Bound to the vampire I must kill-Chapter 62: Disappear

Chapter 62

Karine stepped into Rhydian’s chambers with her chin slightly raised and her steps light, almost graceful. Her heart was racing with anticipation, and she made sure her gown clung to her curves just right as she entered. She looked around briefly, but her eyes instantly found him, standing by the window, back turned, one hand curled into a tight fist.

She smiled, voice soft. "Your Majesty... you called for me?"

Rhydian didn’t move. He didn’t even look at her. His voice, when it came, was low and cold.

"Shut the door."

Karine blinked, surprised by the sharp tone, but she complied. The door clicked shut behind her, and she took a slow breath, preparing herself for what she thought was going to be a passionate conversation about his changing heart.

Instead, he turned—and the look on his face hit her like a punch, a chill running down her spine.

His eyes were pure steel, lips set in a hard line, his entire body rigid with barely contained fury.

"Do you think I’m stupid?" he asked, voice steady, but deadly.

Karine faltered. "W-what?"

"You think I wouldn’t find out? That I wouldn’t notice you sneaking around behind my back, spreading lies about Seraphina?"

Karine’s face paled. Her mouth opened slightly, but nothing came out for a second. She quickly tried to recover.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Rhydian took a step forward, slow and deliberate.

"You don’t?" he said, his voice laced with venom. "You didn’t tell that guard to fake a rumor? You didn’t send a forged letter with Seraphina’s signature? You weren’t behind that council stunt this morning?"

Her lips parted again, a hand rising to her chest as if wounded. "Your Majesty, why would you think I’d ever do such a thing? I-I’m loyal to you! I care for you more than anyone else here. I would never—"

"Cut the act," Rhydian snapped, his voice rising.

She flinched.

He stepped even closer now, his eyes boring into hers. "You’re not loyal. You’re a snake. You thought if you got rid of Seraphina, I’d suddenly fall into your arms?"

Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, but not from sadness—from fear.

"No! No, I swear! I never... I never meant to, Rhydian, please believe me!"

"Don’t call me that."

Her breath caught. Her use of his name had always been rare. But now, the way he shut it down now stung worse than any slap.

She blinked quickly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her hands trembled as she tried to take a small step closer. "You’re wrong about me. I wasn’t behind this,Someone set me up, maybe it was the queen, or that guard, or—"

"Don’t you dare Karine, don’t dare mention her name." Rhydian warned coldly, his tone dropping an octave as he glared at her like he would strangle her the next time she said something wrong.

Karine dropped to her knees now, real panic setting in. "Please! Please believe me! I’m being framed! I’ve always supported you! I’ve been by your side long before she came along and ruined everything!"

He scoffed, then looked down at her with pure disgust.

"She didn’t ruin anything. You did. You’ve been faking loyalty while stabbing my wife’s reputation behind her back. You don’t care about this kingdom, you care about yourself."

"I love you!" she suddenly cried, voice cracking.

The room fell silent again for a split second.

Karine sobbed harder, reaching out as if to grab him. "I’ve loved you for years! I stayed patient, I stayed quiet. And now you expect me to just watch her take everything from me? I never stopped loving you! I only wanted you to open your eyes!"

Rhydian’s expression didn’t soften. Not even for a second.

"And now that I have, I see you clearly."

Those words shattered her. She collapsed fully on the floor, face buried in her palms, wailing.

But Rhydian didn’t move. He didn’t comfort her. He didn’t even look sympathetic. In fact, he was already turning away.

"You’ll stay away from Seraphina. Tell your father not to mess with her from now on, If anything happens to her..." He turned his head slightly over his shoulder, voice hardening even more. "I’ll make sure you both regret the day you were born into this palace."

Karine froze. She was still crying, but inside, her mind began to twist with unspoken rage.

Rhydian walked toward the door, not giving her another glance. His rage had simmered down, but the warning in his voice made it clear, if she crossed a line again, she wouldn’t live to tell the story.

As the door slammed shut behind him, Karine sat there in stunned silence. Her face still wet with tears, her hands curled into fists on her lap.

The humiliation burned.

The rejection stung worse than anything she’d ever felt before.

But more than anything, the hatred boiling inside her for Seraphina reached a terrifying new peak.

It’s always her.

Always that witch.

She wiped her tears, her expression changing from broken to cold. Her breathing slowed, and her eyes darkened with resolve.

If she disappears... if she’s out of the picture...

Only then would Rhydian finally look her way. Only then would he realize who had truly been loyal all along.

And with that final thought, Karine stood up slowly, the remnants of her sobs vanishing. She wasn’t going to do this through her father anymore, she was going to deal with everything herself, but behind the doors.

Thankfully, she still had a few loyal servants who will be more than willing to help as long as they’re offered a small sum of money.

Seraphina had to disappear, and that’s exactly what she was going to do. A devilish grin curled on her lips as she reminisced over her upcoming victory, and when Rhydian would finally look her way, he’ll hold her in his arms and tell her how much he regretted not marrying her in the first place.