After the sudden burst of magic that the princess released, the clergy and the remaining nobilities were shaken to Wiriam’s yielding to the bastard prince.
High Priestess Naya surprisingly agreed to it as well, which then sealed the deal for Aleksander’s coronation as the new king of the Western Kingdom.
The princess was immediately raised to Queen status too, as Aleksander was adamant she be coronated as well despite being a human.
"But High Priestess!" one of the priests contested the decision, "The late Queen Zephyrine’s prophesies speak of doom should the bastard prince return to the castle!"
"He will kill us all if we let him rule the vampire kingdom," another spoke. "And what of that wife of him? I thought she was a slave, but a slave couldn’t have done such destruction in one blow! She is a demon! They are a dangerous pair to take over the throne."
"But to make a deal with a demon would mean she is destined to die in less than ten years’ time," someone noted.
A series of audible whispers rose inside the room. Some speculating the origins of the slave bride, while others debating whether it was possible to have them assassinated ’for the greater good’ of the kingdom.
The vampire clergy was obviously nervous. The unlikely couple truly was a force they didn’t see coming their way. They had thought the Aleksander and his wife perished during the Eastern Kingdom feud.
It was a shame that he was the one that survived and not the Crown Prince Dominick.
The High Priestess rubbed her temples. Her head started to throb with each complain the others raised. Their voices increased into an unbearable crescendo that ultimately High Priestess Naya snapped.
"Enough of this!" she yelled, releasing a tiny blast of purplish mana out of frustration. "Queen Zephyrine’s prophesies of the bastard prince had been merely word of mouth back then. She hadn’t provided the official vials containing her visions of such prophesies."
A collection of gasps arose from the vampire clergy.
"Do you mean to say that the late queen made up those prophesies?" one of the acolytes raised a question, "I always thought her prophesies of the bastard prince were officially kept in the Hallowed Chambers of the palace."
The High Priestess shook her head, "No. There was no physical proof of the prophesies. Nobody questioned the validity of her claims back then, as the late king immediately accepted her words as truth."
"But still," another priest raised his voice, "High Priestess, a bastard and a slave as monarchs is unheard of at the very least. The Mana Orbs had perfectly made known the best choice was Sir Wiriam."
"I totally agree," another priest slammed a fist on his table, "Aleksander must be taken out of the throne. He will never be the best king for the Western Kingdom."
"And his wife should be done away as well. She is an unknown human with an unknown source of power," someone added.
"We can’t do anything about it now," High Priestess Naya gritted her teeth, "His Ardorlean blood has a stronger claim than that of the Farvars."
A heavy air fell around the clergy.
The clergy was the one expected to follow the vampire book of laws to the letter. Even as they feared the claims of the late queen, they couldn’t deny Aleksander’s blood truly deserved the crown according to the laws.
The priests and acolytes heaved a heavy sigh coupled with several groans of concern.
"Worry not," the High Priestess said despite her troubled thoughts, "I do believe that wouldn’t receive the same support as his father. There will be a possible shifting of powers from the nobilities too."
"Then what do you suggest, High Priestess?" several people spoke at the same time.
High Priestess Naya’s face darkened, "We must keep the kingdom’s balance. Let us observe and see how things play out. Sir Wiriam conceded the crown himself, perhaps the Farvar’s brightest child has something in mind."
"Can’t we find an assassin to do the dirty works?" a priest groaned.
"We can’t just attack blindly, you old coot," High Priestess Naya snapped. She turned to another priest. "Mora, have the new queen investigated. We must know who she is, where she came from. All her dirtiest secrets, down to the bones hidden bones in her closet and everything in between."
The priest named Mora bowed and immediately excused himself from the clergy.
"Kirin, send all of the noble family head’s a letter each expressing my intentions to speak to them. Have them come on separate dates," the High Priestess said.
"Understood, High Priestess," the young acolyte bowed.
"For the Farvars, I will hand you over a separate letter," the High Priestess quickly added. "Be sure to make this covert. Your neck is on the line if ever Prince – King Aleksander hears of this."
"I dedicate my life for the clergy and Western Kingdom’s sake," Kirin proclaimed. "I will not fail you and our kingdom, High Priestess Naya."
The acolyte bowed again, then excused herself out of the clergy’s meeting room. She immediately wrote letters under the High Priestess’ name and in less than an hour, delivered each sealed letter to the surviving noble family’s heads.
Wiriam received his letter and wondered who could have sent it to him. The blank envelope was left on his study desk. Strangely, none of the servants in his small manor admitted to bringing the letter themselves.
How did it get into his room?
The noble vampire flipped the envelope and saw a familiar burnt seal on the envelope’s upper right corner. A fascinated smile spread across his face and the vampire tore the paper open.
"Ah..." he muttered under his breath, "as expected from that cunning vampire."
Wiriam walked towards his window and peered out into the open. The view outside his manor was directly across the palace.
Fire flickered from his lamp, and Wiriam let out a soft chuckle. Lifting the paper above the lamp’s open end, he set High Priestess Naya’s letter in flames.
His eyes watched as the paper was slowly consumed until nothing was left of it. Tiny embers lifted in the air, and he swatted them out of his face with a scowl.
A dark look overcame the noble vampire. Overlooking into the palace where the new King and Queen resided, Wiriam Gilver Farvar swore his plans weren’t going to waste.