Chapter Three

Eve's POV

“Beg you? In your dreams!”

Lilith laughed as if she had just heard the funniest thing in the world, then turned toward the door.

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, I added casually, “By the way, Mr. Taylor likes obedient women. Especially when they’re wearing a white dress. You should wear white more often.”

Lilith gave me a puzzled look.

“What are you talking about? Grant says he loves seeing me in red!”

With that, she slammed the door behind her.

Of course he liked you in red now.

But once he took you into that basement, he would tear off your red dress himself and force you into that plain white one.

I switched off the lamp and closed my eyes in the darkness.

The sky was dark and overcast on my wedding day.

Thick clouds blocked the sun, just the way vampires liked it.

My car traveled quietly into the vampire territory on the outskirts of the city.

Outside the window, skyscrapers gradually gave way to towering Gothic spires and grim castles.

The wedding ceremony was long, formal, and cold.

Inside the dim Royal Cathedral, I finally met the man who was now legally my husband, Prince Arthur Thorne.

He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, its collar left loose and open to reveal his pale skin.

His silver hair gleamed, and his eyes were bloodred. His features were so flawless that he looked almost unreal.

But his eyes were lazy and indifferent.

Even while the bishop read the wedding vows, Arthur kept looking down at his phone as if the ceremony were nothing more than another tedious social obligation.

In my previous life, Lilith had been fooled by his careless, womanizing facade. She had truly believed he was a hopeless failure.

But I knew the truth.

Arthur was the most dangerous schemer in the entire Empire.

After the ceremony, I was taken to his private estate.

The massive property blended classical architecture with modern design. Expressionless vampire servants were everywhere, along with several women in revealing clothes.

Late that night, the bedroom door opened.

Arthur entered smelling faintly of alcohol and stood beside the bed, studying me.

There was no desire in his eyes, only undisguised scrutiny and disappointment.

“Miss Roland. I hear your parents gave every valuable asset they owned to your sister. Do they think I’m some kind of junk dealer? That they can dump their unwanted daughter on me and expect me to accept her?”

He leaned down, seized my chin, and forced me to look up at him.

“Tell me, Eve. What could you possibly offer that would make you worth wasting an entire night on?”

“Drop the act, Your Highness. No one from the Council of Elders is watching you here. It’s just you and me.”

I calmly pushed his hand away, walked to the liquor cabinet, and poured myself a glass of wine.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. Tension filled the room in an instant.

I turned and raised my glass.

“I know you’ve been secretly acquiring control of the Riverside Mana Crystal Mine. I know the nightclubs under your name only appear to be losing money. In reality, they serve as cover for the largest underground intelligence network in the Empire. And I know you’ve spent years acting like a reckless playboy to lull the eldest prince into complacency and convince the Council of Elders that you pose no threat to the throne.”

The lazy expression vanished from Arthur’s face.

He stepped forward and wrapped his icy fingers around my throat. His bloodred eyes turned murderous.

“Do you have any idea what you’re saying, human? After what you just said, I could make you disappear in ten thousand different ways.”

His grip tightened around my throat.

I didn’t struggle. I forced out a few broken words.

“Kill me... and the eldest prince will know everything you’ve been hiding by tomorrow.”

At last, Arthur released me.

I clutched my throat, coughed twice, and continued.

“Your Highness, I don’t want love. I want power. You married me for the Roland family’s wealth, but my parents gave everything valuable to my sister instead. What I can give you, however, is worth far more than money or property.”

“Oh?”

Arthur stepped back and studied me with interest.

“What could a human woman like you possibly give me?”

“I may not excel at much, but I’ve always known how to keep a clear head.”

I walked toward him, took out my phone, and opened a file.

“This contains evidence implicating three shell companies owned by the eldest prince in the smuggling of illegal potions. I traded some of the Roland family’s neglected assets to obtain it. Consider it a token of good faith.”

Arthur glanced at the screen. Surprise flashed in his eyes before he looked me over again.

“As for what comes next,” I said, meeting his gaze without fear or submission, “I can manage this estate and handle the high-society obligations you can’t be bothered with.”

“I know the women you call your mistresses are actually your informants. I can organize them and build you a more efficient intelligence network.”

“You handle the fight for power. I’ll clear every obstacle behind the scenes.”

“And what do you want in return?”

Arthur’s voice turned serious.

“Protection.”

I answered without hesitation.

“I want power within the vampire royal family, second only to yours. I want to make sure the Roland family, and everyone else in the Empire, will never dare look down on me again.”

The room fell so quiet that the ticking clock was the only sound.

After a long silence, Arthur let out a low laugh.

“Eve Roland, you really are crazy. But I happen to like crazy.”