The Vampire Prince's Toxic Consort (BL)

Lucius and Dorian had to rush into a clothing store and buy two pairs of overly colorful beach shorts to change into. Then they went to the fish-n-chip store and bought two giant super-value combos, and carried them to the beach to eat. The cod meat was so tender and juicy, the golden crust and the fries were perfectly crispy, and the cola was so big that Lucius had to run to the washroom two times.

They finished all the food as they watched some younger vampires playing football. Dorian excused himself for about fifteen minutes. Lucius sat there by himself, watching the moon climbing to the zenith. And suddenly, someone tapped on his shoulder.

Lucius turned around, and Dorian was there, a piece of black forest chocolate cake with white cream on the top and black cherry in the middle, and the outer side was loaded with chocolate sprinkles. A candle stood on the top, already lit.

“It’s too late to order a full cake, but luckily the cafe there has the last piece of the black forest,” Dorian explained and put the cake in front of Lucius.

Lucius stared at that cake for a long time, and mixed feelings swirled in his heart. He grinned eventually and said, “it’s exactly as I imagined.”

Somewhere in the city, the clock on an old bell tower rang profoundly. Twelve o’clock, the end and the beginning of a day. In the fuzzy light of the dancing flame, Dorian smiled at him, “happy birthday.”

Lucius closed his eyes and made a wish before he blew out the flame, and then he took the paper cake box and scooped a big chunk of the cake into his mouth. It was the best thing he had ever eaten.

“Thank you, Dorian,” Lucius said quietly. Suddenly a feeling of shame embittered the back of his throat, especially when he remembered the blood he had to send back to Anthor.

He didn’t deserve all of these, for he was about to betray the only person who bought him the black forest cake.

“What’s the matter?” Dorian asked.

“Nothing. I just...didn’t want today...yesterday to end.” Lucius took a deep breath, “the last few hours were the best time I’ve had in...forever.”

“It doesn’t have to end. We can come here in the future if you want.”

Lucius chuckled and savored the sweetness of the black cherry, deciding to push those darker thoughts to the back of his mind.

They returned to the citadel before dinner. Lucius had been nervous for the whole morning as bedtime approached, wondering if the kiss under the sea somewhat changed their relationship and perhaps they could sleep on the same bed again...and possibly more. However, to Lucius’s dismay, Dorian received a summon from the King before bedtime.

“Don’t wait for me.” Dorian said as he prepared to leave, and he paused before opening the door, looking back and said to Lucius, “I can find a doctor to remove the chip in your slave’s head if you still want it to be done.”

Lucicus widened his eyes, “really?”

“We just have to do it secretly. It won’t sit well with the court.” Dorian then left the room.

King Cosmo reclined on the daybed, appearing to be pale and weary, reduced to a mere shadow of his past himself.

He had ruled Eternia with an iron fist for three centuries and conquered almost all the human countries in south Eleth, expanding Eternia from one shore to another and making the vampire kingdom the largest country on the continent and the second largest in the world. He was proud of his accomplishment, believing that he had achieved more than any of his predecessors.

And now, one of the few but most mysterious diseases that a vampire could catch had corrupted his once strong and beautiful body, depriving him of all the nutrition he needed from blood. Even if he killed and drank dozens of meat for a meal, it was still not enough. He was so emaciated that all his ribs were protruding, and he had to put layers of clothes on to hide how thin he had become whenever he had to appear in front of the public.

Lady Devina was also in the room when Dorian entered. She was mixing some medicine into a glass of fresh blood. Dorian stood in front of his father with his head slightly bowed.

“Father, you want to see me?”

Cosmo lifted his eyelids languidly, and a piercing light flickered in those deep, dark eyes. He said in a stern, harsh tone,“I want you to divorce your consort.”

Dorian raised his head in surprise, “what? Why?”

“Now that you’ve settled the strife with the werewolves by ingratiating yourself to them, we no longer need to worry about our eastern side. So now I decide to back on track with the initial plan to take down Anthor, and cleanse this land of humanity and their stupid religion.“Cosmo coughed a little, “I wish to finish this work before I go to sleep.”

Dorian gaped at his father incredulously, too many thoughts raging in his mind, and for a moment, he couldn’t find his words.

“What’s the matter? Can’t bear to be apart from your human pet?“Cosmo berated coldly, “he had been stirring up the pot a lot lately.”

Lady Devina said gently, “I’m sure the Crown Prince is just too busy with his duties to care about trivial rumors in the court.”

“If you are referring to his request of one day off for the slaves, I agreed to that.“Dorian replied calmly, “all his actions were with my approval, including flagellating Earl Keaton.”

“Then you are more pathetic than I thought, being enthralled and played by a little sheep. You disappoint me!” Cosmo chided severely, “I should have known. You are like your mother, too soft and naive for your own good and have a stupid sympathy toward humans. Look what good it did her. Her beloved humans burned her alive!”

Dorian’s hand clenched into a tight fist behind his back, but his expression was still calm and complaisant, “forgive me, father, but I cannot divorce him now. It will jeopardize our relationship with the werewolves, especially our alliance with Chieftain Volke. Julian saved his nephew by performing a healing miracle, and Volke regarded him highly because of it. ”

“Then find a fault. Say he cheated on you or that he is a spy of Anthor. There are millions of ways to do it.“Cosmos took the glass of blood from Devina and guzzled down voraciously, losing his usual grace. No matter how much blood he drank, the hunger only got worse. He then put down the glass and regarded his eldest son firmly, “get rid of him and destroy the treaty. I want it to be done by next month. You have completed much more difficult tasks with much less time than this. I trust you will prove yourself to be worthy of my throne one more time.”

Dorian held his gaze for a long, tacit moment, and then he said slowly, “no, I won’t do it.”

Cosmo didn’t expect such blatant defiance that he was bewildered, “what did you say?”

“I said I won’t divorce Julian Rosenfield.“Dorian’s demeanor subtly shifted, and he stood straighter and taller as if doffing off some oppressive dust from his shoulder, and his deep-set eyes gleamed in the orange light, “he is my consort, and I respect him. He has done nothing wrong.”

“Dorian...don’t say anything you can’t take back.” Lady Devina quickly approached Dorian’s side and whispered, “a human pet is not worth bickering with your father.”

“He is not a pet. He is my consort, and we exchanged blood in the presence of Azrael and Asmodian. Doesn’t the vow of fidelity mean anything to you, father?”

Dorian’s sardonic tone instantly infuriated the king, “How dare you talk to me like this?! Have you forgotten your place?! Do you think you have the support of the House of Mahmound and the werewolves, so your position is secure now?”

“I’ve done everything you asked for the past six years. I’ve reached the moon for you as long as you wanted it. But this. This marriage is something I want.” Dorian took one step toward his father, and suddenly, Cosmo realized how strong and powerful Dorian had become and how withered and gaunt he was. The contrast was so stark that it stunned the king unexpectedly.

Just then, the door opened, and Silvan came inside. He paused as he sensed the tension in the chamber. He quietly stood next to his mother and inquired quietly, “what happened?”

Lady Devina whispered something into his ear.

“Silvan, you will take over the High Commander position of the Royal Army from now on,” Cosmo said sternly as he still glowered at Dorian.

Silvan widened his eyes as if he didn’t expect such development at all, “me? What about Dorian?”

“He has proved that he doesn’t deserve such honor.“Cosmo sneered at Dorian and said spitefully, “and Silvan, remember, don’t take it for granted. I can give it to you, and I can also take it back anytime.”

Dorian didn’t flinch, though smothering resentment blazed behind his veneer. He said disinterestedly, “if this is all, may I take my leave?”

“Get out of my sight!” Cosmo bellowed.

Lucius didn’t see Dorian for the rest of that morning. And as he woke up in the afternoon, the news about Dorian losing the High Commander position had spread through the whole country. Huge, splashy titles of “Crown Prince Dorian Losing The King’s Favour” had taken over every media’s front page.

Lucius stood up abruptly as he read the news on his phone and almost knocked over the coffee cup. He quickly called one of his vampire valets and ordered him to go find out where Dorian was at the moment, but the valet said every servant was busy as the slaves were having a day off. Lucius cursed under his breath and decided to go find Dorian himself.

He felt the different attitudes of the servants and other noblemen in court immediately. Not everyone would salute or bow to him as before anymore, and the moment he turned his back, he could hear the gloating jeer and snickers among the groups.

He asked around, but no one knew where Dorian had gone. After about two hours, he eventually gave up and sat exhaustingly on a bench in the long, grand gallery outside of the State’s Room, ignoring all the curious or slanderous gazes coming from all the passers-by.

He rarely came to this branch of the Citedal, as it was considered a public quarter and many Eternia government personnel came and went daily. Sometimes they were even open to the public, and tourists were allowed to enter certain areas. It was considered inappropriate for a royal house family member to loiter around this area without reason.

“Your Highness, what a surprise to find you here.”

Lucius looked up and saw Duke Darius Mahmound pausing on his way to his office. He only met Darius in various formal events, and they had never spoken except for some short, courtesy exchanges. Lucius knew Darius was Dorian’s most important ally and had been given many study materials about him by Division Nine before he came, but suddenly seeing him on a different occasion still made him slightly nervous.

“Duke, nice to see you here.” Lucius stood up.

“What are you doing here? And all alone nonetheless.” Darius frowned.

“Do you know where Dorian is?”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“I haven’t heard from him since our last call at around 6 am.“Darius ushered Lucius to a quieter space behind some columns and said, “You shouldn’t come to the public quarter alone. It is too dangerous for a human.”

“I’m sorry. I was just worried about him. What happened last night?”

“He didn’t tell you?”

“No. The King called him away, and he never came back.”

“I have some faint idea where he could be. He often needs some solitary time in the old chapel if something like this happens.“Darius sighed and glanced at Lucius with a subtly censorious look.

“What?! What happened? Did he have a fight with the King?“Lucius asked confoundedly.

“Yes, he refused to follow the King’s order.” Darius shook his head despondently, “All these years’ hard work, one night, and it’s almost half gone. Your Highness, I may be speaking out of turn, but you should be more discreet about what you say and do in the court. King Cosmo has a...rather radical and headstrong personality.”

“Wait...” Lucius processed the deeper meaning of the duke’s words, “Do you mean...it has something to do with me?”

“I can’t say more,” Darius replied vaguely.