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The Vampire King Apollyon

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It was just a mere thought, alright? I'm not stupid enough to kill a unicorn for the sake of such an experiment." Apollyon replied defensively as his postures went rigid. "It might have made my miserable life worse."

"I didn't condone the killings of these unicorns, but in exchange for helping you with this and for the consort you have brought to the Fae Realm —" Apollyon counted three seconds for a dramatic pause before speaking, "I would like to ask for one unicorn horn if that's alright with you?

Prince Aspen's mouth fell open in surprise, gasping as if he had suggested something scandalous.

"You are shameless, King Apollyon!" Giving Apollyon an incredulous stare, Aspen snapped accusingly at him, "They are already dead."

"The least you could do is give me one so that I could test my theory if they had the power to exorcise Archdemons!" Apollyon explained. "We could use it to our advantage."

With his face turning red, Prince Aspen dragged his fingers on his hair repeatedly as he stated, "Every time a unicorn is killed, the High Faerie Courts would experience climate change such as premature winter and eternal nights."

"Yes, but they are technically dead." Apollyon shrugged as he placed his hands in his pockets. "All I ask is for you to give the detached horns to me. Mayhap, we can use it as a weapon if we are dealing with Archdemons."

"King Apollyon, I thought you are freely giving your women from the Consortium." Prince Aspen had started to pace, and Apollyon wondered if he was asking for the impossible. "How dare you use Lady Clarence as leverage to get what you wanted when she was already with me for years?"

"I'm not taking the woman back, Prince Aspen," Apollyon reassured him.

He fought the urge to smirk when he noticed how the mighty Faerie Prince had gotten so defensive when his wife's acquaintance was mentioned. "I am merely asking a favour in exchange for my gifts when you visited my Kingdom."

"Alright." Prince Aspen narrowed his eyes.

When he let out a heavy sigh, Apollyon was amused at how easily Prince Aspen had given in. "I have hidden the horns myself, anyway, because it might have some use sooner or later."

"One unicorn horn is all I ask."

"Fine." Prince Aspen's lips pressed into a tight smile before he placed a fist over his chest. "I, Prince Aspen of the Spring Court, swear an oath to give King Apollyon of the Vampire Realm one unicorn horn as a gift in exchange for Lady Clarence."

Aspen dropped his hand to the sides before adding, "I also wanted to tell you that they were punctured marks on the dead unicorns' necks as if vampires had bitten them."

"We had strict Fae sentry who patrolled the borders of our Realm, and we found no vampires in the vicinity," He informed him.

"Of course, they would be no vampires in the Fae Realm, Aspen." Clenching his jaw, Apollyon narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "The alliance might have resumed after the failed marriage of my parents in hopes of your grandfather's plans to merge the two Realms--"

Prince Aspen cut him off.

"I think you forgot that the King of the Seelie Court was also your grandfather, Your Highness."

"My father, King Gwythyr, had anticipated this that it led to my mother's imprisonment in the Vampire Kingdom, not allowing her to visit the Fae Realm so that you kind would not be able to take over the Vampire Realm."

Queen Titania and King Oberon were perpetual rulers of the Summer Court.

Empress Ourania, their youngest daughter, was sent to marry his father, King Gwythyr, the past Vampire King.

The Vampire Royal Family was as broken as a fallen vase.

Nothing in this Entire Realm could piece them back to its original state except if a warlock had the power to isolate a certain object, turning back the time without affecting the other things around it. Still, no creature was capable of holding that immense amount of power.

He didn't remember anything that happened in their family when he acquired the curse.

Still, the people around had told him that when the Blood Beast had possessed his body the first time, he had gone berserk--eating vampire and human's souls alike--and destroyed the Kingdom the moment he laid his hands on a creature.

He didn't know at that time that it was the High Priestess' doing.

Apollyon's touch had become deadly, turning their skin black and blue before they rot in front of his eyes like his touch was a colony of termites eating wood.

It was like seeing everything in a third-person point of view.

Trapped in his own mind, he was there when the Blood Beast had eaten any soul he could get his hands on.

Apollyon watched them vanish in seconds.

Months later, Apollyon had taken back his consciousness after the Blood Beast got tired of his own tyranny.

Cederic had explained to him what had happened to the Vampire Realm when he was under the control of the curse.

He didn't know that it was the work of an Archdemon.

Apollyon's mouth had fallen open when he found that Cederic had turned into his adolescent form, the exact age he and Apollyon met as childhood friends.

Before becoming the King's hand, Jon, who used to be a Viscount, had aided Cederic to save the Vampire Realm from ruins.

He had given Jon the position as the King's Right Hand in his loyalty to the Crown and his contribution to getting the Vampire Realm under control.

Cederic had informed him that Lilith had cursed him into eternal juvenility because he had known it was her who did this to the heir of the Vampire King.

Everyone but Apollyon knew of Lilith's obsession to marry him to become the Empress of the Vampire Realm.

In turn, Apollyon had remained oblivious to Lilith's attempted seduction, but he never gave in.