Chapter 6

"I'm going to tear that hypocritical bitch apart!" Linda's eyes were bloodshot as she turned to leave.

I grabbed her arm.

"There's no point," I said, my voice unnervingly calm. "I no longer want what was never mine. Don't make a scene. Just help me cover my tracks."

Linda bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. Without another word, she waved her hand and cast the most powerful spell of erasure.

Five days until the ceremony, I officially submitted my resignation to the New York Coven's laboratory.

To stay by Vincent's side, I had given up a coveted position at the Supreme Institute in Europe to become his personal serumist.

Everyone in the lab was stunned by my announcement.

"Why quit so suddenly, Elena?"

"You just sent out the Unification Ceremony invitations. Is the Prince so possessive he's forcing you to be his consort full-time?"

I clutched a black case filled with my private research data and shook my head with a small smile.

"No, the wedding is off."

Ignoring the stunned silence of my colleagues, I drove straight back to the castle.

I saw Vincent almost immediately. He had been gone for days, but there he was, with a pale, smiling Camilla at his side.

They were leaning against the black velvet sofa, whispering to each other.

At the sound, Vincent's gaze fell on the black case in my hands, and he sat up abruptly.

"What's in the case?"

I offered a simple excuse. "Just some old things from the lab. I'm having them destroyed."

He seemed to relax, giving a thoughtful nod.

But as he scanned the now-empty hall, a hint of confusion crossed his face. "I've only been gone a week. Why does the castle feel so empty?"

I handed the case to a servant and met his gaze. "As I said, I'm clearing out the old."

Vincent was about to ask more, but Camilla interrupted him, her voice soft and delicate.

"Elena, thank you for letting me borrow the wedding gown. To show my gratitude, perhaps we could enjoy that new shipment of the finest pure blood together tonight?"

"The Prince has been so kind, staying with me during my recovery. I'm sure he's tired."

Her words sounded grateful, but she couldn't hide the triumphant air of a victor.

I didn't even bother to look up.

I was done playing these hypocritical games with her.

In five days, I would vanish from Vincent's world completely. For now, I just wanted to get through these final motions in peace.

Seeing my cold, silent demeanor, Camilla's eyes instantly reddened.

"Vincent… Is Elena angry with me? I mean, you two are about to be united, and I just..."

At the sound of her choked, pained voice, Vincent's expression darkened.

He was displeased. "Camilla is thanking you in good faith. Why the cold shoulder? You're not the Princess Consort yet. It's just one meal. It's not like she's going to poison your blood-wine."

I hadn't said a word, and still I was the one being blamed.

In the end, I nodded. I didn't want any more trouble.

At the hall's crystal bar, Vincent instructed the steward, "Open that vintage bottle of specialty blood-wine. Add Camilla's favorite, Ice-Thorn extract, to each glass."

He explained to Camilla, reciting from memory, "Ice-Thorn keeps the blood fresh. It's good for your condition."

I stood to the side, watching the steward fill three crimson goblets. My gaze turned to ice.

Ice-Thorn. I'm severely allergic to it.

For two centuries, a single drop of Ice-Thorn extract would cause violent spasms in my blood, an agony beyond words.

Every servant in the castle knew my personal goblet was never to contain it.

But Vincent, the man who had been my partner for two hundred years, had completely forgotten. Yet he remembered Camilla's preferences perfectly.

The steward approached me with a goblet laced with Ice-Thorn, his hands trembling.

I pushed the goblet away. "I'm severely allergic to Ice-Thorn," I said coldly.

At my words, Vincent's expression froze, a flicker of guilt crossing his face.

He waved the goblet away and ordered a servant to bring me a new glass of the pure blood I preferred.

But I didn't touch a single goblet. I just sat there, silently drinking ice water.

As we were leaving the Undercity, my phone buzzed.

It was my mentor from the European Institute.

"Elena, I need to confirm one last time. Are you absolutely certain you want to enter the subterranean labs directly?"

"This Daylight Serum project involves the highest level of coven secrets. Once the ancient magical seals are in place, you'll be completely cut off from the outside world for eighteen months."

My gaze fell on the two figures walking side by side ahead of me.

Vincent was holding Camilla by the waist, his large black cloak wrapped securely around her, shielding her from the tainted, low-grade magical energies of the Undercity.

"I'm sure," I replied without hesitation.

My mentor let out a long sigh of relief. "Good. The board was worried you wouldn't be able to leave your Prince."

I pulled my gaze away and turned to leave.

"The wedding is off."

"I can leave at a moment's notice."

The moment the words left my mouth, a cold voice cut in from behind me.

"Who's leaving?"