Chapter 5

So, even before the ceremony took place, Victoria's first show of force was to lock Lucas and me in the deepest stone cell of Nocthollow, leaving us to starve for three days.

When Lucas saw me, he didn't look happy, nor did he seem upset or aggrieved.

Instead, he lashed out at me, "This is all your fault. She's only mad because you showed up, and now it's your fault I don't have any blood to drink."

Victoria really knew how to turn someone into her perfect little attack dog.

I spent three years drilling proper values into him, and he managed to forget them all in just a few weeks.

On the third day, Derek finally showed up at the castle with Victoria, and that was when he suddenly remembered I even existed.

The very first thing he did was force me to swear fealty to Victoria, right there in front of everyone, following the Coven's custom.

And while he was at it, he made Lucas call her "Mother."

The Coven onlookers were all whispering and gossiping about this outrageous scene—deposing the rightful heir and elevating a nobody in her place.

The servant mothers whose kids had been snatched were the most vocal, hurling insults from the front lines.

Some even flung silver powder at Victoria.

Victoria, who was always fearless, ended up crying her eyes out over such petty tricks, looking teary-eyed and vulnerable.

She nestled in Derek's arms, clinging to him like a helpless little thing.

Derek was beside himself with worry. He hurried outside to disperse the crowd of Coven onlookers.

Then he spun around and snapped at me, "Lillian, you can't be two-faced. Since you agreed to give up your place as my wife, you can't use these underhanded tactics to make her look bad."

He was making it sound like I'd orchestrated the whole scene just to humiliate Victoria.

I didn't say a word in response to his accusations.

I simply knelt, steady and composed, and raised the cup of fealty blood.

Victoria took it triumphantly and drank it without hesitation.

As she leaned in close, Victoria whispered mockingly, "Lillian, you lost again."

As soon as she finished speaking, Victoria suddenly clutched her chest and spat out a mouthful of black blood right in front of me.

Her eyes went wide with shock as she stared at the charred blood pooling in her palm, completely stunned.

"What... what did you do to the blood? Did you—" she gasped.

Before she could finish, she collapsed backward onto the Bloodbind Ritual Array.

The whole place went dead silent.

Derek's face turned ashen in an instant—a color I'd never seen on him before.

He whipped around to face me.

I remained kneeling, and the smile on my face didn't change.

I said, "I didn't do anything, your Highness. What could someone as insignificant as me—a mere remnant of the Coven—possibly do?"

Derek grabbed me by the throat and lifted me right off the floor.

His hand was trembling. "Lillian, if you so much as try anything with her, I'll make your life a living hell."

I didn't resist as he held me by the throat.

Looking him straight in the eyes, I asked softly, "Go on, see for yourself."

He froze because he knew that testing the blood was the Council's go-to way to settle things in the Coven.

If there was something wrong with my blood, they'd find out instantly.

If not, then the issue had to be with Victoria herself.

Derek released me, his hand still trembling.

I dropped onto the Bloodbind Ritual Array, calmly rubbed my neck, and stood up unhurriedly.

Hundreds of eyes were fixed on me.

Some were terrified, some suspicious, and some were just gloating.

But not a single person noticed the shadowy golden mark on my collarbone. It glowed a bit more than it had moments ago.

The Sanctblood Will whispered in my veins, "The seventh seal is activating. The Holy Water Factor has entered the target's body with your blood. Everything is going according to plan."

I lowered my gaze and straightened my rumpled collar.

This was only the beginning.

Victoria was carried into the inner chamber by the servants, who were all scrambling to help.

Derek stayed right by her side, his face ashen, constantly urging Stanley to hurry up.

"Check her now—what the hell is happening?!" Derek shouted.

Stanley, the alchemist, was shaking as he pushed the silver needle into Victoria's vein.

The instant the needle touched her blood vessel, Victoria screamed in agony and vomited another mouthful of black blood.

"Your Highness, her bloodline is rejecting something. It's as if she's taken in blood her body can't accept," Stanley said.

"Impossible!" Derek slammed his hand down, shattering the alchemist's table. "She drank Lillian's blood. I checked it myself. There's no way there's anything wrong with it!"

Stanley wiped the sweat from his forehead, braced himself, and said, "Your Highness, the blood itself is fine.

"The issue is that Ms. Virellian's blood has this super-rare factor. Purebloods can handle it just fine, but those who are Embraced can't deal with it at all.

"Basically, Ms. Wooten's body can't accept this blood."

Derek stood there, completely stunned.

Victoria was curled up on the bed, writhing in pain, sobbing as she desperately clutched his sleeve.

"Derek, she did this to me... I know she did... You have to help me," she wailed.

"I'm going to ask her," Derek snapped.

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I was sitting on a bench in the outer hall, calmly sipping water.