I spent the rest of the day hearing the complaints from the imperial knights as they rebuilt the vault. Prince Kael, as usual, was stirring up trouble and losing his temper over questions he deemed stupid.
[I really hated this troublemaker. I always have a headache because of this man. If this guy were under me, I would've killed him by now.]
Soon the sun set, and then the tournament began.
[Finally, I have time for myself.]
I sat on the edge of my bed waiting for the maid to take my clothes out of the closet.
In these ancient times, you might expect me to say she brought out the battle gear humans use. But we don't use those things. We fight with our fangs and claws until the opponent loses their consciousness. So the clothes need to be as flexible as possible.
Soon, the maid came out with my clothes, and I got dressed. It was a deep red blouse with flexible black trousers.
A loud knock interrupted the silence at my door.
"Come in!" I yelled.
The door clicked open.
"Hey there~ human~," said Kael, closing the door behind him.
[This was the world's most annoying voice ever!]
"Your Highness Prince Kael, why are you in a peasant's room?" I put on a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes.
"I came to see how a bastard like you was doing." He said with a cocky grin.
"That's very generous of you to walk here to his mere human chambers."
"I know, right! If you weren't about to be my brother-in-law, I wouldn't be here. But some things can't change. I wonder what my cousin sees in you." He said, leaning against the door.
"Right…"
"I will be seeing you at the tournament; be sure not to lose. I want to fight you until you die." Said Kael turning around and opening the door behind him.
The door shut with a bang.
I ruffled my hair, feeling a surge of frustration.
[I do not like this at all!]
Before heading towards the arena, I went to the scarlet chambers to see Kiara.
"Wish me luck… Kiara… please wake up after today…" A look of hurt crossed my face.
"I'll win this so I'm worthy of standing by your side… I'll win all of them and be the strongest. So no one can criticise us."
I then turned on my heel and started walking towards the arena. My heart was beating loudly enough that I thought everyone could hear it.
[This is very nerve-racking.]
Crimson banners draped the walls of the arena, which featured elegant carvings. Our empire's architect was the most beautiful; even the place I came from doesn't compare to this. A statue of the first empress stood in the very middle of the arena.
The audience watched from above, their cheers rising in a thunderous roar.
May vampires from noble families were present; even commoners were there. This surprised me a hundred years ago. It doesn't happen in the human world. But in this empire, commoners have the upper hand. This is all because our first empress wished for this to happen.
BOOOOM
The horn's deep call rolled across the arena, heavy and commanding.
The tournament had officially begun.
I sat in the waiting area, watching the first round unfold. These people were good; however, their posture made them look sloppy.
The winner of the first round was a commoner.
A voice came from a speaker nearby. "Crown consort Xavier! Please head to the field, and good luck!"
"Please stop calling me that…" I mumbled, hiding my face in embarrassment.
Do not bother trying to understand a speaker, reader; I had a very hard time with that too.
I stepped onto the field. The statue before me sank into the ground, the floor sealing over it as if it had never been there.
Again, do not bother to understand how it works; that is not the main goal of this.
My first opponent was a man from one of the four big noble families. He is not important to this story. He put up a good fight, but I won. He ripped a deep hole in my arm. It is a good thing we heal at an exceptional rate.
I beat every opponent I faced, moving up to the final round.
The ground beneath me was slick with drying blood.
I stood in front of an annoying man named Kael.
"Hey there, human~"
I do not know if it was annoyance or adrenaline, but I finally spoke up.
"Kael… you know I abandoned that identity long ago," I said, wiping my chin of the blood dripping from my fangs.
A look of shock flickered across Kael's face.
"Doesn't change the fact that you were once one of those people." He let out a sharp breath,
"Oh come on, it's the 18th century. It's the start of a new era. You're discriminating. I thought that royals were supposed to evolve."
"Disgusting."
The cheers from the arena grew louder.
"Come at me, you little shit."
"Your Highness. It's not polite for a mere peasant like me to make the first move. Please do the honours."
"Why, you little shit!" Kael launched into the air, aiming to strike from above.
But halfway through the descent, something felt… wrong.
His body stalled.
Not gracefully, not intentionally.
It was as if the air itself had thickened around him.
I looked up and smiled.
"You're falling a little slowly, your highness," I called, my voice almost amused. "Is that really how you plan to strike?"
Kael's eyes widened.
He tried to correct himself; he tried to move, but his limbs felt heavy—dragged.
Yet, he couldn't move. Something dragged him down—like an invisible hand, or rather, it was as if gravity itself were Kael's enemy. He smashed hard into the floor, covering himself in blood. For a moment, everything stopped.
Shock flickered on my face.
Then the screams from the crowd began.
"...prince Kael!!!!" They yelled.
"Your Highness! Prince Kael!" I rushed towards him.
Sure, I hated him to my bones, but I would never wish for him to die such an unjust death.
I rushed to check his pulse. It was very faint. "Someone call the royal physicians!"
Then came the tremors in the sky. The cities and the arena they had built were being pulled inwards with great force. It was as though reality itself was pulling apart at the seams. Mirror reflections began moving before their owners. Some vampires began to hear their own voices talking back to them. The sight was very bizarre, yet nothing had been destroyed… yet.
"We need to get out of here…" I said, my voice filled with worry.
Chaos began. All the vampires in the audience began to run. However, something wouldn't let them escape. Their bodies began to twist, and they emitted gut-wrenching screams. The scent of their own blood sent them into a feral state, and so they began attacking each other.
"What happened…" Kael groaned.
"I don't know… what the hell is going on!!" I yelled.
"You human! Go and find Uncle Desmond and Aunt Marliene!" Kael stood up straight and ordered me around. But the moment his feet touched the ground, he stumbled, and I caught him in time.
"Your Highness doesn't cause trouble. We need to leave together. Who knows, they might try to attack us."
"It doesn't seem like they're after us."
"That's odd– we have to hurry."
I slid my arm beneath Kael's shoulder to support him, and we began walking.
Together we staggered out of the arena: blood from our boots staining the ground. We made our way to the private chambers of the Emperor and Empress, where they watched over the tournament, hoping they were still there.
The Emperor and Empress were in their chambers, overlooking what had unfolded. They stood near the doorway, murmuring in hushed, worried tones.
The door swung open without warning.
Panic flashed across their faces.