Chapter 22

"I'LL be waiting for you then," she said as she was kissing his cheeks, not wanting to forego the rules and manners of a lady in polite society. But Niklaus knew firsthand when she was breaking the rules. And he loved it when she did it.
"I see you then. Have a nice trip," he said before he kissed her knuckles and Becca smiled. She slipped inside the carriage as the footman was closing the door. The coachman was whipping the reins before the horses moved forward.
Niklaus was looking at his family carriage, carrying his bride to the Royal Castle as his cousin would be waiting for her. He smiled before a presence came up from behind.
"Well, aren't you happy with your marriage life, Dragomir?" Ian's voice hit his eardrum before Niklaus was turning to look at him. The marquis was smiling as he was staring at the carriage as well. Niklaus was pulling on his gloves before a smirk was plastered to his lips.
"I won the bet," he said simply before Ian turned to look at him, arching his eyebrows.
"Do you mean to tell me—"
"Yes, I told her and she decided to stay with me, Ian. And yes, I had converted my wife to be a part of me. She's a Vampyre now," Niklaus said as Ian was blinking his eyes at him. He loved to render the marquis speechless sometimes.
"Got nothing to say, did you?" Niklaus said before he was walking toward the entrance of the Stone Tower.
I cannot wait to learn more about my wife and her newly discovered strength and agility, he mused as Niklaus was making his way to the courtroom. Ian followed his pursuit.
"Wait! Are you to tell me that Lady Rebecca Davis—"
"Lady Rebecca Dragomir. Remember, she's married to me, Ian," Niklaus corrected his peer before Ian was shaking his head.
"I cannot imagine it. A lady, stay with a Vampyre and you changed her to join us. What are you thinking, Nick?" Ian whispered to him as they could not discuss the conversion or the Lesser Gentry would feel threatened by the sheer power that the Higher Court had over them.
They have been trying to keep that secret forever and if the Lesser Gentry knew that they could be converted to join the Higher Court, a riot could happen.
"She's my soulmate, Ian. Of course, I would convert her to join me. I knew it, here," Niklaus said as he was touching his chest, showing her his heartbeat for Becca now.
"We completed the bond last night and it cannot be undone. No matter what you have to say about it," Niklaus said before he was striding toward the courtroom. He could hear that the marquis was cursing under his breath but when Niklaus turned to look at him, Ian was sighing, knowing when he was defeated. He patted his shoulder.
"One day you will understand when you find your mate, Ian. And I think it is due for you to get married as well," Niklaus said as he was smirking at his peer. Ian blanched.
"I hope the queen will not notice that sooner. I rather it would be later," he said before Niklaus was laughing as they went into the chamber and greeted the lords of the Higher Court available there. All except for Baron of Fell. He was still away on a mission from the young queen.
"Well met," Niklaus said as he was shaking hands with the Earl of Raine, Tom, and Viscount of Vyckos, Dan. They nodded at him before turning toward Ian.
"Well met," the marquis said before they were taking their places to discuss the issue that was rising to get their attention.
"So, what is it that you want to talk about?" Niklaus asked before Tom put some parchments on the table. Niklaus took to read what was written on it before he turned to look at the earl.
"We have heard rumors that some of the other supernatural was terrorizing the citizens and there has been a sighting that it was a shadow that can form any shape," he said before Niklaus furrowed his eyebrows.
"Shadows? But what creatures can control shadows? As long as we're here, there hasn't been—"
"This thing happened after the trip to the Forbidden Land," Tom said before the silence filled the room. Ian turned to look at Niklaus. He clenched his jaws.
"Are you sure about this?" Niklaus asked Tom before the earl was nodding at him. He then pulled a parchment that was small enough to be a telegram. And maybe it was but Niklaus did not know who it was from.
"I have contacted the expert on that and he said that he will investigate it," Tom said before Niklaus was arching his eyebrow, leaning back in his chair.
"He?" he asked before the earl was smirking.
"Don't you remember? A few years ago when the expedition went south in Chentersea. Did you forget who led the expedition?" he asked Niklaus before he was rubbing his dry mouth.
"Ivashkov, wasn't it? The lord that went there to resume his father's work?" Ian asked before Tom nodded. Dan was sipping on his wine.
"Well, if he volunteered to investigate it, I think we're in good hands then. It would seem that his father's research was not a waste at all," Dan said before Niklaus tapped his fingers on the table.
"I wasn't sure if it was a waste or not but if Ivashkov was proving to be a good source, then we're going to take it," Niklaus said before Tom was smiling at him.
"I let him know immediately," he said before the earl was ringing for a servant as he was passing a new parchment.
So, he has come prepared for that, huh? Just waiting for my approval, Niklaus mused before he smiled and shook his head.
The Higher Court was something.
"Now that we have gone over the serious issue, I think we can discuss the boring stuff such as taxes and tenants' hardship, right?" Dan said before Niklaus was taking his goblet and drained the wine laced with blood.
It was one thing to get control of the Court but if the tenants were not satisfied, no lords would be and it was the Higher Court's responsibility to maintain that everyone was happy.
Especially when Niklaus just found his soulmate, he intended to spend as long as he could with Becca, no matter what the cost for it.