Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 192: The Spellcaster’s Secret

Chapter 192: The Spellcaster’s Secret

Emmanuelle’s body trembled as she paused, the dreadful memory flooding her mind once more. She fought to contain the rising fear that gnawed at her insides.

Lady Maris, sensing her struggle, gently grasped Emmanuelle’s hand, offering silent strength.

The mere thought of what the servant had described had been enough to shake Lady Maris to her core—she could barely fathom what it must have been like for Emmanuelle, who had witnessed it all firsthand.

"While gathering the materials for the ritual, I also created a talisman to protect Her Majesty from evil," Emmanuelle continued, her voice unsteady. "But after she became pregnant, the Queen no longer saw a need for it. She believed she had already secured what she desired."

Emmanuelle’s gaze faltered. In truth, she had never been certain the talisman would work, not against something as dark as the spirit that had come for Queen Isolde.

Even if the queen had worn it that night, there was no guarantee it would have saved her. Not from that devil.

"I used the talisman on the child, hoping it would keep the dark spirit from emerging again," Emmanuelle said, her voice thick with tension.

Lady Maris turned toward the sleeping baby. He looked peaceful, innocent—just an ordinary child. But to Emmanuelle, he was far from harmless. To her, he was the shell of something terrifying.

"But the baby has done nothing wrong. He’s blameless," Lady Maris protested, her voice soft but firm.

"He may be innocent, My Lady, but he’s still the vessel of that dark spirit!" Emmanuelle shot back, her eyes wild with conviction. "His very existence is a mistake. You don’t know when that demon will rise again, when it will use him to unleash destruction upon the world."

"And that’s why you wanted to kill him?" Lady Maris asked.

Emmanuelle nodded, her expression hardened, defiant. Cruel though it seemed, she believed the child was no more than the product of forbidden magic—an abomination born from a dangerous pact. In her mind, he was a threat that should never have existed.

"It’s the only way," she said. "Without a vessel, the dark spirit cannot manifest. It will stay trapped where it belongs—in hell."

Emmanuelle’s words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken guilt. She had been willing to kill the child as her last desperate attempt to undo the horrors she and the queen had set in motion.

She explained that she had planned to seek out the shaman who had transferred her pact with the demon to Queen Isolde. Emmanuelle would demand that the shaman herself be the one to end the boy’s life and erase the mistake they had made.

But before she could act, Lady Maris had stopped her at the gate.

Lady Maris understood Emmanuelle’s fear and how she had reached such a drastic decision, but she couldn’t bring herself to agree with it. She remained in silence for a moment, biting her lower lip as she considered her next words carefully.

Finally, she spoke, her tone steady but thoughtful. "If I can ensure the demon never emerges, then everything will be fine, right?"

Emmanuelle’s eyes widened in surprise, as though the thought had never occurred to her. Fear had clouded her mind that the only solution she could see was to eliminate the source of the danger.

"H-how? Is there really another way?" Emmanuelle stammered, her voice shaking with both hope and doubt.

Lady Maris didn’t yet have the answer, but she knew one thing with certainty: she couldn’t allow Emmanuelle to harm the boy without exploring every possible option first.

"I’ll find a way," she said. Though she had no clear plan yet, she was determined to protect the child—and perhaps even find a way to undo the darkness that had taken hold of him.

***

Lady Maris and Emmanuelle worked in grim silence as they cleaned the dungeon, disposing of the ritual materials, keeping only what might be needed to produce more talismans.

Together, they carried Queen Isolde’s lifeless body upstairs, laying her gently in her bed. They washed away the blood, changed her clothes, and meticulously arranged the room to conceal any trace of the horrific events that had taken place.

Only after ensuring the scene looked natural did Emmanuelle summon the royal physician.

With no visible wounds to explain her death, the physician concluded that Queen Isolde had succumbed to a sudden, undetected illness.

The court entered a period of mourning, and during that time, Emmanuelle stood vigil over the queen’s chamber, as she had always been her most trusted maid.

But Emmanuelle’s true purpose was far more secretive.

Under Lady Maris’s instruction, she kept the boy’s existence hidden, ensuring that no one discovered the newborn in the dungeon below. For now, the dungeon was the safest place for him, isolated and far from prying eyes.

The talisman remained securely around his neck, a fragile barrier between him and the dark forces lurking within.

In addition to caring for the boy, Emmanuelle had another task: visiting the underground market to seek out witches and wizards who might have answers about the child’s curse.

Lady Maris provided her with ample funds and assigned two guards to ensure her safety as she ventured into the shadowy alleys and dubious dealings of the occult world.

While Emmanuelle pursued knowledge, Lady Maris attended to the boy’s needs, arranging for his meals, clothes, and toys.

Occasionally, she would visit the dungeon, playing with him for a short while. Each time, a pang of guilt tugged at her heart.

Though born from forbidden magic, the boy was also the result of an immense, desperate love. Without that love, Queen Isolde would never have gone to such dangerous lengths to bring him into the world.

As the months passed, Emmanuelle’s search finally bore fruit. She found a witch powerful enough to seal the demon within the boy. The price for her services was steep, but Lady Maris paid without hesitation, desperate to secure the boy’s future.

When the witch arrived at the dungeon, she studied the child carefully before offering a warning.

"The seal will block everything, including his power as a vampire. Are you certain this is what you want?" she asked.

Lady Maris didn’t flinch. No price, no sacrifice, was too great if it meant keeping the demon suppressed and the boy safe. "Yes," she said firmly. "Please, do it."

The sealing ritual took several days, leaving everyone exhausted. Yet, even when it was over, Lady Maris wasn’t finished with her requests. She turned to the witch and said, "There’s one more thing I need."

The witch, visibly irritated, raised an eyebrow. "What more could you possibly want?"

"Place a spell on me and Emmanuelle," Lady Maris said. "We must never be able to speak of this, no matter what happens."

Emmanuelle looked at her, eyes wide with uncertainty. "My Lady?"

Lady Maris glanced at her, her gaze soft but firm. "It’s not a matter of trust, Emmanuelle. It’s about what others are capable of. If someone ever learned about the boy, they would do anything to extract that information—torture or worse. Under such circumstances, no one could resist. Not even me."

The witch smiled darkly, finding the situation more intriguing than she should. "Spells like these come with harsh consequences when broken," she said. "I suggest something severe—perhaps muteness, or—"

"Death," Lady Maris interrupted. "The price must be death."

It was the only way to truly protect the boy. No secret could ever slip, no risk could ever be taken. The silence would be final.