The Vampire's King Pet-Chapter 28: Two bickering slaves.

In a dark forest, a hooded figure walked silently along the narrow path, moving without an ounce of fear. The night owl’s call echoed through the trees, sharp and haunting. A light, chilly wind swept past, carrying the faint rustling of branches and the whisper of swaying leaves. Shadows twisted around her as she moved deeper, her cloak brushing quietly against the undergrowth.

She stopped in her tracks. Her eyes shifted left, then right, scanning through the thick darkness with sharp, calculating precision—carefully observing, listening, waiting.

"You know I can feel you. Come out."

Her voice cut through the stillness.

A moment of silence passed before a soft footstep broke through the tension. She jerked her head slightly, turning to find a man stepping out from behind a large tree trunk.

"What do you want?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest, her tone flat and unimpressed.

The man walked toward her, the shadows revealing his face bit by bit until the moonlight finally touched his sharp features.

"Did he send you to do that?" Marcus asked, his deep voice carrying a clear trace of irritation.

"Why else would I do it?" she retorted immediately, her glare fixed directly on him.

"He said you should mess with Alexander, not hurt Serena. If she dies, do you know how crazy he would become?" Marcus snapped, his nostrils flaring with anger.

The hooded figure shrugged lazily. "I was given a job to hurt the Vampire King, and I did. Why don’t you worry about yourself? The vampire king suspects you." She paused and turned slightly, her voice dripping with mockery. "You can’t even do a good job."

Marcus stepped closer, eyes darkening with fury. "This is a warning," he growled. "Never insult me. You’re just a slave who receives orders. Do not overstep your boundaries."

She let out a mocking laugh. "That makes the two of us. You couldn’t even give the girl to him, and now she’s with the Vampire King. And it looks like he takes a special interest in her."

She tilted her head and smirked.

"I do my job. You do yours. Let’s not cross paths and don’t ever give me orders."

With that, she turned and walked deeper into the forest, her cloak fluttering behind her—leaving Marcus standing alone.

He cursed under his breath and ran a frustrated hand through his messy hair before turning around and heading in the opposite direction.

---

Alexander and Arthur walked into the courtroom, the heavy doors shutting behind them with a dull thud. The large hall seemed colder today, the torches flickering like they, too, sensed the king’s rising tension.

Arthur watched as Alexander sank onto his throne, both hands resting on the armrests, his posture stiff and radiating barely contained fury. His jaw clenched tightly.

"Looks like there is a stranger in the palace. How dare—" Alexander muttered under his breath. The anger surged through his veins so fiercely that the air around him seemed to crackle. His eyes were sharp, murderous. One wrong word from anyone, and he looked capable of tearing the palace apart stone by stone.

Arthur cleared his throat. "How do we find this person? Whoever they are... they must be very skilled to sneak into the palace unnoticed."

"Hmmm..." Alexander hummed, closing his eyes briefly. He needed to think. The scent he had picked up in the princess’s room earlier...

It wasn’t a vampire’s.

"This person isn’t a vampire so we have to be watchful and careful, security also needs to be tightened." Alexander voiced out.

"What would a non–vampire be doing here? And why harm the princess and Serena, what is the connection between all of this?" Arthur asked, confused and determined to uncover it.

Alexander opened his mouth to speak again, but the large door creaked open. A guard entered swiftly, bowing his head low.

"Your Majesty, the physician requests your audience."

"Let him in," Arthur said.

The guard nodded and stepped aside, allowing the physician to walk in with a woman beside him. She was middle-aged, dressed in simple but clean robes, her expression calm and respectful.

"Your Majesty, this is Zelda," the physician introduced. "She is a famous herbalist. I believe she may have more knowledge regarding the situation."

"Your Majesty. My lord," Zelda greeted with a slight bow.

Alexander opened his eyes and studied the woman carefully. "Let’s go," he said coldly, rising from his throne.

They followed her through the dimly lit corridors until they reached the room where Serena had been placed to rest. The soft glow from the lanterns illuminated Serena’s pale face, her breaths shallow and uneven.

Zelda approached her bed with a quiet seriousness. She observed Serena closely—touching her hand, pressing lightly on her chest, watching her facial reaction, checking her pulse. Alexander, Arthur, and the physician stood silently, tension heavy in the air.

After several minutes, Zelda turned back to the king.

"Your Majesty, she is under a spell."

Alexander and Arthur exchanged a sharp look before turning back to her.

"A spell?" Alexander repeated, his brows knitting tightly.

Zelda nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. She must have felt headaches, chest tightening, and a burning sensation inside her?"

The physician nodded immediately.

"Are you sure she was spelled?" Arthur asked skeptically, crossing his arms.

Instead of answering verbally, Zelda opened her bag and pulled out a small bottle containing clear liquid. She approached Serena and gently parted her lips.

"What are you doing?" Alexander demanded, his voice rising sharply.

"This is holy water," Zelda explained calmly. "Once a drop enters her system, it will collide with the spell and trigger it. This will reveal a little of what was used on her."

She placed a single drop into Serena’s mouth.

Almost instantly, Serena’s eyes flew open. Her body jerked violently as she began convulsing, gasping as if she were being burned from the inside.

"Stop, please... it’s burning..." she whispered, her voice cracking. Beads of sweat rolled down her face, and within seconds, blood began seeping from her nose and ears.

Alexander took a step forward, his fists trembling with barely contained panic.

Zelda moved quickly. She pulled out a syringe from her bag and injected Serena with a sedative. Within moments, Serena’s shaking ceased, and she slipped back into unconsciousness.

Alexander dragged a hand through his hair, frustration and helplessness twisting his features. "Can you help her?" he asked, voice low but desperate.

"I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I cannot treat her," Zelda said softly. "But I know someone who can. She helps me treat difficult cases and provides rare medicines. She’s a witch, I’ve worked long enough with her to be able to identify simple witchcraft."

Alexander’s expression hardened. "And where does this witch live?"

"Finding her will be difficult," Zelda admitted. "She lives in hiding and rarely comes out. Even I haven’t seen her face or know what she looks like."

Arthur raised a brow. "If you’ve never seen her, then how do we find her? How do we even know who we’re looking for?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Her house is deep inside the forest," Zelda explained. "I leave the payment and collect the medicine. She never makes direct contact. She’s... private. And cautious."

After a long discussion, Zelda provided every detail she could before leaving with the physician.

Silence settled over the room as Alexander and Arthur remained behind.

"Do you think we can trust her?" Alexander finally asked, tearing his gaze away from Serena.

Arthur sighed deeply. "I’m not sure, Your Majesty. But we have to try. Neither we nor the physician can treat her, and she’s getting paler each hour. I’ll take a few guards and search for the witch."

Alexander nodded slowly.

They walked out of the room together, both weighed down by uncertainty.

As they stepped into the hallway, they came face-to-face with the princess. Alexander aalmost frowned at the sight of the princess.