One Step at a Time

Then again, it could be considered to be a better option as opposed to vampires propagating through their poisonous bites, an act that often produced untamed and wild vampires. 

Rampants, they were called. Some were successfully tamed, sure, which led to them being called the Curbs.

"All Exordiums left are females," Nikolai hummed with a sigh. "Obviously, that's something to keep in mind."

Mineah lifted her brow at the sudden change of topic. Nevertheless, she commented, "And your father was the last male. With him gone, you're the last one alive that has your father's blood, the last one with full Exordium blood in your veins. They want you to continue the lineage."

She heard Nikolai was the only Pureblood left harboring a pure Exordium blood in him. He and his sister Ezme's births were a miracle because their mother, the Queen Dowager Rania, who was also an Exordium, miraculously managed to get pregnant with the former king, Arturo.

"Looks like you did your research," Nikolai hummed as he continued to caress her cheek with the back of his hand.

"I love doing research. Not just from reading books, of course," she answered while trying her best to control her beating heart. "I'm not blessed with strong physical traits, so the least I could do is to enhance my knowledge, and that includes studying up on everything I could about other kingdoms…"

She scoffed as she continued, "And right, you're a king, so politically, you should be marrying royalty to ensure your lineage's prestige would remain intact. And yet you want a human breeder? Why not go for the Cordon's Princess instead? She's a strong royal with werewolf blood, correct?"

"You're amusing…" Nikolai smirked, dodging the question entirely.

Seeing his reaction, she shrugged. "Or maybe you plan on having multiple wives like what other kings do and have multiple children with all of us?" she guessed. "Do you also have plans on marrying the Cordon Princess as well?"

While she personally wouldn't want such a thing to happen, it would be better for him to marry whoever he wanted aside from her. It was far from the worst-case scenario of him revoking his marriage with her after discovering the truth about one of her curses, and the most embarrassing one on top of that. 

She needed to stay under the wing of protection if she wanted to end her curses. She was confident that she could adapt to her surroundings for as long as she succeed in her goal.

Nikolai's face suddenly darkened, and she gulped at the drastic change in both his expression and the atmosphere inside the carriage.

'Did I say something that offended him?' she inwardly thought. 'He should be glad since I'm being mindful by suggesting that he can have more women that he could breed with.'

Vampires loved toying with humans, using their advantage of enchanting their kind so easily to make humans dance to their whims. The thought of it made Mineah frown. She hated the idea, yet it was ironic how she also planned to use every advantage she had just to ensnare the vampire before her by any means necessary as well. 

Nikolai stared deeply into Mineah's eyes, and like last time, she felt that same hypnotic feeling of being pulled towards him for some reason. He was trying to charm and compel her this time.

"No one should know about your curse except for me. I forbid you from sharing this information with others except for me, Mine," Nikolai commanded. "If someone asks you about it, your answer will always be 'ask my husband because he knows, and he doesn't want me to tell it to you.'" 

Mineah simply nodded, her eyes unblinking as she went through his thought processes. 

She found it confusing as to why Nikolai would want her to keep her secret to himself. It was very thoughtful of him, but she knew she should not be too complacent when it came to anything involving her new life and her new husband. But then, it was still an advantage to her, so she was satisfied with it. 

'Does that mean that he wouldn't take any more wives if he wants to keep this curse of mine a secret?' she thought to herself, her face devoid of any expression. 

Thinking things through, Nikolai had no other reason to protect her like this. She thought of what would happen if her curse ever became public knowledge, his subjects would simply push him to marry another woman. Worst case scenario, she'd get kicked out for being a useless wife.

She blinked the moment she felt Nikolai cut off their connection. He then looked away from her before looking out the window. 

He had also removed his hand from her cheek, and his voice was smooth as it had always been as he suddenly said, "I have no plans of marrying more wives. One mysterious woman like you is more than enough for me to handle, Mine. Adding other creatures to the mix will just make things too complicated for me to even bother."

She blinked at his words. 

She finally understood why he was satisfied with just her. He wanted someone like her, a human, someone he could easily manipulate by hypnotizing and compelling into submission unlike werewolves and other beings that were immune from a vampire's natural charms. 

'But does that mean that… He will…' 

Mineah's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her.

"Are you saying that you're still planning on sleeping with me?" she burst out, her eyes blinking at him in confusion.

"And why wouldn't I?" Nikolai bluntly replied, making Mineah's mouth gape, she was speechless. 

He then leaned closer and whispered into her ear, "Don't worry, I'll give you time to get accustomed to being my wife first. Being my Queen is a challenging task, so focus on that first. We'll take things one step at a time, and I won't rush you if you're not ready." 

Mineah held her breath as she pursed her lips. His warm breath fanning on her ear sent shivers down her spine. She felt like she was being seduced again when it should be the other way around.