Marrying the Vampire Prince
the chapter 54

With a sickening thud, Gallas' body fell to the ground and rolled several lifeless rounds due to the impact and weight. Seeing their prince standing there casually – the final picture of calmness and with an atmosphere of certainty around him – with a head half blood still hanging on his hands, the Dacrian soldiers seemed unable to believe what their eyes were showing nor were they able to respond to what had just happened.

They gulped in astonishment, opened their mouths, then closed them back, very similar to the actions of a golden, red or black fish with a plump body and bulging eyes that could be found in the palace garden. Gavriel's men saw the response of the other soldiers and could only grin and chuckle knowing that this was nothing to their prince. The best is yet to come.

Their prince was very similar to the prince of hell, right now. They could actually feel piercing and rising goosebumps on their skin just by looking at it.

 Their prince. They knew he was strong, but they didn't know he was this strong at all. Never in their wildest dreams would they think he could be stronger than the dreaded mixed-blooded vampire who should be the strongest of all. Hows it? Wh why? When did the prince become this strong? Or ... has he always been this great?

Suddenly, a roar echoed and as Gavriel turned her face toward the source of the sound, she noticed a small horizontal white cloud being kicked at the edge of the periphery.

 It seems the imperial army is retreating. He furrowed his brows in obvious displeasure. The war isn't over yet so why is Caius retreating? It can't be as simple as she's scared, can it? A disdainful grin formed on Gavriel's handsome face as the thought crossed his mind.

With narrowed eyes, Gavriel focused her gaze as she searched for Caius. He found her and their gazes clashed and met. Because the distance between them was too wide, communication that could normally be done through their eyes became impossible.

Caius' eyes were emotionless as he stared intently at Gavriel, he then suddenly turned around and disappeared from Gavriel's sight.

The triumphant roar of the Dacrian army that began as soon as the imperial army retreated continued and grew louder. 

They were overjoyed by this victory against their enemies. Small maybe, but it was very important because the mixed-blooded vampires were dropped by their own prince!

Zolan landed lightly in front of Gavriel, bowing small as a sign of respect to his master. Her long blonde hair braided behind her was now dyed with blood.

"What do you think is going on?" Gavriel asked, his gaze still fixed on the retreating Caius army.

"I'm not sure, my lord but it feels suspicious to me. It's as if they've just come to us this time with the intention of testing the waters." Zolan answered honestly with a serious expression.

"And what you're telling me is that this water they're testing shouldn't match the capabilities of our Dacrian army .... but mine?" Gavriel's eyes were cold and hard as one side of his lips curved, leaving anyone who looked at him terrified at the glacial sensation he gave off.

"Yes, Your Majesty. They are now aware of the kind of power you actually have. You easily killed half the blood before their eyes and defeated the others quite well, in my opinion." Zolan's gaze which had a hint of hidden entertainment, fell onto the other crossbreed that was now surrounded by Samuel and the others.

 "You, defeating two of the most powerful warriors in the empire at once, and you alone, however, are enough for them to realize the power you have been hiding all along."

Gavriel grinned but then, he turned his gaze around the battlefield and his smile slowly faded. His gaze was fixed on Leon who was now crouching down, preparing to attack the people surrounding him.

"You must be right, but I don't think that's the only reason behind this attack and retreat. There must be something greater reason behind all this action he's doing." Gavriel's voice hints that she is more than certain about his suspicions.

After handing over the head of Gallas to Zolan, Gavriel walked towards the other crossbreed. The man was still healing from all the wounds Gavriel had inflicted on him. If he was a normal vampire, he would remain unconscious on the ground or roll around while screaming in pain. But luckily for him, he's no ordinary vampire.

Leon has bright red eyes. He had lost his sword from the previous attack, so he crouched down and was ready to fight empty-handed.

A long time ago, when vampires were still fighting against powerful beasts, the, they had learned to use weapons like swords because their fangs and hooves were nothing compared to the fangs and claws of the beast. 

Using weapons was much more effective against large monsters than fighting them with their bare hands. Since then, vampires have been used to fighting with swords. They don't need their swords when they are fighting weaker humans but if it's against their own kind, the vampires would rather use weapons if they want to kill each other.

The soldiers parted ways and paved the way for Gavriel as she approached. Although most of them had their attention on the snarling blaster, and some of them had no idea that Gavriel was approaching, the, gavriel's own presence was so strong that it made them look back instinctively and when they saw him, they immediately stepped aside. .

Even the crossbreed felt him approaching while he was still far away and focused his menacing gaze and claws that extended towards Gavriel.

Gavriel stopped beside Samuel, his eyes looking into Leon's eyes. "You know what you have to do. Leave this to me and take Levy and Reed with you." Gavriel ordered and Samuel nodded immediately.

"Leon," Gavriel called out the name of the blaster as she calmly and casually stepped forward, circling the crossbreed as how predators would surround their prey. "Have you forgotten about the deal we agreed on earlier?"

Leon's eyes widened slightly before narrowing his eyes in suspicion, unsure of where Gavriel would go with this. "You didn't even give me a chance to agree." He gritted his teeth.

"Oh, right?" Gavriel tilted his head slightly. "Well, that doesn't matter anymore. You lost the bet. Therefore, you will serve me from now on." The prince declared with a big smile.

It was not only Leon who was shocked by the words coming out of Gavriel's mouth, but everyone who heard them. Gavriel shrugged his shoulders casually.

"Caius left you while retreating with the rest of his army. That means you're not as valuable a weapon to him as you think." Gavriel did not hold back in his comments and observations. One of the things he noticed with Leon was his intelligence. Unlike Gallas, Leon was certainly aware of how nobles actually saw half the blood. Gavriel could tell just by looking into his eyes.

"Why do you want me to serve you?" The blaster finally spoke, his voice asked and with a hint of suspicion. "You're a strong monster that even I never thought would ever exist. Someone like you doesn't need a weapon as worthless as me." There was a self-deprecating tone as he said that last statement.

"That's right, I don't need a gun. But I need allies. The stronger they are, the better." Gavriel's eyes were clear and bright, looking straight into Leon's eyes.

Leon's eyes widened. He felt that strong and sincere gaze piercing sharply and properly through him, making his heart pound with hope without really knowing the reason. The color of her eyes turned into an extremely beautiful purple and purple color, slowly replacing the red color.

"You're strong Leon." Gavriel praised straightforwardly. “It would be a total waste of resources if I let you remain only as a useless weapon that the emperor has. Serve me well and be one of my partners. Or are you the type that would rather die than serve the monster that just hit you?"

"I'm not stupid, Prince Gavriel. I confess with all my heart that you are stronger than me."

"Exactly. You are not stupid and that is why you will accept my offer and serve me." Gavriel leaned over and picked up Leon's sword before throwing it at him. "Really?"

Leon caught her and as their gazes met, Leon felt something unexpected crawl under his skin. There seemed to be an invisible force that made him suddenly feel a kind of freedom.

"From now on, you are no longer one of the emperor's weapons and you no longer have to obey and submit to his demands. Now you are Leon, one of Gavriel's men." The prince's stern statement echoed everywhere and Leon did not know why but he suddenly knelt down and lowered his head to submit to the prince.

This felt very different from when he bowed his head to the emperor. Why does he feel as if this is true? It was as if this man was supposed to be the "person" that he and all the other crossbreds had to serve and nothing else from the start? Why did it feel like he was happy to serve her and even happily gave his life for this fellow?

The soldiers who witnessed the scene remained silent until they watched Leon stand up and follow Gavriel to the entrance of the fortress. It was strange, but none of them doubted or complained about what their prince had just done. It should have been quite understandable if some of them would have been bothered by the prince's move, taking someone who was clearly an enemy just a moment ago in their midst. But for some reason they all felt like what happened was supposed to happen.

At the top of the watchtower, Gavriel stands there, looking down at the originally snow-covered meadow that is now unfortunately stained with blood. Soldiers were now marching on the bodies of those who had died, separating the Dacrian people from the imperial army. Although the battle stopped halfway through, there were already so many casualties. The meadow reeked of blood and death that night even as the moon shone silvery and bright, not reflecting anything that happened below.

Gavriel was still waiting for the men he sent to spy on Caius' army. He could not declare that this battle had ended until he was completely convinced that Caius and his army had completely left.

Zolan begins questioning Leon, who is still recovering, but the crossbreed seems to know little about the crown prince and emperor's plans. All he could say was that the emperor sent them here to kill Gavriel and destroy Dacria.

The half-blood statement was as Gavriel had expected. He knew how emperors and high-ranking imperial officials treated half the blood. They were only tools of war to use and these tools did not need to know about the more profound battle plans.

"Your Majesty," Zolan suddenly called out as he approached Gavriel. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Gavriel's neck.

"What's Zola?"

“I'm sorry, but.. isn't that little cut on your neck too long to heal? I've seen him for a long time. Such a small wound should have healed a long time ago.he?" Zolan's voice was serious, feeling as if something was wrong and very wrong.

As if Gavriel was unaware of the wound Zolan was talking about, she raised her finger to touch the point on her neck that Zolan was looking at when she suddenly experienced a wave of dizziness and a slight wavering in the spot where she was standing. Everyone who looked at him made their hearts fall. Did something terrible happen to His Majesty, Prince Gavriel?

"Your majesty!" Panic dyed Zolan's voice even though his expression was calm. Even Leon was surprised. "What's wrong?"