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The Vampire King Apollyon

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"Trouble is brewing in the Fae Realm, cousin."

Apollyon tilted his head at the Faerie Prince with a raised eyebrow, who settled himself on the chair across him. "We might be allies, Prince Aspen, but that didn't mean I will interfere with the internal affairs in the Faerie Realms."

Crossing his legs, Apollyon hid how appalled he was with a little smirk. "I do not wish to involve myself with the Highest Courts, especially the Royal Family, if they are fighting like pathetic little brats for the sake of power."

"Come on now, cousin." Prince Aspen rolled his eyes as he waved a dismissive hand. "You are just running away from the truth at this point."

"Would you please stop calling me cousin?" Squinting at him, Apollyon said, giving him a furtive glance. "How many times do I have to tell you that I have renounced any Fae blood in me?"

He wasn't in a good mood for years, and this faerie prince had dared insult him?

Really?

In his goddamned castle?

Apollyon heaved a tired sigh before he added, "I have nothing to do with Empress Ourania, and whether or not you are trying to bait a violent response from me, I would not give you the satisfaction."

"I haven't even said my piece, cousin, and here you are complaining--"

"I am busy, so if you have nothing important to say---" Apollyon stood up from his throne, ready to go back to his sleeping Empress and watch over her, but Aspen had stopped him with his taunt.

"Busy doing nothing, I see?" He eyed him directly, telling him that this conversation wasn't over yet.

"You forgot I am eight centuries older than you, Prince Aspen." Apollyon sat back to his throne and spoke in a flat voice. "You should choose your words carefully."

"As much as you would like to think ill of me, King Apollyon, I am here because I also want to aid you of your predicament." Prince Aspen relaxed when he realized Apollyon wouldn't leave anytime soon.

He leaned back slightly on his chair and asked, "I see your wife hadn't come back yet?"

"Don't remind me, Aspen." There was a heaviness in Apollyon's limbs and muscles every time the poor state of his Empress was mentioned—like something was weighing him down.

"Every time someone did, it switched on the killer instinct in me." Apollyon said in a voice devoid of emotion. "You're the closest to me, and for my convenience, should I ask for your permission to beat you up legally?"

"Unicorns in the Fae Realm had gone extinct."

There was a long pause, and nobody moved or reacted for a minute.

"The last things on the list that I don't care about are magical horses with horns, Aspen," Apollyon spoke to break the awkward silence. "Now, if you don't have anything of importance---"

"There was a secret cult that had been formed overnight in the Fae Realm, and I need your help." Prince Aspen said urgently, and this time, Apollyon was ready to get back to the Ivory Tower rather than deal with this nonsense.

"That does not concern me. You and I both know that, Prince Aspen." Apollyon clenched his fists on the armrest, but he didn't dismiss the Faerie Prince yet, giving him one last chance to redeem himself. "You are disturbing me of my peace."

"I am disturbing your almost-a-decade of mourning for your sleeping wife. That isn't peace, cousin." Prince Aspen gave him a look of superiority, which was the last straw.

The next thing the Faerie Prince knew, Apollyon had already grabbed a fistful of the collar and slammed him to the wall.

His claws lunged to his cousin's neck, keeping him in place while his feet hovered in the air.

Leaning aggressively close to his face, Apollyon whispered darkly as he sneered, "Make your next words count, Aspen, and I apologize in advance if I accidentally killed you."

"I have—I have heard through the grapevine t--that the cult had c-claimed that they h-had access t-to demons." He choked his words out.

Apollyon loosened his hold and asked him to repeat the words, making sure that he had heard it clearly.

"They had access to Archdemon magic?"

Now they were going somewhere.

He let Prince Aspen go as he stepped backward, giving him space and time to recover.

He landed swiftly on his feet in a graceful slouch.

His cousin had coughed for a few seconds before he bent his head side to side as if he was loosening up for a brawl, and then, the bastard had chuckled like Apollyon didn't even hurt him.

Wasn't he afraid of him... or he knew deep in his gut that Apollyon would not hurt him because they shared the same blood?

If it was the latter, then Prince Aspen was a crazy bastard.

Apollyon should make him fear him the next time Prince Aspen provoked him.

He wouldn't kill the Faerie Prince because the Spring Court might declare war on the Vampire Realm and persuade the other courts to join and take over his territory.

Was this the Prince's gambit?

Aspen broke Apollyon's thoughts on his plans for his cousin's torture when he said, "I had tied this demonic cult to the mass killings of unicorns in the Fae Realm." Prince Aspen straightened his spine and stood up, his back leaning on the golden tapestries on the walls. "The laws of the land regarding the killing of unicorns are forbidden, and once a Faerie was caught in the act, they will be sentenced to death."

"I am sure that a resourceful Faerie, despite having mediocre magic in their blood, is capable of killing one unicorn in their lifetime if he/she is strategic enough not to get caught," Apollyon replied.

"That's the thing." Rubbing his neck soothingly, Aspen added, "A unicorn—the rarest magical creature of all—had been killed in the Spring Courts every three months on the new moon without a miss."