The Vampire Prince's Toxic Consort (BL)
Chapter 52 After All

The rest of the Coronation ceremony was a blur to Dorian and hardly left any imprint in his memory, even though it was supposed to be the most important day of his life.

Lucius was alive!

He had so many questions. How was it possible? They all watched Lucius jump into the snake pit. No man could have survived that.

And yet when he held Lucius in his arms, the familiar scent and the warmth were so real.

Could he be an imposter? What if it was some Asmodian’s scion shape-shifted into Lucius? But as far as Dorian knew, none of the known Asmidian-line vampires were strong enough to cheat him, considering that he had Azreal’s feather now.

All sorts of misgivings and suspicions spined in Dorian’s head throughout the ceremony that he barely registered what word he was reciting when taking the vow to protect the realm. But it seemed all went well, and no one noticed his absent-mindedness.

Lucius disappeared after the ceremony, and Dorian had a compulsive urge to cancel the celebration feast. However, Darius was adamant that he stuck to basic courtesy and showed his face during his own celebration.

During the celebration feast, Lucius surprisingly appeared in front of the whole court. He had washed away the dust and weariness from the journey. His reddish tint blond hair was longer than before and groomed in silky, lustrous waves. The perfectly cut maroon embroidered tuxedo and black dress pants contrasted his alabaster skin and roseate complex. His delicate features assumed a half-smirk, polite yet playful. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Dorian couldn’t move his eyes away from his consort because Lucius was particularly stunning tonight. And the court seemed to share his idea.

Lucius walked up to Dorian and bowed impeccably, though with a subtle air of theatrical, “My King.”

Dorian couldn’t help but smile indulgingly. He wanted to pull him into his arms just to make sure one more time that he was indeed there. However, now was not the occasion. He leaned in, gently kissing Lucius’s cheek, and said, “I was looking for you.”

“Had to take a shower. I smelled like camels.” Lucius replied quietly. And before they could exchange more words, some council members and nobilities swamped them with congratulations, fighting for a chance to speak to the King and gain his favor.

As the feast proceeded and people got more drunk, many of the nobilities and dignitaries began to lose their dignity and formality. Rather than drinking blood from glass, some began to request to have the meat brought to them directly so they could suck them dry while enjoying their little struggle and moaning before they die. More naked sex slaves were driven into the hall for the aristocrats’ enjoyment. Many men and women were bent to the table, sucked and fucked. There was not much screaming as the vampire venom has aphrodisiac effects, and most slaves succumbed to the ineffable pleasure after a brief moment of resistance.

Lucius sat next to Dorian and watched the scene of debauchery and cruelty with a dark, cold expression. And his displeasure didn’t escape Dorian’s notice.

“What’s wrong?” Dorian asked when he found a break from all the lords and ladies.

“If I’m not your consort, I would have been him,” Lucius said as he pointed to a sex slave that looked notably similar to him, with ginger hair, light brown eyes and a pale, slim body, and that young man was particularly popular that night and was penetrated by two lords at the same time, while been drunk by three, many others were surrounding him like vultures, waiting for their turn. Lucius sneered, “I can see what your lords and ladies were actually thinking when they talked to me.”

Dorian recognized the resemblance, and rage fumed in the depth of his dark eyes. He immediately ordered guards to take that slave away from the hall, disregarding the lords’ frustration.

But Lucius merely scoffed when the guards left to carry out the King’s order, “What’s the point? It doesn’t change anything.”

Dorian frowned, “I know what you want, and I promise I will abolish slavery. But it cannot be done overnight. There will be riots if I just free all the slaves the first day I become king.”

“Sure. I understand that. But this is YOUR coronation feast,” Lucius stared at him intensely.

Dorian heard the implication behind the words, and it prickled him.

Lucius was right. It was a feast dedicated to him, and what he chose to do today would show his attitude toward slavery. It would indeed evoke some worry and concern.

But it was the right thing to do. And if he chose not to do it, what’s the difference between him and his father?

Dorian contemplated it for a few minutes, considering all the risks of what he was about to do, and eventually, he made a decision.

The sybaritic and licentious atmosphere came to an abrupt stop that night when the new King of Eternia suddenly ordered all the slaves, including meat, taken away from the feast. Some nobilities were obviously disgruntled and angry, but they didn’t dare to offend the new King on the first day of his reign, especially when he was probably one of the strongest vampires alive after being strengthened by Azreal’s feather.

The feast didn’t last very long after the order, and Dorian was impatient to end it so he could talk privately with Lucius. But as they reached the top of the stairs, Lucius bid him goodbye.

Dorian was taken aback, “you are not coming with me?”

Lucius smiled politely, “The Head Stewart has prepared a chamber for me. I will stay there tonight.”

“Oh...” Dorian wanted to say something to stop Lucius from living, but the words stuck in his throat and refused to come out. Lucius nodded to him as if he was just another nobleman in the court and went in another direction, leaving him alone in the obscure light.

Something had changed between them.

Dorian knew it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it still hurt. Though he knew he probably deserved it.

As the sun rose and the palace fell to quietude, Dorian was still tossing and turning on his bed. Eventually, he let out a sigh and got up. Without alarming any attendants, he stole through the still hallways and headed to the Queen’s Chamber.

Lucius was sitting in front of the window, watching the sunlight slowly spill over the city’s silhouette and bathed everything in gold. The tiny crystal ball nestled between his fingers, and the blood within undulated slightly.

He had been staring at the Elder’s blood for a long time, recalling everything Asmodian told him in that strange state between life and death. He took some time to research online about Asmodian’s previous four first generations.

The gift that came with Asmodian’s blood was called “Metamorphosis”, and it often branched into two different factions. Two of the first generations specialized in “Alchemy,” though it had nothing to do with turning things into gold. Instead, the greatest Alchemists had the ability to rearrange matters and molecules of anything and transform them into something else. They were even capable of fundamentally modifying the essential quality of their target. Legend said Jabari, the first chosen by Asmodian, once turned a whole tribe’s people into trees, forming the well-known Wood of Woe. He also morphed a great mountain into the Sea of Minyara, which greatly changed the geography and climate of that part of the earth.

And the second branch was “Shape-shift.” And instead of altering other objects or individuals’ forms, this faction’s vampires focused on changing their own shape and quality. A Shape-shifter has to have a high-level of understanding of the nature and form of their target before they could transform themselves into, and a lacking of it could lead to dangerous situations where their organs fail or their form collapse, which could jeopardize their life. The first Shape-shift vampire was QingNiang. She was known for transforming into a legendary Phoenix and defeating a whole army of invaders all by herself. Her downfall was also a result of her power, as she became too proud and transformed into Asmodian once to challenge an Archangel, and that pissed Asmodian off, and he turned her into a nine-tailed fox, which she had no knowledge of. She was trapped in that form and could never return to her human shape again.

Apparently, not all the First Generations were as powerful, the other two of Asmodian’s creations were much less legendary, but they were still much more powerful than a regular Apostle. And they seemed to have had to spend some time learning how to use and control their ability, as one of the First Generation, namely Eir The Queen, lost control of her power during childbirth and turned her newborn baby into a lizard-like creature.

It was a dangerous power but also almost God-like if appropriately used. And it intrigued Lucius.

What would it be like to have that kind of ability?

But then...it would mean that he wouldn’t be a human anymore...and everything he had done so far for his people and his country would have been meaningless...

He shook his head and put the orb into his inner pocket. And at the same moment, someone knocked on the door.

Lucius got up from the chair. He had guessed who it was before he opened the door.

“Hey,” Dorian said softly.

Lucius returned, “Hey.”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

Lucius stepped aside and closed the door behind Dorian. And then, for a prolonged moment, they just stood there, in the middle of the room, staring at each other.

It was as if they were suddenly strangers, each treading delicately to not trigger something explosive.

After a while, Dorian spoke, “I couldn’t sleep, and I thought I’d check on you.”

“Thank you.” Lucius smiled a little, “I also couldn’t sleep. Probably jetlag.”

“So...are you ok? What happened?“Dorian asked gingerly, “I thought you were...gone.”

“Apparently, he didn’t want me to die. He saved me and then let me go.”

“He? You mean Asmodian?”

“Yes.”

Dorian frowned, “did he force you to make some sort of deal?”

“No. He was actually quite friendly. It was like a dream, and I was in the desert when I woke up. It turned out that almost a month passed during that dream. Time probably flowed differently.”

“So he showed himself to you? What did he tell you?”

“Not much. He pays attention to me only because Julian was chosen by God, and I’m his twin brother. He probably helped me just to spite God, showing the Almighty that he can get the same toy, too.“Lucius shrugged nonchalantly.

“And he just let you go...after all the troubles in the Labyrinth?” Dorian’s frown deepened as misgiving clouded his mind, “that doesn’t sound right. Is there something that you are not telling me?”

Lucius’s smile also faltered. He said coldly, “So you come to interrogate me?”

“I’m just worried about you.” Dorian took a few steps closer, “Asmodian is not someone who just helps you without getting anything back. He definitely wants something, and the price is usually hefty.”

“You said it as if you know him well. But in the Labyrinth was the first time you heard his voice, wasn’t it?”

“My mother did know him well. There is a reason that she’d rather die than use his power again!”

“Well. There was no price. If any, he just made me see things more clearly.” Lucius said acrimoniously, and anger that had been pressed down in his chest now was burning bright.

And that took all the words out of Dorian’s mouth.

The guilt and regret on Dorian’s face only made Lucius even more furious. He strutted toward Dorian and bore down into his eyes, “I was delusional, thinking that I meant something to you, believing that someday, just maybe someday, you will love me back and forget about Julian. But I was so naive.”

“You have every right to be angry at me...”

“You damn right I have!” Lucius interrupted Dorian’s words. He thought he wanted closure, but now, he didn’t want to listen to the pale, disingenuous explanation. He continued and let the seething words rush out of his chest, “I don’t want Julian to die for me. Believe me I don’t, but holy shit it didn’t take you long to make that decision. In that inn, did you choose to let me stay and reject Julian only to protect your precious true love? Because you knew how dangerous your life is? I thought you were different. I thought you really cared about me. How stupid I was to fucking fall in love with you!!!”

At the end of the words, Lucius didn’t notice tears rolling down his cheeks. His voice was shaken, and his body was tremulous in rage and hurt.

Dorian stared at Lucius. Lucius, who appeared to be rather delicate for a man, had never cried like this before him. Lucius was too proud to bare such raw and tender vulnerability. And now, when Dorian saw how much damage he had done to his consort, his organs were all twisted.

Lucius admitted he had fallen in love with him...He had guessed it before, but it still greatly shocked him.

He tentatively extended a hand to wipe away the tears on Lucius’s cheek but got slapped away. But then he caught the hand, holding it firmly.

“I didn’t give you up.“Dorian said, his gaze unremitting, “I was going to say, let Julian leave because he had nothing to do with us. And I was going to stay with you in the Labyrinth. I thought I could protect you as long as we were together, and we would have been ok. But you jumped before I could finish...”

Lucius looked up at him, confused, “You were going to stay with me?”

“Yes. I tried to jump after you, but Hydra blocked me. I was too naive to think Asmodian would allow me to be with you, and I begged him. But he refused. I stayed in the same place for another three days, hoping there was still some way to get you back, but we all thought you were dead. I questioned my choice over and over, wondering if there could have been another way to save you both or if I should have just chose you. I asked Darius if there was a way to bend time and go back to earlier days to stop us from going to Esmore. And after he told me it was impossible, I was planning to finish what I must do here and then go back to find a way to get to you...or follow you.”

Lucius blinked several times, but then distrust returned, “You are just saying this to pacify me. How do I know any of it was real? All I know is that you are here, perfectly fine with your Elder power.”

The doubt stabbed Dorian’s heart, but he felt like he deserved it. He gently wiped some tears from Lucius’s face and muttered, “I can’t prove it now, but if you give me a chance, I will prove it with the rest of our life together. All I can tell you now is that...I do love you back, Lucius. And I can’t lose you again.”

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