Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 175: Whispers of Dark Magic

Chapter 175: Whispers of Dark Magic

Lady Maris hurried toward the guest chamber, intent on speaking with the emperor.

But she had made no prior appointment, and despite being King Valentin’s lover, she held little official standing at court—essentially a commoner.

And commoners needed special permissions to gain an audience with someone as powerful as the emperor.

"You may leave your message with me, and I shall relay it to His Majesty," Sir Roderick said, standing before Emperor Kaan’s chamber. Was he welcoming her or subtly blocking her path?

"You were at the palace yesterday, weren’t you? You must know what happened. Did His Majesty truly halt the battle?"

Lady Maris’s question carried urgency. She didn’t necessarily need to hear the answer from the emperor himself. A witness would suffice. Confirmation of what Emperor Kaan had done was all she sought.

After a brief silence, Sir Roderick nodded. "He did."

"Why did he do that? How?"

He cast a quick glance at the chamber door before adding, "His Majesty was particularly fatigued that morning."

What he didn’t mention was why. Emperor Kaan had spent the night investigating a dangerous matter—dark magic—and the emperor’s suspicion pointed toward someone within the palace.

"He was about to take a nap when a commotion erupted. I instructed a servant to investigate, and he returned with grave news of the battle. None of us had a clear understanding of what was happening," Sir Roderick explained.

Although the servants in the emperor’s chambers were left in the dark, Emperor Kaan had anticipated such turmoil.

After rejecting Elder Alfred’s invitation to join his side, he could only expect the elder to be furious. That rejection was interpreted as Emperor Kaan’s tentative allegiance to King Valentin, though it was only partly true; the emperor had no desire to make an enemy of the king—not at this point, at least.

Such a stance would inevitably leave Elder Alfred feeling cornered, compelling him to take preemptive action against the king.

"Suddenly, we were ordered to evacuate," Sir Roderick continued, his tone resolute. "Of course, the emperor resisted. A good leader never abandons his subjects."

Emperor Kaan was not retreating but charging toward the battlefield. In truth, his motivations were not rooted in duty but rather in a darker fascination; he found the chaos entertaining.

Sir Roderick recognized this gleam in Emperor Kaan’s eyes, the unmistakable sign that the emperor relished the unfolding drama.

As a loyal vassal, Sir Roderick felt a strong obligation to mask Emperor Kaan’s eccentric personality.

"He recognized that King Valentin was losing ground. It was evident which side was losing, so he chose to put an end to the conflict," Sir Roderick concluded.

While Emperor Kaan’s power was undeniably destructive, it held significant advantages in large-scale wars, albeit not without consequences. His ability allowed him to obliterate everything in an instant—his targets reduced to dust before they even realized what was happening.

He unleashed a massive wave of his power across the vast landscape, turning the vampires caught in its path into dust.

Lady Maris recalled Margrave Boris’s testimony, remembering that he had been deep in the western area, a bit distant from the battlefield. That must be why he had escaped the brunt of Emperor Kaan’s overwhelming force.

***

Emperor Kaan had a penchant for meddling in matters that didn’t concern him, primarily because he found it entertaining. He despised anything that lacked excitement.

Yet, the dark magic investigation presented both thrilling and tedious elements.

What irked him most was the uncertainty—the waiting and the unanswered questions. He had a strong suspicion about the source of the dark magic, but he needed concrete evidence to support his hunch.

He worried that Elder Alfred’s guerrilla attack had disrupted the ongoing investigation into the dark arts.

King Valentin had said nothing about recalling his knights to defend the palace, leaving Emperor Kaan in a state of unease.

Well, he was unconscious, so he couldn’t very well tell the emperor to his face, could he?

As Emperor Kaan weighed his options—whether to wait patiently for the king to awaken or seize the moment to pursue the investigation himself—Sir Roderick knocked on the door and entered the chamber.

The emperor remained seated, casually turning to his aide. "Any updates on the investigation, or will I only receive more bad news?"

Sir Roderick looked genuinely pleased, a smirk dancing on his lips. "We’ve found the roommate—the one who had those nightmares about dark magic."

That was the kind of news that could brighten Emperor Kaan’s mood for the entire evening. He closed his book, revealing a smile so handsome that the female servants in the room almost gasped in unison, barely managing to clasp their mouths shut.

"Where is this roommate? When can I see her?" The emperor’s voice was charged with excitement.

Sir Roderick signaled for all the servants to exit the chamber. Once the room was cleared, he peeked out the door. "Bring her in!"

Two knights entered, each gripping a woman by the arm. She was shrouded in cloth, with her arms tied behind her back, and her shoulders trembled as she sobbed quietly.

It was unclear why the woman was crying. Sir Roderick had asked the knights who had brought her whether they had used violence. While they had indeed forced her to come, they insisted they hadn’t resorted to violence or threats—unless you counted the intimidation of a few stern looks and a firm grip as violence.

Sir Roderick gently pulled the cloth from the woman’s head, revealing a face streaked with tears and mucus. Her eyes and nose were as red as a ripe tomato, and she squinted against the sudden brightness, momentarily blinded.

The first face she saw was Sir Roderick’s, but her gaze quickly darted around the room. It froze when it landed on Emperor Kaan. In that instant, the fear that had gripped her since the knights had arrived at her door evaporated, like mist in the morning sun.

"Identify yourself!" Sir Roderick urged, shaking her from her stupor.

The woman bowed her head and began to sob again. "M-my name is... Emmanuelle..."

The handsome emperor leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee, a smile playing on his lips as he studied her expression. He had a pretty good idea of why she was crying and what frightened her so much.

"Were you directly involved in the dark magic she performed in this palace?" he asked, his tone deliberately pointed, keen to observe her reaction.

Emmanuelle’s jaw nearly dropped in shock. Her eyes widened as the gravity of the question sank in. She considered lying but quickly realized it would be pointless—especially in front of someone who seemed to already know the truth. Lying would only make things worse.

With a deep breath, she opened her mouth to respond.