hear that Rhydian brushed her off like that like she meant nothing.

She nodded, pressing her face against his chest again. "He doesn’t care about me... not even a little."

"I need to speak to him," the Duke muttered, fury creeping into his tone. "Don’t worry, darling. Rhydian will always be yours. Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get you betrothed to him? I won’t let that slip away. This marriage? It’s will happen, you’ll become his wife eventually."

Karine pulled back, eyes still wet, but her sobs had died down.

"So, Have you met the queen? What was she like?" The Duke asked.

Karine’s lips trembled again. "See? Even you call her queen. That title belongs to me. Not her. Never her."

The Duke sighed. "Alright, my princess. Have you met the witch?"

Karine’s eyes narrowed instantly. "Don’t even talk about her. She’s dangerous, Dad. Those eyes of hers... she’s insane. Cold. Heartless. She threatened me."

His brows lifted, surprised. "She did?"

"She said she didn’t care what past I had with Rhydian and that she was his wife now, and she was also my queen. And that the next time I talked down to her, she wouldn’t show me mercy. Imagine it, imagine a witch threatening me." Karine scoffed in destain.

The Duke’s jaw tensed, then he forced a smile, patting her hair. "There’s nothing a little threat can’t fix, dear. We just need to remind her of her place in this palace. She’s not from here. She’s not one of us. Now stop crying, alright?"

Karine sniffled, then looked up at him, eyes searching. "So... you’ll help me?"

"Of course I will. I’ll talk to Rhydian. I’ll make him change his mind."

Karine pulled away slowly. "Not just that. I mean her. You’ll help me teach her a lesson, right? She took what belongs to me. She threatened me. I won’t forgive that."

The Duke didn’t answer right away. His lips pressed into a thin line, but then he nodded. "Yes, I’ll help you."

Karine watched him carefully, then whispered, "I think Rhydian loves her."

He looked startled, then his voice lowered into a cold murmur. "No, he doesn’t. This marriage was arranged for power, Karine. That’s all. We needed the witches to gain the upper hand against the dragons. It’s a political move. Nothing more."

Her eyes gleamed with bitter satisfaction. "So if he doesn’t love her... then it doesn’t matter what I do to her. Right?"

Her father frowned. "Karine..."

"I have a plan," she whispered, stepping back and pacing slowly, eyes gleaming. "We’ll start with her public image. I’ll spread rumors—ones that make people question her loyalty to the crown. We’ll twist her words, make her look like a traitor. Then we’ll isolate her. Cut her off from the witches. If they think she’s turned against them, she’ll be alone."

"Karine—"

"And if that doesn’t work..." Her voice dipped even lower. "We poison her."

The Duke flinched. "Karine."

"Not to kill her," she said quickly, though her eyes betrayed the truth. "Just enough to make her weak. Delirious. We’ll say she’s sick—cursed. No one will trust a cursed queen. No one will follow her. And once the court demands her removal... Rhydian will have no choice but to let her go."

The Duke looked troubled, but Karine walked over and took his hand, her expression softening into something fragile. "Please, Dad. She humiliated me. She replaced me. Help me make this right."

There was a long silence before he finally nodded.

"Alright. We’ll do it your way. But it has to be discreet. If Rhydian suspects anything—"

"He won’t," she said with confidence. "I know him. He’ll be too busy playing the dutiful husband to notice until it’s too late."

As she turned to leave, her father watched her with a sinking feeling in his chest. His little girl had grown into something ruthless—and he had no idea how far she was willing to go.

But he had made her a promise.

And he would keep it.