The Vampire Empress: Blood Queen & Her Kings

"Your Grace... Your Highness..."

The Prime Minister addressed the two royalties as he stood up from his seat and came to stand next to the beautiful young lady who was holding Silver in her arms as if she owned him.

Jiang Ying Yue was having a hard time controlling herself as she watched the woman grazing his soft fur while she bowed to the Empress Dowager and the Third Prince.

"Your Grace, this is my daughter - Ning Xia. She recently finished her studies at the Mount Hua Academy and received the title of the Best Student. She accompanied me here today to pay respects to Your Grace and His Highness." The Prime Minister introduced his daughter with pride gleaming in his eyes.

Of course, he was filled with pride. Not only his daughter was known as the number one beauty of the Capital City but now she also held the title of the 'Best Student' of Mount Hua Academy - one of the most prestigious Academies on the entire continent. 

"Such a beautiful young lady. How old are you?" Empress Dowager questioned the girl named, Ning Xia.

"Replying to Your Grace, I recently turned seventeen." Ning Xia answered calmly as she smiled sweetly, making her already beautiful face bloom like a flower.

Everyone was left in awe as they got to see such an attractive sight. There was no doubt that young Miss Xia deserved the title of number one beauty.

"Quite young. Is that little cat belongs to you?" Empress Dowager asked as she pointed her gaze at the cat that had suddenly started to struggle in the girl's arms.

"This... I..." Ning Xia struggled to answer as she tried to stop the cat that was suddenly acting weirdly. Seeing her struggle, her father moved to help her but before his hands could land on the cat, it succeeded in jumping down from her arms and ran straight in the direction of the Third Prince.

The Hall became dead silent as everyone stared at the cat either in panic or confusion. On the other hand, Jiang Ying Yue finally relaxed to see Silver getting away from the clutches of that kid.

She was ready to catch the cat in her arms as she watched it jumping in her direction. Unfortunately, she did not get the chance because the Third Prince suddenly grabbed it and pulled it in his arms.

"This is mine. Thank you for bringing it here. Hope you are not feeling inconvenient." The Prince spoke to Ning Xia but did not even spare her a single glance. He was too busy playing with the tiny ears of his cat.

"Ah...! No worries, Your Highness..." The girl was taken aback and barely knew how to respond. Though the cat wasn't hers, she had no idea that it belonged to the Third Prince. Not knowing what to say anymore as the situation became a little awkward, both the Prime Minister and his daughter decided to return to their seats.

Slowly, the banquet resumed its pace as the musicians started playing their instruments, and a group of girls wearing bright red dresses came to perform a swan dance. The chatters resumed as everyone returned to enjoy the food and the wine.

On the other hand, Jiang Ying Yue was busy glaring at the back of the Third Prince's head. How come he became the owner of the cat? It was clearly Silver in his arms and the man dared to show his authorization even over her mate. How bold!

Unfortunately, she could do nothing but stay quiet and serve him as the banquet progressed. Besides, Silver himself did not seem to be bothered about resting on the lap of the Prince. Then why should she be the one worrying?

The rest of the banquet went smoothly. There were different groups of people showing their skills while the guests praised them. Some of the daughters of the noble families also came forward to show their talents.

It was quite clear that the ministers were trying to show off their daughters to both Empress Dowager and the Third Prince but no one took the step of asking for a marriage decree for their daughters.

The reason was clear. For so many years, the Princes had stayed out of the Capital City, and at the moment, there was no idea about which one of the three Princes would end up sitting on the throne. None of the ministers wanted to take sides even before getting a good grip on the situation but they also did not want to lose the chance in case Third Prince ended up becoming the future Emperor.

By the time banquet came to an end, it was already half-past nine o'clock, and the outside world was covered in darkness.

Jiang Ying Yue silently followed the Third Prince to his courtyard. As soon as they entered the sitting room, the Prince dismissed the servants and the guards, only keeping her by his side as he played with the cat.

"Here." 

She was taken aback when the Prince suddenly threw the cat at her. She almost did not catch it but thankfully, Silver ended up in her arms safely. Her hands pulled him against her body as she cradled the cat and brushed its head softly.

"What?" She asked the man after she came out of her initial shock.

"I'm gifting it to you. Keep it safe and healthy for me." The Prince told her as he poured himself a glass of hot herbal tea and took a sip.

Jiang Ying Yue stared at him with a bewildered look on her face. The nan seemed to be too weird for her to get a grip on him. He could be polite, kind, rude, selfish, cold, and even stupid at certain moments. It almost seemed like he was having mood swings from time to time.

"I'm leaving." She told him and was surprised when he immediately hummed in a positive response. She was not expecting that. 

Not wanting to spend another second in the company of the weird man, she finally left his courtyard with Silver cradled in her arms.