Chapter 83 – A bad excuse.

For a moment Matt remembered Eleonora's sad expression.

'I…'

Noxx's voice stayed in his mind.

She didn't finish the sentence.

She didn't need to.

Noxx wanted to come out. She wanted to introduce herself. She wanted to stop being just a voice inside his head.

And, unfortunately, Matt understood that feeling all too well.

He hated it.

Because understanding it made it harder to say no.

Matt closed his eyes for a second.

Outside were the guards. Behind him was Iris. Further away, the queen. Beyond that, the banquet.

The whole kingdom waiting to see a perfect daughter who didn't even exist the way they imagined.

Matt opened his eyes.

'Great.'

His hand grabbed the knob. Iris, behind him, took another step closer.

"Matt."

Matt didn't answer.

He opened the door.

CLACK!

The hallway appeared in front of him.

The two guards waiting outside straightened up immediately.

Both were dressed in black armor with red details and had swords at their waists.

When they saw him come out, they lowered their heads at the same time.

"Heir Matt," one of the guards greeted.

Matt walked between them without answering.

The two stayed still for an instant. Then they raised their heads.

Matt was already walking down the hallway.

Fast.

Too fast.

The first guard exchanged a look with the second.

Then both followed him.

Iris stayed behind inside the room, still near the bed, watching him with her eyes narrowed.

Matt didn't look back.

The guards walked behind him with firm steps. At first they didn't say anything. They probably thought Matt was just heading toward the hall ahead of them.

But then the hallway split in two.

To the right was the route to the banquet and Matt turned left.

The guards stopped for half a second.

Then they sped up.

"Heir Matt," one of them warned carefully. "The banquet hall is in the other direction."

"I know," Matt answered without stopping.

The guard hesitated.

"Then… where are you going?"

Matt kept walking.

"I don't feel very well."

The answer was simple.

Too simple.

The guards looked at each other again.

The second one took a quicker step until she was walking a little closer to him.

"Would you like us to call the royal physician?"

"No."

"If your condition is not fit to attend the banquet, we can inform the queen."

"There's no need."

Matt moved down the hallway. His steps echoed on the polished floor. On either side, several red lamps lit up the dark walls.

Every turn took him further from the noise of the main palace and closer to the research wing.

Matt felt Noxx's presence inside his mind. Quiet. Attentive. Too attentive.

'Don't get excited,' Matt thought. 'This can still go horribly.'

'I'm not excited,' Noxx answered inside his mind.

'Liar.'

Noxx didn't respond.

Matt almost smiled. Almost.

But a guard spoke again.

"Heir Matt," the first one insisted, with more tension. "We need to know what's happening."

Matt let out a sigh.

"My mana is unstable. I want to take some things from the laboratory to stabilize it."

The guards went quiet.

Only for a second.

Then the second one frowned.

"If something is wrong with your mana, you should see the royal physician," she objected. "Not go to the laboratory."

Matt stopped.

The guards did too.

The hallway went silent.

Matt slowly turned his head toward them.

His expression didn't change much. But his red eyes fixed on the guard who had spoken.

"Since when do mere guards question what someone of the royal family does?" Matt asked in a low voice.

The guard tensed. The other lowered her gaze immediately.

"Heir, it wasn't our intention," the first guard apologized.

"Then don't do it."

Matt went back to walking.

The second guard, however, moved and took him by the hand.

Matt slowly lowered his gaze to the hand that was holding him.

The guard paled a little, but didn't let go.

"The queen's order is to escort you to the banquet," the guard reminded, her voice tense.

Matt raised his gaze.

The guard swallowed.

But she kept her grip.

Matt watched her for a few seconds.

Then he spoke calmly.

"Will you take responsibility if something goes wrong because my mana is unstable?"

The guard didn't answer.

Matt took half a step toward her.

The guard had to lift her head a little to hold his gaze.

"Only the laboratory has the purest mana stones in the castle. If I go to the banquet like this, use my ego-weapon and something fails in front of the houses, are you going to tell the queen it was your fault?"

The guard's eyes widened slightly.

The first guard stepped forward.

"Heir Matt, those stones are being used to maintain the barrier that protects the kingdom against the attackers."

Matt went still. Then he let out a low laugh.

"Ah."

The guards tensed.

Matt looked at the hand still holding him.

Then he looked at the second guard again.

"So, are you saying I don't deserve to use those stones?"

The guard's lips parted.

She said nothing.

Her hand began to loosen.

Matt kept looking at her.

"Is that what you're saying?"

"No, Heir," the guard answered quickly.

"Then?"

The guard let go of his hand.

Matt lowered his arm.

The first guard pressed her lips together.

"We only want to fulfill the queen's order."

"How nice."

Neither of them answered.

Matt looked toward the hallway leading to the laboratory.

Then he looked at them again.

"If you're so afraid I'll escape, watch the outer window of the laboratory. I only need ten minutes. Then I'll go to the banquet."

The first guard hesitated. The second was still pale.

Matt felt the silence dragging on too long.

That was bad.

If they hesitated too much, one of them might decide to go find the queen.

And if the queen showed up, it was all over.

Matt felt Noxx moving inside his mind.

Not physically.

But with nerves.

'Relax,' Matt thought.

'I'm not nervous.'

'Yes you are.'

'So are you.'

Matt couldn't deny it.

Before the guards answered, a voice came from behind.

"What are you doing arguing with the guards?" Iris asked.

Matt closed his eyes for a second.

'Of course.'

Iris walked toward them calmly. She wasn't running. She wasn't in a hurry. Her steps were relaxed, her posture straight and her expression rather amused, as if all of this were a small piece of entertainment before going to a boring party.

The guards bowed immediately.

"Princess Iris."

Iris didn't pay much attention to them. Her gaze was on Matt.

Matt looked at her tiredly.

"I'm going to the laboratory for a few moments," Matt let out.

Iris raised an eyebrow.

"To the laboratory?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Matt held her gaze.

"I have to stabilize my mana."

Iris went still. Then she smiled. Then she let out a soft laugh.

"Your excuse for using the laboratory is really bad," Iris teased, stepping closer.

The guards tensed more.

Matt didn't answer. He just raised a hand and the air over his palm vibrated.

A red glow appeared between his fingers.

Iris stopped laughing.

The light contracted, took shape and hardened.

Sun appeared in Matt's hand. Not in human form. In pistol form.

The red metal glowed softly under the hallway light.

The guards' eyes widened.

Iris also watched her attentively.

Matt held the weapon without pointing it at anyone. Then he started feeding it mana.

Not blood. Mana.

The energy flowed from his hand into the pistol.

At first it was stable. A thin line. Then the red metal started to tremble. The light around the barrel gathered irregularly and small arcs of energy appeared over the surface of the weapon.

BZZT!

A spark leapt to the floor.

The nearest guard took half a step back.

Iris narrowed her eyes.

Matt kept his expression calm, but felt Sun's discomfort.

It was slight. Not pain. Not damage.

But a clear rejection.

Sun always reacted badly when he fed her mana instead of blood.

That flaw had been there since her creation.

Matt kept feeding the weapon a few more seconds.

The red energy around Sun grew heavier, but also more unstable.

BZZT!

Another spark shot from the barrel.

The second guard put a hand on the hilt of her sword on instinct.

Matt stopped the flow.

"As you can see," Matt explained calmly, "when I feed mana into my weapon, it's not responding well."

Iris looked at the pistol. Then she looked at Matt.

The guards did the same.

Matt lowered the weapon slightly.

"It's pretty likely that one of the guests at the banquet will try to challenge me to a duel. Or that someone will want to test whether I really deserve to be there."

The first guard clenched her jaw.

She didn't say that was possible. She didn't need to.

Matt saw it in her face.

"If my weapon fails in front of everyone, it'll be a problem. I want to fix it before going in."

Iris went quiet.

That was a small victory.

The guards also went silent.

From their point of view, Matt was telling the truth.

His weapon was reacting badly. His mana looked irregular. And a duel during an important political event wasn't something impossible within vampire nobility.

It was actually far too likely.

Matt fused Sun back into his hand.

The red pistol dissolved into light and disappeared under his skin.

The hallway recovered its silence.

Iris crossed her arms.

"I'd like to go with you to the laboratory," Iris requested.

Matt looked at her.

"No."

Iris smiled.

"I wasn't asking."

"I wasn't negotiating either."

The guards went rigid.

Iris tilted her head a little.

"And why not?"

Matt put a hand in the pocket of his jacket.

"Because I'm not interested in my competitor learning what I'm going to do."

Iris blinked.

The guards did too.

For the first time in a while, Iris seemed genuinely confused.

"Competitor?" Iris asked.

Matt looked at her as if it were obvious.

"Yes."

"What do you mean by that?"

Matt let out a dry laugh.

"Have you really not noticed?"

Iris didn't answer.

Matt took a step toward her.

"Now that the old queen has returned to the outside world and reclaimed the throne, you are a mere princess."

Iris's expression changed. Very little. But it changed.

Matt continued:

"And now both you and I will be competing for the throne."

The guards went completely still.

Iris looked at him for a few seconds.

Then she started to laugh.

A low laugh. Elegant. Annoying.

"You?" Iris asked, amused. "Compete against me for the throne?"

Matt held her gaze.

Iris smiled more.

"That's impossible."

"Why?"

"Because you..."

Iris stopped.

Her lips stayed parted for a moment.

Then they closed.

Matt watched her.

Iris's smile tightened.

There were too many things she couldn't say.

Matt's human family. The time in the cave. The reasons why the queen could still use him and the secrets Elyra had forbidden her to mention.

If Iris said too much there, in front of the guards, the queen would punish her very severely.

Iris clenched her teeth and Matt smiled slightly.

"That's the reality now," Matt revealed.

Iris narrowed her eyes. Matt stepped a little closer.

"Get your act together."

Iris's expression turned colder.

Matt continued:

"Unlike you, who in the months I wasn't around couldn't finish off those traitors who now, apparently, could be responsible for the constant attacks on the kingdom..."

Iris stopped smiling completely.

Matt spoke more quietly:

"I'm going to do my missions right."

The guards said nothing.

But Matt felt how much attention they were paying.

Too much.

That was good. And dangerous.

"And if I win the throne," Matt added, looking her straight in the eyes, "I'm warning you I will exile you."

The second guard's eyes widened slightly.

The first tensed.

Not out of absolute scandal.

Among vampire nobles, competing for an important position wasn't unusual. Neither were threats.

Even less when the position in question was the highest in the kingdom.

But hearing that between Iris and Matt, in a palace hallway, minutes before a formal banquet, was different.

Iris went still. Then she smiled.

Not like before.

This smile had rage.

"How interesting," Iris let out.

Matt didn't answer. Iris took a step toward him.

"Then I'll warn you about something too."

"How exciting."

"When I return to the throne indefinitely," Iris warned in a low voice, "I'll make sure you have to lick my feet."

One of the guards went rigid.

The other looked at the floor immediately.

Matt blinked.

Iris continued without shame:

"And satisfy me in every possible way."

The silence was horrible.

Matt looked at her for several seconds.

Then he let out a laugh.

He couldn't help it.

"So that's your wish," Matt concluded.

Iris lifted her chin.

"You know I've always wanted you as my breeder."

Matt looked at her with disgust.

Iris smiled.

"But now that you have that pretty feminine form, I wouldn't mind having you as a partner either."

Matt brought a hand to his face.

"I wasn't interested in knowing that."

Iris took another step toward him.

"What's wrong? Are you embarrassed?"

"I'm embarrassed for you."

The guards moved and placed themselves in front of Matt. They didn't draw their swords. But they did block Iris's path.

Iris stopped looking at Matt and lowered her eyes to them.

"What are you doing?" Iris asked, in a very calm voice.

The first guard bowed her head.

"Princess Iris, we ask that you go ahead to the hall."

Iris narrowed her eyes.

"You're asking me?"

"Heir Matt needs to stabilize his mana in the laboratory," the second guard insisted firmly. "A lot of time is being lost, and he must attend the banquet as soon as possible."

Iris looked at them.

The guards didn't back down.

Matt watched the scene from behind.

For an instant, he felt a small satisfaction.

Not much.

But enough.

Iris let out a soft laugh.

"So that's how things are."

Nobody answered.

Iris looked over the guards' shoulders. Her red eyes fixed on Matt.

"Get ready," Iris warned.

Matt didn't speak.

Iris smiled again.

"Don't think that just because you have two ego-weapons your rise to the throne is guaranteed."

Matt held her gaze.

He didn't answer.

He didn't need to.

Iris turned around. Her white hair swayed over her back as she started walking toward the banquet hallway.

The guards held their stance until Iris was far enough away. Then one of them looked at Matt.

"Heir Matt."

Matt walked between them without waiting.

"Ten minutes," Matt reminded them.

The guards followed him.

This time they didn't try to stop him.

The hallway to the laboratory was narrower. Quieter. Colder. Matt walked with his hands in his pockets and his expression calm.

Inside, Noxx was still awake. Very awake.

'Are we really doing this?' Noxx asked inside his mind.

Matt looked ahead.

'Don't make me regret it before we get there.'