Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 254: Flattering, but No Thanks

Chapter 254: Flattering, but No Thanks

"What do you mean I’m your future bride? I’ve never even met you before," Riona said, stepping out of her room.

She had caught the tail end of Thorin’s conversation with the emperor, and it was enough to stop her in her tracks.

Lucky for her, she missed the first part—because, while she was well aware of Thorin’s flair for drama, even she would’ve had to fight the urge to hurl after hearing him dramatically bask in the spotlight, speaking as though the vampires were swooning over him.

As if the world had been waiting for a personal performance.

"Did I miss the memo?" Riona quipped, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

She knew this man. Well, she’d seen him before—though, they hadn’t exactly exchanged pleasantries. The last time their eyes met, it was when she was leaving—or, more accurately, fleeing the royal palace.

His gaze—those all-knowing eyes—were fixed on her from within the opulent carriage, gliding into the chaos of the royal palace like some kind of melodramatic royal parade.

Emperor Kaan chuckled, sliding both arms behind his back like he was some sort of enlightened oracle, drawing ever closer to her. "You’re interesting. I knew I made a good choice."

"What choice?" Riona raised an eyebrow, her tone somewhere between genuine curiosity and utter disbelief.

The emperor was now mere inches from her. She almost backed up—partially startled, partially disgusted—but quickly realized that would be a win for him.

So, she stood firm, making it clear she wasn’t afraid of whatever nonsense was about to spew from his mouth.

"Choosing you as my bride? It took a mountain of effort. Well, I’m a young emperor of Asvaldur," he said. "Do you think I get to choose my bride freely? But rest assured, I’ve convinced the council that my chosen bride is more than worthy to stand by my side on the throne."

Riona had to admit, his voice was... well, pleasant. Too pleasant. And his face? Not bad, but she had a particular fondness for men who looked like they could chop wood with their bare hands. You know, someone who had a lot of hair, exotic, amber eyes.

Someone like... Thorin.

Also, there was just something off about Emperor Kaan. She couldn’t pinpoint it—maybe it was the whole ’too-perfect-to-be-real’ vibe—or maybe it was the fact he looked like he might have a collection of porcelain voodoo dolls at home.

Either way, something was definitely wrong.

"I came to Eira specifically to ask for your hand," he said, perhaps expecting her to burst into tears of joy.

Riona, however, was not about to fall for this romantic nonsense, not with her real lover here, hearing everything.

Instead, she swiftly reverted to her kingdom’s favorite defense: protocol. The Kingdom of Eira was obsessed with it. "Er... well, I don’t actually have any say in that. As you know, such matters are usually handled by a girl’s father."

Oh, burn! Eat that, pretty boy! My father’s dead—how’s that for a plot twist? she thought, grinning to herself. What was he going to do now, consult his royal advisor on how to handle dead dads?

"I’ve officially proposed," Emperor Kaan announced. He turned to Thorin, delivering a condescending smile as if to say ’See? I’m so very proper.’ "As dignified creatures, I go through the proper channels. That is, through your legal guardian, King Valentin."

Oh, shoot! Legal guardians!

"You didn’t think that far, did you?" the Fallen One chimed in.

Ignoring the ancestor’s mocking tone, she squinted at the emperor. "Did he accept the proposal?"

She was fairly certain he hadn’t. After all, what’s in it for her uncle? Her marriage to the emperor would bring him nothing. But if Lisbeth were to be shoved onto the throne as empress? That’s where the king’s true interests would lie. He was always thinking two steps ahead.

Marriage was just another political chess piece for the royal family. It was why he’d gone ahead with marrying the late queen, even though his heart belonged to another woman. A small detail, really.

"It doesn’t matter now, does it?" Emperor Kaan replied, his disturbing smile still plastered on his face like it had been permanently carved. "I’ve saved your kingdom. Twice. I understand that your dear uncle had no intention of uniting under the flag of my empire, but this marriage is the least he could do to repay me for the immense favors I’ve bestowed upon him."

Riona’s eyes narrowed. "Are you blackmailing His Majesty?" she hissed, her voice dripping with disdain.

Familial relationships were complicated. She had hated her uncle for decades—well, that’s putting it mildly, she was practically allergic to the king—but lately, things had shifted.

Still, the idea of anyone trying to harm the vampire king triggered something in her. It wasn’t loyalty, not exactly, but there was something about hearing an outsider talk like that that made her blood boil.

Instead of looking even remotely threatened, the emperor let out a laugh, as though Riona had just told the world’s funniest joke.

"Blackmail? That’s a rather strong word you’re using, Riona. I’m not your enemy. I’m well aware you wouldn’t exactly jump at the chance to marry me, so allow me to demonstrate my sincerity—a little gesture to help you consider my proposal in a more positive light."

Riona looked at Thorin, who appeared to have experienced an out-of-body experience, then come back and promptly checked out again.

Swallowing her panic, she pasted on an expression of utter confidence, despite the fact that she hadn’t the faintest clue what was happening, and said, "I’m afraid I won’t consider your proposal positively. Your Majesty, it’s incredibly flattering that you think so highly of me. But I’m already engaged."

The emperor’s smile vanished so quickly it was like someone had ripped it off and thrown it into the nearest trash bin. He straightened up, his posture suddenly as stiff as a board, then turned on his heel.

His gaze locked onto Thorin with the intensity of a man staring down his love rival in an ancient, tragic romance.

"Is it because of him?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the Alpha.

Riona kept her mouth shut, mostly because she didn’t want to deal with the mess that would come next if Thorin decided to launch himself at the vampire emperor.

The last thing anyone needed was the guy starting a full-blown werewolf-vampire war because he couldn’t handle a little taunting. No thanks—she’d rather not go down in history as the girl who accidentally triggered Racial Extinction.

"I can give you something he can’t," Emperor Kaan said, his gaze shifting back to Riona. His voice dropped to that low, commanding tone that only a royal vampire could pull off without sounding ridiculous.

He leaned in ever so slightly, the corner of his mouth curling into a smug smirk. "I know how to save your brother from Ol’gaz."