22 Chapter 22: The Safest Place To Hide!

As expected from Xanthus's keen observation, his sly smile immediately faded into darkness. Illay's face turned exceptionally cold and solemn, and with a flinch, he shoved his hand away from his shoulder before he muttered, "H-Human?"

"Didn't you tell us before that you encountered an injured kitten on your way here? But, instead of an animal, why do I sense human blood scent from you?" A dark, cruel smirk sliced the corner of his crimson lips as Xanthus asked, narrowing his golden eyes upon him.

"Illay?" Immediately, Valerie interrupted their conversation and grunted at Illay, sounding much perplexed by his tone. "Have you started hunting humans again?" His pitch created a strong echo in the giant banquet hall.

"Absolutely not, father!" Illay frowned his brows and strongly objected, with a loud slam on the dining table. Looking a bit offended by his interrogation, he glared at Xanthus once before explaining to him, "Father, it was just a one-time mistake, I won't do something like that again!"

"But still you have done it once, so it's hard for me to entrust my belief to you." Valerie put a stern expression on his face as he declaimed, scowling at Illay. "Even though we wish to conquer the human world, we must never forget the safety of our existence.

Recklessly chasing after filthy humans is a disregard for our royal blood.

Don't be the reason for my embarrassment again, Illay."

His cold, harsh words irked Illay, flaring his anger to a great extent. In front of Alpha Raven and Princess Melissa, he felt his reputation was tarnished. He clenched his lower jaw and glared at Xanthus, who seemed calm, seated next to him.

Illay realized, he was purposely humiliated with his old wounds as payback for provoking Xanthus earlier. His anger instincts were triggered to the point beyond endurance as he stood up from his seat and sounded hasty, "My appetite is satisfied, so, I shall take my leave now."

"What? But Illay, you didn't even touch the meal." Lorelia squinted her orbs and sounded impatient to stop him suddenly leaving the hall.

"I had enough already, mother. I think I won't be able to intake anymore." Illay swirled his glaring eyes towards Xanthus once again before grumbling his bitter words. His low voice sounded heavy but wrathful.

Whereas, watching him get hasty to leave, Xanthus coldly smiled at him, pondering inside his mind, "I guess, this will serve you as a lesson, not to provoke me again."

As soon as Illay walked out of the hall room without further exchange of words, the surge of bitterness grew vivid inside Lorelia from the insult of her son in front of everyone. She pierced a death glare at Xanthus and stood up from her seat with a jolt, holding a bitter smile, "I guess, I don't have an appetite anymore too. So, I will leave the rest of the meal to you all. Please enjoy."

While both of them hastily walked out of the room, a vivid cryptic smirk grew on his face as Xanthus stayed as calm as possible.

However, watching the ambiance grow intensely awkward, Raven gulped before he cut in the silence, "Valerie, I think we should have some further discussion regarding our territories somewhere else. For now, we can leave from here so that Prince Xanthus and Melissa can have some personal space together."

Valerie retained a displeased expression on his face and wiped his palm with a tissue since he had just touched his meal. With a long sigh, he nodded and stood up from his seat, to walk out of the room with slow, heavy footsteps.

Raven followed after him too with a surly mood, as if he was quite offended by the sudden turnover of the situation. As their heavy footsteps left the room, only Xanthus and Melissa were the two left behind, seated opposite to each other.

"Pfft! Hahahahaha!"

Melissa flinched in surprise when Xanthus suddenly burst into a squeal of laughter, creating a strong echo inside the giant banquet hall. She gulped and narrowed her orbs with confusion. Being at loss of words, she looked at him while he continued grinning hysterically.

"P-Prince Xanthus?" Her low voice sounded intimidated as it was the first time she watched him laughing like that. Even though he was grinning, his eyes shimmered with mysterious darkness in them.

After a while, when Xanthus finally stopped his hysteric laughter, he twirled the glass of wine in his hand. With an evil smirk on his face, he raised a toast towards Melissa and rumbled aloud, "Cheers to the ruined atmosphere. Doesn't it feels so peaceful now?"

Holding a cold, pale look on her oval face, she stayed numb gawking at him intensely. She exhaled a small huff and answered in a baffled note, "Xanthus, why do you always try to be evil in others' eyes? I know...you are not like that---"

"Uh-huh!" Immediately, he interrupted her, lifting the glass of wine down on the table. A cold sneer grew on his face as he mumbled, "I had to become cruel in order to survive here. And, now I should repay them what they had sown, isn't it?"

Melissa stayed silent, gawking at his golden eyes which had a profound sadness embedded in them. She lowered her orbs and flinched her fingers, pondering inside, 'I know, you are not the kind of person you have become. I wish, I could bring back your innocent self from the past...'

"Also, thank you for postponing the unification ceremony." Suddenly, Xanthus stood up from his seat and uttered in a hefty voice, with a glower on his face. "However, I won't encourage you to come and stay in this castle. For the sake of our childhood friendship, I can do this much for you."

"W-Wait, are you leaving too?" With a jolt, Melissa stood up from her seat and impatiently asked him, staring deep into his eyes,"Do you have to be somewhere---"

"Did you expect that I will really stay behind with you here?" All of a sudden, a vexed expression appeared on his face as he inquired in a grumpy pitch. "Melissa, didn't I warn you not to expect anything from me, not even kindness? Agreeing to be my mate was your choice. And I believe, one must pay the price for the choices they make on their own."

His cold, domineering words left Melissa speechless as she stood still, watching him from behind as he left the room. A glimpse of tears shimmered in her eyes as she clenched her fist, standing alone in the entire room.

...

"Hey bastard, move your hands fast and hurry up with the cleaning!"

A royal guard cast flinched Noah when he was moping the floor of the hallway, that lead to Prince Xanthus's room with his injured bandaged arm. Even though he was aware of their brute attitude towards the servants, yet his arrogant command pissed him off a little. Clenching his lower jaw and without uttering a word, he continued his duty.

'Endure these freaks just for today, Noah. Tomorrow, this will be all over.' He comforted himself as the sharp pain on his rm winced him.

In the meantime, two more royal guards arrived at the spot and with a jovial voice, started discussing among themselves, "I don't think Crown Prince will arrive in his chamber tonight."

~"Yeah, he might be busy with the banquet arrangements."

~"Then shall we take rest for a while too? We are standing here since whole day and it's already past evening. A brief rest won't hurt much, right?"

~ "I guess you are right. Let's head outside for a walk on the yard and come back in a while." The guard's eyes shone with glimmer but the moment he turned his gaze towards Noah, he sounded harsh, "Hey, clean up the hall hurry and go back to your quarter. I don't want to see your face when I come back here."

Just as they discussed, the four royal guards left the hallway in slow steady steps, leaving Noah alone behind. Just when he was focussed on finishing his work, a sharp idea hit his mind.

'That lunatic Prince won't come tonight, and no one is present here now except me.

So...the safest place for me to keep myself hidden for the rest of the night will be, crown prince's chamber!'

His ocean eyes brimmed with hope as he lifted his head up and gazed at the giant metal close doors of Xanthus's room. Fear and anxiety squirmed inside him along with a gush of emotions as he wondered, 'If I just sneak in now and get out there before dawn, I can be safe, right?

Yes, this is a brilliant idea! Maybe...my fate is really helping me this time!' A pleased smile curved on his lips as he gazed at it.