004

KING LEROY

The following night, many came to see my fake mate. All the leaders of different covens came to pay their respect to their Queen, and we buried Arabella after.

I know everyone was waiting for me to go berserk. It happened to us when our mate died. We become feral or end our lives. Instead, after the burial, I locked myself inside my room and instructed Raul to introduce Amara, Cheche, and my mate to everyone, but I sneaked into the meeting hall, making sure no one saw me. I wanted to see the reaction of my people to their arrival.

"This is Amara, a member of the Sanguine clan. King Leroy spared her life for saving these two human children. They're the children of one of the human prisoners at the Sanguine clan, but she's already dead. So King Leroy took them in to live with us."

"Humans are not allowed to live with us. They're just going to die soon. You knew their blood was like a magnet pulling us with them." One of many vampires said.

"Can you smell their blood now?" That's when I just noticed that Cheche, as well as my mate's blood, does not smell like other humans. A vampire won't notice they are human because their scent blends with a vampire like us. Why? I wondered to myself.

"No, right? So no vampire will attack them soon because of the smell of their blood except if one of you purposely attacks them, but if you're not afraid of King Leroy, you can do it, but I'm sure King Leroy will rip your heart out of your chest Raul said with a smile on his lips but without humor about it.

"But why does King Leroy want them here? He can return them to the humans unharmed." I cursed when another one asked.

"About that, the King is the only one who can answer your question. You can ask him yourself if you want an answer, but now, it's not the right time." Raul is always good at avoiding questions he doesn't want to answer.

"General Raul, what will happen to the King now? What if he's going feral and kills all of us because one of his guards kills his mate, or worse, he'll end his life?"

"The King is strong. He has lived for centuries alone. I know he'll recover from his loss soon. Our King is stronger than all of us, and all the traitors out there wait, and the King will hunt all of you soon. And besides, they said royalty has a second chance, mate." I smile at that. Amara is brilliant at making a lie, and just by looking at my people, they believe the lie that Amara made up. I left the hall and went inside my room with a smile plastered on my lips.

***

Unknown

I thought when the King found his mate, and we killed her, the King would go crazy?"

"It's your fault. Why killed her when they just met? You should let them be together for a while to bond, and when they develop a strong bond, that's the time to kill her. Why not consult me first before making a move."

"I'm sorry, Sire, I'm not thinking. I just grab the chance."

"What now? His only weakness is gone. How can we bring him down now?"

"Sire, let's not think about it for now. Let's wait first for the outcome of this. We don't know what was happening with the king right now. I heard he had never left his room since the day his mate died, and it's been a week. Maybe General Raul is hiding what is truly happening to the King."

" Okay! Send someone for information about the king's condition and what he was doing. Find something that we can use against him."

"Okay, Sire."

***

"Sire, the vampire I sent to the castle, returned."

"He got information for us?"

"He said the King, always seen with the two human children lately, and he was well. I think the King was fond of them, and it seems those two helped him recover from his dead mate."

"Okay, watch them closely. Maybe they're the weakness that we're looking for.

***

KING LEROY

Ahhhh!!!!! A loud shriek, followed by a loud cry, echoed throughout the castle. And I already know who it was, Sadie. I quickly rushed out of my office toward the playroom on the second floor.

The whole top floor only belongs to me. My office, my room, and another room for my Queen, but Sadie is not staying there yet because my people still don't know about her. And I don't want to announce it yet to everyone until she is at the right age and for her safety as well. I'm afraid that more traitors are living with us.

Since the day Arabella died, no attack or problem has occurred. Maybe because they are waiting for me to break down, to become weak before they attack, sad to say, but it won't happen now, not forever, that my mate is beside me.

The next floor below me is where Raul, Louis, Lucas, Luther, and their families stayed.

The floor below them is where an average vampire was staying, including my mate and Amara and Cheche, and where the playroom was.

On the ground floor is where the living room, the meeting room, the dining room, and the kitchen are. Some other vampires who want privacy live in their houses around the castle.

There are only four kids in the castle, including Sadie and Cheche, they are all six, and every night, they gather inside the playroom to play. Sadie also sleeps during the daytime like us. She got used to it because, since birth, we let her sleep in the day.

Vampires seldom get pregnant. And if one got pregnant, we take it as a blessing. That's why vampire children treated them like treasure to our race. We always make sure that they are safe and away from danger.

But those kids, sometimes, I wanted to strangle them to death, especially the two little boys, Emmett and Hunter. They are both five years old, and they love to bully the fourteen months old Sadie. Who can't even walk properly, and you can't understand what she was saying?

They love to take away her toys, mess with her hair, or poke her cheek and run around inside the playroom. My poor little mate struggled to run after them even though she was not entirely stable running, and she kept falling, and the two monkeys will burst into laughter at my poor mate's misery.

I burst inside the room, and my little mate bawled her heart out inside the washroom, with Amara washing her lips while Cheche wrestled Hunter on the floor like a mad child. She always protects Sadie and beats whoever hurts my little mate despite her looking smaller than others.

"What happened?" I asked, and my little mate quickly crawled away from Amara toward me and hugged my legs, looking up at me, bawling. I picked her up, and she laid her head on my shoulder, sobbing, rubbing her lips.

"Ouch!!! Hunter cried and pushed Cheche away when she kicked his leg, now both crying.

"Stop it!!! I screamed when Cheche punched Hunter in his eyes, and he fell to the floor bawling. I wondered how Cheche could match the vampire children's strength even though she was human. Especially to a pureblood vampire because they are stronger than the other. She was strong, and once, I saw her move a vampire speed. Until now, she's puzzled me. She won't answer if you ask her, and you can't force her because she will cry and throw tantrums.

I sighed when Amara quickly helped Hunter and cooed at him, wiping his tears away.

"It's his fault. He's a devil." Cheche cried. "He put chili in Sadie 's water bottle."

"What?" How could this little monster? He did too much tonight. "Is it true, Hunter?" I angrily asked. He sobbed and nervously looked at me but didn't answer my question. "Emmett, is it true?" Emmett lowered his head, fiddling with his finger, but said nothing.

"It is true, Sire. He put chili inside Sadie's water bottle, and then he let her drink it." Lauren answered my question.

"He's mad because Sadie doesn't want to play with him," Bella added. I looked at my little mate's lip. It was swollen and red, and her eyes were now red and puffy, as well as her cheek, still sobbing.

"Shhh!!! Stop crying, little princess. Is it painful?" I cooed, planting a kiss on her forehead. She nodded her head.

"At art." (Hot, hurt) She hiccuped and then led her head to my chest. I kissed her cheek and softly patted her back.

"Hunter, you're not allowed in a playroom for a week. You are so naughty tonight. Amara sends him home."

Hunter is the son of one of my guards, both parents are excellent fighters, and they usually aren't home. They're guarding the border, and Hunter usually sleeps in the playroom with the other kids, the same with him; their parents are guards too.

"I don't want to." He cried. "I want to stay. I want to play, and Mama and Papa are not home. They are working." He sobbed.

"No! If you keep bullying Sadie, you can't come here anymore." He burst into tears and ran toward me, hugging my leg while the other children stood nervously in the corner.

"I want to come and play." He sobbed, looking up at me. "I promise I won't bully Sadie anymore. I only do it because she doesn't want to play with me." He sobbed.

".De..pay.....ter, " my little mate mumbled.

"No, you can't play with him for a week. He's not allowed to come here. Her lips quivered, and her tears streamed down her face again.

"Sire, just let Hunter play with us. Emmett murmured.

"Yes, Sire." Bella and Lauren added. Hunter looks at his friend, hiccuping but with a smile on his lips.

"No!!! I firmly said, but my little mate bawled and pulled my hair, kicking her leg. She always does that when she's mad.

"Want to pay ter!!!! She cried, pulling my hair.

"I said no. So stop you, brat. He always hurt you, but still, you wanted to play with him." I scolded her, but she wiggled free from my hold, pushing my chest, bawling.

"Want down!!! She shrieked, pushing hard on my chest. I quickly put her down, annoyed. This kid sometimes gets on my nerves. It's so annoying.

"Go to your Hunter, and don't come near me, okay?" I glared at her and walked out the door. She's only one year old, but she's already making me jealous of that monster Hunter. It's so annoying." I went back to my office and resumed my work.

"If that Hunter kid hurt her again, don't ever come and cry to me because I will ignore her. Grrrrr!!!! I muttered while signing some of the papers.