She Belongs To The Devil

The bride and the groom walked down the altar while holding each other's hands. All the guests cheered them and congratulated them as they walked towards the exit of the lawn. They were first going to take a round through the Golden Street and return back to resume the ceremony.

A few of the Royal Guards escorted them towards the open carriage that was waiting for them at the exit. And in the absence of the bride and the groom, Dragomir had prepared a lavish spread of lunch to keep the guests entertained.

Theodore held out his hand for Adeline when he reached in front of the carriage. And he asked with a broad smile on his face, "Wife, shall we go on a ride?"

Adeline gaped at her husband while holding her breath. She was getting a ticklish feeling in her heart. And if no one else were around her at that moment, she would have squirmed and squealed with excitement when Theodore called her his wife.

For now, she held in her excitement and replied in an elegant voice, "I would be pleased, dear husband." She smiled and held Theodore's hand.

And when the two of them settled down in the carriage, several squads of guards along with a band walked ahead of the carriage. The carriage slowly followed them and they were again followed by the cavalries. And at the very last, Theodore's followers who were disguised as his guards also joined the procession.

The band started to play melodious music and the parade began.

Theodore took Adeline's palm and intertwined his fingers with hers. He touched her ear with his warm lips and whispered, "I never got the chance to tell you… you are radiating in this white gown. I could keep on watching you in it till eternity and I wouldn't even get tired."

Adeline brought his knuckles close to her lips and gave him a kiss. And she teased her husband, "If you love it so much then you can watch me for the whole night. I won't take it off till tomorrow."

Theodore bit his lower lip and chuckled. And he replied in a hushed tone, "Oh, it's a pity that I already have plans for tonight. I'm going to need you to take the dress off."

Adeline covered her lips with her slender fingers and suppressed her laughter.

Though the village was a bit far from the Palace, the crowd had gathered from the gate of the Palace itself.

The citizens were eager to take a look at their Prince Consort. And boy, were they pleased? The moment their eyes fell on the heavenly couple, they all forgot the trouble that they went through while waiting for hours in that summer heat.

And when Adeline and Theodore looked at them and waved their hands at them, the crowd went mad with excitement.

"Oh my god! The Prince Consort looks like an angel! An angel just waved at me!" A girl screamed from the crowd.

"He also waved at me!" Her friend jumped with joy and hugged that girl.

Not just those girls, everyone else's reactions were similar, regardless of their age and gender.

Adeline, on the other hand, was trying her best to smile at the crowd. She feared that the vampires would be among the villagers and would start the rampage at any moment. 

Even in that noise from the crowd and the sound of the band, Theodore could hear Adeline's hammering heart. He guessed what her fear was. So he tightened his grip on her hand and reassured her, "I don't feel their presence. You don't need to be afraid. Nothing will happen."

---

"Your Majesty, I think we have been running around in circles ever since we entered the pass." One of the vampires breathlessly said to the King. He pointed at the huge stone at the foot of the hill and added, "We have already come across that same rock at least 7 times."

Reginald was already furious because no matter how much they ran, they were unable to cross the Jhomla pass and get to Wyverndale.

And when that vampire pointed it out, Reginald felt as though he was trying to call him a fool for not recognizing the path.

So he furiously shouted, "Are you trying to say that I forgot the path that I took just a week ago? Or are you trying to call me a fool?"

That vampire instantly lowered his head and apologized, "I did not mean it that way, Your Majesty. Please forgive me."

"Then what did you mean by that?" Reginald spilled all his rage on that poor vampire and snapped his neck. When that vampire dropped on the ground, he shouted at that vampire, "We crossed from here more than 7 times you said? Well, let's check your theory by having you as the landmark."

He glared at the rest of the bloodsuckers and shouted, "Does anyone else want to be a landmark?"

Everyone lowered their heads in fear that they would also be rendered unconscious.

---

Azriel and the Goddess were enjoying some fine wine while standing in front of a small pond and enjoying its view.

"So, how are you feeling right now, mother?" Azriel asked while swirling the wine in the glass.

The Goddess breathed in the fresh air of earth and answered, "Jubilant. I'm really happy for Theodore." She took a sip of her wine and added, "I was worried that he was going to spend the rest of his life all alone. But now I can rest in Heaven peacefully, knowing that he is going to be loved."

"I'm happy to see you this lively," Azriel stole a glance of his beautiful mother and smiled.

The Goddess lovingly caressed Azriel's golden hair and was about to say something, but they were disturbed by Queen Claricia who happily squealed from behind, "Holy Goddess, may I spend a moment or two with you?"

"Of course, Claricia," the Goddess turned her head and gave a soft smile.

"You know my name?" Claricia clasped her mouth with her palm and was astonished. There was no great honor than that for her.

After regaining her composure, Claricia talked with the Goddess for a while, she mostly expressed how blessed she felt to be in the Goddess' presence, and left.

The Goddess then glanced towards the hills and gently lifted her glass as though she was celebrating something. She had a crafty smirk on her face when she took the sip of her wine again.

---

Reginald and the other vampires ran for about half an hour. And to Reginald's annoyance, he came right where he had left from earlier. Meaning, he came to the same spot where he had left that 'landmark' earlier.

He got so furious that he screamed at the top of his lungs and punched that large rock. He broke that rock into several small pieces and shouted, "Who the hell is playing a trick on us? This is not funny!"

All the vampires were afraid to even blink and breathe. They stood behind Reginald as if they were mere statues. They all already knew that there was no other option than returning back to their own Kingdom. But they feared to speak because they didn't want their neck to be snapped, or worse, get killed.

Some of those vampires even contemplated running at the very back of the group and then running away for good. They feared that the King would vent out his anger on them even after returning to Mihir. They all cursed their luck for being chosen for this mission.

Reginald kept on venting his anger on the rocks nearby. And he looked around while shouting, "Who is playing this dirty trick on me? Show yourself! Come on! Fight me face to face."

If only he knew who was playing that trick on him… he would know that he would be turned into ashes faster than the blink of an eye.