Married To The Mad Vampire Lord novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Dreadful Wedding (part 2)

At the mention of her, Eve had let out a tiny whimper of despair. Eve was just eighteen, and Belle had loved her the moment she was born and had treated her like the precious, delicate flower she was. Though her sister was a bit selfish at times, Belle loved her anyway, as everyone had their flaws.

Belle's heart clenched. "Is she sick?" She reached for her, but her sister only curled in tighter against their parents, her shoulders trembling as she cried into her handkerchief.

Her mother sniffled. "Not sick, but... she hasn't eaten since this morning. She barely had a minute's afternoon nap. Your father received a letter from his cousin, His Majesty, this morning stating that his beautiful daughter, who is obviously Eve everyone talks about, shall be prepared to marry into Nightbrook. She will marry the Mad Vampire of Nightbrook in two weeks from now... The news is destroying her, and your father and I are at a loss as we can't go against His Majesty."

Belle's breath caught. The Mad Vampire. The very same vampire whose name and history had spread across Aragonia when he killed his parents, the rulers of Nightbrook, and was sent to an asylum for it. The gruesome tale was so terrifying that mothers told it to their children to keep them obedient.

It was every girl's nightmare to be married to a creature who lived on blood. Vampires were repulsive and disgusting to humans, who would give anything to end their existence, and her delicate sister would be married into the land as the first human bride to a mad vampire. Eve would never survive it.

Her mother's hand reached across the space between them, clasping hers tightly. "We were so relieved when they asked for Eve instead of you, my love. We were ready to fight it, but what choice do we have?"

Belle's lips parted, but her father spoke before she could.

"We just... don't know how to save her. His Majesty wants her to marry into the vampire land for the sake of our people. They needed an inside eye in the land to study the vampires' weaknesses so we can finally defeat them and rid the world of filth. For years, we have been unable to defeat them in battles and stop them from taking our people as their food source and slaves. We can't live in fear of them forever, so now His Majesty has decided to bind the lands with ours by marrying Eve to them. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. We need someone to study them and report to us..."

For years, no human in their right sense from Aragonia had stepped foot into Nightbrook or been anywhere near the vampires, but many times, families had gone missing, and children had been secretly taken away from their lands and into Nightbrook to breed them into humans who supply them with blood. There had been many attacks by the rogue vampires in the lands close to the borders. The people of Aragonia had had enough of the bloodsuckers and wanted to wipe them all out. This was a great opportunity to do so.

"His Majesty had chosen Eve, but I do not believe she is capable of doing it or marrying him. He is mad..."

Her father's voice was weary, the sound of a man burdened by fate. But the shift in his gaze—brief, calculating—went unnoticed by Belle.

"Why the Mad Vampire, Papa, if they wanted to seal a peace treaty through marriage? What about the princes and princesses of Aragonia and Nightbrook? Wouldn't it have been better if it was between royals?" Belle asked with a confused frown.

Her father looked almost annoyed at the question but then sighed and answered, "His Majesty isn't giving away his only daughter, who has already been promised in marriage. That's why he asked for Eve. And since we are not offering a royal, the vampires won't offer any of their princes either. The only man related to the Nightbrook royal family is the Mad Vampire. A marriage with him would be just as significant as a marriage with their prince. After all, he was once a prince—until he killed his parents."

That part scared Belle more, someone who had killed his parents would surely not hesitate to kill his wife, especially when the woman he was marrying was human.

Her mother squeezed her hand. "If Eve stays here, she'll waste away from fear. You see it, don't you, Belle?"

Belle's throat ached. She did see it. Her sister looked hollowed out, her hands trembling in her lap. She looked paler than normal, and her green eyes could barely stay open as she squeezed out tears.

Her mother inhaled shakily. "And we love you both, we do. But she's—" she paused and smiled softly as she turned to Eve. "She's too beautiful and delicate. She can't marry into Nightbrook."

Belle nodded slowly, as if the words made perfect sense. Of course. Her sister had always been softer, more fragile, more beautiful, and more precious. She wished she could be that to her parents as well. She wished there was something she could do to make them want to protect her the way they were protecting Eve.

Her father sighed again, the weight of the world in his tone. "If only there was another way."

A silence stretched, heavy and expectant.

And then Belle understood. Perhaps this was the moment to make them proud of her, the moment to show them how much they meant to her. She had not thought about her marriage proposal from Jamie and her love for him as she spoke those words. She had not even thought about her own happiness and future.

"I—" She looked at her sister, who wouldn't even meet her eyes. "If I... If I took her place..."

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