Conquering His Cold Heart

Anastasia’s hair was still somewhat wet even though Tilla had done her best to dry it with the towel. She gave a nod to her husband and replied, “Yes, I did. Aren’t you going to freshen up as well?”

Since the bathroom was occupied by his wife, Caspian was still in the same clothes that he had worn during the day for the travel. “Yes, I am going to do that now.”

“Mhmm...” Anastasia stood in front of the dressing table and checked herself in the mirror. Something had gotten inside her eyes, and she was trying to get it out. But her hair kept on falling in front of her eyes and was making it difficult for her to see her reflection clearly.

Caspian went and stood behind his wife. He gathered all of her hair and held it in place for her. And when he did that, he said to her, “But before taking a bath, I need to have a meeting. So, it’s going to take some time for me to be back. Until then, why don’t you have your dinner? Maybe Tilla can also join you.”

Anastasia removed the lash that had gotten in her eyes. She then smiled at her husband’s reflection and said thankfully, “If it’s okay with you, then I will eat with her. I was worried that she would be alone.”

“Of course, it’s okay. She’s also your friend after all.” Caspian spread her hair once again and said, “Enjoy your dinner. I will try to finish my work faster and come back. But if I am late, you can go ahead and sleep, okay?”

After Anastasia gave her approval, Caspian left the room and headed toward the meeting room. Before entering the room, he asked one of his servants to serve the Queen and Tilla their dinner.

And he also ordered one of his royal guards, “Send the Sergeant inside. He’s arrived already, hasn’t he?”

.....

“Yes, Your Majesty. He has been waiting. I will send him in right away.” The royal guard bowed and then walked out of the tent.

Caspian waited inside the meeting room for the leader of the squad, who had gone to Xanmar to gather information. When a tall and bulky vampire entered the room, Caspian gestured at the seat in front of him and said, “Take a seat, Nicholas. I hope you aren’t that tired yet.”

“I’m good, Your Majesty. I got to rest for a while as I waited for you to summon me,” Nicholas replied respectfully.

Caspian comfortably leaned back on his chair and crossed his leg. He then asked his trusty soldier, “So, what did you find out? Tell me everything.”

Nicholas rested his arms on the table with a serious look on his face. And he briefed with the same seriousness, “My squad infiltrated several cities of Xanmar. I also infiltrated the capital with a few others. And we all found out the same thing. The previous King has indeed passed away. The coronation is tomorrow. The Crown Prince is going to be crowned in front of the mass. And I also heard that all the alphas will be present during the coronation. We will have to tread cautiously.”

“And who are among the invitees?” Caspian was curious to know if he was the only King who had been invited or if the other rulers were also invited to the ceremony.

Nicholas had made sure to check that as well. So, he confidently replied, “Invitations were sent out to the Kingdom of Orsenia and Lavinya as well. They are the most important allies of Xanmar, so it is understandable. And they have also sent out the invitation to five other Kingdoms beyond the ocean.”

“Hmm...” Caspian hummed.

He was a little relieved to hear that the invitation wasn’t fake, although his doubts weren’t that high regarding the authenticity of the invitation. Only someone who was completely out of their mind would lie about the death of their parents.

He was, however, relieved to hear that he wasn’t the only one from the outside Kingdom who had been invited to the coronation. If others weren’t invited, then he would have been forced to believe that Everard had laid out some kind of trap for him.

“And any other news that needs my immediate attention?” Caspian asked the Sergeant.

Nicholas shook his head and replied, “No, Your Majesty. That was all from my side.”

“You and your squad did a great job. You may rest for the night.” Caspian gave praises where there were due. And he also further asked, “Also, both you and your squad will be working together with my royal guards from tomorrow. Please accompany them on this journey since you are more aware of the roads and towns of Xanmar.”

“We will do our best to make your travel smooth and comfortable, Your Majesty.” Nicholas bowed his head and left the room.

Caspian also headed out of the meeting room, only to find Vincent and Hamilton waiting for him outside.

“Why don’t we have dinner together?” Hamilton took the initiative to ask his cousin. “It’s been a while since we last sat down together as a family.”

Caspian was, however, itching to get out of his clothes. He pointed at himself and replied, “I have yet to take a bath.”

“What the hell were you doing until now?” Vincent asked with a frown. “I was thinking of enjoying dinner together with you. We never travel like this. So, I thought we might as well enjoy it while we get the chance.”

Caspian also frowned a little and protested, “I am the King. I have a lot of duties, unlike you two.”

“Yes, and he is also a married man.” Hamilton came forward and said teasingly, “So, he probably doesn’t want to spend time with his brothers anymore.” He turned to look at Vincent and said, “Let’s go, Vincent.”

Vincent pretended to get hurt and agreed with Hamilton, “Yeah, let’s drink our sorrows away. We’ve lost our brother to his wife.”

Caspian fisted on his hips and asked the two of them, “Why do you two sound like drunk humans? Did you two gentlemen sniff some funny plants in the forest?”

“Ha!” Vincent put his arm around Hamilton’s shoulder and turned to face the exit of the tent, “He is calling us crazy now. Let’s go, brother. We have no place here.”

Caspian sighed and turned to look at the dining area. He could hear the soft murmur of his wife and her handmaid. She was having a good time with her friend.

He then turned to look back at his friend and cousin who were acting crazy. He couldn’t deny that this was a rare occasion for them; the very fact that Hamilton and Vincent were walking shoulder to shoulder was the rarest thing that he had witnessed until now.

He didn’t know if he would get to travel like this with his friends again. So, he decided to follow them.

“Okay, wait. I am coming.” Caspian ran and caught up with the two of them.

Vincent instantly put his arm around Caspian’s shoulder as well and sarcastically welcomed him, “We are honored by your presence, Your Majesty. Now, let’s drink under the stars.” He led Hamilton and Caspian toward the table that he had asked the guards to prepare earlier.

However, Caspian stopped before reaching the table. And he asked the lords, “Why don’t we save this drink for later? Since we are in the forest, why don’t we go deeper inside and hunt down some beasts?”

Hamilton looked at Caspian as if he was crazy, and then asked while gagging, “You want to drink animal’s blood?”

“What? No, you idiot!” Caspian glared at Hamilton for even thinking that. “I’m just saying that we hunt them. You know... to calm our predatory instinct.”

His expression turned a little bit sour when he muttered, “I don’t want my killer instinct to surface after meeting the half-animals in Xanmar.”