11 The Good News

The four dukes were looking at Melva simultaneously, causing her cheeks to redden like a boiled crab as she was not used to being the centre of attention. Back at Ichorhold, she had lived alone in a residence isolated from the town, separated by a small forest. She rarely had social interaction with the townspeople as they shut her away, warning anyone who was trying to get close to her. 

The rumour about her being a witch who was banished to Ichorhold was spreading like wildfire. A groundless rumour with no proof whatsoever. It was based only on word of mouth, but people trusted it blindly anyway. Sometimes, people believed what they wanted to believe. It was difficult to change their mental attitude.

No one had been regretting her leaving Ichorhold, not even the Halpines whom she had spent the most time together with. It was rather depressing even if she had seen that coming, for she had never been hanging around with the townspeople. Unbeknownst to her, she was yearning for family and friends because she never had them.

King Hershel said no words afterwards, thus Melva thought it was her cue to introduce herself. "I am Melva Winchell from Ichorhold. It is a pleasure to meet you." She was about to stand up and curtsy when she realised Vance was still holding on to her hand, therefore she opted to bow while sitting down in hopes they wouldn't see it as rude.

'Will this man ever let go of my hand?' thought Melva in irritation.

"Pleased to be your acquaintance, Lady Melva," said the pointy eared duke with a friendly smile on his face. "I am Linwood, Duke of Willowdale."

"The pleasure is mine, beautiful." The blue haired duke playfully winked at Melva and earned a death glare from Vance. This duke seemed to flirt a lot, but she had to admit somehow it kind of worked. "Mervin, Duke of Davenport."

"Are you with the werewolf? What a pity." The red eyed duke shook his head in disappointment. Melva could feel Vance's hold on her hand tighten as he was holding back his anger. "My name is Eldridge, Duke of Blackburn. If you ever change your mind, you are welcome to join me."

"Alden, Duke of Deathfall," mumbled the gloomy duke gruffly.

There were a lot of names and Melva was overwhelmed. She had never had to memorise many unfamiliar names at the same time. She was not confident she would remember them all. She would probably forget them at the end of the day.

Eldridge's red eyes were scrutinising Melva as the room had gone quiet once again with King Hershel sipping his tea while watching the interaction between his subordinates. That eye colour made his gaze five times more intimidating and she found herself looking away. And then he started a discussion with the other dukes as though Melva and Vance were unable to hear him.

"I wonder why a mere young woman from the blood moon's contract is brought to the palace. What makes her so different from the others that our dear Vance is so infatuated with her? Have you seen him being so possessive before? He has not let go of her hand once since entering the room. This is very intriguing."

Melva was unable to lift her head out of embarrassment. She could never get used to becoming the centre of attention. All eyes were on her and it was too much for her to handle. She hoped they would stop talking about her soon, although Eldridge's words piqued her interest. 

Eldridge was talking about the blood moon's contract like it was a common thing that everyone was aware of. Just how many towns had signed the contract? And were all of the dukes also in it? Did they also get provided with a young woman on every blood moon?

Vance was quiet even if Eldridge was ridiculing him, but it was clear he was seething. There must be bad blood between them, judging from how unfriendly their exchange was. Mervin had mentioned that werewolves and vampires could never get along. Was Eldridge a vampire? Another demon like Vance? 

The only rumours Melva had heard about vampires were that they drank human blood, however, most of the rumours involved every kind of demon devouring humans. At one point, the rumours had turned into bedtime stories for parents to scare their children so that they wouldn't roam around in the forest by themselves. She could never know which one was the truth.

"Indeed," agreed Mervin while eyeing Melva with interest. "The young women who were sent to my place mostly became maids and the mistresses of my subordinates. I guess this lady is something else. I cannot wait to find out more."

"You guessed it correctly," interjected King Hershel, finally putting down his cup of tea to speak. "Lady Melva is the future Duchess of Nightwind. The two of them will get married on the next full moon. The wedding will be held here in the castle and I will invite everyone in Ethia to attend the wedding ball."

Melva whipped her head towards the King in surprise. She had not expected the King would finalise their wedding this soon. Marriage was considered a big thing, according to what Mrs. Halpine had taught her. It was a special event that occurred only once in a lifetime. And yet, something that special was decided by the King on her behalf. 

It was frustrating, but what else could she do against the King's word? It was a royal mandate that no one was allowed to refuse. If Vance was unable to do anything about it, then nothing could be done.

"This is good news!" exclaimed Linwood sincerely. "Congratulations on your wedding, Vance and Lady Melva."

"I cannot thank you enough, Your Grace," said Melva politely. She was not glad about the marriage, but the least she could do was be polite and show her manner. "It is my utmost pleasure."

"Thank you, Linwood. I appreciate your kind words." Vance also expressed his gratitude, even if his face remained expressionless. 

When he was addressing Linwood, Vance appeared less uptight, compared to when he was with Eldridge. She was curious about what had happened between the dukes and what had caused their relationship to fall apart, or whether they had always been this hostile towards each other. It was a pity to see them not getting along despite having the same social rank. They could have been supporting each other.

"To be honest, Vance," said Mervin, his playful demeanour vanishing and turning into one of seriousness, "I am quite surprised to know you are willing to go that far for the throne. I always thought you were not interested in marriage. I admire your dedication, thus I offer you my heartfelt congratulations." The words were pleasant and friendly, however, there was no sincerity behind them.

"Getting a head start is never bad," countered Vance. "I suggest you hurry and search for your other half or you will lose the throne before you know it." It was odd that Vance was suggesting Mervin to marry when he himself was so against his own marriage. He was probably only riling him up, not wanting to seem weak in front of the other dukes.

The more Melva paid attention to the conversation between the dukes, the more she realised that something was off. It seemed almost like the other dukes had no idea about Vance's condition nor why she was needed here to hold his hand. And Vance was persistent on not mentioning it to them. Was he trying to keep it a secret from them? Of course, he must be keen on not telling them his weakness.

The tension in the air was palpable and it was suffocating for Melva. The dukes were so ready to fight that it was uncomfortable to sit together with them. Was this how they behaved in front of the King? Where were their manners?

King Hershel laughed out loud at them, totally not offended by the absence of manners. "It is always amusing to see the five of you being so competitive to inherit the throne. I must say that I am not in a hurry to choose an heir. There is absolutely no need to make a competition out of marriage. Choose your partner wisely, else you will regret for life."

A big question arose in Melva's mind. As she had been observing them, she noted that the King thought of the five dukes as though they were his own sons. From listening to their conversations, it was known that the King intended to choose one of the dukes to inherit his throne, which was odd considering they were clearly not his family members. Did the King have no family? Where was the Queen?

She was connecting the dots as she was mulling over the connection between the King and the dukes. Was that the reason why Vance finally agreed on marrying her? Because then he would be eligible for inheriting the crown?

Alden suddenly stood up, everyone turning to look at him. "It is time to move to the courtroom. The ministers will be waiting."

The King glanced at the standing clock in the drawing room, which showed it was nine in the morning. "Ah, it is this late already. I have lost track of time. Shall we go?"

The other dukes got to their feet and trailed behind the King, except for Vance who was still sitting down, his gaze on their hands. They came to a halt by the door to wait for him to follow them. The council meeting was restricted for the members of Ethia Kingdom's government. It was not something she could join as a commoner, thus Vance couldn't bring her with him.

King Hershel must have noticed Vance's reluctance to leave Melva behind and offered a reassuring smile. "No need to be so worried, Vance. The palace is safe from any harm. She will be fine here. And if she needs anything, the guards will attend to her."

With a heavy heart, Vance finally let go of her hand and joined the King to head towards the courtroom. 

Melva knew for sure that Vance was not worried about her safety, but he was worried about his own. They had not figured out how long the effect of her touch would last, therefore if somehow the effect was gone during the meeting, he would have to endure the cold until he could have her touch again.

It was not her problem, so she couldn't care less.