The Bride He Hates-Chapter 29: A Pleasant Moment Ruined

The next council meeting happened at dawn the next morning. The eastern forest was a two-day journey from Thornfield, and the rogue had to be eliminated as soon as possible.

Lyanna had also been summoned to the council chamber along with Adrian, Helena, Victor, and a few other key advisors. She thought it was just to be informed about the mission details.

When Azrael laid out the mission plan; assigning Adrian to command the force, leading the main attack himself, leaving Victor behind to coordinate intelligence, and having Helena manage court affairs in his absence, Lyanna prepared herself for the isolation.

"You’re coming with us." Azrael said, catching her off guard.

Lyanna blinked, she was sure she misheard.

"What?"

"You’ll accompany us. We’ll leave in an hour. Pack light, and wear clothes suitable for forest travel and combat."

The council chamber erupted in objections.

"Your Majesty, that’s dangerous. The queen has no combat experience against vampires, she’ll slow the force down, and protecting her will complicate an already risky operation." Helena said.

"With respect, His Majesty, taking a human into a nest of feral vampires is asking for a disaster. They’ll target her, human blood drives them mad. We’d be putting her at risk." Adrian added.

"The political consequences if Queen Lyanna is injured or killed would be huge. It might be wiser to leave her safe at Thornfield." Even Victor couldn’t stay silent.

Azrael listened to all the objections with patience, then dismissed them with a single sentence.

"I’ve made my decision. The queen is coming with us."

He looked at Lyanna, and she understood why he had made this choice. She saw the possessiveness, the unwillingness to let her out of his sight, and the paranoia over Roland’s offer.

"Why?" She asked.

"Ambassador Roland is still at Thornfield. He’ll be here for several more days coordinating intelligence about the rogues. I’m not leaving you in the same castle with a man who has already offered you shelter and escape. You’ll stay by my side where I can see you, where I’m sure you’re not being tempted by promises of freedom."

The way he announced in front of his council that he didn’t trust his wife not to run away at the slightest opportunity should have humiliated Lyanna. But instead, she read between the lines.

I can’t risk you leaving. I need to protect you from your own choices.

"You have one hour." Azrael repeated, standing up to indicate the meeting was over. "Be ready."

The journey to the eastern forests took two days by horses and wagons. Vampires could have covered the distance much faster but Lyanna’s human limitations meant they had to travel at her pace.

Azrael rode at the front, Lyanna was beside him on a small mare. Adrian was commanding the rear guard and twenty elite vampire warriors were spread throughout in a defensive formation.

The first day’s travel was filled with silence. Azrael was focused on the mission, reviewing maps and intelligence reports even while riding. The vampire warriors maintained professional discipline, speaking quietly among themselves.

But when they made camp the first evening, the formal rigidity of court protocol relaxed slightly, and Lyanna got to see a different side of Thornfield’s forces.

As they sat around the fire, Adrian began telling war stories, even humorous stories about training disasters and strategic mishaps.

Lyanna glanced at Azrael, who was sitting slightly far away from the fire, reviewing maps but was listening. The soldiers treated Lyanna with respect. They made space for her by the fire, offered her the best portions of the evening meal, and asked if she needed anything to make the journey more comfortable.

One young vampire, who looked about nineteen, approached her.

"Your Majesty." He said with a bow. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course." Lyanna replied.

"I’m Louis. I was turned only fifteen years ago, so I still remember being a human, but... It’s fading, you know? I was wondering if you could tell me about human customs. His Majesty says understanding humans makes us better warriors, and diplomats. It helps us predict how they’ll respond in wars."

Lyanna was surprised by his genuine curiosity.

"What would you like to know?" She asked.

"Everything." He replied.

For the next hour, they talked about human cultures. Lyanna told him about human festivals, marriage customs, and coming-of-age traditions. Louis and several other vampires asked questions, shared their own fading memories of mortality, and compared human and vampire approaches to different social situations.

At one point, Louis asked about human music, and Lyanna taught them a simple campfire song from her childhood. It was a melody her mother used to sing during family gatherings.

Lyanna’s voice was untrained, and rough but the vampires listened to her with genuine interest. A few of them even tried to learn the tune.

For a moment, sitting around the fire with vampires singing a human folk song, Lyanna felt normal. She didn’t expect vampires to sing a human song with her when they were about to go to war. But this small moment became the most beautiful of her life since she arrived at Thornfield. And she realized how she missed these small human moments.

"Enough fraternisation." Azrael said suddenly.

They stopped singing immediately. The casual atmosphere vanished as if it never existed.

"We’re not on a picnic. This is a military operation against dangerous rogues. I expect focus and discipline, not campfire songs and cultural exchanges."

He looked at the vampires, and Lyanna saw them flinch. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"First watch, take your positions. Everyone else, get rest. We’ll reach the nest location by midday tomorrow, and I want everyone ready for the attack."

Vampires began moving to their assigned tasks or preparing to sleep. Louis gave Lyanna an apologetic look before leaving. Lyanna also stood up and walked towards Azrael, who was still sitting and studying maps.

"Was that really necessary?" She asked in a low voice so no one else could hear. "They were just being friendly, treating me like a person instead of cargo you’re transporting."

Azrael didn’t look up from the maps he was studying.

"They were getting comfortable and comfortable warriors make mistakes. I want them to be focused on the mission, not distracted by you teaching them folk songs."

"They were building morale." Lyanna countered. "Isn’t that important too? Warriors who trust each other fight better than those who just follow orders."

"Perhaps." Azrael looked at her. "But warriors who fraternize too much with their queen start forgetting hierarchy, they start thinking of their queen as a friend rather than someone they’re sworn to protect." He stood up, rolling up the maps.

"Get some sleep. Things will be difficult tomorrow. Get as much rest as you can."