Chapter 46: Old man i

After the welcome back ceremony finally came to an end, the important members of the Immortal Council gathered in a large dining hall inside the palace. The long table was covered with different kinds of food, from roasted meat and fresh fruits to expensive dishes prepared by the royal chefs, while several bottles of wine were placed between the plates.

Rita sat beside Caius because she was now the official representative of the witches, although she still looked a little uncomfortable with how everyone kept staring at her.

Across the table, the Dragon King, Lincoln, was watching Aaron.

Aaron, the Vampire King, was eating quietly.There was nothing strange about that, except for the fact that Lincoln seemed completely fascinated by the way he was eating.

Aaron picked up another piece of meat and calmly placed it in his mouth.

Lincoln continued staring at him weirdly as Aaron took a drink.

Lincoln was still staring. Finally, Aaron sighed. "Stop giving me that look. He won’t offer me any of his maids anyway." He glanced toward Caius.

Caius calmly sipped his wine as if he had not heard anything.

Lincoln sighed heavily. "You spent two hundred years sleeping inside that crystal coffin. Do you even know how powerful a crystal coffin like that is?"

He pointed toward Aaron. "He can relate."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "The coffin we are talking about isn’t an ordinary coffin, you know."

"I know," Lincoln replied. "That is exactly why I’m worried."

The Fae Queen, who had been quietly eating, placed her fork down and sighed. "I have been thinking about it for a while. That coffin should probably be kept somewhere safe. If someone gets access to it, they might be able to use it against you."

The Fairy Queen immediately nodded. "She is right. The Witch Queen should know the solution."

Everyone’s attention suddenly moved toward Rita. Rita froze with a piece of food halfway to her mouth. She slowly lowered her hand.

Why me?

She looked around the table. Everyone was staring at her.

Even though Caius was not looking directly at her, she was very sure he could somehow tell exactly what she was thinking. "Of course," Rita finally said with a forced smile.

Inside her head, however, she was screaming.

Of course not!

The solution was not simple at all. Caius needed to mark and mate with his fated mate for the ritual to be completed. His mate’s blood was connected to the curse, and without completing the bond, they could not completely remove the effects of the ancient spell.

Rita swallowed. She was suddenly afraid that someone would ask her too many questions.

Unfortunately, Lincoln was already smiling. "So, what is it?"

Rita sighed. "The solution is connected to his mate."

The Queen of the Fae and the Fairy Queen immediately exchanged excited looks."Oh my..."

The Fairy Queen smiled widely. She had been secretly waiting to see a woman beside Caius for years.

Lincoln grinned. "So the woman who was walking with the High Priest earlier is his mate?"

Caius suddenly stopped drinking. His hand remained around the wine glass as he slowly looked up.

Who are they talking about? He thought for a moment. He did not remember seeing any woman beside the High Priest.

Then he looked toward Rita.

Rita gave him a nervous smile. "The High Priest took her with us."

Caius stared at her. His expression became slightly colder.

Lincoln suddenly burst into laughter. "You mean the mysterious woman with the red veil?"

Caius said nothing.

The Fae Queen immediately turned toward one of the guards. "Bring the High Priest here."

The guard bowed and left.

Rita quietly lowered her head. She already knew this was going to become troublesome.

A few minutes later, the High Priest entered the dining hall. She stopped when she saw everyone staring at her. " At your services"

The Fae Queen smiled. "We want to see His Majesty’s mate."

The High Priest immediately looked toward Caius. Caius was sitting calmly in his chair, but his expression was enough to tell her that he was not happy.

The High Priest was about to speak when footsteps suddenly came from the entrance.

Everyone turned the moment Hazel walked into the dining hall. She had a faint smile on her face, but something about her seemed different.

Her eyes were glowing white. She lifted one hand and waved happily toward Caius. "Hi hun."

Caius narrowed his eyes. Everyone at the table became silent.

Lincoln’s mouth slowly opened. The Fairy Queen covered her smile. The Fae Queen looked delighted.

Rita stared at Hazel in confusion.

But Hazel suddenly stopped. Her expression changed. She blinked several times and looked around the room. "Wait..." She looked at the table. Then at the people sitting around it. Then she looked down at herself. "How did I get here?"

Hazel frowned. The last thing she remembered was being somewhere else. She remembered feeling something strange, almost as if someone had entered her body.

Then everything became blurry. Her eyes widened. "Ahh..." She immediately understood. "It must have been the moon goddess." she murmured.

The High Priest quickly stepped forward. "This is Hazel." She looked around the table. "She is King Caius’s mate."

For a moment, there was complete silence. Then Lincoln slammed his hand on the table and burst into laughter. "I knew it!"

The Fairy Queen smiled happily. "So she is finally here." The Fae Queen looked at Hazel with interest. Hazel became uncomfortable under everyone’s attention.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" she whispered to Rita

Rita sighed. "Because you just walked into a room full of important people and announced that you’re Caius’s mate without even knowing how you got here." she whispered back

Hazel’s eyes widened. "I did what?"

Caius remained silent. He was still staring at her.

Hazel slowly turned toward him. Their eyes met. For some reason, her heart began beating faster. She quickly looked away. After a few more questions and a lot of teasing from the council members, the dining continued.

But Caius barely touched his food after that. He was clearly thinking about something, he knew it’s the moon goddess doing. ’ how can he stop her?’

.....

Later, when most of the council members had left the dining hall, Hazel noticed the High Priest kneeling in front of Caius.

His back was facing her Her head was lowered.

"You didn’t even tell me," Caius said coldly. "How dare you bring her to the public without informing me?"

Hazel who was watching from a far frowned. The High Priest remained kneeling. "I am very sorry, Your Majesty. The moon goddess ordered me to do so."

Caius became quiet. He sighed. Then he scoffed and walked away without saying another word.

Hazel stared at his back and shook her head. "He doesn’t even respect elders. He shouldn’t make the High Priest kneel before him."

Janet, who had been standing nearby, suddenly chuckled. Hazel looked at her. "What? He’s very rude!"

Janet smiled. "You think the High Priest is really older than him just because she looks older?"

Hazel froze. She slowly looked toward the High Priest. Then she looked in the direction Caius had disappeared.

"Wait..." Her eyes widened. "How old is Caius?"

Janet’s smile became wider.