His Majesty's Devious Sin

Humans were frail. Their skin was made of paper, smooth but thin. It was easy to kill a human. Weston had seen the light fled from their eyes multiple times, just as their bodies went limp. Humans seemed to fear death, but he did not understand why.

Death was an escape from this world. What was there to be scared of? Was it death they feared, or the prospect of a painful one?

Regardless of the answer, an order was an order. Weston would carry out His Majesty's wishes. He swore an oath. He intended to uphold it, until the very end of his life—which was considerably long.

"Lady Rose, was it?" Weston said with disinterest. He cast her a single glance, filled with irritation.

Weston did not understand His Majesty's obsession with this mere mortal. She was thin, plain, and demure. What could a woman like her do for the prosperous Empire of Wraith?

Adeline Rose seemed like she would cry over the smallest inconvenience. He would never bow his head to the likes of her.

"If your brother works for the King, you should be doing that as well," Lydia suddenly spoke up. She threw him an equally hateful glare.

"This is the King's fiancee, you should treat her with some respect," she bit out.

"When Lady Rose has done something to earn my respect, I will show it," Weston coldly said.

Lydia narrowed her eyes. All of the servants of the palace were rude! If this was how they treated Adeline in front of a guest, how do they treat her in private? Instantly, her blood boiled and her temper thinned.

"The same can be said for the likes of you," Lydia deadpanned.

She saw his gaze turned cold. He was an intimidating man, with pale skin and angular features. He had an air of danger around him. Perhaps some women would view him as a mystery they'd want to unravel. Lydia would rather puke on his shoes.

"Let's go, Addy," Lydia said. "It seems the castle has incompetent servants."

Adeline blinked. She gazed at Weston, who was supposedly a politician of the country. She had noticed he was close to Elias. Wouldn't that mean Weston was in contact with the King?

Before Adeline could say something, Lydia already dragged her down the hallways and around a corner. Before she could say anything, Lydia lifted the edges of her dress.

"What are you doing?" Adeline cried out, morbid at the thought of Lydia undressing in the middle of a hallway.

"This was the only way I could sneak in the guns," Lydia whispered. She unhooked both of the holsters that were strapped to her leg.

Adeline's breath left her throat. Hiding the gun inside of the dress. It was an impressive thing. But how did the metal detectors not pick that up? The only way to do so was… to sneak into the castle.

Adeline glanced at Lydia with silence. She preferred to not ask.

"Hurry now," Lydia said whilst guiding thrusting the holsters into Adeline's hands.

"That man—"

"I'll keep watch." Lydia placed the items into Adeline's palms and then walked behind her.

Adeline gulped. She felt like this was too dangerous. But wordlessly, she made sure the trigger was locked. That way, she wouldn't accidentally shoot herself in the leg. Lifting her dress, she began to effortlessly slip on the weapons.

Just as she clicked on the last holster onto her right leg, she heard a small curse.

"He's coming, Addy," Lydia whispered.

Adeline instantly turned around, just in time to see Weston turn the corner. There was a knowing expression on his face, as his eyes flickered from the bottom of her dress and back to her face.

Adeline found it was suspicious that he had taken his sweet time to walk down the hallway. What kept him occupied?

"I smell gun powder," Weston deadpanned.

"Your nose has issues," Lydia responded. "A gun didn't go off. How can there be the smell of gun powder?"

Weston's frigid eyes rolled towards Lydia. There was an ominous tinge in the air. He was not here to play games. Though, it was fun watching the prey run away. He enjoyed the short chase.

"I'm afraid you must come with me for a thorough inspection. I received word that all of the guests except for Lady Rose have arrived," he stated.

Adeline blinked. She instantly stepped closer to Lydia and took a hold of her wrist. "Lady Claymore is my plus one."

Adeline spoke in the same, antiquated language as the Vampires. She realized their values were quite traditional and old, much like their bloodline. Supposedly, Vampires have been around since the medieval era. They rarely dropped the titles that accompanied European times, with castles, kings and queens, knights, and other levels of the hierarchy.

It was quite evident in the way Duke Claymore still had his honorific title, even though this was the modern world, and there were no more pulled carriages.

"Great loophole, Lady Rose," Weston addressed. "However, weapons are not allowed in the castle. Your friend will have to be thoroughly inspected by me."

Adeline's brows raised. "What weapons?" she asked in a normal voice.

Weston didn't even humor her lie. He wasn't a fool. He had heard the ruffle of dresses being lifted, and the sound of clasps.

Besides, Adeline was behaving much differently from what he heard. Didn't she have a nervous stammer? He recalled the demure and gloomy lady from the ball. She looked like she couldn't hurt a fly.

"Do not worry, Lady Rose," Weston said in a monotone voice. "Your lady friend will be returned to you after a thorough search by one of the maids."

Adeline firmly shook her head. She didn't know why, but there was an overwhelming amount of confidence coursing through her. She supposed it was because her best friend was here. Lydia Claymore gave her courage.

"It's horribly disrespectful to inspect a guest of the ball," Adeline stated. "Additionally, Lady Claymore is the daughter of Duke Claymore. In terms of etiquette and ranks, with all due respect, Weston, you don't have the power to search her."

Weston's lips twitched. Aw, she was so cute and stupid. She must've thought he was a mere politician. His eyes flickered. Did she think she was wise enough to fool him, who was decades older than her?

"I was given the order from His Majesty himself, that no weapons are permitted in the Luxton Palace. Objections will be met with violence, Lady Rose." Weston took a daring step closer.

"Come and hurt me," Lydia bit out. "You don't scare me at all."

Adeline's grip tightened on Lydia's wrist. The only chance they had against a Pure-Bred was the guns, which would only fuel Weston's theory. The best thing to do here was to turn Lydia in and allowed her to be searched. After all, the guns were no longer with Lydia. But it would be a violation of Lydia's comfort and virtue. Adeline would never turn her friend in. They were partners in crime.

"Disobeying this order is deliberately showing treason to the Royal Crown," Weston added on. His lips curled into a forced, amicable smile that didn't reach his cold, desolate eyes.

A normal citizen would've cowered at the thought of this. Offending the Royal Crown meant offending the government that dictated the West. The consequences were dire, and jail time was mercy.

"I'd like to see the Royal Verdict that will allow this inspection. Think of it as a warrant," Adeline finally said, her eyes burning with resolution. No one would hurt Lydia, not unless Adeline could help it.