Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 28: Charm Offensive

Chapter 28: Charm Offensive

"What’s with her?" Puck commented as he walked beside Thorin, heading back to his room after the bizarre encounter with Princess Lisbeth.

Thorin scoffed. "This much is predictable. King Valentin must be shocked that I uncovered his biggest secret."

From the start, King Valentin’s decision to marry his daughter to Thorin had been strange.

Despite their discord with the Asvaldur Empire and the Kingdom of Eira’s relatively small size, it was full of prideful vampires.

It was unfathomable that the king of those prideful vampires would want to sacrifice his daughter as a werewolf’s bride. Even more baffling was the princess’s attempt to reclaim her spot as his bride after he had chosen someone else.

Thorin had thought his request to choose Riona as his bride would be accepted easily since Riona was essentially an outcast, with no one appreciating her presence.

But seeing Princess Lisbeth’s manipulation of the Nightwarden Trials results, it was clear she did not want Riona to leave the palace just yet.

And now, the king was trying his best to push Riona out of the picture in this negotiation and insert his daughter instead.

"Wouldn’t your marriage with Riona play in his favor? The real heiress to the throne would no longer be in the Kingdom of Eira, and his daughter’s position would be perfectly secured," Puck wondered aloud.

Thorin nodded in acknowledgment. His mischievous eyes told Puck that he was getting closer to the truth.

Then it hit Puck. "You don’t mean–"

The Alpha werewolf grinned widely. "Riona might not know about it."

Puck folded his arms across his chest, stroking his chin as he nodded in rhythm. "If Riona isn’t aware of her real identity, then it all makes sense."

"She can’t be controlled, and who knows what she might do if she finds out? King Valentin couldn’t risk involving a capricious girl in his grand plan," Thorin concluded.

"So, what will you do?"

"Nothing. For now. I’ll act according to their moves. But my decision is final. It’s Riona or the negotiation falls through."

Thorin had come to the Kingdom of Eira knowing that the kingdom needed him, but he also had his own agenda.

Initially, he thought a negotiation might be the answer, but after learning what he knew now, he realized that perhaps the negotiation wasn’t that important after all.

All he needed to achieve his goals was Riona.

***

When another invitation letter arrived, Thorin sighed, reluctant to open it. As he moved to toss it into the crackling fire, Puck stopped him.

"Wait! The envelope looks different this time. Are you sure it’s from the princess?"

Puck snatched the envelope from Thorin and checked the content. "It’s from the king. He is hosting a grand banquet for you."

Thorin laughed. "Ha... That’s ridiculous. Why would he do that? Ah, right. This must be part of the princess’s scheme too."

"Will you skip this event? I can tell them that you’re not feeling well," Puck suggested.

"Not feeling well? An Alpha Werewolf? I’d be a laughingstock," Thorin scoffed. "Besides, I’m curious to see what they have up their sleeves. Let’s face it head-on. A grand banquet, huh? Sounds fun."

***

On the day of the grand banquet, Thorin wore his finest clothes as a display of respect to the other guests.

He knew the noble vampires did not hold werewolves in high regard, so making a good first impression was crucial—or so everyone said.

He had considered appearing bare-chested, finding the idea amusing, but Zane was adamantly against it.

Despite his own amusement at the thought, Thorin agreed to be serious for once and covered his bare skin because he couldn’t bear the look on people’s faces if he made a scene.

When he stepped into the grand hall, it was already swarming with nobles, each holding a glass of high-quality blood. Their eyes turned to the door, watching intently.

Silence soon filled with murmurs. Most of the guests commented on how good looking Thorin was, his chest protruding as he walked with the dignity of an Alpha, commanding the room with his mere presence.

But there was another aura that challenged his. Approaching the man, Thorin bowed slightly, pressing his palm to his chest as he did.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. Such a magnificent banquet! Please accept my gratitude for your kind hospitality."

The king gave a forced, barely-there smile. This banquet was definitely not his idea. Look at that face! It was like a cat forced to take a bath.

"Do enjoy it, Thorin," the king said curtly.

"Sure, I will."

Thorin turned on his heels and walked through the crowd of vampires, who parted like the Red Sea, eager to get a closer look at him.

Surprisingly, a significant number of vampires showed interest in him. Most of them were ladies, which was not surprising at all because who could resist his charm?

Um, alright, maybe Riona could resist his charm. But let’s be honest, she was not immune to his allure–he just had not tried hard enough. If he did, she would eventually fall for him as well.

Amidst the mass of admirers, a familiar face appeared. It was Princess Lisbeth.

"Greetings, Alpha. Are you enjoying the banquet? My father personally prepared it to welcome you. We thought a small dinner wouldn’t suffice, considering your status and the importance of your visit to our kingdom."

"Oh, yeah, of course. I’m absolutely thrilled to see you groveling for my affection," Thorin grinned, deliberately provoking the princess.

Princess Lisbeth gritted her teeth, struggling to hold back her fury. She was clearly offended. "Shall I introduce you around? I know most people here. It must feel disorienting being among strangers."

"Ha!" Thorin burst out laughing. "Sorry, Princess. You’re just too amusing. But really, you might need to try harder. Is this the best you can do? Riona managed to get my attention without even trying."

Thorin turned around, ready to leave the princess, who stood there stunned and dumbfounded. Just then, the door flung open from the outside with a loud bang.

A crimson fog surged in from the doorway, momentarily blinding everyone. As the mist cleared, Thorin’s gaze fell upon a female figure standing at the entrance.

Her eyes shimmered with a piercing blue hue, and her claws didn’t show up despite the use of her powers.

Riona had arrived. But wait, was she even invited?