The Tyrant's Pet

Miguel should\'ve known what this peace and resolution Maximus IV talking about. He only realized this when he arrived in the kingdom of Rikhill. Twenty years had been since his last visit to the said kingdom, and he could tell there were a lot of changes in this land. 

The trades were still going on with people from all across the globe docking in the kingdom\'s fort. Peace was still reigning over the land. Rikhill had prospered drastically even after two decades. Many goods were new to Miguel; some were new inventions that no one thought would exist two decades ago. 

Surely, humans were quick to adapt to this ever-evolving world. Their will to seek change and advancement was incomparable to other races in the world. Two decades wasn\'t that long for a vampire thus, it wasn\'t surprising these changes would take some time for them. 

If the land of Rikhill was prospering more than ever and peace still ruled over it, what was the problem?

The royal family. To be precise, the king\'s newborn child. 

Davien Heathcliffe.

On his way to the royal palace, Miguel heard a lot of stories about the royal family. The king was finally fathering his heir, his firstborn son. Normally, when the king had a son, people rejoiced. When the crown prince turns one, he would be exposed to the public. 

However, the crown prince was already three and was yet seen by anyone. Hence, rumors arose. Some were worried there was a mistake, and the Queen didn\'t give birth to a son, but a daughter. Others assumed there was another deeper reason the royal family was reluctant to expose the prince to the public. 

This wasn\'t any prince, after all. This prince was the future king.

\'The royal palace…\' Miguel lifted his gaze to the window of the carriage, frowning. \'... are cursed.\'

Miguel slowly balled his hand into a tight fist, sensing this dark aura enveloping the royal palace. Humans wouldn\'t detect this, but as a pureblooded noble vampire, Miguel was certain about it. A capable witch would also feel this powerful shroud hovering over the royal palace. 

"This isn\'t just any spell," came out a whisper, already doing his brief analysis before meeting his dearest friend. "It\'s an ancient spell only those selected few from the Mainland were familiar with."

His expression turned sour as his heart pounded against his ribcage. He didn\'t have a good feeling about this, knowing this type of spell was a serious matter. They wouldn\'t be able to break it easily, especially if the caster was a powerful one. If one wanted to undo it, they should be more powerful than the caster. 

The point was, this spell alone required unimaginable power to complete. It was given the caster was already powerful… much more powerful than Miguel to cast such a curse. Miguel wasn\'t a witch, after all. He learned a bit of a spell growing up, but that was it. 

\'Who in the world…\' his jaw tightened as soon as the carriage entered the premises of the palace. The heaviness of this spell instantly fell on his shoulder. Others wouldn\'t feel it, but as a vampire, the effects of this were apparent. 

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"My friend!" 

Miguel stopped steps after the entrance to the king\'s private drawing room. Alexander had this humble smile on his slightly wrinkly face, offering his good friend a warm greeting. 

"It\'s been a while, Your Majesty." Miguel performed a neck bow with a stern expression. 

"Haha! It has been." Alexander nodded, marching to the settee ever so slowly. "Although I\'m surprised. It\'s been two decades since your last visit, but you still look the same."

When Miguel lifted his head, the king was already sitting in the armchair. The latter motioned to his hand, silently offering Miguel a seat. Miguel didn\'t practice modesty, taking up the king\'s offer and taking a seat across from him. 

Alexander the king assessed the man across from him, chuckling. "I remembered you mentioned two decades ago that you are much older than I am. I didn\'t believe it, but now that you are here, after two decades, how foolish am I to doubt your words?"

"Humans believe what they see." Miguel\'s voice was almost toneless. "I do not blame you, since you never met a vampire before me."

"Haha. That\'s for sure. How nice would it be to become a vampire? You, people, do not grow old. Time was never your enemy." Alexander leaned back comfortably. "Meanwhile, humans have so little time. Therefore, we have to accomplish everything we can in such a short borrowed time."

"Your remarks would offend me if it\'s not you."

"I know." Alexander\'s eyes softened, smiling warmly at his dearest friend. "How have you been, my friend? I was worried about you for the past two decades."

"Why would you be worried about me when you know I am capable enough to survive centuries all alone?"

Alexander shrugged. "Just because. Regardless if you were a vampire or not, you are still my friend. Therefore, you will cross my mind every now and then."

Silence fell on their shoulders as the two of them stared at each other. King Alexander maintained his warm smile while Miguel kept his stoic countenance. 

When Miguel spoke, he was direct. "What happened, Alexander?"

The king\'s smile remained, but the mixed emotions in his eyes swirled in his eyes. That look in his eyes was enough proof something serious happened in the past two decades.

"I bet you heard a lot of stories on your way here. Particularly stories about the crown prince." The king lowered his eyes as his tone quieted down. "You might be wondering why I haven\'t exposed the crown prince in public —"

"Who… did it?" Miguel breathed out, cutting the king off mid-sentence. The latter lifted his eyes back to him, surprised. "I am no ordinary person, Alexander. I know this place is cursed, and if I am correct, this heaviness enveloping the royal family is coming from your son."

Miguel paused to recompose himself, clasping his lap. "Who did it?"

There was a moment of silence between the two of them before the king\'s lips parted, dropping the name Miguel didn\'t expect to hear. 

Maximus IV.