The Vampire Prince's Blindfolded Bride
Chapter 263: This is an injustice!

Chapter 263: This is an injustice!

On the much-anticipated night of the full moon, Magnus prepared himself to venture into the eerie, moonlit woods, as Alpha Claude had directed. The forest seemed alive with shadows, and the air seemed to be steady tonight.

Alpha Claude and Ralph, along with the pack wolves, had taken up defensive positions in the north, their senses heightened and ready to jump into action at the first sign of trouble, if occurred.

Magnus had donned a special ring given to him by Gloria. This ring had the unique ability to cloak his vampire scent, making him undetectable until he chose otherwise. He had provided the same ring to George, who was right behind him.

Magnus looked up at the sky, watching as the full moon climbed higher, its silvery glow casting an ethereal light over the landscape. The moon’s ascent seemed to imbue them with greater strength, especially the werewolves.

Magnus and George moved silently ahead before coming to a halt as they could see a light glowing a few distance away from them. Using their vampiric speed, they both approached the site only to see Zaiden, who had his back toward them.

They both hid behind a tree, watching Zaiden keenly. To their surprise, he wasn’t alone, but a witch was present with him, who was performing some ritual under the glowing moonlight.

"Over there, I can see a woman," George whispered urgently into Magnus’s ear. Magnus shifted his gaze to the left and saw a woman dressed in simple white clothes approaching Zaiden.

"A human," Magnus noted quietly.

"Perhaps they are performing a sacrificial ritual," George muttered, his voice tinged with suspicion.

Magnus’s mind raced with questions. What could Zaiden possibly gain from such a ritual? Control over the minds of the local people? And what surprised him more how Zaiden found out a witch to do this ritual?

"We should stop them," George said as he waited for Magnus’s instructions.

"I’ll take down the witch," Magnus said decisively. To him, Zaiden wasn’t the real threat, but the witch was.

In the blink of an eye, Magnus vanished from George’s side, reappearing right behind the witch, who was seated on the ground, deeply engrossed in her ritual.

Before Zaiden and the witch could react, Magnus seized the witch, yanking her to her feet and pressing a dagger to her neck from behind.

"She will die if you make a move," Magnus warned coldly. His eyes narrowed as he read Zaiden’s mind. "Oh, she’s your mother. Interesting!" He smirked, pressing the dagger closer to her neck. The sharp edge bit into her skin, and a thin trickle of blood began to flow.

"Don’t try to do anything, Zaiden. This isn’t an ordinary dagger. It is already infused with a more powerful witch’s magic. Your mother will die right away," Magnus affirmed.

"Then you should kill her," Zaiden said defiantly, trying to make a break for it. However, George quickly intercepted him, delivering a powerful blow to his face that sent him crashing to the ground in a nanosecond.

The human woman, terrified, ran to hide behind a nearby tree.

"Close your eyes, lady!" Magnus called out before swiftly striking the witch’s neck with the side of his hand. She immediately fainted and crumpled to the ground. Magnus then turned his attention to Zaiden, who lay on the ground, writhing in pain. Grabbing Zaiden by the collar of his long robe, Magnus pulled him up.

"You should not have fooled the king of this land," he declared before shoving Zaiden away. "Tie him up, George. We need to take them away for investigation," Magnus ordered, glancing at the unconscious witch.

George moved to secure Zaiden, while Magnus pulled to the witch using her arm. He then addressed the human woman, who was still cowering behind the tree.

"Follow us," he instructed firmly. With their captives in tow, Magnus and George left the site, ready to uncover the truth from them.

~~~~

Magnus sat on a chair, his posture relaxed with one leg crossed over the other. George stood by his right side, while Ivan, Ralph, and Claude were positioned on the opposite side. They were inside a dimly lit dungeon, the oppressive darkness broken only by the flickering light of fire torches mounted on the stone walls.

"Wake them up," Magnus ordered the guard. The guard promptly splashed water on the faces of both the witch and Zaiden, rousing them from their unconscious states with a start. They both blinked and coughed, struggling to regain their senses.

Zaiden’s eyes fell upon Ivan unable to understand why he was there. Did he betray him?

"Yes, he did betray you, Zaiden," Magnus responded after reading his thoughts. "I don’t have much time with me. So, just tell me the entire truth quickly. Let me remind you– nothing is hidden from me," he stated, "because I’m Magnus Lukeson."

Zaiden instantly recognized and so did his mother.

"I am Irelyn. Please don’t punish my son, Your Highness," the witch finally told her name while pleading with him.

"Irelyn, you two aren’t going to live," Magnus clarified to them. "And I’m not here to grant forgiveness to you both. What were you exactly performing on the full moon night?" he questioned. "You two made quite a good influence here, formed a group of vampire hunters," he stated with a skeptical gaze.

"I wasn’t accepted in the vampire society, so I decided to form my own empire with the help of my mother," Zaiden spoke up finally as he began revealing the truth. "Mother used to help me in keeping everyone in my control by performing a ritual on the full moon night," he stated.

"And such rituals are banned in the kingdom. How could you even think of taking over this region? You not only killed vampires, but kept werewolves under your toes," Alpha Claude growled as he stepped up.

"Did you kill the vampires because you were not given entry in our kind? Who turned you into a Vampire?" Magnus questioned him.

"Yes, that’s the main reason to kill them slowly from this region. They should know that even a vampire like me can create a fear in them, which I did," Zaiden stated with a smirk. "A woman transformed me into a vampire. She was my lover. But the vampires killed her just because she attacked a few humans for the blood. I wanted to take revenge from all of them," he finally revealed much bigger truth for his hatred toward the vampires.

Magnus understood what happened with Zaiden was totally wrong, but what he later with innocent humans was the worst. He glanced at the witch and said, "Irelyn, I don’t intervene when it comes to the punishment of the witches. So, you’ll be punished according to the rules set by the witches, by the Head Witch herself. As for your son, he has to die."

"Why should I die? This is an injustice!" Zaiden shouted, struggling to free himself from the thick shackles that bound him. His voice was a mix of desperation and fury as he thrashed against his restraints. Magnus approached him with an air of cold authority, grabbing Zaiden’s neck and forcing him to face the truth.

"Because you asked your mother to perform the banned rituals to keep everyone in control," Magnus snarled. "You took innocent lives, especially those of human girls. Your lover continued to kill despite being warned thrice. Do you understand now why you must die?"

Zaiden’s eyes widened in horror, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps. The weight of his crimes settled heavily on him, but the mention of Rubin seemed to hit him the hardest.

"Before you meet your end," Magnus continued, his grip tightening, "I would like to know how you knew Rubin."

"Rubin!" Zaiden’s eyes dilated with fear and recognition as he heard the name, memories flooding back with an intensity that left him reeling.

"Ahh, so you were the vampire who met Rubin in Velaris," Magnus remarked, his voice dripping with revelation as he delved into Zaiden’s thoughts. Zaiden, realizing the futility of resisting, tried desperately to silence his mind, but it was too late. The damage was done.

Magnus released his grip on Zaiden’s neck and turned his piercing gaze toward Irelyn. "So, he taught you to perform such a sacrificial ritual to maintain control over everyone here," Magnus chuckled darkly, taking a step back. Rubin had orchestrated this entire scheme to fulfill his own nefarious plans. He had manipulated an agitated vampire, drawing Zaiden into his web of deceit and using him to form the hunter organization that would serve as his camouflage. Never before had Magnus encountered such a cunning and calculated adversary.

"Rubin is dead, and you two shall meet the same end," Magnus declared, his tone cold and final. He turned on his heel and strode out of the dungeon, his command for their execution echoing in the dank, stone dungeon.

Zaiden’s scream reverberated through the air, a desperate plea for mercy. "Don’t do this! You don’t understand!" he shouted, his voice cracking with fear. But Magnus decision was final. He paid no heed to his cries. Without a backward glance, he continued his march away, leaving Zaiden and Irelyn to their grim fate.

George and the other three followed Magnus right away while Magistrate Horace ordered for the executions of both Zaiden and Irelyn.