Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 70: A Royal Cage with a View

Chapter 70: A Royal Cage with a View

Florian ran over and hugged Riona’s waist. He was followed by a handsome, muscular man and his slender yet stern-looking aide.

"I suppose this beats scrubbing floors, right?" Puck commented, eyeing the room with a hint of approval compared to the shabby quarters of the servants.

Riona patted Florian’s head with a smile that soured as she replied to Puck, "I’d rather wash vegetables than memorize the history of vampires and the Kingdom of Eira."

"Who cares who the first vampires were or how they came to be?" she exclaimed, lifting her hands in frustration. "And what good does it do to know that the first King of the Kingdom of Eira came from the Vonstein Kingdom?"

Gritting her teeth, she continued, "And why should I bother learning the languages of Greifswaldia or Rudell? I thought vampires wanted nothing to do with humans."

Thorin smirked, clearly amused by Riona’s frustration.

"Careful there, sweetheart," he teased. "Before you know it, your king might be extending his hand for human help, just like he did with me."

Werewolves had their shares of education, as well, but they didn’t normally focus much on history or languages due to their lifestyle, which didn’t typically involve diplomacy and politics.

"Urgh!" Riona growled in frustration at the thought. She sank into the sofa while Florian retrieved something from his pocket.

It was his handkerchief, which he placed on the table and opened, revealing small pieces of broken cookies. He looked at Riona, silently inviting her to taste them.

Her smile returned almost immediately. She popped a few pieces into her mouth and joyfully savored the taste, even closing her eyes in bliss.

Thorin mused that her punishment would feel much lighter if she could study alongside Florian or with a big bowl of snacks nearby. He chuckled at the thought.

"So, what happened? What’s the deal with the guards? I heard King Valentin also put up an invisible shield to keep you here."

Riona rolled her eyes, forcefully pulled back into the sour topic. "He thinks I’ll escape from this room. So, Puck, tell me, is it still better to be a prisoner than a servant? At least as a servant, I could go wherever I wanted."

Puck walked closer to the window and responded, "This room has a great view. You’re given delicious meals too, aren’t you? And isn’t it still better compared to the scarcity of food you had as a servant?"

She couldn’t retort because he was right. The food was a lot better here. She didn’t have to rely on Juan the Cook’s kindness to get a bigger portion. Florian could also enjoy a hearty meal in comfort in his room.

"Plus, I know you’ll try to escape. His Majesty isn’t the only one who thinks so," Thorin added.

Another truth from someone who had been by Riona’s side for the past few weeks. It made her realize that she had grown considerably closer to these werewolves, mainly due to their plan to gather supporters for her mother.

Feeling comfortable with this team, Riona shared her thoughts and confusion. She recounted what King Valentin had done to her.

Worried that Florian might overhear details about their mother, Riona glanced at him and stood up from the sofa. Noticing her concern, Puck called out to Florian and kept him occupied with the scenery outside the window.

This gave Riona the opportunity to tell Thorin about King Valentin’s last words concerning her mother. She expressed her confusion and asked for his opinion. "What do you think he meant?"

Thorin didn’t answer right away. He needed time to ponder the king’s intentions. After all, understanding someone’s mind required more than just intelligence; it required closeness.

"You’re his niece. How do you interpret it?"

Riona took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He sounded sincere, and there was real pain in his eyes. It was as if my mother had just died in front of him."

The grief was too raw and too real. If King Valentin were faking it, he must be a truly great actor.

She continued, "But if he’s not the one, who else would benefit from my mother’s death? Was it... an accident, after all?"

"I’ll have to investigate it further. You’re right; it’s possible that your mother’s death had nothing to do with your uncle. We can’t rule anything out for now," Thorin said.

Riona sighed. As soon as one concern was addressed, another surfaced. "So, I guess His Majesty granted the petition, considering he’s keeping me here and insisting I graduate."

Her head throbbed at the thought of studying and being forced to work under her uncle. Would she have to spend the rest of her life suffocating under the vampire king’s rule?

Meeting the source of her trauma every day seemed unbearable.

Some might argue that facing your trauma head-on could diminish its power, but Riona would much rather run away from it. Keeping her distance would make everything fine, so why torture herself by facing him?

Yet the vampire king, his lover, and his daughter seemed to think it would be more entertaining to keep Riona around. The daughter wanted a clean victory, the mother wanted her daughter to be happy, and the father...

Huft. I don’t know what he wants from me.

Thorin promised to investigate the circumstances surrounding Amara’s death. With Puck’s help, Riona was confident they would uncover something noteworthy.

For the time being, Riona only needed to endure her time in isolation. If she looked on the bright side, she could appreciate the comfortable bed and lavish food provided for her.

Moreover, it wasn’t like Riona had friends to socialize with. Even when she could roam free, she never used her free time to hang out with friends.

The only company she needed was Florian, and he could visit her room whenever he wanted. Additionally, she had two more frie–um, acquaintances—Thorin and Puck—who spent time with her during her free hours.

But, of course, the worst part of being imprisoned here would be the studying.

Sir Orlo marched into the room, pushing a cart filled with books. Riona almost gagged at the sight and tried to escape reality by avoiding the obvious question.

"Since you have nothing else to do, I found some things to fill your time productively," he said, proud of himself.

Oh, Dark Lord, kill me now.

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