The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 287: Nothing Like The Rumors

Chapter 287: Nothing Like The Rumors

When Annalise went downstairs after half an hour or so, she found all three of the Dark Lords chatting with Crown Prince Elijah in the dining hall where they all seemed to be waiting just for her so that they could finally start the breakfast that Aunt Claire and Vladiya had prepared.

"My apologies for making you all wait." She said while making her way toward her seat between Damien and Kenric.

"As long as the food is great, the wait is nothing. And nice to see you again, Lady Annalise." Elijah spoke as he stood up to greet Annalise with a formal bow that the latter returned with equal respect.

"Nice to have you back here, Your Highness. Did you rest well last night?" She asked while Freya and Sera moved to serve the warm food.

"I have always enjoyed my stay here at your place. Unlike the rumors, this place is filled with warmth and peace. It almost feels like a long-lost home to me for some reason." Elijah replied as he took a sip of the freshly cooked chicken soup and his gaze shifted to take a look around the dining room.

A smile bloomed on Annalise’s lips as she felt happy. It was a different experience to watch the Cursed Castle turning into a home, but it felt entirely different to hear it from someone else. It made her feel... proud of her home.

"Have you settled the matter of the Portal Hall at your end?" Valerius asked Elijah.

The Mortal Crown Prince nodded his head in the affirmative before speaking - "Just like you suggested, we have appointed the High Priest as the new guardian of the Portal Hall. Only he and his direct descendants will be able to open the Portal from now on."

"But isn’t that kind of dangerous? To leave the fate of something so important in the hands of a single person?" Annalise questioned and her gaze shifted between all the four men.

Elijah once again nodded his head as if he was in agreement with her insecurities. "You are not wrong about that, but we don’t have any options with us at this point. After the removal of the Divine Guardian Beasts, the Portals have been left completely abandoned with no source of protection. The best we could do is to protect it temporarily while looking for better solutions."

Annalise nodded her head in understanding. They could indeed not leave the portals without any sort of protection. That’s never a good idea.

The five of them chit-chatted for the rest of the breakfast about the usual stuff.

"What are you going to do for the rest of the day? Any plans, Princess?" Damien asked Annalise and his question made the others turn their attention toward her.

While all four men seemed curious about her answer, there was a huge difference in the curiosity between her husbands and Crown Prince Elijah.

Annalise stood up from her seat and faced the men with a warm smile before she answered - "I’m going to spend the day with Aunt Claire and others. We are planning to go down the mountain and pay a visit to the Capital Market."

"Let me come with you. I have nothing else to do." Kenric didn’t even waste a single second before he proposed the idea.

Before Annalise could respond, Valerius spoke up too - "Actually we all have nothing to do. How about we all accompany you? We can even give Elijah a tour through the Capital."

Here it went. Any last hope of rejecting their offer was thrown away the moment Valerius included Elijah.

Annalise’s gaze shifted toward Sera and the girl gave a nod in response to the unasked question.

Turning her gaze back to the men, she finally replied - "Alright. We will be leaving within half an hour."

* * * * *

"How about this one?"

"Haven’t I already told you that I have more than enough clothes? I don’t need new clothes." Annalise tried to make her husband understand the same thing for the umpteenth time.

Ever since they had entered the market street, Kenric kept finding things to buy for her. If not for her constant reminder, he would already have brought half of the market by now.

"I think we have bought everything that we needed. We should head back home now." She told her husbands who shared looks among them before turning their gazes at Elijah as if leaving the decision to him.

The Mortal Crown Prince appeared slightly flustered to be suddenly put in the spotlight but after a couple of seconds of struggle, he did respond - "I think I have also seen most of the market. We should indeed head back."

All of them headed out of the shop and Annalise’s gaze landed on the familiar three-storey building standing right in front of her on the opposite end of the street road. She turned to look at the men as she excitedly suggested - "How about we have lunch before returning home?"

"Where will be having our lunch then?" Damien asked as his gaze also scanned their surroundings as if to search for what had made his wife change her mind all of a sudden.

"Let me take you all there." Annalise couldn’t hold back her excitement as she grabbed Damien’s hand and started pulling him toward her favorite restaurant.

The five of them booked a private room on the second floor and only Sera and Mr. Warren accompanied them while Garron and Freya had already returned to the castle with the goods they had purchased.

Annalise ordered the best dishes and they all had a great time enjoying the delicious food.

"Did you use to come here a lot?" Kenric asked as his eyes assessed the room, not missing any detail.

"Kind of," Annalise answered as she too allowed herself to take in the familiar surroundings. It had been over seven months since she last came to this place... and since she married the Princes.

-

When Annalise walked out of the restaurant na hour later with the four men and the two servants, the last thing she expected to see was a huge crowd that had suddenly gathered outside on the street and all of them seemed to be waiting for something or someone.

As soon as they all stepped outside, a buzz started through the crowd as everyone started talking at the same time while pointing in their direction.

"What’s going on here?" Valerius asked as he quickly pulled Annalise behind him while Kenric and Damien moved to surround her from the other sides. Her husbands suddenly looked like soldiers who were there to guard and protect her.

"I don’t think they mean any harm. They actually look... curious?" Elijah said but he didn’t sound too confident about his analysis.

But Annalise agreed with him because as she looked at the crowd, she didn’t see an ounce of enrage but only curiosity about something.

"Princess Annalise?"

A familiar and sweet voice suddenly called out and Annalise immediately felt Kenric tightening his hold around her.

Struggling to look through the small gap between her husbands’ huge bodies, she finally succeeded in seeing the face of a very familiar person who, in return, was trying to seek her out.

"Gena!"

It took no effort at all as Annalise pushed past her shocked mates and went straight toward the young lady standing not too far away, throwing her arms around her and hugging her like they hadn’t met for so long, which was actually true.

"It’s really you. I just thought that the rumors were just... well rumors. But I’m happy that I decided to come here today." Gena said excitedly as she pulled out of the hug and looked at Annalise with sparkling eyes that were filled with pure happiness.

"Rumors?" Valerius asked way before Annalise could respond.

Gena finally moved her attention away from Annalise and looked at the men standing nearby. They were tall, strong, ethereal, handsome, and powerful. She could barely make herself look directly into their eyes.

Turning her attention toward Annalise, she asked in a low voice - "Are they...?"

Annalise nodded her head with a smile on her lips as she answered - "Hmm. They are the Dark Lords and my husbands. Also, there’s Crown Prince Elijah from the Mortal Raelm accompanying us today."

The crowd suddenly erupted in another wave of murmurs which made both Annalise and her companions bewildered.

"What’s going on here?" She asked her childhood friend who answered while letting out a small sigh - "Well, some people recognized you when you were shopping around and the rumors started spreading that you and the Dark Lords are here. You know just how fascinated people are when it comes to your husbands."

"Oh."

What else could Annalise say after hearing that all the buzz was because of her infamous husbands who had been seen as a myth and a mystery by the people of the capital.

"Well... they are nothing like the rumors, are they?" Gina asked as she took a quick glance toward the Dark Lords.

A smile bloomed on Annalise’s lips as she replied - "No. They are nothing like the rumors."