The Vampire Prince's Toxic Consort (BL)
Chapter 50 It's Time to Pay

Dorian woke up in a wall of darkness. The tail of the dream hadn’t fully ebbed away, and for a moment, he was ok. He habitually extended his arm to the side, searching for the warm body that was usually next to him. But he only found a cold bed sheet.

The coldness brought him back to reality, and he wished he wasn’t awake. It was another hoary day, nothing different from yesterday.

He sat up, feeling each muscle heavy like a tombstone. There was still a lot to do, and he should return to Eternia as soon as possible. But all he wanted was to go back to the comfortable oblivion. Exhaustion had never been so unbearable and incapacitating.

Someone was knocking on the door. It was Serena coming to tell him that Darius had opened a portal and arrived with Lord Durchville secretly. They were waiting to see him and discuss the subsequent plan when they returned to Eternia.

Dorian knew they had to act fast before any information regarding Silvan’s condition leaked to his father. Now that he had Azreal’s feather, it was finally time for him to take control over Emberton and the court.

They cleared the inn of other guests and held the meeting in the diner. As Dorian entered the room, Volke, Darius, and Lord Durchville exchanged a concerned look, noticing how peaky and disheveled the Crown Prince was.

Volke had related what happened in the Labyrinth to Darius and Durchville, which shocked them both. But before they had a chance to condole with him, Dorian began to lay out his plan for deposing his father and taking over Emberton with the least blood-shedding.

“We cannot let Silvan return to Emberton before everything is settled. Chieftain Volke, can I trust you to keep him locked up somewhere safe?”

Volke swirled the amber liquid in his glass and replied casually, “of course. Locking up vampires is always something I enjoy.”

Dorian then turned to Durchville, “after Silvan left, who is in charge of Emberton’s defense?”

“It’s Osman.” Durchville replied, “Silvan has been wooing his daughter. There was talk of marriage. I’m afraid he won’t surrender easily.”

Dorian pondered his options, and then turned to Darius, “how many soldiers can you transport through your portal?”

“If I can get two other Zorvan line Apostles to help me, around two thousand.”

“That’s enough.“Dorian nodded, “I need one thousand people to seal all the exit of Emberton, make sure no one leaves or enters. And the rest of them should stay mobile, preparing to take over the Citadel.”

“What about the Royal Army stationed inside the city?”

Dorian said curtly, “I can deal with them.”

“How? There are at least five thousand guards in the city, Vermilion Citadel alone has more than half of them. How do you plan to subdue all of them by yourself?”

“I have my ways.“Dorian said curtly, “in two days time, there will be a parade in Devina’s name for her birthday, and my father will certainly be present to review it. Most of the guards will aggregate in one place. That is the time I will make my move. ”

The plan was set, and Volke and Durchville left to rest. Darius stayed behind. He asked tentatively, “So...what are we going to say about Lucius? You came in the name of your honeymoon. It will be unusual to go back without him.”

Dorian felt another throbbing pain flare in his chest.

It was supposed to be their honeymoon.

Fragments of memory resurfaced. Lucius strolled along the narrow streets with such an agile and spright gait. Lucius was so touched by those paintings in the Grand Gallery that he shed tears. Lucius gazed at him with such beautiful lights in his eyes as he was playing the cello...

Dorian had to force himself to stop the train of thought. He said numbly, “I don’t know.”

“We can say Silvan killed him.”

“I don’t want to put a charge that he didn’t commit on him.”

“Or...” Darius studied Dorian’s countenance carefully, “I heard that his twin brother is here. We can...”

“No.” Dorian cut his words staunchly before he could finish.

Darius sighed, sensing Dorian was in grave pain but too stubborn to show it, “do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

Darius nodded, knowing there was nothing he could say to make it better for his childhood friend, so he didn’t ask about it anymore.

Before dawn, when the small town settled into a somnolent quietude, Dorian left the town and wandered aimlessly. He didn’t use his wings but climbed up a nearby dune and looked in the direction of the labyrinth. The gnawing feeling grew stronger and stronger within him, crawling under his skin, and driving him mad. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt for almost a year, and now it returned with full force.

“Don.”

Dorian quickly hid the knife in his sleeve and looked back. Julian was there, watching him with worried eyes.

When did he come? How come Dorian didn’t hear him at all? Was he really this fucked up?

“I haven’t seen you for a whole day, so I thought I’d come and check on you.” Julian said softly, his gaze caring and gentle, “How are you feeling?”

“...”

“Sorry...stupid question...” Julian lowered his head as grief overcast his ivory face, “I thought...you may want some company. Since we alone know each other’s pain.”

Silence stretched between them. And after some minutes, Dorian looked away.

“I didn’t like him at first. In fact, I was angry at him. Because he was not you.” Dorian said as he surveyed the edge of the firmament, where the sky slowly turned into a deep blue, “and I ignored him for such a long time, pretending he didn’t exist, choosing not to care how dangerous it was for him to survive in a vampire castle. At the time, he was just an imposter to me. And he had to put himself in grave danger to get my attention. Even later...after I knew him better, it still took me months to finally accept him. I wish I treated him better.”

“I didn’t want him to do that for me. I would never have wanted him to make such a sacrifice. Since when we were younger, he had always been protective of me. If we got into trouble, he always took the blame. And if there was one time when we were only 8 years old, a much older kid tore my favorite book apart, and Lu actually got into a fist fight with him, got a black eye from that kid’s punch, but he managed to also leave several big bruises on the bully, who was almost twice his size.” Julian said with a sad, reminiscent smile.

Dorian rarely heard Lucius talk about his childhood, and Julian’s words made him want to smile, but before it could form on his lips, the hollowness wiped it away.

Julian came closer, putting a tentative hand on Dorian’s arm, “I’m sure God will not let him trap with the devil. I will pray for his soul for the rest of my life.”

Dorian didn’t reply. He knew Paradise would be the last place he could replace Lucius, as his consort never believed in God.

“We will part tomorrow, and I don’t know when we will meet again,” Dorian said and looked down at Julian, a dull ache in the back of his throat, “take care, Jule.”

“So soon?“Julian was surprised, “do you...do you want me to come with you?”

“To Eternia?” Dorian frowned, “of course not. It’s too dangerous.”

“But Lu was there for a whole year.”

“You are not Lucius.“Dorian shook his head and said resolutely, “You won’t make it that long.”

“You underestimate me, Don. I’m not that fragile.“Julian took one more step toward him, “And...Lu and I, we are twins. We have the same soul. If he could do it, so can I.”

“And give up your belief, your God, and your position?”

Julian hesitated for a moment. He then said, “Perhaps that is my calling. Vampires can be saved, too.”

“You see, that is where you and Lucius are different.” Dorian sighed, “he understood that we don’t need to be ‘saved.’ Because there is nothing wrong with us.”

“I’m not here to argue with you. I just...want to make sure you are ok.”

“Go home, Julian.” Dorian turned to leave and gave Julian a long, saddened look, “Don’t risk the life he had sacrificed himself for.”

A throe rang in Julian’s heart. He called Dorian again, “You are rejecting me now, but why chose me over my brother in the labyrinth?”

Dorian halted his steps, and his shoulder stiffened. After a long, dreadful pause, he rejoined slowly without turning his head, “We have had our chance, Julian. You gave it up, because you were ashamed of who I am and didn’t want to take the risk. But Lucius was different. He stood by me no matter what happened and was willing to do whatever it took to make our marriage work. He didn’t try to save me but only to be with me. In the labyrinth, I chose you to leave because I owe you my life, and I still care about you. But I was going to stay with him. I thought, were we trapped in hell, there would still be hope as long as we were together, and we would have found a way out. But he didn’t give me the chance.”

And with that, the Crown Prince left, leaving a speechless and wistful Julian behind.

Lady Devina’s two-hundredth birthday was celebrated as one of the greatest pageants of the year. Some would say that she got the treatment that only a queen deserves. An hour before midnight, the King accompanied her to the Imperial Wall, allowing his subjects to admire them in person.

The long, glamorous parade of floats and performers marched along Meridian Avenue, the longest and widest street that cut through the capital city, and passed in front of the Vermilion Citadel for the King and the Royal Concubine to inspect. Most of the citizens crowded along both sides of the street and gathered in the great square before the Citadel to watch the performances that exceeded any human imagination, drinking and cheering with the royal family.

Rumor said Lady Devina was concerned that her eldest son Silvan didn’t return for her birthday before the celebration, but she showed no apprehension during the parade. She dressed in a dazzling red velvet gown and audaciously wore the ruby crown Queen Aslani used to wear, flaunting her privileged royal status.

However, no one anticipated that night would be written into a page of Eternia’s history, and Devina certainly didn’t expect that was her last glorious moment.

At midnight, when the bell rang and the resplendent fireworks lit up the black firmament, a mysterious figure appeared from thin air and hovered above the Imperial Wall. Many drone-carried cameras immediately focused on the figure, and a beautiful but solemn face was broadcasted on all the big screens across the city.

It was Crown Prince Dorian Ashdown, but he looked...different.

Unearthly energies were pulsing underneath his skin like cascading molten gold, and his eyes glowed brighter than the sun. Two gigantic black feathered wings spread behind him. Exquisite colors of jade, turquoise and amethyst lusters rippled across each feather with each wave of the wings, breath-taking and celestial.

He was already one of the most powerful Apostles in the royal family before his trip to Esmore. But now, he was radiating with ultramundane power, almost godly.

Many were awestruck by his appearance, especially those who belonged to Azreal’s bloodline. According to historical records, only Azreal’s first generation had feathered wings, and the rest had regular membrane wings. So how was it possible for Dorian to possess such a pair of magnificent wings?

King Cosmo gawked at his eldest son with disbelief and fear. He saw the cold hatred burning bright behind Dorian’s indifferent countenance.

The Crown Prince opened his lips and began to list all the crimes Devina and King Cosmo committed against Queen Mitra Aslani and Eternia. Berating them for betraying and murdering a well-loved queen and a loyal and virtuous wife; murdering their daughter, who was just an infant, just to frame the queen; and weakening the country they vowed to serve by ravaging the nation with decades of war, sending innocent young vampires to unnecessary death, persecuting and murdering anyone who voiced different opinions, disregarding people’s hardship and raising taxes for their own ambition and luxurious lifestyle.

As each word fell from Dorian’s lips, the King’s emaciated countenance was distorted with rage. He bellowed the guards to shoot Dorian with one of the high-energy cannons stationed on the wall. It was one of the deadliest weapons in the country, enough to vaporize any Apostle in milliseconds. The whole country was shocked by the King’s display of virulent brutality against his own son, and watched in consternation at the celebration-turned-public execution.

Dorian didn’t even flinch as the blazing bright light of death inundated him. Many civilians cried in horror, and some didn’t dare to look. However, the death light soon was absorbed by its target as if it fell into a black hole, and as the blinding light diminished, Dorian was still there, unscathed, and glowed even brighter, overpowering the full moon.

People all gasped at the unexpected and unimaginable development. The King and Lady Devina both panicked, their faces ashen in fear. Cosmo shouted loudly to Lord Osman, “take him down! Arrest him!”

Osman hesitated, “But...my King, he has the Wings of Azreal... the Elder has blessed him.”

“The Elders are all gone! This is obviously an illusion, you simpleton!”

“But he absorbed the energy that could have killed any Apostle...”

“Take him down! Or by Elder’s name, I will use that cannon on you!“The King cursed in a paroxysm.

Osman then ordered all the guards with the gifted wings to attack. Hundreds of soldiers rose to the sky like a black mist, swarming up to the lonesome figure. Yet, they all slowed to a stop simultaneously as they approached the prince. An overpowering, sublime reverence and fear seized their hearts, and they heard Dorian’s voice, “Do you want to lose your eternal life for a diminishing King who doesn’t care about you or your loved ones?”

Later on, as many soldiers recounted what happened that day, they all reported seeing their loved ones’ grieving faces clearly in their heads, and they all felt a sense of deepest sadness inside their hearts, causing their heartache and losing the will to fight. Somehow they knew the sadness was coming from the Crown Prince.

Dorian then swooped down right through the siege of the soldiers, and none of them tried to stop him. As he descended to the King and a screaming Devina like an unavoidable nemesis, his wings fanned effulgent flames of the aurora, and his irises blazed the fire of vengeance. He fixed his heavy gaze on King Cosmo, and his lips twisted into a relentless, chilling, and subtly forlorn smile.

“It’s time to pay, father.”