Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 244: The Royal Pain in the Palace

Chapter 244: The Royal Pain in the Palace

"What do you mean find Riona? Isn’t she in Eira? You’re the one who should be helping me find her!" Thorin snapped accusingly as if he’d been diligently searching for Riona all along. Which, of course, he hadn’t.

He’d thought about it—once, maybe twice—but ’thinking’ and ’doing’ were entirely different beasts.

Lady Maris blinked several times, her expression caught between disbelief and annoyance. Scenarios spun through her mind, most of them starring Thorin as a master manipulator pretending to know nothing so he could wiggle out of responsibility.

But she concluded that his reaction was too raw to be a mere pretense. Even though they had not been closely acquainted, she had seen him in action for a while. And having as good judgment as she had, she could tell when he was lying and when he was being genuine.

"She left us—she left me—because she wanted to be with her brother," Thorin gritted out, his voice low and dripping with betrayal, as though this were the ultimate personal attack.

If it hadn’t been for Florian, he reasoned, she would still be by his side. Never mind that she’d had her reasons—or that maybe, just maybe, it hadn’t all been about Florian. In Thorin’s mind, betrayal trumped nuance.

Conveniently, Thorin’s rage swept aside the little detail that Riona had left not only for Florian but also because of the guilt eating her alive. But no, why dwell on pesky facts when righteous indignation was far more satisfying?

Lady Maris exhaled slowly, steeling herself against the chill of the memory that Eira’s peril evoked. Her hands clasped tightly together, concealing the faint tremor that betrayed her composure.

"She did come to the palace," she said at last, her voice quiet yet steady. "But things didn’t go as she had planned."

As Lady Maris recounted the incident, she spared no detail about Riona’s grand entrance at the royal palace. She described how Riona had stormed into the royal palace, brushing past the guards as if they were mere inconveniences.

"Those guards were no match for her," she said, shaking her head with a mix of admiration and concern. "His Majesty himself had to intervene and speak with her directly."

The mention of King Valentin made Thorin grimace like he’d just tasted something sour. Not that he could help it.

His memories of the king weren’t exactly sunshine and rainbows—more like a collection of bad dreams with a single confusing exception: that bizarre moment when the king had allowed Riona to leave the palace unchallenged.

"I can see it on your face," Lady Maris said, cocking an eyebrow at him. "I know how you feel about him. You think he despises Riona, don’t you? But trust me, he doesn’t hate her. Quite the opposite, actually. Everything he’s done—no matter how completely ridiculous or downright awful it seemed—he did for her."

Thorin let out a disbelieving snort, but Lady Maris pressed on as she delved deeper, revealing the lengths to which King Valentin had gone to protect Riona.

"He sees her as the embodiment of his late sister," she continued. "She was his world. His reason for everything. And Riona is all that remains of her in his eyes."

Despite her defense of the king, Lady Maris wasn’t here to justify his actions. She had a purpose—a plea for Thorin’s aid. To gain his trust, she knew she had to lay bare the entire truth.

"That’s why he sent her away that day," she said, her voice lowering as the memories replayed in her mind.

She began recounting how Riona’s fiery determination had shaken the palace, her desperate quest to find Florian driving her to the brink.

Lady Maris explained how she and King Valentin had made a painful decision: to keep Riona out of the palace and away from the danger Florian’s inner demon posed.

"It wasn’t out of malice," Lady Maris added. "It was to protect her. We both knew that if Riona and Florian had left together, the demon within him might have destroyed her."

"Demon? What are you talking about?" Thorin’s brow scrunched up like he’d just been asked to solve a riddle written in Ancient Gibberish.

Honestly, he assumed she was being dramatic—like Florian was in some kind of over-the-top teenage phase, sulking, slamming doors, and maybe trying to dye his hair black for extra flair.

But Lady Maris’s expression was grave, leaving no room for doubt. She took a steadying breath and began unraveling the truth, starting from the very beginning. She spoke of Florian’s mysterious origins, the shattered seal that should never have broken, and the nightmares that followed in its wake.

Thorin blinked at her, his brain scrambling to keep up. "Wait—so a vampire... ate other vampires? Is that even allowed? Like, are there rules against cannibalism in the ancient coven?"

"We thought it wasn’t possible," Lady Maris said, her voice low and burdened. "Until it was. This demon is unstoppable. Not even the king himself could stand against it. If nothing is done, the kingdom will fall—it’s only a matter of time."

Her gaze locked onto Thorin’s, sharp and unyielding. "There is only one who can destroy the demon. The Blood Moon child. Riona."

Thorin felt the fury simmering in his chest, threatening to boil over. How dare she. That was his first thought upon hearing Lady Maris’s request.

Of course, she hadn’t intended to provoke him—but her words were like a spark to dry kindling. The audacity of this woman to come here, asking for Riona’s help, after everything they had done to her.

"You must think the world bends to your will, don’t you?" he spat, his voice trembling with restrained anger.

He clenched his jaw so hard it was a miracle his teeth didn’t shatter. His fists tightened like he was preparing to punch the sheer nerve right out of her.

"All those years—what did you do? You tormented her. Called her fangless like it was some clever insult."

He threw his hands up for effect. His glare burned into her, his anger unrelenting.

"Mocked her at every opportunity. Your precious princess went out of her way to humiliate Riona at every turn. And yet, here you are, waltzing into my territory, all doe-eyed, asking for her help. Have you no shame? Or is that just not in the royal vocabulary?"

Thorin could hardly believe the sheer absurdity of it. In his mind, no one in the Kingdom of Eira had any right to ask Riona for anything. Ever.

Okay, sure, maybe Sir Kai and Sir Orlo had been there for her when it mattered, but this wasn’t the time for nitpicking. Thorin wasn’t feeling especially charitable with the details.

"Where were you," he growled, his voice heavy with accusation, "when she was locked away by your so-called beloved king? When she cried, begging to see her brother—where were you? What did you do?"

He answered his own question with a snarl. "Nothing. She survived on the scraps of mercy your king decided to throw her way. And now, when it’s convenient for you, you dare to ask for her help? Outrageous doesn’t even begin to cover it."

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