The Hidden Monster of House Vale

Chapter 129: Chapter - 129 - Venom in Silver Spoons

”Prince Rumil, Lady Aelene is here to meet you.”

Prince Rumil’s expression shifted instantly. A moment ago, his features had been hardened with exhaustion and heavy, churning thoughts, but the mere mention of her name swept the tension away.

When Aelene stepped into Prince Rumil’s chamber, a gentle, radiant smile graced her lips. The sight of her immediately brightened his mood, lifting the dark weight that had been settling over his chest all evening.

”Aelene, what made you come here?” Prince Rumil asked, stepping forward to greet her, his gaze scanning her face for any trace of the distance that had grown between them. ”I know I called for a dinner with you, but you were so busy with your healing sanctuary that I thought you would forget about me.”

”How can I forget about you, Prince Rumil?” Aelene said softly, her smile widening just enough to look entirely sincere, her tone laced with warmth. ”You are my fiancé.”

”Yeah, I’m just your fiancé. It’s not like you love me or anything,” Prince Rumil replied, a sudden, sharp hint of jealousy bleeding into his tone. He crossed his arms, turning his face slightly away as he failed to stop the bitter thought from spilling out. ”Sometimes I think that you love someone from the healing sanctuary... or maybe you love the healing sanctuary more than me, who is your fiancé.”

Aelene’s gentle smile vanished instantly, replaced by an expression of pure, wounded hurt. ”Prince Rumil, what are you saying? How could you say that? I left them and came here to meet you as soon as I got the chance, and you are accusing me of infidelity?”

There was a sharp, trembling strain of pain in her voice, masterfully delivered, enough to make any man feel an instant, sickening stab of guilt.

Prince Rumil stood dead silent, a tangled storm of frustration tearing through him. Every single event happening around him lately was taking a severe, agonizing toll on his mind. He was constant prey to pressure from the court, the threat of the man-eater, and the terrifying responsibility of securing his position. Under normal circumstances, in his right mind, he would never have said something so harsh and damaging to Aelene. But the bitter words had already left his mouth, flying out before his filter could catch them, and he could not take them back.

A sharp spike of regret hit him, making him feel terrible for causing her distress. Yet, almost simultaneously, an ugly, defensive anger flared up in his chest. A selfish part of him resented the fact that he had to beg and fight so hard just to receive her basic affection these days. Prince Rumil had never realized it, but he possessed a deep, ingrained habit of always centering himself in every narrative.

Whenever things went wrong, he instinctively played the victim—dwelling endlessly on his own suffering, feeling deeply sorry for his plight, and placing the blame on everyone else around him. If he had been careful, grounded, and attentive, his royal position and resources would have allowed him to figure out so many underlying truths and deceptions long ago. Yet he never did.

He spent almost all of his emotional energy trapped inside his own head, endlessly ruminating on how miserable his situation was and how unfaithful or unsupportive the world seemed, never actually pausing to observe the true nature of the people standing right in front of him.

Now, caught squarely in the web of his own sharp tongue and unable to swallow his royal pride, Prince Rumil had no idea how to back up his words or repair the damage. A suffocating silence fell over the chamber, heavy and deeply awkward.

Before either of them could break the tense deadlock, a maid’s soft, hesitant voice called out from the doorway.

”Prince Rumil, Lord Axel is here to meet you. He said it’s something very important.”

”Send him in,” Prince Rumil said instantly, seizing the sudden distraction like a lifeline.

Aelene turned back toward him, disbelief darkening her eyes. ”What are you doing, Prince Rumil? I thought it was our time, and now you are letting Lord Axel in?”

”He is the only one who never betrayed me,” Prince Rumil said defensively, turning his shoulder toward her as he faced the entrance. ”He is working day and night just to catch that bastard man-eater. If he wasn’t, he would have been here consoling me.”

Hahaha, how stupid you are, Prince Rumil, Aelene thought behind her sorrowful, offended mask, a thrill of dark, intoxicating mockery washing through her mind. You sit there wallowing in your little pathetic doubts, completely blind to reality. You don’t even know your fiancé pleasures him with her mouth and takes his weapon as deep as she can... and it feels so good. To think you put all your faith in the very man who claims me whenever he wants. I wonder what Lord Lucien will do with you now.

Lucien entered the chamber, his footsteps entirely silent as he took in the scene. Prince Rumil and Aelene stood near the wide window, their silhouettes bathed in the cool, silvery glow of the moonlight. It had been Lucien himself who had instructed Aelene to attend dinner with the prince tonight; he had very specific, calculated plans for Rumil’s downfall.

Stepping forward with polished poise, Lucien bowed gracefully. ”It’s good to see you in good health, Prince Rumil.”

”I’m glad to see you as well, my friend,” Prince Rumil said, his face instantly softening at the sight of his most trusted ally. ”I hope you have good news.”

”Yes, Prince Rumil, I do have good news,” Lucien replied smoothly, pausing just long enough for his eyes to flick casually toward Aelene. ”But it seems like I’m interrupting something very important.”

”Oh, it’s nothing important. Just a dinner I invited my fiancé to, but she was busy with her work,” Prince Rumil muttered, dismissing the heavy tension with an airy wave of his hand before pressing forward. ”So, what’s the good news?”

”Work can wait, my dear prince,” Lucien said softly, offering a polite, considerate gesture toward Aelene. ”Maybe you should enjoy dinner with Lady Aelene. She seems sad.”

Prince Rumil let out a long, weary sigh, the last bit of fight fading from his posture. ”If you are saying so, my friend, I’ll do just that.” He turned toward the hallway and called out, ”Servants, put the food on the table.”

Within moments, seven maids filed into the room carrying heavy silver platters, quietly and efficiently arranging an elaborate spread of rich dishes across the dining table.

”I’ll wait for you to finish dinner, my lord,” Lucien said, taking a subtle step back toward the doorway. ”Then I’ll give you information about the man-eater. You’ll love this information.”

”I can’t wait to hear it,” Prince Rumil said eagerly, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of a victory over his enemy.

Seeing Lucien turn as if to walk outside and wait in the corridor, Prince Rumil immediately called out to stop him. ”Where are you going, Axel? Join us for dinner.”

Lucien paused in his tracks, looking back with a hesitant, perfectly crafted expression of reluctance. ”I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to bother the prince and Lady Aelene.”

Prince Rumil turned back to his fiancé, seeking her approval to cement his decision. ”Lady Aelene, do you mind if Lord Lucien joins the dinner?”

”No, I don’t mind. In fact, I’ll enjoy it,” Aelene said, her voice smooth, sweet, and entirely serene on the surface.

Inside, her heart pounded with a dark, thrill-seeking delight. Having Lucien sit at the same table with the fool of a prince, watching her secret master manipulate her unwitting fiancé right before her eyes, was an intoxicating game she could barely contain.

Lucien accepted the invitation and took his seat at the dining table, picking up his silver eating utensils and beginning to eat with the flawless, relaxed grace of a high noble.

As he ate, Lucien glanced casually between the two of them, taking in the lingering frost in the air. ”Did something happen between the prince and Lady Aelene?”

”No, it’s just a little fiancee fight,” Aelene answered smoothly, her sharp gaze fixing dead onto Prince Rumil. ”I was working in the healing sanctuary because many people are getting injured because of the man-eater, and people were afraid. So I wanted them not to be afraid. After Prince Rumil gave the order to kill every human in the healing sanctuary, they were terrified. I was there for a few days so they would be relieved that Prince Rumil wouldn’t massacre if I’m there with them.”

Her eyes pierced straight into Rumil as she spoke, sharp, cold, and utterly accusing under the guise of civic concern.

”And, O Prince Rumil, what’s your view on this thing?” Lucien asked softly, turning his head to look over at the prince.

Prince Rumil shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his pride stinging as he scowled down at his plate. ”I ordered them to be killed to eliminate the threat of who wants to steal my treasure.”

”Treasure, treasure, treasure...” Aelene said, letting her tone drop into a quiet, cutting bitterness. ”Prince Rumil, you always think about yourself, but have you ever considered how I feel? How I’m working with people day and night just to save them, and then you just come and give the order to kill everyone? What kind of justice is that? And on top of that, you accuse me of being unfaithful.”

Hearing her words laid out so plainly in front of his trusted ally, Prince Rumil felt a sudden, crushing wave of guilt wash over him. The anger and paranoia that had fueled his outbursts completely drained away, leaving only hollow regret in his eyes. He sat before her and Axel feeling pathetic and small, realizing he had absolutely no logical defense left to offer without sounding like a heartless tyrant.

”I’m sorry, Aelene,” Prince Rumil said quietly, his eyes fixed on the tablecloth. ”I never thought of it this way.”

Lucien set his cup down with a soft click and chimed in, his voice warm and reasonable. ”Well, Prince Rumil, accusing her of infidelity is something really bad. I know Lady Aelene. She works day and night. When I get hurt, she takes care of it, and I can vouch that she’s completely faithful to her partner.”

Aelene lowered her head slightly, biting her lip hard to hide the sudden, electric surge of amusement running through her body. You aren’t going to say which partner? Heheh... Aren’t you going to tell him how good my mouth feels while I serve you? You’re playing him like a instrument, Lucien, and he doesn’t suspect a single thing.

”You are right, Axel,” Prince Rumil admitted, shaking his head in self-loathing. ”I should have never accused her of something like this.”

”If you realized your mistake, Prince Rumil, then how about you two feed each other with a spoon?” Lucien suggested with a light, friendly smile, playing the role of the peacemaking brother-in-arms.

Prince Rumil looked up, desperately eager to move past his embarrassment. Using a clean spoon, he scooped up a fresh portion of food from a platter he hadn’t touched yet. Aelene took a different spoon and gathered a bite of her own. Leaning across the table, with Lucien sitting calmly right between them, they fed each other.

”Yeahhhhh...” Lucien said, a quiet, amused laugh escaping him as he watched the bizarre display of domestic reconciliation. ”That’s good. You guys shouldn’t fight—after all, life is very short.”

Prince Rumil broke into a genuine, relieved laugh, the heavy, dark mood entirely lifting from his face as he swallowed the food. ”We are elves, Axel! We live for a very long time, much longer than humans. If you were an elf, you wouldn’t have said that,” he said with a bright, chuckling laugh, entirely oblivious to the double meaning hanging in the air.

”Sure, Prince, sure,” Lucien replied smoothly, smiling along as if acknowledging a foolish mistake.

Aelene set her spoon down and looked at Rumil with genuine curiosity finally breaking through her theatrical act. ”By the way, why did you decide today to have dinner with me, Prince Rumil? Is there anything special?”

”Yeahhh, there is a special announcement which I’ll announce officially later,” Prince Rumil said, leaning in closer to both of them, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. ”But you guys should know first.”

Meanwhile, somewhere deep within the quiet halls of the healing sanctuary, Prince Andrin was completely prepared.

A dark cloth was tightly bound across the lower half of his face, and he wore form-fitting black clothes designed to allow him to blend seamlessly into the deep shadows of the night. Tonight, after careful preparation, he had planned a silent, ruthless strike against the barracks where Aelvera was being held under guard. Tonight was the night he planned to achieve a massive, blood-soaked breakthrough in his demonic cultivation by slaughtering as many people as he could lay his hands on.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins, making his heart race with dark anticipation as he reached out and quietly pulled his door open to step into the corridor.

But the very moment the heavy wooden door swung inward, his eyes widened in absolute, paralyzing shock at what was standing right on the other side.