Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 165: Looks That Kill

Chapter 165: Looks That Kill

"Your Majesty," Sir Roderick, Emperor Kaan’s aide, approached with a sense of urgency. "I bring an important update regarding the investigation into the dark magic. We have found someone who may pique your interest."

Emperor Kaan, savoring a cup of warm blood—carefully boiled to retain its juiciness while enhancing its sweet essence—looked up with a mix of curiosity and nonchalance.

"Go on. I’m listening," he replied, his tone lazy yet commanding.

Sir Roderick stepped outside, returning shortly with a female vampire. The maid, with short-cropped hair and clad in a servant’s uniform, gasped at the sight of the emperor.

Though she’d heard the rumors, nothing could prepare her for the sight of him. No wonder every maid practically clawed their way to serve near the guest chamber. Everyone wanted a glimpse of Emperor Kaan’s face.

She was pretty sure she’d do just about anything to bask in the glory of that face forever—even sign up for a lifetime of dish duty.

Lost in her fantasies of serving him breakfast in bed (extra blood, of course), Sir Roderick’s sharp voice cut through her daydreams like a wooden stake through a heart.

"What are you doing?!" he scolded, glaring at her as if she’d just suggested wearing garlic as a fashion statement. "Where’s your manner?"

Startled back to reality, the maid quickly bowed as deeply as her back would allow, not daring to straighten until given permission. "Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor. I apologize for my brashness. I was merely in awe of... um..."

"Enough!" Sir Roderick interrupted, his voice echoing in the chamber. "His Majesty has no need to hear about your foolishness."

"Forgive me, My Lord," the female servant stammered, practically bowing down to the floor.

"Now rise and tell His Majesty what you told me," Sir Roderick commanded, his tone leaving no room for defiance.

She straightened her back, fighting the urge to crack it like an old door hinge—though the Dark Lord knows she wanted to. "I used to have a roommate named Emmanuelle. She quiet and reserved, hardly spoke unless absolutely necessary—"

"Skip the pleasantries! Do you really think His Majesty cares about the personality traits of a mere servant?" Sir Roderick interrupted, his words sharp as a dagger.

Clearing her throat, the maid pressed on, "Emmanuelle began having nightmares. One night, I woke up to her mumbling about dark magic, scary spells, and something about a dark child."

"A dark child," Emperor Kaan echoed, intrigued. He held his cup aloft, momentarily pausing as if savoring the word before turning back to her. "Anything else?"

The servant felt her cheeks flush, her heart racing like a rabbit in a room full of wolves. But thankfully, vampires don’t suffer heart attacks—just nervous breakdown after hearing a handsome vampire’s beautiful voice.

She swallowed her nervousness and said, "That’s all I know, Your Majesty."

"And where is this roommate of yours now?" the emperor inquired.

"She quit ages ago, Your Majesty," she said. "I don’t keep in touch, but I heard she returned to her village."

Emperor Kaan offered her a subtle smile before dismissing her, a gesture that was completely unnecessary but amusing nonetheless. He reveled in the way women swooned over him; it was practically a hobby at this point.

He had known for ages that he was hotter than the average vampire—probably the hottest in the entire realm, if he was being modest. Thankfully, the snow in Eira didn’t melt because of his hotness.

That’s why he couldn’t wait to meet Riona, the Blood Moon child. Would she be just another smitten admirer, dazzled by his stunning good looks?

How deliciously easy it would be if she fell for him solely because of his looks! But then again, easy was boring, and Emperor Kaan thrived on fun. So, with a dramatic flourish, he released her from his grasp at the very gate of this kingdom.

After all, where’s the thrill in simply plucking the fruit when he could climb the tree, dodge a few branches, and maybe even risk a fall? Sweet rewards required a bit of effort, and he was here for the challenge!

While thinking about that, he gave an order to Sir Roderick, "Bring this roommate to me. We need to hear what kind of interesting thing she’ll say, don’t we?"

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, he turned to Sir Roderick. "Fetch me this roommate. I’m dying to hear the delightful tales she has to share. Who knows? It might even be entertaining!"

"Right away, Your Majesty!" Sir Roderick replied.

***

Lisbeth had developed a new habit—or rather, a new hobby. She found herself passing by her father’s office multiple times a day.

She needed to be prepared; after all, the enemy could strike at any moment, especially during the hours when vampires typically settled in for their beauty sleep.

Cielo had reluctantly shared that Margrave Nicolas had joined forces with Elder Alfred. She tried to convince Lisbeth that the margrave must have had a grander scheme in mind, and not genuinely wanted to overthrow King Valentin.

"There’s no way he’d actually support the elder, considering our history!" Cielo insisted.

But Lisbeth wasn’t interested in silver linings. She was furious. The news hit her harder than a wooden stake, and she exploded, injuring Cielo in the process—almost fatally—if Lumi hadn’t swooped in at the last moment to pull her out of harm’s way.

Afterward, Lisbeth had been training alone in the royal palace, barred Cielo from entering.

However, just last dawn, Lisbeth received a secret memo from Cielo. At first, she didn’t want to read it—who had time for more drama?

But Miss Olive insisted as if she had already read it, "You really should take a look, Your Highness. If you toss it without glancing at the contents, you might be throwing away something critical."

The head maid let her sentence dangle in the air, leaving Lisbeth to fill in the ominous blanks.

Gritting her teeth, Lisbeth finally opened the memo and scanned it, her impatience bubbling over as she considered tossing it into the nearest trash bin.

But as she read on, that sinking feeling returned. If Cielo was telling the truth, this information was far too crucial to ignore.

Lisbeth knew she had to warn her father—Elder Alfred was planning to attack him today, and he had to be ready.