The Duke's Passion

On the way, Fabian passed the rolling food tray to the maidservant. We remained silent as we headed to the garden to continue our discussion.

As silence enveloped us, my anxiety grew intense. Fabian's last remarks lingered in my head repeatedly.

"Massacre…" I whispered, clasping my dress tightly.

A massacre ensued when the duke was summoned to the Capital? Why? How? For what reason?

Myriads of questions rose in my head; I'm worried. Now, the Capital sounded more like a scary place and we're setting off later to go to that terrifying place.

When we reached the garden, Fabian turned around, his hands behind him, and offered me a smile.

"Fret not, my lady. Those times were the tumultuous years as the late king entered his eternal sleep."

I pursed my lips. That didn't make me less worried.

"The crown prince, the rightful heir of the throne, chose…" Fabian made a deliberate pause as he cleared his tone. "The previous crown prince chose love over power. Hence, he made a thorough plan to elope with the first daughter of the late king before she got married off."

I heard about that. I raised my gaze as I stared and listened to Fabian in silence.

"Obviously, a marriage between pure-blooded vampires, whether they were siblings, cousins, or a distant relative, is normal. However, the king had promised to marry his first daughter off to show his gratitude and to simply keep an eye on another pure-blood clan: The Bloodfang. In simple terms, the crown prince's and the royal princess' act were perceived as treason. Not only they defied the royal order of the king, it also incited anger from the other clan."

So it was a much bigger issue than what Samael made it sound like, huh? Although I couldn't fully grasp how politics works — I'm certain it was more chaotic than I could imagine.

"Obviously, with two pure-blooded clans in the country, the peace in this kingdom had always been… precarious. At any given time, the brewing dispute throughout these centuries between the two parties could explode. Hence, to avoid that from happening, the late king and the Bloodfang's clan leader agreed to a marriage. In that way, they'd be family." 

"But it didn't happen." I blurted out under my breath.

Listening to Fabian had granted me a vague idea of the sequence of events after that. Fabian nodded, solidifying my conclusions.

"Indeed, my lady. A war took place; it split the noble families in half. With two pure-blooded clans waging a war against each other, the noble vampires had to decide. A tricky decision that could be their best decision they'd ever do or the worst one."

"I see…" I nodded in understanding. But then I furrowed my brows. This didn't add up.

If I remembered correctly, Fabian told me Sam returned to this Kingdom when the late king perished. After that, Sam claimed Grimsbanne and governed it.

"You seem perplexed, my lady." Fabian took notice, snapping me back to the current lapse.

"I am, Mister Fabian." I raised my head, seeing him raised his brows, intrigued.

"I don't understand. The timeline didn't match. You said the duke returned from his journey because the late king had perished. So, if the war begun when Grimsbanne was already established, doesn't that mean the King died before it?"

A proud smile turned up on Fabian's lips. He seemed satisfied with my query. Why?

"You have an excellent memory, my lady." He praised. "And good at paying attention to details. I'm honored to be at your service."

"Uh…" I pursed my lips in a thin line. His sincerity in his voice somehow made me feel a bit shy.

I don't think I deserved such praise.

"Indeed, the king had died long ago, before all this occurred. The crown prince's and princess' had already fled before the late king entered his eternal slumber." Fabian gazed at the faraway distance ahead.

"However, the person who took the throne, now the current king, concealed all that from the public. Even from the nobles."

"Huh?" My brows instantly furrowed. "Why would the king do that?"

Before I realized it, my words slipped past my lips. Not that I wouldn't ask that, anyway. 

The king was the most important figure. His death was something to be known to the public, as we were still their people. Despite not thinking about us.

Unless… I gasped slightly at the idea that crossed my mind.

"You're quick to catch up on, my lady." Fabian chuckled, sounding proud at his student. "It is such a waste that you had to live all these years in the field."

"The king already planned to exterminate the Bloodfangs?" I ignored Fabian's praises as I asked without beating around the bush.

"Yes, my lady." Fabian nodded, pleased that I guessed it right. 

"The current king knew he would never secure his position if there's another pure-blood clan lurking around his turf. Not to mention, a clan who strongly publicized their demurral about the late king's other sons." 

Fabian's tone grew solemn as he took a deep breath.

"Although the Bloodfang were left unaware of the previous crown prince's treason, they only approved of him as the next king. The reason may sound shallow, but they held high respect to the previous crown prince because of that reason."

I held my breath, waiting for Fabian to continue. Even though he was merely telling me a deeper and detailed history, I felt like I'm learning more than I expected.

Learning about what the current was like, and the unbelievable conspiracy within the castle walls. The power struggles, and what to expect to the place we're setting off to.

However, unlike my stifling anticipation, Fabian let out a scoff that sounded more as a quick chuckle. 

"The reason is that the third prince, the infamous prodigal son, and now the feudal lord of Grimsbanne, joked about taking the throne if someone else sat on it." 

Fabian turned and faced me. He immediately caught the dumbfounded expression that resurfaced on my face.

"It's — its's because of a prank?" I gasped in disbelief.