Chapter 549 - Stranger Danger
New Chapter for the Highest Tier (June 2021)
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Vampire King Apollyon
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Apollyon hadn't seen Princess Sapphire the whole time he was there in the Great Hall, and he assumed that her half-sister would rather be anywhere than there.
Yet, he only saw his half-sister during the Summer Monarch's inquisition.
Princess Sapphire gave her grandparents a clear and direct response.
Queen Titania and King Oberon were satisfied from her answers, yet his half-sister's snobbish countenance towards her mother and Sir Tristan wasn't overlooked.
All of them frowned upon the young lady's behavior as she glowered at her mother, showing how irritated she was at her mother's decision to marry the Knight in the future.
It must be shocking to see Princess Ourania get engaged to another man that wasn't her father without her knowledge.
Of course, she would be pissed at their mother!
Princess Sapphire hadn't even met her birth father yet before this, and Apollyon's mother pulling on stunts like this would drive a wedge between their mother and daughter relationship.
She could have told his half-sister the truth before she let her impulses run the show.
Apollyon thought that people would change after millennia had passed, but it was the same old, same old bullshit and selfishness he had witnessed from his mother—who was the worst example of how a mother should be.
He thought that the Summer Monarchs would like to keep her out of this.
Princess Sapphire might have felt what Apollyon had felt that moment when he watched his mother walked down the isles with her dainty hand on the knight while their eyes were set on the throne.
"What do you really want from me?" Princess Sapphire's voice lowered as she bared her teeth at the man in front of her.
She was riding the werewolf who was still as a statue.
Xerxes was eerily silent and made no move to attack the stranger despite his half-sister's evident frustration.
Perhaps, the young man was waiting for the stranger to be the aggressor—to be the first one to attack.
Princess Sapphire's dark brown curls were almost close to black, especially in the night, as complimenting shades of purple verbena and pink aster crown.
The pretty wreath slightly gathered her curly hair upwards, allowing the brilliant yellow-green faerie wings to stood stark at each side of her head.
Up until now, Apollyon couldn't figure out how those small wings on which replaced where her long elven ears should have can be strong enough to carry the weight of a young adult.
It made him wonder if Princess Sapphire was a daughter of a powerful creature whom she had inherited such unique deformity.
Was it a god, or was it another mysterious creature who wasn't allowed to breed with faeries to cause such a flaw?
Well, aside from this obvious deformation, Princess Sapphire was a strong, young faerie who was wise beyond her years with a heavy burden to carry.
She had the responsibility of holding a 'spymaster' position in the Summer Courts sat heavily on her shoulders despite her young age.
Princess Sapphire wouldn't have acquired that elite position from all the mature adult sentinels who vied for it if she wasn't a Fae Magic powerhouse inside her.
There was no doubt she could protect herself if the odd stranger in front of her were a threat.
In addition to that, Xerxes was also there to protect her, so he didn't have to interfere unless the stranger they were with was a dangerous one.
Apollyon was too far from their location as he inconspicuously climbed a tree and kept himself hidden from the thick branches.
He was careful.
His light predatory movements prevented him from making a sound.
No leaves from his tree had fallen as he peeked through the canopies.
He doubted those faeries could pick the slightest decibel up from a distance.
They would think he was a mere squirrel.
The darkness had aided him in his mission, as well as a simple cloaking spell that would make his form and his scent undetected.
'Oh, the world had turned upside down.' Apollyon smirked as he leaned one hand into the tree trunk. 'His half-sister had spied on him before.'
Now the spymaster was the target of his espionage.
He shifted his attention from Princess Sapphire to the interloper.
If he already exuded an odd aura from Apollyon's view at the observatory, he was even more baffling up close, and he didn't know what to make of his form.
Blinking rapidly, Apollyon frowned at the dark blue cloak and tunic he wore. Because it seemed like the prints of the fabric were made of twinkling stars and galaxies he had witnessed just a few hours ago with his wife as they peeked at the midnight sky using the telescope.
Was this just a mere coincidence?
Nevertheless, that wasn't the most shocking part.
The stranger's limbs were covered in charcoal black in the darkness.
At first sight, one could have the first impression that he didn't own arms and legs.
His shoes and his large beaded necklace were made of shiny gold, and of course, his mask was.
His golden mask had the horns of an ox attached to it, while the hole on the other eye was larger compared to the other eye.
The faerie wings were absent, so Apollyon was certain he wasn't part of the Fair Folk.
But based on what he had seen, Apollyon couldn't figure out what and who this oddball was when he was covered from head to toe.
"Who are you?" Princess Sapphire asked as she raised a hand, summoning a tiny ball of bright energy until it grew bigger as it sucked the power from the trees and shrubs around her like she was creating a small sun of her own.
Was it the solar energy the plants have absorbed during the daylight?
He hadn't seen this type of magic before. Apollyon's lips parted at how amazing it appeared as if she was carrying a real star in her hand.
"I am here to meet my daughter."