Marrying the Vampire Prince
chapter 21's

Evie forces herself to go to sleep after the waiter leaves her. But no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't calm down enough to fall asleep.

His mind was busy with many things, especially about Gavriel. He did not want to think about it, but it was impossible for him to ignore what he had just obtained from his servant. It was just a rumor he repeated to himself, but according to all the things he observed in the imperial palace – the reaction of the royal family towards him including all the vampires present at the party, all of them said otherwise.

 Moreover, the appearance does not lie! The difference is quite obvious and Gavriel being the only one with a different appearance says it all.

Burning her face into the pillow, Evie let out a long sigh. He would never have expected something like this to happen in the vampire kingdom. 

Back home, the main and biggest problem of humans was none other than vampires and there were no big problems among the nobles. 

Of course, royal lineages had always been the most important, but there were too many princes and princesses so it was unthinkable for anyone to worry about the possible end of the royal lineage.

Thinking of this makes Evie realize that perhaps, this is one of the reasons why vampires agree with the ridiculous truce humans offer. 

Who would have thought that they were actually hiding a bigger problem in their midst? Inevitably he felt a little anxious because he knew that the battle between Gavriel and the royal family could happen in the near future. 

Can her husband have a chance against them? Is everything gonna be okay?

Closing his eyes tightly, Evie's forehead grew furrowed. He realizes the irony of where he is almost similar to Gavriel. 

It's just that he wasn't born a man. He was the only son of the Dragon guard. If his mother could not produce a son, the Ylvian bloodline would…

Evie's eyes opened wide, shocked at her own thoughts. How could he bear to think of such a terrifying thing? His mother will soon give birth to a healthy son! He yells at himself while shaking his head because if that happens, Evie knows that the only hope of mankind will be broken to pieces and they will forever be at the mercy of the vampires.

…

The sun was already shining brightly when Evie woke up. She immediately looked beside him, hoping to see her husband lying there, asleep beside her. But when she saw the side of her bed empty and cold, Evie felt something inexplicable. 

He looked out the window and the sun was already high. It should be too late for vampires, right? So why hasn't he gone back to their room?

Suddenly, the shadow of Gavriel dancing gracefully with Lady Thea appeared in his mind and his fingers clenched the bed blanket tightly.

 When she realized her reaction, Evie buried her face into her cupped palm. 

Wh why? 

What the hell happened to him? 

He should have been happy that he wasn't there ... She should be happy if she goes and sleeps with someone else ... The plan was to make him ignore her as if she did not exist so why did he feel this way?

Evie's mood was dark and gloomy for the rest of the day. His servant takes him out to see and enjoy the garden and shows him around the sprawling and stunning castle. 

She tried her best to feel better but no matter how much she smiled, it never reached her eyes and the emotions on her face never really came from her heart.

"Miss, are you sure you're okay? Are you feeling unwell or are you homesick?" Fray asked hesitantly as they sat on one of the benches in the middle of the spacious and beautiful garden.

"I'm..." Evie could not answer right away. 

"Yes. I miss my mom" she said. She misses her family, her home, and her life at home, but he cannot fool himself and deny that his longing for home is actually overshadowed by something else – something unwanted yet very strong.

The servants looked worried.

 "Do you have anything you want to do, Miss? I mean, do you have a hobby that you like ... when you're at home?"

Seeing how the servants had been trying to comfort her since morning, Evie sighed then smiled.

 "Hmm..my hobby.." a small spark glittered in his eyes and he stood up. 

"Do you think you can find me a bow and place an arrow?"

Fray and Gina looked at each other and then looked at him with wide eyes. 

"Art?!"

"Yes. My father used to teach me archery when I was young and I would say that I fell in love with bows and arrows." For the first time that day, the servants saw a real spark in his eyes and it made them excited.

"Stay with Your Majesty, Fray. I'll go and bring a nice bow and some arrows. I'll be quick!" Gina said while running away with her task.

When the energetic red-haired maid returns, Elias is with her.

"Miss, You ... You ask for a bow and arrow?" She asked.

"Yes." Yeah." Evie wasted no time and stretched out her hand to take the bow from the butler.

Elias gulped as he hesitantly and carefully handed the bow to her. 

He was not sure if this was the wisest past activity that the Lady should have done.

 "Uhm .. lady, isn't it dangerous for you to ..."

Evie smiles at him and Elias freezes.

 "Don't worry. I think I should be quite competent in this matter." He took the bow from his hand, even pulling it when Elias held it and refused to let it go.

"Please prepare something for me to practice." He told the butler and Elias nodded at the servant.

 "This mushroom is amazing. My bow at home is heavier than this." He examined the bow with admiration flashed in his eyes.

And then, he extended his hand toward Elias again, asking for an arrow.

Elias' expression became even more worried and anxious as he gave him the arrow. 

"Please be careful, Miss. I can't let you get hurt."

"God. You're really worried, Elias. I said I was fine." he gently pulled the arrow from the poor butler again. 

"Nobody's gonna get hurt.you didn't send me to the battlefield or anything."

After the servants prepared a shooting range for Evie, she positioned herself.

He took a deep breath before lifting his bow and pulling it tight, at eye level. Evie knows that Elias and his servant are fidgeting like cats on a hot zinc roof.

 He could even feel Elias' alertness. His eyes were reddened as he was more than ready to come save her at any moment.

Evie steadied her hand on the bow and focused her shot on her target. 

He realized the bow was – though lighter than his bow at home – and the way the rope was hung seemed tighter.

When he finally opened fire, he ended up aiming for his target quite well. 

The clapping servants looked very excited and happy for him. Even Elias seemed impressed.

Ignoring them, Evie focused on her target and shot again and again, accustomed to feeling and pulling arrows. As he took shot after shot, his emotions began to boil inside him.

 The face of his family began to appear in his mind. He misses them. Do they miss him too? Are they worried about him? Are they thinking about it now too?

Evie sighed and when she looked at her target, she smiled bitterly as she saw that she had not even managed to land a single target. 

But she can't stop yet because she knows that doing this is better than her going back to the room that she and Gavriel were in and finally sulking there.

However, as he quietly took aim, he heard a faint voice coming from his servant. 

When Elias spoke, Evie did not know why, but the first thing she heard was Thea's name, and then.

Suddenly, Evie became angry. His grip on the arrow tightened and something hot and tight seemed to block his throat. 

Thea? So she's not home because she's with her fiance?!

Evie's next series of shots all flew properly and ferociously as they penetrated the target, so Elias and the servants opened their mouths in shock.

 They couldn't even react immediately and just stood there staring in disbelief at her – Lady who looked 'smooth' could be like that 

No one spoke even when Evie's hand fell, and her breathing was a little rougher than before. 

A person then started clapping from behind him and when he heard the voice that followed him, his body stiffened.