章節 29: A friend or a Foe?
*Kiara's POV*
"Don't worry about Hendrix; he's just acting up." Erica said to me on our way. I looked at her with a suspicious eye, wondering why she cared.Any friend of Hendrix wasn't to be trusted.
She looked nice enough, but if we were judging people by their looks, the Valerian family would be a big group of saints.I shut my eyes and smiled.
"It's nothing."
I was playing it safe. I turned my face to the window to distract myself. We had just happened to pass by a big vineyard as I peeked outside. It was enormous and glorious. There were no workers. Probably because it was a sunny day. Low-class vampires and the sun don't mix. I stared at my white and lavender gloves, I tried to not let my mind swerve to a wrong turn, to keep it blank.Letting my mind think deeply about the claws will do me no good.But my chest burned for answers, I will have to speak to Shadrach about this.
"It wasn't 'nothing'. I saw you two. He was being a bit arrogant; you must forgive him. Being unpleasant is a part of his DNA." Erica's coercing voice said.She sounded like one of those nurses you were sent to tell you bad news like neither your wife or baby survived childbirth.
I turned to her, surprised that she had refused to let go of the topic.
For the first time, her distinctive looks caught my eye, I knew the face.I decided to pay attention and make sense out of the fog in my mind.
And then the thoughts began to rush in. I came to the realization of whose presence I was in. "What is your name again?"
"Erica Alvero,"she said with a smile.A proud one.
My eyes widened a bit when I realized who she was. "Queen Erica Alvero you are the first—the very first independent queen."
She laughed a bit. "I am..."
"You have no idea how many women look up to you where I come from.Even though it's done secretly, They adore you. You paved the way for women and told the world you don't need a man. I really admire you a lot." I said, turning fully to her.
"And you are the first hybrid. You and your friends built an entire foundation as a shelter for your kind. You have a heart of gold, and I admire you a lot too."she said politely
We gave each other a small smile, mine was a little sadder because of the mention of my late friends.
Her eyes softened on me and it felt nice. It was a definite girl moment. It wouldn't be bad to make a friend.
Carlotta's warnings were beginning to fade away from my thoughts.
"It was more than just a bit of arrogance..."I said,allowing myself to open up a little. "Hendrix hates me. I don't know why, but he has made it obvious."
"I've been there; he doesn't .He is very suspicious of anyone who isn't family blood. He thinks you are a spy or even worse."
"I'm not..." I said,cold sweat trickling down my back. To be honest,last night I considered Uncle Hugo's idea in an effort to make use of my time here before my departure, but I haven't officially started snooping around yet, so technically I wasn't a spy.
"I will talk to him and help cure his paranoia," she said with a lovely sigh.
"I think I will tell the Queen too,just in case he doesn't listen to you."
"Susannah?"she asked me with a scrawl.
I was a bit taken aback. She referred to the Queen as Susannah, and then I remembered that the lady refused to be called with extreme titles. I wanted to assume that they were that close, but then the scowl changed my opinion about that matter. But why? The Queen was by far the most bearable Valerian I have met.
"You don't seem to like her,"I noticed.
I sensed her hesitation. "I do..."
"No,you don't."
Her blue eyes were a beautiful contrast to her hair. She looked snatched from another world with that beauty. The eyes lowered, and she looked away.The air of confidence that held her head high seemed to have melted.
"I'm just saying that just because someone appears kind doesn't mean they are."
I recoiled in my seat. "Wow,I actually liked her a lot."
"Me too. I loved her like a mother. I lost my parents a while ago. I wasn't all that young, but still,do we ever stop needing parents?" She asked with a dry, unhappy chuckle. I watched a sad smile form on her face. I could literally feel her pain. We don't ever stop needing parents. I had been away from my father for just a few days, and I miss him like hell.
"But hey," she sniffed, placing a hand over mine. "Don't listen to me. All this is based on personal experiences, so I might be a little biased. Please forgive me; I said too much."
"No, no, don't hold back on me now. What happened?"
She went mute and focused on the road, heightening my curiosity even more. If she hesitated this much, it was because it was that bad.
"Erica..." I pressed a bit more.
Her eyes darted toward me. "There are far too many things she did, but she wasn't always that way. Once upon a time,she was kind and caring to me, and I sort of considered her another mother. She was the only motherly figure I had, so I cherished her and confided in her."The smile on Erica's face faded.
"She knew very well that in order to keep my throne, the throne….the only connection I had to my parents was that I had to be single and unmarried. That was the price I paid to be the sole queen. However, she started being suspicious of me liking her sons for no reason at all. She decided I was a seductress and was going to cause havoc in her family, and soon there were rumours all about that I was having affairs with men in high power to attain new territories. She said it to my face once. She said that I was a whore with a crown and referred to me as The Great Prostitute. The Valerians are powerful, Kiara. The council almost took me from my own home because of the dishonourable acts I had been accused of committing by the respectable woman.Some men I never met even testified to it."
My mouth opened in shock. "Really? Then how are you still in power?"
"Adriel helped me, and he is a Valerian , remember? Perhaps the strongest of all. I'm eternally grateful to him." she replied.
"Why did he help you?" I was surprised to my core. Adriel didn't exactly seem like the type who helped others out of good will. It was, in fact, the complete opposite of what it's likely that he might do.
"Because we are friends."
I nodded slowly, tossing the information into my brain. A female friend—not that I cared that much. But it was no secret that Adriel had a reputation for women. And she was beautiful..ugh, what am I thinking? She had already stated that they were friends. I just found it strange that Adriel had a friend that he actually helped and did not trample all over them in the name of ego. Lucky her. Maybe too lucky. I stared at the view outside as I wondered who I should believe. Queen Susannah, or Erica?
'Trust no one.'
She noticed my silence.
"Let me guess. You doubt me. Fair enough, I haven't done anything to deserve your trust. But be vigilant. Especially around her staff, and that includes anyone she assigns to you. They don't just ignore ethics because they are friendly; it's because they want to please you, so you keep them by your side. They spy on you and report everything to her."
Vivi? Good Lord...no. That house seemed way more twisted than I thought. Why will the Queen want to spy on me? Good thing I didnt say anything in front of her. I glanced at Erica, wondering why she was being so nice to me. Perhaps she saw a bit of herself in me. We had a few similarities, nevertheless. I sighed as my suspicion peaked. It was either that she was too nice or too fake.
"I will be more careful. Thank you for telling me." I said, blankly dropping the topic. I was a bit shaken, but then again, what could I do? I was going to be even more vigilant from now on. Including Erica. I trust no one. At this point, not even Adriel.
The carriage came to a stop, and Erica got down.
"Here we are!"she exclaimed, introducing me to a tall building that stood gigantically in its white marble suit. It extended widely to the sides with a huge statue in front,with beautiful blossoming flowers arranged symmetrically in the front garden with fountains and a stable on both ends. It was captivating. I stood in awe of it.
"This is the Rose Croix Club House,"she said with a wide smile.
Rose Croix? Interesting name. It was named after the theology of a secret society of mystics—a name from all the way to Germany, I studied awhile ago. I didn't know that it would become the name of an Elite Vampire Clubhouse based on its reputation.
"It was built a long time ago; at a certain point in time, the Valerians owned it, but now it is owned by the Ittelos. They are very rich, but they are type three. They desperately need the validation of society to make up their lower class blood. So Adriel exploited them enormously, along with the condition that he could use the clubhouse whenever he wanted for free.Wasn't that a smart move?"
I stared at her as she spoke of Adriel. I remembered that her Majesty referred to her as an ardent admirer of Adriel. I had wondered what that meant. It seemed obvious now.
"Of course,using the weakness of people against them and doing corruption was smart." I said it sarcastically. " Just when I thought he was actually something to like,he shows up as the dog he is."
She turned to me with her eyes sharp like knives. I don't think I have ever seen those kind eyes so hard,cold.Like ice. Then, in an instant,all the ice melted, and she turned kind again. I made a mental note to not speak ill of Adriel in front of her again.
"Let me show you inside now," she said, leading the way.
The inside was even grander than the outside. The high ceilings were painted with pictures of beautiful women and adorned with a host of chandeliers to better display the building's glory. There were mirrors situated at specific angles to reflect light from the windows. The sun's rays bounced around the room in childish glee. There were already glass tables arranged with red roses in glass vases on top of them. That and the lighting made the room sparkle with redolence. I was in utter marvel at the aesthetic work she had done, and I barely heard what she was saying. She showed me the entire ballroom and even the back garden, with a little history about things here and there.
"You will come here a few hours earlier than the other guests with your dress and your team. There are rooms on the second floor; choose any and dress there. The event starts at eight p.m., so you will make a grand entrance from those stairs by eight thirty Adriel will escort you down."
"Adriel is nowhere to be found, and Hendrix is my only option." I lamented.
"I sort of knew Adriel wouldn't make it." Erica said she was walking towards a withering rose in the mist of the fresh ones. She plucked out the imperfection and scanned her eagle eyes around the room one more time,checking for a flaw.
"And why won't he?" I asked. She was slightly bothered by the fact that she was also so comfortable with his name. No title or anything.
"Adriel has never been the kind to enjoy social events. And he tends to get bored in bad company."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "I see. No worries then. I am great company."
"I'm sure you are... I didn't mean to offend you."
I felt a knot of discomfort gnaw in my stomach. Perhaps it was my gut telling me something incredibly odd about her smile. It never reached her eyes. I heard my stomach growl and remembered that I only ate five bananas all day. And only breakfast the day before. Maybe it was hunger giving me these thoughts. I took a seat at one of the chairs as weakness enveloped me into its uncomfortable, thick, hot embrace.
Erica squatted beside me and watched me in silence for about two minutes before finally asking if she 'could' help.
I said no and sat down quietly for a while, using the little strength I had to practise gentle breathing. I opened my eyes to the image of what seemed to be Vivi coming towards me. My eyes widened a bit,hoping I wasn't having hallucinations, but thankfully I wasn't. Vivi greeted Erica with an underlying sneer.
"Good evening, Miss Erica." I watched their exchange with curiosity,wondering if they knew each other.
Vivi walked past her and came to me with a smile. "How are you, my lady?"
"I'm fine." I said it coldly, taking a sigh. I didn't know if I should be happy that she was concerned or suspicious of her. Now I just had the underlying thought that her loyalty didn't lie with me anymore. It was with the Queen. God,how I missed Carlotta. She would have known I was dying of starvation.
She knelt to my side and whispered solemnly with a smile. "The Queen sent me here to inform you that your husband-to-be is at the palace. She thinks you two should catch up before the event."
My heart skipped a happy beat, but I noticed Erica stiffening in her spot. I could tell she heard. Apparently,the whisper wasn't low enough.
"Now?" I whispered back.
Vivi nodded with a wide smile.
I got up from the chair and stood tall. Vivi got my hand to escort me outside, and we only stopped to formally thank Erica for the work she has done so far and the tour.
"Great! Let me take you back with my carriage.' She offered, seeming deaf to what I just said. It was obvious she had her mind on something else.
"No need to worry, Miss Erica. I made sure to bring my lady's official Valerian carriage."
Erica's eyes chewed Vivi alive, only for her mouth to spread into a dark smile.
"Safe trip."
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