Chapter 207-Strangest castle

Chapter 207: 207-Strangest castle

The moment the royal carriages passed through the palace gates, the young vampires inside fell silent.

The royal palace was magnificent during ordinary days, but tonight, under the celebrations of the week of Hearts, it looked as though an entire kingdom of fairies had descended upon it and decided to make it their home.

Thousands of tiny lights floated above the gardens, illuminating winding pathways lined with lilies and white roses.

Crimson and silver ribbons hung between towering pillars, while enchanted flowers bloomed along the walls, their petals glowing softly whenever someone passed.

Beyond the gardens stood five grand castles, each built in a different architectural style, their towers rising against the night sky like five crowns surrounding a single kingdom.

Fireworks burst overhead, scattering pink, white, and crimson sparks across the darkness. Their reflections shimmered in the fountains, where magical swans glided between floating candles.

The air carried the sweet fragrance of roses, freshly baked pastries, and something floral that Maisa couldn’t quite identify. It was beautiful, almost suspiciously beautiful.

"Wow!" Zolani pressed her face close to the carriage window. "I want to live here... Forever."

"You wouldn’t last three days before getting into trouble," Lumi replied. "Strange..." She paused, "Since Felor, you’ve become too cheerful almost like..." She didn’t say it.

Almost like Zolani had forgotten the pain of losing her sister that she used to carry with her everyday.

"Two days, if the servants are boring," Zolani winked, her mood happier than ever.

"One day, if you keep talking."

Zolani grinned at her.

Katrina, standing beside Taratoya in the adjacent carriage, had apparently heard enough of their conversation through the open windows to laugh. "I think I would enjoy watching that happen."

"You won’t be watching from the sidelines," Taratoya informed her, reaching for her hand. "You’re coming with me."

Katrina blinked. "Coming where?"

"To my castle," Taratoya answered, she was eager to show Katrina her home and get her thoughts on it.

"Your castle?" Katrina was stunned. She knew the queen had her own castle and so did the princess but she didn’t think they assigned their niece a castle too.

Was there anything Taratoya didn’t own?

"Yes, darling. The one I live in."

Before Katrina could ask another question, Taratoya drew her out of the carriage and began leading her toward one of the five castles, her hand securely wrapped around Katrina’s.

Katrina looked back at the others with an expression that suggested she had just been kidnapped by a particularly attractive criminal.

Maisa almost smiled at how natural their relationship was. She turned her attention back to the palace grounds as the carriages came to a stop.

Servants dressed in elegant uniforms hurried forward to open the doors, while guards bowed deeply to the royal family.

Varitreya stepped out first. Her white gown shimmered beneath the enchanted lights, and the moment her feet touched the ground, several servants greeted her with respectful bows.

"Welcome home, Your Highness."

Varitreya acknowledged them with a graceful nod before turning toward the carriage. She extended her hand to Maisa.

"Come on."

Maisa stared at the offered hand for a moment and then she looked at Varitreya’s face.

The princess seemed perfectly comfortable, as though bringing four other vampires into the royal palace and taking them to her private residence was the most natural thing in the world. Perhaps, for her, it was.

Maisa accepted her hand and stepped down. Varitreya’s fingers closed around hers immediately. She didn’t release her even after Maisa had found her balance. Instead, she turned toward the others and smiled.

"Come. I’ll show you my castle."

"Castle?" Zolani repeated, looking toward the magnificent buildings beyond the gardens.

"Yes."

"There are five of them," Lumi observed. "Why do you have five castles?"

"Because the royal family has five members who each maintain their own residence," Varitreya explained. "My mothers have theirs, and Taratoya has hers. I have mine, too."

"That doesn’t explain why there are five," Lumi pointed out.

"The fifth belongs to another member of the royal household who maintains a separate residence."

Lumi narrowed her eyes. "You said that as though you were deliberately avoiding the details."

"Did I?" Varitreya acted indifferent but when her eyes drifted to the direction of the fifth castle, her eyes narrowed.

It was known as the night castle, since her birth until now, she’d never seen it’s doors open or anyone stay inside.

Sometimes, the castle would disappear only to reappear like it never left. And other times, it would light up like vampires lived inside and then dim out like an ancient castle that has been abandoned since the beginning of time.

It was the strangest castle but her mothers always said it was normal, "that’s how it was built" they said, but she had a feeling their was more to it.

Some elders even said that the castle was once occupied by Vonvaki and Zissa during their time. Varitreya had no idea how true those rumours were and didn’t intend to find out as some mysteries were better left unsolved.

"Yes," Lumi answered her.

"How unfortunate."

Zolani burst out laughing. Varitreya simply smiled and began leading them forward, still holding Maisa’s hand.

The princess’s castle stood slightly apart from the others, surrounded by a garden filled with white roses and pale blue flowers.

Its architecture was elegant rather than imposing, with tall arched windows, ivory stone walls, and balconies draped in flowering vines. Soft golden light spilled from the windows, revealing that the interior had already been prepared for their arrival.

Servants waited at the entrance, arranged in two neat rows.

"Welcome back, Your Highness," they greeted Varitreya in unison.

Then their eyes shifted toward her companions. Their expressions remained composed, but Maisa noticed the brief curiosity in their gazes.

It was not every day that the princess returned home holding the hand of a redblood vampire while bringing three other young women along with her.

More importantly, none of the servants questioned their presence.

The queen had clearly given instructions ahead of time.

"Please prepare refreshments for our guests," she said. "We will be spending the evening here. Arrange the guest rooms as well, and make sure everyone has everything they need."

"At once, Your Highness."

"Wait." Lumi glanced at the servants, then at the castle. "You have enough rooms to accommodate all of us?"

"Of course."

"And servants to attend to us?" Zolani was delighted, it was her first time experiencing such luxury. "And food? I mean...exotic blood."

Varitreya looked amused. "Zol, this is a royal castle. You could request an entire banquet and the kitchen would probably have it ready before you finished speaking."

Zolani’s eyes brightened. "Then I withdraw every complaint I have ever made about the royal family."

"How generous of you," Addessa remarked.

Zolani had already wandered toward a flower-covered archway, peering through it with undisguised curiosity. "Can we explore the gardens? Can we see the bedrooms? Is there a swimming pool? Does the palace have a library? Does your castle have a secret passage?"

"Zolani," Varitreya said patiently, "take a breath."

"I am breathing."

"Then do it more slowly," Addessa said annoyed. It irritated her to see Zolani act more rainbow than usual, unsettling even. "Stop running around like a child. Be your usual self."

Maisa listened to their conversation, but her attention drifted back toward the palace courtyard.

Her gaze found the two queens. Velanora stood beside Kheamossa near the steps of the central palace, speaking to a group of attendants.

They looked relaxed, almost cheerful, and when Kheamossa said something that made Velanora laugh, the queen reached for her wife’s hand with familiar affection.

Neither of them appeared concerned about Varitreya taking the others to her castle and they hadn’t tried to stop them. If anything, they looked pleased.

Maisa’s fingers tightened slightly around Varitreya’s hand. ’They are up to something!’