“Your Majesty, I already refined these pills, but their effects aren’t perfected yet.
If Beryl has the same intensity of power as the king, you have to let her take one.”
Murray handed me a black velvet pouch and further reminded me, “I will stay in the imperial palace for the time being. If anything happens, just call for me.”
“Thank you.” I took the pouch of pills and escorted Murray to the door.
The whole palace was brightly lit, and the light exposed the casualties: vampires’ bodies were scattered lying in the hall on the first floor.
Imperial soldiers buzzed in and out, carrying and transporting corpses in bags.
Without exception, the hearts of these dead vampires would be gouged, out before they were to be buried deep in the forbidden forest, giving them no chance to resurrect.
At dawn, almost all the corpses had been cleaned up, the hallways almost clear of any trace that something wreaked havoc. The guards had caught many vampires who were alive and sent them to prison.
For the whole night, the imperial palace had been cordoned off because of the vampires’ invasion. If the invaders had not been found out as soon as they did, grave danger would have surfaced.
We had kept Crystal’s death under the rug, but who were we fooling? It would not be long before it would spread like wildfire. After all, we had to hold an elaborate funeral and a solemn farewell ceremony for Crystal.
However, all of these needed Rufus’ approval. Another problem atop covering Crystal’s death for the meantime was that Rufus was still in a coma. Grief burdened me. Three days had passed, but Rufus still had no signs of waking up.
I tucked Rufus in and murmured, “If you don’t wake up, Crystal’s body will perish in no time. You love her that much, so I guess you don’t want to see her without a decent funeral, right? Death cannot be reversed. When Crystal was still alive, she wanted you to live well. Wake up, Rufus. Your kids need you, and so does your kingdom. Don’t let Crystal die with regrets.”
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the door. Slowly, the door opened a crack.
I turned my head and saw a little silhouette.
“Arron, come in,” I called gently.
A head poked in, and its curly hair waved rebelliously.
“Grandma,” Arron called me in a low voice. His dark green eyes, as beautiful as Crystal’s, drooped listlessly.
“Come here, sweetheart.” I beckoned for Arron. He crossed the room and rushed towards me, climbed up my knees, and nestled in my arms obediently.
“Is Daddy still sleeping? Why hasn’t he woken up yet?”
Arron paused and asked, sadness lingering in his voice, “Will he be the same as Mommy?”
I rubbed his head lovingly. “No. Your daddy will soon wake up. We just have to wait patiently.”
Rufus’ POV
I felt a stifling pressure surrounding me. It did not help how dark the place was; everywhere I looked, the shadows were the only thing that greeted and welcomed me.
I let myself be swallowed by the endless night as I walked. There was nothingI could make out of the shade, not even a single sound. I heaved a heavy breath and forgot who I was, like a traveler struggling to survive in the middle of the desert.
In the midst of my wandering, a cry got caught up in my ears. It seemed all the nerves in my body stopped functioning. My mind became clear of the fog that muddled me and colors began to slowly seep through my eyes.
A girl clad in rags on the bed turned around, her face drenched with tears. The moment she saw me, she was even more aggrieved. “Rufus, why would you leave me alone? I can’t find you.”
“Sylvia…” The voice that croaked from my throat was hoarse and unfamiliar and it was shaky, like a child who had just learned to speak, calling the name of the person he loved My mind was a blank slate, but the moment the girl materialized before my eyes, everything seemed to have become natural. The resonance deep in my soul made me call out the girl’s name. I knew that she was my mate.
I opened my arms wide, but when I was close to hugging her, the image of her suddenly vanished and the space morphed into something else.
A girl in a gorgeous dress was smiling brightly at me. My dead heart seemed to come back to life as I felt it beat against my chest.
“Rufus, why aren’t you saying anything? You think I’m a bad dancer, don’t you?” The girl shot me a dagger stare, stood on tiptoe, and hit my chin with her forehead When I came to my senses, I found myself holding the girl’s hand and we were in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by people in magnificent dresses.
Ethan and Laura were looking at us with a smile from a distance.
Everything was just like before. Ethan was still alive, and Laura’s hair was not yet gray. She still had the love of her life by her side, smiling beside her.
The scene changed again. This time, I was back at the palace where I used to live. Under the grapevine, the girl whose belly was obvious with a bump was quietly alight on the rocking chair, sleeping soundly. Judging from her belly, it was most likely that two babies were healthily growing inside it.
I sneaked up on her, habitually crouched beside her, placed a kiss on her forehead, and blocked the dazzling sunlight for her.
The pain that surged through my veins earlier evanesced. Life became peaceful and happy.
“Daddy, why are you crying?” Someone unexpectedly tugged one of the legs of my trousers. I looked down and my eyes found Beryl.
The scene around me changed again before I could even savor it.
“It must be because Mommy ate Daddy’s cake.” Arron was standing behind Beryl with his hands clasped behind his back. His little face, which was a carbon copy of mine, was wearing a very serious expression.
“No, it’s not like that. Daddy doesn’t like cakes. He hates sweet food the most. It must be because Mommy went to a party with Auntie Flora and didn’t come back to sleep here last night.”
“No, you’re wrong, I don’t believe that’s the reason why Daddy’s sad. It’s because he didn’t get a bite of the cake.”
“Arron, you fancy cakes, right? You keep mentioning it.”
It was as if the boy was a deer caught in the headlights, and he was stunned. He snorted. “Well, I don’t want to talk to you. I’ll go play with Mommy.” I stood there, not moving a muscle and just watching them run away from me.
Those faded memories were no longer blurred and gradually became apparent.
It dawned on me that I had forgotten so much. It seemed I had forgotten the very core of my life.
The wind became fierce, and the air was filled with the stench of blood.
Another dose of pain shot through my chest. I opened my eyes and saw Noreen’s distorted face. Not far from me was Sylvia’s scream, ringing in my ears.
“Rufus, move aside!”
I didn’t budge and only watched Noreen take out my heart.
The scenes suddenly stopped playing.
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