"A traitor?" Mila snorted when she heard what Liam said. Of the many reasonable excuses he could give, the king chose the reason of treason to tarnish her sister's name. "You think I will just believe it if you say that my sister betrayed our people? Try to find a better excuse."

Liam then got off the bed and walked to a drawer. He took out a wooden box that was covered with intricate carvings on the outside from it. With a twist, he unlocked the small box before pulling out a paper. After that, he walked over to Mila again and presented the open box to her.

​​

Mila yanked the paper out of the box roughly and began reading what was written on it.

It turned out to be a brief report from a spy, who was ordered by Liam to follow Anna.

"You kept my sister under surveillance," Mila said accusingly.

"I have my reasons why I did that," Liam replied to her calmly. "I wouldn't have done it if I didn't have a good reason."

"Then, what is your so-called good reason?" Mila had finished reading the letter in her hand, in which it was said that Anna was seen meeting a high- ranking human being and divulging an important secret of their own people. "What is the reason that made you suspect my sister?"

Mila would not accept a reason that did not make any sense and so she couldn't justify Liam's reason for killing her sister.

"Anna has been in an intimate relationship with that guy," Liam said.

"You came up with a new lie?" Mila rolled her eyes. As time went on, Liam's excuses became more and more unacceptable and this made Mila dislike the king even more. How could he have the heart to talk bad things about her sister? He even had the gall to say that Anna had become a traitor. Milla knew her sister very well, she wouldn't do something like that.

"I knew you wouldn't believe this."

"Of course. The words you speak are just like an illogical illusion in a cheap novel."

After Mila finished saying that, Liam grabbed her wrist until the girl stood up. His towering body forced Mila to raise her head, as her height only reached the king's shoulders.

Mila knew if Liam had taken her seriously earlier when she attacked him, she wouldn't have had a chance to defend herself.

Without saying much, Liam pulled Mila toward the door, out of their room.

Outside, the six guards who had entered the room earlier looked down and were about to follow Liam, but the king gave a signal that he didn't want to be followed, so they returned to their original positions.

However, Mila could still feel the questioning gazes from the guards, they were still confused as to what really conspired in the king's bed chambers earlier.

"Where are we going?" Mila asked breathlessly, Liam didn't consider the fact that his one step was twice Mila's. He didn't even slow down at all. "Hey, I am asking you, where are we going?"

However, only silence served as a reply to Mila. Liam chose not to answer her and, after a few failed attempts, she gave up trying altogether.

The two of them walked down the stairs of the gloomy castle because every window was perfectly closed, preventing the sun from entering and making the atmosphere inside the old castle resemble a gathering place for ghosts.

However, there were some things that made Mila feel calm. No matter what this place looked like or how terrifying it seemed to be, this castle was a place that Mila recognized.

The damp air and dust that flew as they passed the rarely visited corner of the castle, or the railings that felt rough in her hands, and the sound of footsteps echoing along the walls. All of these felt very familiar to Mila. She felt at home…

Especially when Mila encountered some familiar faces who then stared at her with wide eyes. However, they didn't dare to approach her. Only just for saying hello because the king looked cold at the moment. The news of Mila's return must have spread throughout the castle by now…

"This…" After letting go of the brief nostalgia, Mila began to realize where they were headed. "You brought me to the forbidden part of the castle?"

The forbidden part of the castle was a place where not all vampires could roam about without the permission of the king or the elders.

Mila once tried to sneak in there, out of curiosity, but ended up being punished. She was locked up in a room for seven whole days.

"Yes," Liam replied, waving his hand at the lion- shaped statue with red stoned eyes. "Now you can satisfy your curiosity to see what is inside."

The stone door opened and Liam pulled Mila in.

Behind the stone door was a steep staircase that was made of stone. It led down to what looked like a basement. Mila could even see the moss covering its stone walls.

It was as though they were entering a cave.

"You want to lock me up here?" Mila asked, she was starting to worry that Liam would answer with a 'yes'.

"I want to show you something."