Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 69: Spellbound

Chapter 69: Spellbound

As expected, being thrown to the kitchen as a servant wouldn’t suffice as a punishment for Riona. She was now imprisoned in her chambers, not allowed to step a foot outside.

She could have visitors, but they were thoroughly searched. The guards were mere Nightwatch, and it would be relatively easy for Riona to escape if fighting the guards was all it took.

However, King Valentin had anticipated Riona’s problem-solving methods and took precautions by enveloping the whole chamber with a strong spell. There was an invisible shield that prevented Riona from leaving.

That’s what the guards told her when they brought her here and locked her up. "His Majesty the King personally oversees this chamber. So you better not try anything funny, Fangless, or you’ll regret it."

The guard had nothing to worry about, at least for today. Riona was still so preoccupied with her uncle’s last words that she didn’t think about escaping.

"Why did he say that?" she muttered as she tried to understand that incident.

She had not expected him to be offended by that. She had thought that what angered him was the accusation of murder. She had been certain that King Valentin truly had something to do with her mother’s death.

What shocked her the most was the pained look on his face. For a moment, Riona believed in his feelings for her mother.

"He sounded genuinely hurt," she whispered.

Riona creased her brow. Her uncle’s expression only deepened her confusion. Was it really not King Valentin who conspired against her mother? But who else would benefit from her mother’s death but her uncle?

After telling her all that, he let go, dropping her to the ground with a loud thud. She felt like her whole body was breaking into pieces, but it was the least of her worries.

He sent her to her chamber in the main palace building, instructing his aide to assign guards to lock her inside. Shortly after Riona entered her chamber, bloody and battered, King Valentin cast a spell around the chamber specifically to keep her there.

"What is it...? Something seems... amiss. What happened?"

Riona lay in bed, hugging her fluffy pillow, as she dissected every piece of information she knew. The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Nothing connected.

"Ugh, I’m really bad at this, aren’t I? I need that Alpha and his sleuth of an aide."

She rolled onto her side, feeling unsettled.

***

The next day, Riona decided she had enough. She had spent the entire night racking her brain, yet she was still stuck with disconnected pieces of information.

She jumped out of bed and opened the door. To her surprise, it was unlocked. Raising an eyebrow, she glanced at the guards, who did nothing upon seeing her at the door.

"Hmm... how bold," she thought, assuming the guards were confident in their ability to handle her. "Let’s see if their poise reflects the truth or if it’s just a facade."

Riona extended her foot out, but before she could step onto the floor outside her chamber, she was thrown back inside by an invisible force.

The impact hit her chest severely, leaving her coughing on the floor. "What in hell...?"

The guards turned around and smirked as if they had been waiting for this moment. One guard handed the other a coin, grumbling, "Shit!"

"What did I tell you? It’s fangless! How could she wait two days before making trouble?" the other guard remarked with a large smile, sliding the coin into his pocket.

These guards had been bored since being assigned to this mundane task, so they tried to alleviate their boredom by betting on when Riona would try to escape.

The winning guard confidently claimed she wouldn’t remain compliant for more than a day, while the losing guard bet she could hold on for at least two days.

Riona clenched her fists. She forgot about the spell and the invisible shield. Growling, she got up and concentrated her power in her hands.

King Valentin had erected the shield himself, but he wasn’t around, so she could try to break it before he appeared.

She felt warm energy surging within her. Taking a deep breath, she directed the energy to her hands and unleashed her mighty power. It was so intense that Riona struggled to maintain her stance.

Pushed backward, Riona groaned loudly, straining to push through until the shield broke or cracked. Her power could destroy the Umbra Grounds completely—it should be enough to destroy this shield too.

What Riona didn’t account for was that this shield was personally created by King Valentin. There was a significant chance that the shield was directly connected to him, meaning that whatever happened to it, the king would know.

That was why Riona suddenly experienced the same nightmare she had the previous day. She lost her strength and collapsed.

As the red fog dissipated from her chamber, she saw a tall figure, dressed in black from head to toe, entering the room.

His aura was commanding, and Riona had no choice but to bow. "Y-Your Majesty..."

"It is no use trying to escape," he said.

He was significantly calmer than the previous day, speaking without bulging veins and with eyes that didn’t radiate the intent to kill. In fact, if Riona dared to guess, the king seemed to feel remorse for what he had done to her the other day.

"I’ve been too lenient because you’re my niece. I intended to honor my sister and treat you like my own daughter."

Riona almost burst into sarcastic laughter at that. Right, maybe he was being true to his word; King Valentin was just as harsh towards his own flesh and blood, Lisbeth.

He sighed and said, "But I can’t do that anymore. Amara is gone, and I am your guardian now. I won’t let you embarrass the royal family more than you already have."

It isn’t like you have been treating me as part of the royal family.

Riona couldn’t discern the king’s true intentions. Why suddenly bring up family when her presence had never been acknowledged? She had always been referred to as an orphan that the king took in out of pity.

"You will continue your studies here, in this room. Your mentor will come to teach you and ensure you graduate from the academy. I have prepared a vacant spot for you in the royal court."

Riona didn’t know which words were worse: studies, graduate, or a vacant spot. All of them seemed to give her the same level of headache.