Chapter 10: The impending arrival of the King in the West!

Natasha Langdon continued looking closely at the princess. There was something about that girl that just rubbed her the wrong way without any particular reason. Natasha wasn’t like any ordinary woman. Her intuition and gut instincts were always on point. She respects her opponents too and never under estimates them, that’s how a common pheasant like her is now the royal concubine. And her gut feeling told her that this wasn’t the first princess that they were used to. Her instincts told her that she would be quite a formidable opponent.

She had received the information that the assassins had successfully completed the job and even if they were lying, they were still attacked. But the princess didn’t look the least bit jittery at all at being attacked. Instead, she was taking in everything with a carefully controlled expression on her face. Natasha felt that this girl, whoever she was reflected the Ice Queen’s personality more than the first princess herself.

She shook her head, trying to ease her suspicions and not to overthink and jump the gun. Her hasty decision could mean trouble for them. What if it really was the first princess? What she needed to do was find a way to contact the assassins and double check with them.

The Queen followed Natasha’s gaze and cleared her throat loudly. Natasha blinked in surprise and concentrated her attention back to the Queen.
She smiled icily at the concubine and repeated her question, having no intention to leave her alone, “You haven’t answered my question, Natasha. Who informed you about the princess supposed death?"

Forced into a corner, the concubine had no choice but to turn to her husband for help. She bowed her head respectfully before the king and whimpered, “Forgive me, Your Highness, for causing you pain. Believe me, it was never my intention to do so. It seems I had received wrong information.”
She then turned her head towards the council elders and said, “Forgive me for my haste, Sirs. I should have double checked the informant.”

The council nodded at her disapprovingly, not in the least bit happy at having wasted their precious time when they had much important matters to deal with.
The Queen watched all this drama with an amused expression on her face. Natasha glared at the Queen ,realizing that she was teasing her and messing with her. It was quite obvious that the Queen already knew that it was her that sent the assassins after them.

Selena had only eyes for the man sitting on the throne, her father. She frowned as she realized that he was the least bit affected with all the drama that was going on. She felt a tad bit disappointed that her father paid no attention to her. He merely sat there nonchalantly and unbothered with all the commotion that was going on right in front of his eyes.

The Queen saw the open hurt in her daughter’s face and let out a sigh. No matter what she had heard of the tyrant king, he was still her father and the Queen realized that her daughter was meeting him for the first time today.
Upon seeing the hurt expression on her daughter’s face, the Queen vowed to herself that she would fulfill both the duties of a father and mother. She would never let her daughter feel that she wasn’t getting enough love and always protect her. She had already wasted several years and it was about time that she make up for all the lost time with her daughter.

The council as well as the rest of the noble vampires gathered in the hall soon dispersed, muttering among themselves.
The Queen bowed her head deeply to the King and said politely, “Your Highness, Mia is tired out from the journey. We will take our leave now”
With that, she nodded at Demetri who pushed Selena out with the Queen following right behind.
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The King eyed his concubine angrily and shouted out in frustration, “I thought you had taken care of it”
The King had been barely controlling his anger till the moment they left.
Natasha bowed her head in regret, afraid of angering the king and replied in a timid voice, “The assassins had informed me that they had took care of her.”
“Then why is she still alive and well? Do I need to remind you that she has the blue blood in her and the most claim to the throne.”
He slapped his concubine hard in the face and she fell on to the floor, her knees falling weak. Vanessa immediately rushed to her mother while Andrew continued to watch everything from a distance without anything being shown in his face though deep inside he was appalled that his father could even plan his daughter’s death ruthlessly. It was times as these that he wished that his father was an ordinary man and not the King.

“She is a weakling and a black mark on my name. I wouldn’t have minded her taking over me if she was worthy but she is just a coward and I won’t have my legacy and lineage spoiled like that. We can’t attack her again for the time being since it will just breed suspicion in the minds of the council members as well as our citizens. Leave her alone for now.”, The King ordered in a frustrated tone.
They had missed the golden opportunity. Another attack on the princess was nearly impossible.

The King eyed his other daughter Vanessa and said in a firm tone, “In a few days, the King of the West, Caro Silva will visit. I intend to make sure that you wed him. Caro Silva would serve as a commendable ally to your brother. So, make sure to please him and woo him”
Vanessa blushed at her father’s request and nodded timidly at him. She was not in the least bit offended by her father’s command since like most women in their kingdom, she too was a secret admirer of the King of the West.
The news had already spread through out the kingdom that the King in the West was in the lookout for his bride and the women in the entire kingdom of Valyria was waiting for his arrival.

Caro Silva too was a blue blooded vampire like her half sister but unlike her, Caro had an additional power which made him all the more powerful and feared.
He had the most powerful defensive weapon as he was a shield. He could protect himself from almost all powers. The Queen’s power was that she could read every single thought, every single desire and wish of the person with a single touch which was a rather formidable power to have but Caro was totally immune to it. He can’t be tracked by the trackers too nor could he be mentally deterred by illusions.

Natasha smiled at her daughter, seeing how exited she was with this news. Yes! For the time being she had to leave the first princess alone. Attacking her again so soon after the failed assassination would raise some eyebrows and draw some suspicions. For now, she has to concentrate on securing an ally for her son and a husband for her daughter.

But something told her that she shouldn’t leave the girl alone. An uneasy feeling was in her stomach whenever she thought of that girl and she decided that she needed to keep her eye on her covertly to ensure that she was indeed the first princess.