The Vampire Prince's Blindfolded Bride
Chapter 172: Your eyes, your smile–

Chapter 172: Your eyes, your smile–

"Alora, I thought they would hate us... I mean, hate me. It’s surprising they didn’t say anything," Venus said, looking at Alora.

"They must be kind-hearted," Alora whispered back.

Just then, two unfamiliar gentlemen approached them. "I believe this is the first time we’ve seen you both. Have you recently moved here, or is this your first time at the masquerade ball?" the first man asked.

"It’s our first time here," Alora replied with a smile on her lips.

"Then, shall we dance together which will start in a while?" the same man asked Alora. "But before that, I think we should have a general introduction," he opined.

Before Alora could answer him, Magnus appeared like a flash of light.

"There’s no need to introduce yourself to my dear wife," Magnus said while scowling at them. His eyes shone red in anger, which made them tremble in fear.

"Wife?" Both men asked at the same time. They quickly apologized to Magnus, explaining that they hadn’t realized one of the ladies was married to him. Unable to recognize Magnus because of his mask, they hastily retreated from sight.

Alora sighed; this wasn’t what she had expected.

Magnus turned to her, his expression stern. "Why did you talk to them?" he asked, then glanced at Venus. "You should have spoken up and told those bastards the truth about my wife," he said, his tone laced with possessiveness and irritation.

"I was going to speak, but then His Highness appeared," Venus replied, apologizing to him.

"You think I’m naive, don’t you? I could have handled it better without scaring them," Alora said, feeling upset that Magnus seemed to underestimate her understanding of the situation.

"I didn’t say that," Magnus replied. "You look so beautiful that every man who doesn’t know you feels attracted to you. What can a jealous husband do except shoo them away?" he muttered, adjusting the mask on Alora’s face.

Venus smiled at their sweet bickering and quietly slipped away, thinking the two should have some time together at the ball.

"Only His Highness thinks that. No one even looks at me that way," Alora said.

"They do. I can see and read their thoughts. Alora, since the day you removed the blindfold, I’m telling you, you have become more beautiful. Your eyes, your smile– they are enough to drive me crazy," Magnus confessed.

Alora stopped blinking to hear him. A tint of red appeared on her cheeks. "Magnus, shouldn’t you say that only your heart gets swayed by me?" Her sparkling eyes were glued to him.

"Then, sway my heart only. I feel like killing others if they eye on you," Magnus said as he held her hands and drew her nearer. She forgot to breathe as their noses touched each other’s. At the same time, they forgot their surroundings.

*Cough! Cough!*

Izaak interrupted their moment, a wine cup in his hand.

Alora quickly moved away from Magnus, remembering they were at the ball.

"My dear brother and sister-in-law, you both need to remember that this is a public ball. You two cannot start here," Izaak remarked.

Alora felt embarrassed to hear his statement and she hid behind Magnus, not wanting to face him.

"We aren’t like you," Magnus said firmly.

Alora wandered her eyes around and saw that Venus wasn’t around her. "Where’s Venus gone?" she panicked.

"She must be within the hall. Don’t fret," Magnus said.

"But she needs a person by her side," Alora insisted.

"She is strong enough to tackle things. Trust me," Magnus stated while being confident. Keeping her hand on her shoulder he continued, "Let her fight this time."

"Alora, come have a drink. The wine is quite good here," Izaak suggested.

"Forgive me, Brother Izaak, but I don’t wish to drink tonight," Alora declined politely. "Perhaps Magnus would like to join you," she suggested, glancing at her husband.

"I thought you were on the hunt for a woman here," Magnus remarked, gesturing for a server to approach. He then picked up a wine cup and clanked it with Izaak’s.

"Well, that was my initial plan. Then, I saw you two getting intimate here, so I decided to make you both stop," Izaak teased them again with a smirk.

"Will you stop it? You are making Alora uncomfortable with your words," Magnus said and sipped the wine.

His throat burned as he spit it.

"What happened?" Alora and Izaak asked simultaneously, both were full of concern.

"It burned my throat," Magnus replied, feeling the uncomfortable sensation lingering within his throat.

Izaak took it from him and inhaled its scent. Alora held Magnus’s arm, feeling worried. "I will ask for water," she said.

"No. Don’t," Magnus held her hand, stopping her from leaving.

The others looked in their direction, sensing something was wrong with them.

"Alora, stay with Magnus," Izaak instructed before heading in the opposite direction to find out more about the server.

Someone had intentionally fed Magnus a poisonous drink, infused with the fine liquid mixture of silver and ash tree leaves.

Alora gently caressed Magnus’s chest, her eyes welling up with tears. Griffin and Alaric approached, along with other nobles, all concerned for Magnus’s well-being.

"What happened, Magnus? We heard that you felt sick," Alaric said, his expression filled with concern. Griffin arranged a chair for Magnus and urged him to sit down.

"I-I don’t know. He drank some wine, and it burned his throat," Alora said, feeling uneasy seeing her husband in discomfort.

Alaric checked Magnus and asked him to open his mouth. Fortunately, there was no burn sign.

Elliot and Venus also arrived there. They found Alora crying while Magnus wasn’t in a good state.

"We shall return to the palace," Alaric stated.

"No. I am fine. It’s an important event," Magnus stood up from the chair and looked at Alora.

"No, we shall return. You need to get checked with a doctor," Alora insisted and told Griffin to prepare the carriage. "Venus, Elliot, go home safely after attending the ball," she murmured and left with Magnus for the palace.