SPELLBOUND

"Amazing! The scent is completely gone! There is not even a trace left!" Levy exclaimed with eyes as wide as saucers. The men followed after Gavriel – who was carrying Evie protectively in his arms – as they all headed to the chambers of the prince and princess.

"Leon truly has done an amazing job. He used a strange herb on her wound." Zolan said and the others looked at Leon with amazement.

Leon looked away and rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. "It wasn't that amazing. It's a common knowledge for humans. My mom is a human, so naturally, I have learnt about these things."

"Still … that's quite amazing. We wouldn't have known heads or tails on what to do if you weren't here." Samuel said in a serious tone when Zolan spoke.

"Are you certain this is a common knowledge, Leon?" he asked, questions and curiosity brimming in his intelligent eyes. "None of us have ever heard about any of the herbs that could completely hide the scent of a bitten human. Because the princess is now bitten and her blood's no longer pure, she still supposed to emit a scent, though not that strong anymore, isn't it?" Zolan was only stating the facts that he knew.

Even Gavriel who was walking carefully because of Evie being in his arms, halted in his steps. He had the same question. Why?

"The truth is, even I don't know why." Leon replied after a short pause, making everyone speechless. "All the girls who were bitten that my mother and I helped previously still emitted a slight scent even after we have completely covered their wounds with the herb. The princess is the first and only one I have encountered who's not emitting any scent anymore." The expression on his face also showed his helplessness in answering their questions. He does not seem to understand what was happening any more than the rest of them.

Zolan glanced at Gavriel. Why? This means that once again, the princess is the one and only exception? But why was it so? What was it that is contained in her body… no, in her blood that made her so unique?

Everyone pondered over this mysterious condition of their princess as they continued walking. They had reached the chamber in silence, and it was obvious that everyone had the same question spinning around in their heads.

"Just bring her clean clothes and the things I need to wash her." Gavriel ordered as soon as the door closed and the butler immediately moved, understanding fully that the prince wanted him out – A.S.A.P.. The rest of the men were discreet enough and had long since disappeared after seeing both their prince and princess into their chambers.

After setting up everything that the prince needed, Elias quickly fled the room. Gavriel washed himself first before he started his task of gently cleaning up his beloved wife.

It took him a long time to finish his task because of his very slow and careful movements. It could be said that there was much enjoyment too on his part and not one iota of it was unwillingness. The only drawback was that his wife was unconscious due to being wounded. And that thought suddenly brought a shadow of a frown to crease his forehead that came and went swiftly.

When at last he was finished and Evie was now clad in her comfortable sleepwear, Gavriel called on Elias again.

The butler efficiently and quickly tidied everything up and in no time, he was gone, leaving Gavriel sitting at the side of the bed and staring quietly at his wife's peacefully sleeping face.

Gavriel never left their chambers that day.

The duchess had insisted to enter the prince's and princess' chambers as soon as the night came.

The men guarding the door had barred the duchess from barging into the room, but Zolan eventually allowed her to enter when the duchess claimed that she had something important to tell and give to Gavriel.

What welcomed the duchess' eyes as she stepped into the room was the prince sitting on the floor, his back against the bed and his head on his palm. The prince looked utterly distressed. When was the last time she had seen this powerful prince in this state?

The duchess remembered that he was in a similar state like this too after he had accidentally killed the human girl her daughter brought for him. Only this time, he looked a lot worse.

Her eyes fell to the sleeping princess who was lying on the huge bed and duchess Aurora sighed in relief to see that she was still alive. But if she is alive and this prince was already behaving like this, how much worse would the situation be if she had actually perished?

The thought made the old vampiress shudder and she slowly approached Gavriel.

Gavriel did not lift his face, but the duchess could see his eyes simply opened and they glimmered with a dangerous light through his dishevelled hair.

"Your Highness," the duchess took a deep breath. She remembered how her late daughter dealt with this prince back then. This prince was like a pleasing, soothing calm breath of fresh air most of the time. His presence alone could give hope and awaken faith even from the dead. He just had in him, that innate power fitted for a king that every citizen would love and care for from the bottom of their hearts. But … the key word here was 'most of the time'.

Because, at the same time, deep within his calm and dazzling exterior, there was an endless and mysterious darkness hiding within him. He was still a mystery to everyone. In fact, the duchess thought that even the late empress herself actually did not have any idea about what exactly the prince was hiding, or what exactly was this thing hiding within him.

Up until her daughter's death, she had never told anything, even to her own mother about what exactly had happened to Gavriel in the dungeon. And how and when did the empress even conceive a child of a real royalty. It still remained a mystery and now that the empress was gone, no one could answer that question anymore. But for some reason, the duchess felt that Gavriel, this dangerous and mysterious prince, knew everything. He was just keeping it buried inside of him, watching, and waiting, just for the right time. But the question is, the right time for what? That was the thing that scares the duchess the most.

Will there ever be a day when the truth finally comes out? Or will this prince bury his secrets within him forever or until he brings it with him to the grave?

"I'd like to tell you that you don't need to worry about the princess' scent. Because the princess' blood will remain pure, Your Highness." The duchess quickly informed Gavriel about the matter that she had mentioned to get herself allowed into his chambers before he could lose his temper.

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AN: hello spellbounders, i just want to inform you guys about webbnovel's latest update. 'Top fans' is no longer based only on the coins a reader spent on the book. Votes and comments and reviews also increase your contribution.