She sat on the other side concealing her emotions, but he had noticed the desire to burn the whole world in them. But before he could probe, she was like her normal self, cold, uncaring and ruthless to him. She looked at him with a carefree smirk that made him frown.
"You know, most men would have taken advantage of this moment. But you are trying not to break. You think denying me gives you control."
"I am not interested in the control you offer." Elias said flatly. "I want the truth."
She reached to the side and took a glass of red liquid wine, or something thicker and sipped. Then she spoke, softly, as if lifting a veil.
"The world you think you know is a carefully built lie. Humans believe they rule. That your kings and nobles hold power. But those nobles? They are nothing but well-fed dogs."
Elias didn't flinch, but his grip on the fork subtly tightened.
Seraphina continued, "The true rulers live in the shadows. There is a flow of chains. Salves are the lowest on the chain as you know. They serve commoners and rich men. Commoners are like cattle that work to their bones to earn money and wealth. Nobles control them well. And they serve the king.
But the kings are not free, they serve the immortals and in the end, immortals are just nobles who take power from us, vampires." Her voice was low as she stared at his face for his emotions, but he was much calmer than she had thought. "Immortals serve the vampires so that they can maintain their powers."
Her eyes gleamed with a teasing look again. "Should you not be proud of yourself? You are the first slave that had been given those powers. Never in history, a slave had served a vampire before."
Elias's gaze narrowed, as if he did not hear her comments. "If there is a chain, vampires are not the top most beings or you would not have needed me to achieve your mission. Then who do vampires serve?"
The question pulled the smile off her face. Her expression darkened with a dark and dangerous flicker, her lips curling as she leaned close, her mouth brushing near his ear.
"Ah, now that is not for you to know. Is it?"
She pulled back just enough to meet his eyes, her own gleaming like polished rubies in the sunlight.
"For now, all you need to understand is this" her voice dropped to a near whisper, "I am a vampiress. Born into the oldest bloodline. My brother and I were chosen to be the next heir and we are running a simple competition to choose one of us. But power is not shared between us equally. My brother had more support than me because they thought he would be worthy. I want to win against him. It is not only for power but for something greater than a throne."
She stood up from her seat and walked toward him. with a sway of her hips, the chemise fluttered around her thighs. Her bare feet whispered against the old stone floor.
"I will not be a slave to anyone. Not to the court, not to my brother, and certainly not to fate."
Elias watched her in silence, he wanted to ask more but he knew she would not tell her anymore.
"And you," she turned, her eyes flashing, "you will help me win and I will give you everything you have lost," she said. "And the power to burn everyone who took it from you."
He had understood that much so he nodded easily and looked into her eyes.
"What do you want me to do?"
Seraphina's grin was wicked but full of promise. "I want you to take power from them and stand taller than everyone. For the start, I want you to take power from the nobles and give it to commoners or even slaves. A chaos that breaks the line and makes the people above them panic. Then I want the peace to be restored by you. I want all of them to want you, Elias. But you would forever be bound to me."
"What can I do as a slave? Fight with all of them and kill them?" He mocked her with a cold look but she did not mind that resentment. She had prepared him for that.
For days, she had tested his emotions again and again. She had confirmed that he would not lose himself in temptation of revenge, lust, wealth, power and dream of a happy life. Now that she knew he would not betray her, she did not mind sharing power with him.
"My brother and I have been given powers over immortals. Though he had many immortals supporting him, I still have a few that are loyal to me. Each of them own a lot of noble families under his command. Recently, a baron family died under strange circumstances. Their bodies decayed to the point that they could not even be recognized. But the news is still hidden from the public." she started in a low voice as she continued to take sips of her drink.
The way she was looking at him was provoking.
"And you do not want others to know about his death because his death could not be explained without creating a doubt. Since death is not normal." she chuckled but her eyes were cold as he explained.
"Ha! Baron Crestford was gaining more power in the west district. He had already secured two bids for me. But he died while attending an auction. Even if I want an explanation. They would simply say he died because of some contaminated products. I am still weak in comparison to my brother when it comes to support. So I do not want to do the hassle. I want you to replace the man, take his position and continue the tasks he had left behind." she spoke as if being another person is nothing.
He frowned as he looked at her as if she was crazy.
"Does Baron Crestford look like me? Do I resemble his face or his nobility? I am not a noble and I am not trained to behave like one. Why could you not just kill your enemies and get what you want?" he asked with a deep frown settling between his brows. "I am not up for court politics. I am not that shrewd or a patient person to begin with." he stood up ready to leave. When she held him by his wrist.
"I can train you to be a noble. It is simpler than you think it is. As long as it's about resembling his face, everyone would forget what the man looked like and only remember you. When you met them, they would believe you are Baron Crestford. Do you not want Cladria to vye for you, to desire you and then you could mock her just like she had done in the past."