Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 227: The Vampire Eater

Chapter 227: The Vampire Eater

Realizing the gravity of the situation, King Valentin knew he couldn’t delay dealing with it any longer.

Rising from his chair, he began pacing the room, his heavy footsteps echoing softly against the polished floor. Movement often helped him organize his thoughts.

The desk he left behind was still piled with documents demanding his attention. Among the clutter, a sliver of a map peeked out from beneath the stacks. Margrave Boris, still standing near the desk, found his gaze drawn to it.

The map was marked with red circles, each signifying the location where a victim of the ’vampire eater’ had been discovered. The margrave’s brow furrowed as he studied it. Suddenly, something clicked.

"Your Majesty, forgive me, but you need to see this!" Margrave Boris said urgently. He pushed aside some papers, pulled the map free, and laid it flat on the central table.

"What is it?" King Valentin asked, turning toward him.

Margrave Boris pointed at the red marks. "These are the locations of the victims. But there’s something more. Step back and look at the map as a whole."

The king frowned but obliged, stepping back as Margrave Boris had already done.

"At a glance, the locations seem scattered, like they’re too far apart," the margrave explained. "But from a distance..."

He squinted at the map, gesturing for the king to do the same. "It forms a pattern, Your Majesty. You’ll see it."

King Valentin followed Margrave Boris’s suggestion, not out of obligation but driven by curiosity. As he stepped back and viewed the map, the pattern became unmistakable.

His breath caught. How had he missed this before?

The realization brought a mix of relief and dread. On one hand, this insight might make catching the ’vampire eater’ easier. On the other, it complicated matters in ways he hadn’t anticipated.

"I need to see Maris," the king said abruptly, striding out of his office with urgency.

The map revealed a startling truth: all the locations of the circled incidents pointed back to one central point—the royal palace.

Initially, this hadn’t been obvious. Some attacks had occurred in the northernmost reaches of the kingdom, places so remote it would take days to reach by carriage.

Yet, the forest paths and a swift crossing of the deep river reduced the journey to a mere hour on foot.

This revelation cast a shadow over the king’s thoughts, leading him to a troubling conclusion. Could Florian somehow be connected to this? The king’s suspicion grew stronger with every step.

King Valentin arrived at the west tower, expecting to find Lady Maris, but her chamber was empty. He then tried Lisbeth’s chamber, only to find it unoccupied as well.

Frustration flickered across his face. Spotting nearby servants, he began questioning them. Margrave Boris, trailing close behind, quickly stepped in to help, aiming to prevent the king’s rising stress from boiling over.

After several inquiries, they received answers. One servant claimed to have seen Lady Maris heading toward the northern tower, while another swore they saw Lisbeth in the training chamber.

Without hesitation, the king turned and made his way to the northern tower.

Crossing the inner courtyard, his thoughts swirled in a storm of suspicion. Different scenarios played out in his mind, each more unsettling than the last.

What if the ’vampire eater’ was Florian? The possibility gnawed at him. Florian had been volatile and troublesome for months—it wouldn’t be a stretch for him to be involved.

But if it were Florian, why target vampires?

The question lingered as the king’s footsteps echoed against the stone paths. Drinking vampire blood provided no nourishment to a human body, so what could the motive be?

Obsession? Revenge? Madness?

As King Valentin entered the northern tower, a heavy sense of unease settled over him. The air felt thick, almost oppressive as if something dark and sinister resided within these walls.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that it might be Florian—or perhaps the demon that seemed to plague him. Yet, there was an undercurrent of something else, something he couldn’t name.

The tower was eerily quiet, devoid of any signs of life. It wasn’t surprising; the servants assigned here had all quit, and Margrave Boris hadn’t yet found replacements.

The situation was complicated further by the rest of the staff threatening to resign en masse.

Florian was not in his chamber, nor was Lady Maris. The king clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had urgent matters to discuss with Lady Maris, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Your Majesty, I heard voices from that direction," Margrave Boris said, breaking the tense silence. He silently hoped that the voices might belong to Lady Maris and Florian, perhaps just engaged in a calm conversation or walking together.

The king nodded sharply and moved toward the source of the voices, his aide close behind. As they drew nearer, the faint murmur became clearer. Margrave Boris’s hunch was partially correct—one of the voices did belong to Lady Maris.

But the other voice was unfamiliar, and its strange, chilling tone sent a shiver down the king’s spine.

"Will this be enough to keep him—that thing—from leaving the chamber?" Lady Maris asked, her tone low and edged with unease.

The stranger, her face partially concealed by a headscarf, replied calmly, "It should be, as long as he maintains control over himself."

"What is this?" King Valentin’s voice cut through the conversation, sharp and commanding. He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but he wouldn’t allow his lover to keep secrets from him—not again. Once was enough to leave him blindsided.

Lady Maris froze, her gasp betraying her guilt as if she’d been caught committing a crime.

The stranger, unfazed, turned toward the vampire king and offered a respectful bow. "Greetings, Your Majesty," she said smoothly, her voice carrying a composed confidence. She then faced Lady Maris, bowing once more. "My Lady, I shall take my leave now. I believe my duty here is complete."

Without waiting for permission, the stranger straightened and began to walk away.

King Valentin’s gaze darkened as he fixed his eyes on Lady Maris, his voice sharp with disbelief. "A human? Don’t tell me—a witch?"

Lady Maris stepped closer, her movements measured as though approaching a wounded animal. She placed a gentle hand on his chest to calm him. "My love, please understand. I had to bring her here."

"Why?" he demanded, his jaw clenched tightly.

Taking his balled fist in her hands, she carefully pried it open, her voice soft yet burdened with urgency.

"There are rumors about the dead vampires. People are saying it’s the work of a demon—or a beast. I feared it might be him, so I followed him one day."

Her voice faltered, and she lowered her head, tears threatening to spill as she struggled to continue. She sniffled quietly, her emotions betraying her.

Margrave Boris, standing nearby and utterly perplexed, frowned as he tried to piece together what he was witnessing.

Without another word, King Valentin drew Lady Maris into his arms. He didn’t need her to say what he already suspected. Her trembling confirmed his worst fears.

"It’s him, isn’t it?" he murmured softly, his tone resigned yet heavy with grief.

After a long pause, Lady Maris pulled herself together just enough to nod. "Yes," she whispered.

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