In the palace of Evardin, the royal celebration continued. With the union of his daughter and the most eligible man in their land, King Martin was beyond joyous. It wasn't the same for his wife though. Queen Thalia may have a smiling face in front of the guests, but deep down, she hated the glorious face of Lauren. It should have been her daughter's spotlight but Lauren stole it. Now she was thinking that it was a shame to fail to kill her many times in the past. The girl had quite a luck.
"She looks so happy, but who knows when the tables will turn. I'm sure a man like Lord Everston won't keep just one woman by his side," murmured Eloise to her friends who were watching the newlyweds with envy.
"That is true. He would surely take concubines and by that time, I would gladly offer myself," said Philippa who wasn't just the only lady eyeing the lord with improper thoughts.
Lauren, who was busy showing off her lovely marriage, was aware of her stepmother and sisters' sharp eyes on her. She bowed her head when she met the Queen's eyes and smiled at Eloise and Cassandra. She found pleasure in how their faces were shouting with disdain for her.
"You didn't invite your relatives?" Lauren asked Alec while they held their glasses of refreshments. She knew his parents had died a long time ago and had no siblings but she heard he still had some relatives living in Acheron.
"I was too busy these days, I didn't find time to send an invitation," he replied drily as if it was the least of his concerns.
"Are you not on good terms with them? Because it is odd you have no single relative present on your wedding day."
"You should not worry. I'm sure if not tomorrow, they will arrive one of these days." His tone held no warmth, making Lauren doubt his relationship with his relatives.
She wouldn't be surprised if they were not on good terms. Alec was the kind of man not easy to deal with. He was twisted, had his own ways of handling things, and was definitely not a warm person.
"Are your things ready? You will be living in the palace from now on."
As King Martin had always wanted a credible son-in-law like Alec, he offered them to live in the palace which was what Lauren really wanted. If they would live in the palace, the higher the chance for them to gain power and seize the throne.
"About that," Alec's finger tapped the glass in his hand. "With the King's permission, we will live in my estate for two weeks before I move here."
Lauren's brow raised confused, "And why is that? Do you have other plans in mind?"
"My office is in my manor. I still have a lot of unfinished business to take care of."
"You can continue it here. You have a lot of soldiers. Moving things out will not be hard. I will arrange a bigger office for you."
Alec's eyes grew darker on her which made her wonder what kind of unfinished business he was talking about.
"Lauren," the way her name rolled out of his tongue roughly made her feel a cold hollow in her stomach. "There are certain things I'm working on that don't require your knowledge. We are just married in name and you should understand I have my own world."
She bit the tip of her tongue. She was slightly annoyed by his tone, but she held back, "I'm not being nosy. I just want to know what your important affair is as it might affect the time frame of our plans."
"How impatient…"
"I just don't like wasting time, my lord."
"Of course, time is too precious to waste, but we shouldn't be rushing things too much. It might spoil the fun. Sometimes we need to learn to wait and be patient, princess. Two weeks is not that long."
Lauren didn't argue with him. They agreed to set certain boundaries between them so she had to let him deal with his own matters.
"What will you do if a royalty, perhaps a prince from another land, will ask for one of your sister's hands in marriage? He for sure will be much more eligible for the crown prince's position."
Lauren smirked, looking down at her glass of drink. When she brought her gaze back to Alec who was standing in front of her, her blue eyes glimmered against the lights from the chandelier.
"Are you doubting if I can really give you the King's throne, my husband?" Her last two words which she uttered sweetly made Alec's eyes narrow for some reason.
"Fret not, I know what I'm doing. Just do your part and let me deal with my family, and I assure you I can deliver what I promised."
Alec raised his glass for a toast, "That is great, then. I shall not have anything less."
When midnight came, it was time for the newlyweds to leave and spend their first night on the groom's estate. A black carriage of four horses owned by the Everston awaited outside the palace. Lauren held Alec's arm as they were sent off by the guests and even the King himself.
"May you have everlasting love, Your Highness," said the fine man who opened the carriage's door for Lauren. It was one of Alec's three commandants, Matthias.
"Thankfully Sally was fast in packing some clothes I can use tonight. I didn't know I would spend the night in your manor," said Lauren as she and Alec sat beside each other in the carriage.
"I thought you already knew since I told the King my plan two days ago."
"And father must have thought you told me first since I'm your bride." He really knew nothing about how relationships work, did he? Lauren shook her head in dismay.
When they finally arrived at Everston manor, Lauren sighed in relief. She couldn't wait to get rid of her heavy gown and soak herself in a bath of warm water. She had such an exhausting day.
"Welcome, Master Alec, Princess Lauren," the slender butler smiled warmly at their arrival.
"Lead her to my room, Oswin," Alec ordered as he took off his wedding suit and asked a servant to bring him his coat.
"You are leaving?" Lauren asked.
She wasn't expecting them to spend the rest of the night together like a real couple, but she didn't expect he would leave her like this. What would the people in his manor think of them? Or did he trust their loyalty so much he didn't mind if they found out?
"As much as I want to spend the night with you, I have important work to do in the council. Take a rest, my dear wife. It was a long day, you must be tired," Alec said tenderly like a skilled actor who didn't have to rehearse his line twice.
The butler noticed his master's eyes lacked warmth no matter how tender his words seemed. As someone who served the vampire lord for almost a decade now, he was convinced that his master only knew how to grow his influence and connections, but knew nothing about love.