The Vampire Empress: Blood Queen & Her Kings

"Why are you so sure that the Empress Dowager is your enemy? Is it because of what the Princes have told you?" Silver asked as he returned to stand next to her.

Jiang Ying Yue slowly shook her head in denial as she recalled all the conversations that she had with the Princes regarding Empress Dowager. 

To be honest, she was still having problems understanding her role in all the drama that was taking place in this world. What she had learned so far was that the woman was trying to find a way to give her race a chance at a better life. And as much as she would like to deny it, Jiang Ying Yue could not see any problems in that.

Qing Shan had already told her that Empress Dowager's plan could destroy the rest of the realms and that was something no one wanted, at least not the Gods and the mortals.

But what were they expecting? They left the demons to live a life in the depths of hell while they were enjoying the beauty of nature and bright sunshine in their realms. Could not they really see the unfairness? 

Jiang Ying Yue never believed that demons were always the villains. She had learned that through those fifteen hundred years of her life as a vampire. They also deserved a better chance to live a worthy life because no one was perfect, not even those who belonged to the Heaven Realm.

"I don't know for sure. Whether she's a friend or a foe, I can't say anything about it right now. But if given a chance, I would rather stay in a neutral relationship with her. I'm not saying that I agree with her idea of destroying the other realms to get what she wants but I'm also not against her plan of finding a new place for her race. Maybe if she really ended up creating a new realm for the demons, the animosity between the realms of this world will finally come to an end." She replied with a soft shrug of her shoulders.

She didn't know how to describe it but the feelings that she got towards the Empress Dowager didn't seem like the old woman would either want to be her enemy if given the chance.

"Then what are you going to do when you will finally need to pick a side? Are you going to abandon your soulmates?" Silver actually seemed curious as he asked the question. He really didn't care what side she would choose, he's just going to tag along with her no matter what side it would be.

"The three of them still have to do something to make my heart move. The pull of the bonds is there, the connection is also there and so is the desire, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to hand over my heart to them." Jiang Ying Yue replied with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Wait! Are you saying that you will actually abandon them?" Silver almost pulled her out of her seat as he grabbed her arms. He seemed kind of terrified instead of being happy like she thought.

This time, Jiang Ying Yue didn't hold back the chuckle that finally escaped her lips as she slowly patted his hands that were resting on her arms.

"Are you out of your mind? They are my soulmates. Just because I don't love them right now doesn't mean I'll let them die. I'll protect all four of you till my last breath. I'll find a way out of this situation but for now, saving this world is far down on our to-do list. There's a lot of things that I've to sort out before that." She told him with a wink before returning her attention to the designs that she was preparing.

"Alright! I'll listen to you. I'm leaving now to continue my search around the palace. Let's meet in the evening." Silver told her as he finally stepped away from her, taking away the warmth that he always brought to her.

"Make sure to stay safe. Don't get caught." Ying Yue reminded him as she watched his silhouette disappearing from the room. The place became empty and cold as soon as he vanished, making her heart feel the emptiness.

If she could choose, then she would like to spend the rest of her life with her four mates in a faraway place where no one could disturb them. However, it looked like her fate wasn't happy by giving her a simple and easy life. It wanted her to struggle for what she wanted.

Well, she really wanted to settle her records with her damned fate one day. Maybe she would get the privilege sometime in the future. 

*****

"Why are you going out again and that too this late?" Li Qi was right there demanding answers as soon as Jiang Ying Yue informed them that she was leaving the Cold Palace.

It was around five o'clock in the evening and it was not long ago when she returned early from the shop only to go back.

"Don't be like this. I will be completely fine. Min Gu will be there with me." Jiang Ying Yue tried to reason with the girl who seemed to be not listening to her at all.

"My lady, can you stop taking such risks? We will be dying here in worry if you went out this late." Li Wu was also quick to support her sister. The two of them really losing their weight while working for the safety of their lady every single day.

"I know but... What... the... What do you think you are doing?" Jiang Ying Yue asked the First Prince who had placed some kind of spiritual spell on the two girls who were now deep in sleep.

They kind of looked funny as they were still standing while their eyes were closed shut as the two of them slept under the effect of the spell. 

"How long were you going to take to make them realize that you are capable enough of taking care of yourself out of the walls of this Cold Palace? I just helped you a little, that's all. Just let them sleep for a while. They won't remember a thing in the morning." The First Prince replied before he clicked his fingers, making both Li Qi and Li Wu disappear in thin air.

"Thanks." Jiang Ying Yue thanked him as she moved towards the fourth courtyard to make sure that Li Qi and Li Wu were sleeping comfortably.

When she stepped out of the fourth courtyard a few minutes later, Qing Shan was still there waiting for her. 

"Should we also leave now? The others are waiting for you." He asked while stepping closer to her.

Jiang Ying Yue nodded her head in agreement as she closed the distance between the two of them. She felt his arms encircling her waist before the two of them entered the world of the teleportation array.

It did take only a couple of seconds before both of them appeared in the front garden of another one of the secret manors that the Princes owned.

At this point, Jiang Ying Yue was really curious to know exactly how many more secret bases the Princes had and if all of them were freaking manors. So far she had visited three of them, including the Star Lake Manor.

The one thing that she realized was that all the secret bases were located in different directions around the Capital City, except for the Star Lake manor which was located in the Capital City. 

She followed Prince Shan towards the back garden of the house where the rest of her mates were present. The first one to greet them was Wang Shan who smiled softly at her before he hurried inside the building to finish his work.

Jiang Ying Yue's eyes landed on the wooden table sitting next to a Grill stand. The entire table was filled with raw meat, vegetables, spices, and fruits.

Her gaze finally shifted to Silver and Wu Xie who were busy chopping wooden logs. She raised her eyebrows when she noticed that Silver was shirtless. His eight packs and muscled body were full-on display for her.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked the moving closer to where they were working.

"The kitchen wanted chopped woods to boil water. I decided to land a hand." Silver replied as he walked closer to where she was standing. He placed a quick peck on her lips, taking her by complete surprise before he moved back to continue his work.

"What's up with you today?" She asked him while trying to not look at Qing Shan and Wu Xie who were clearly gazing at her. At least, they were not staring with unhappiness but dazzling with longingness. She could tell that much without even looking at them. 

"Why don't you take a look at your soulmark to find out on your own?"