章 363: The Curse

<Author's Note>

Hey guys,

Before you begin reading I wanted to share something. So the delay of this chapter was not to create suspense or mystery or anything. It was actually because of my phone. Last week my phone suddenly broke down and I had to spend a lot of time and money to fix it. Luckily the phone was not needed to reset, so my written chapters were saved (and my phone stopped working so suddenly that I had no time to back up my writing). I got my phone back yesterday and edited it as fast as could and here it is. Hope you enjoy it and I am trying to post the next chapter soon but my phone still has some issues so it can take a while to fix everything and get back to normal.

Thank you for waiting and now on with the chapter.

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"Where?" Chris asked surprised at Oziyat's smile.

"Lady Christina, I hoped you understand that that thief coming to this particular vampire territory was no coincidence," Queen Vasilisa said sarcastically as she drowned her wine. "But if it didn't comprehend on you, then let me elaborate. Yes, we are direct decedent of the First Goddess's son Xreios Dragozera, who was the first monarch of our kind. For thousands of years, Dragozeras were only royals and had the right to rule the vampires. But when humans started going to war against vampires and wizards, we had to divide and hide for our safety. Thus different vampire territories and their new Kings and Queens. However, the Crimson Crystal did not change its place. It was handed down to every monarch in our family. Only the monarchs knew its value and had the responsibility to protect the Crystal with their life. And every monarch did complete their duty except . . . Wilma. But what will you expect from a woman who had forgotten her lineage and had illicit affairs with a filthy wizard? And if that wasn't enough she accepted her abomination of a half-blood son." Queen Vasilisa looked disgusted as she said the last part without realizing that she had said something she was not supposed to, at least, not in front of her daughter.

But Oziyat and Chris's eyes immediately snapped at Rosaline, who had gone still. Oziyat, who was sitting between her sister and Chris, reached for her sister to console her or stop her but before he could Rosaline spoke. Her eyes fixed on her mother, who was glaring at a painting, at the far corner of the room, still looking disgusted.

"Is my Sol an abomination too, mother?" Rosaline's voice was so low and cold that the temperature of the room plunged and Chris couldn't help but shivered.

Vasilisa's shoulders dropped and the disgusted look on her face was replaced by regret as the realization dawned on her about what she just said. After a minute or two of silence, Vasilisa finally looked up to Rosaline and paled even more.

"So you knew. You knew about it all along. You knew about everything. . . and you didn't tell me because your daughter also fell for a filthy wizard," Rosaline's entire body was stiff as a stone, only her eyes narrowed at her mother with every word she spoke. "And you hated it. That is why you asked me to keep Sol a secret. To keep him inside the castle at all cost. You convinced me it was because if his identity got out and our people asked about his father, it will be bad for him, for me, for us. While it was just your prejudice and wicked beliefs." Rosaline didn't raise her voice but Chris saw her fist clenched.

"I was not wrong about Sol's father, Rosaline, you know that," The Queen tried to sound calm but there was an edge to her voice. "And Sol is nothing like us. He is the worst kind of half-blood I have ever seen. You should thank me for saving you from introducing such a disgrace of a son."

"Mother!" Oziyat glared at the Queen. "You would think twice before speaking about Sol like that. Admit your wrongdoings once in a while."

Rosaline chuckled mirthlessly watching the swirling wine in her glass.

"The Queen cannot be wrong, Oziyat. She is always right. It was me who was a fool. I am fooled again and again and I trusted again and again. When she asked me to step down from the Crown Princess, I believed it was because she wanted to protect me from the world. It was because of Sol, was it not, mother? You didn't want him to be the next in line. A half-blood. I thought you didn't like Sol because of his father but you just hated him. Do you hate me, mother, like Wilma? Of course, you do, if you hate Wilma, who loved Godric Gryffindor, our savior, then what hope did I have? I loved a traitor like Ethan."

Chris's eyes widened at Rosaline's words and she looked at Oziyat, who met her gaze with a sad knowing look. And with a nod, he answered Chris's wordless question.

Ethan, Malgino's closest minion was Sol's father.

"Rosaline!" suddenly the Queen shouted looking vicious. "How dare you utter that filth's name?"

Chris opened her mouth and closed. After all the accusations from her daughter, the Queen was concerned about this?

"If we stop uttering their name, they don't stop existing . . . mother," Rosaline's eyes were dry and she looked emotionless again. "They are real and still existing . . . but not for long. What happened to Malgino, mother? How did he steal the Crystal?"

Vasilisa didn't look like she would answer but then Rosaline looked at her, straight in her eyes.

"Tell us everything you know," Rosaline ordered and after a moment, words started to tumble out of the Queen.

"The Crimson Crystal was hidden inside the oldest Temple, which is under the fort in Southeast of Titian. Only the monarchs of our family knew how to get down to the temple. It was necessary as after becoming the ruler they had to touch the Crystal with their blood and take an oath. This way our kind still would have been bound to the Crystal and our powers would have never been lost," Vasilisa spoke in a monotonous way. "Wilma had rule barely fifteen years when Malgino came with Wilma's son and learned about the Crystal. How Malgino got down and stole the Crystal, no one knows, but as soon as he started using it the entire vampire kind started to suffer. Vampires were not immortal anymore, many lost control over their bloodlust after birth. The Crimson Crystal was the First Goddess's gift, it was sacred for us. Our monarchs were supposed to protect it, that was the oath they took and these oaths are not meant to be broken. Wilma failed and as the oath said, 'if my oath is broken. . . if I fail to protect the sacred Crimson Crystal, then let the curse fall. Let me withered away in pain as if someone else is feeding on me.' Wilma got the curse and her successors followed. When King Sethovon, my husband was withering away from the curse, he told me everything and asked me to be prepared for the same death. Wilma's mistake cost so many lives. Just because she trusted her abomination of a son."

"What happened to that son?" Rosaline asked with the same commanding voice.

"Nobody knows. After Malgino left, nobody ever saw him." Vasilisa replied instantly.

"What about the war you told us about?" Oziyat asked her mother but then turned to Rosaline. "The war where Vampires went to hiding and Malgino helped."

Rosaline nodded at her brother and ordered her mother, "Answer him."

"It was a lie. I lied," Vasilisa said dreamily.

"Why?"

"I didn't want another filthy witch to destroy everything I have built for so many years. The wizards need to suffer alone like vampires are suffering because of them. These two kinds were never meant to be mixed. I wanted her to fail."

"What did you built, mother?" Oziyat whispered to himself. "A world full of lies ruled by a person who is too stubborn to see errors of her ways."

Chris looked back and forth between Vasilisa, Rosaline, and Oziyat. It took a while before she understood what was happening but she was too shocked to say anything. Thankfully Oziyat asked her question.

"How do you enter the southeast fort and the Temple?"

Rosaline repeated the question to Vasilisa.

"I never went there. I don't know. After the fort collapsed nobody went there. It was more than seven hundred years ago. But before that whoever went there remembered nothing. But . . ." Queen Vasilisa blinked looking sleepy.

"But what?" Chris shook out of her shock and asked urgently.

"But I just know. . . what Sethovon once told me . . ." Vasilisa's eyes closed as she mumbled. "To reach the. . . temple you . . . would need . . . brilliance . . . courage . . . faith and . . ."

Vasilisa fell back on the armchair.

"And?" Chris asked getting up from her seat.

"And help," Vasilisa whispered before drifting off completely.

Rosaline and Oziyat got up as well and for a moment they all stared at the ill Queen's sleeping figure. Then with a sigh, Rosaline looked at Oziyat and he clutched Chris's wrist and they walked out of the room quickly. Chris followed the siblings without saying anything as the Queen's words echoed in her mind. The guards bowed at them as they passed briskly. They finally stopped in front of the empty hallway leading to Rosaline's chamber. And only then Rosaline spoke,

"I didn't know you could use mind control, Lady Christina."

"I — what?" Chris asked surprised.

"You force her to answer even when my hypnosis was slipping away," Rosaline explained.

"Oh, that . . . just happened at that moment. I didn't intend to do it," Chris said feeling weird but Rosaline looked impressed.

"Anyway, she will not remember telling us anything. So I hope you keep it secret as well."

"I . . ." Chris remembered the wine bottle and realized, all of it was planned by Rosaline and Oziyat. Queen Vasilisa wasn't going to say anything so they made her tell the truth. "Thank you."

"You are welcome," Rosaline nodded without smiling. "Just . . . do not prove me wrong again. I really do hope you succeed, Lady Christina."

Rosaline looked at Chris to Oziyat then walked away.

"Thank you," Chris repeated to Oziyat as he looked at her.

"You do not need to thank me, Christina," Oziyat gave a small smile. "It wasn't exactly a selfless act. I wanted to fix this mess as well. I want my people to be safe too and it's possible only if we finish what Malgino started years ago."

⟦To be continued⟧