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A Game Of Chess With A Vampire

[SLOW BURN ROMANCE. RATED 18: NO RAPE] What if the sort of love you'd wanted and desired, only but a man incapable of love could give it to you–a man who has not the slightest of an idea what the word "Love" meant? ..... Vampires coexisted with humans for centuries without either side hunting or killing the other due to a peace treaty. They didn’t feed on human blood for so long either, but that changes when the first vampire auction is held. Six human slaves were sold, and among them included Avelina, a twenty-six-year-old woman. Avelina is sold to an infamous Vampire prince, Draven Delgaard, rumored to have committed heinous acts even amongst his kind. She fears for her life upon their first encounter, but to her utmost bewilderment, Draven Delgaard makes a deal with her. He sought the inheritance of the royal family, but to be qualified, he needed a wife. Since his kinds weren’t available due to his reputation, Avelina was one of the few options left. In exchange for her freedom, she will assist him in obtaining the inheritance. But this royal inheritance can only be acquired through the style of a chess game with other royal opponents. A game of strategy and survival. Should she succeed, her freedom shall be regained and it would be a win-win for both her and Draven. However, she soon realizes that success might come at a very heavy cost. Will Avelina and Draven be able to win the game of chess? Will they secure her freedom and inheritance, or will they fall victim to the dangerous machinations of the royal family?

AngelLily · Fantasi
Peringkat tidak cukup
415 Chs

Who Is This?

Draven pondered for a moment in silence.

 

"Clairvoyance and precognition."

 

"Huh?" Avelina arched her brows. "What sort of abilities are they?"

 

"Clairvoyance is an ability that simply involves the extrasensory perception of information or events that cannot be perceived through the ordinary senses. In simpler words, I can sit right here and perceive what is happening a long distance away from me," Draven clarified.

 

Avelina blinked her eyes twice. "That's…really cool." 

 

She smiled and asked, "What about the other one?"

 

"Precognition. It is an ability that allows me to instinctively glimpse five seconds into the future before any event transpires—a negative event specifically," Draven briefly explained.

 

He looked at her and glanced at the bewilderment on her face.

 

"It's like this, Avelina," he proceeded to clarify. "If you were to suddenly pick up a knife and throw it at me without my knowledge, I would instantly see five seconds into the future of how you would do it and the rest of the event that would occur afterward. It's as though time had stopped at that moment, thus allowing me to leisurely dodge it."

 

He continued, "It is the ability that makes it kind of impossible to kill me. My father does not have an idea of this ability, which is why he is bewildered at how I am always able to survive every single bullshit he does to me. He only has knowledge of the clairvoyance ability."

 

Avelina was speechless. Her jaw had fallen in amazement, and her eyes lit up in awe.

 

"Draven," she called in a sudden recollection of something.

 

"Yes?" Draven tilted his head to one side.

 

"Who are those two kids I met?" Avelina queried with curiosity.

 

Draven deliberated for a moment before answering, "The little boy is Ryan's son, and the little girl is Lestat's daughter. Lumian has yet to produce an offspring of his."

 

"The little boy must be the same age as your son, is he not?" Avelina asked.

 

Draven immediately went still. His hand trembled, and he darted his eyes around, unable to respond.

 

Avelina, who noticed the sudden change in his expression, rapidly fluttered her lashes at the realization of what she had done.

 

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to. I just—"

 

"It's fine, Avelina." Draven awkwardly half-smiled at her. "And no, my son would be older if he was alive."

 

A regretful light flickered in Avelina's eyes, and she pinched between her brows, the urge to slap herself overwhelming her.

 

Draven, who was amused by her behavior, chuckled in a barely audible voice and looked at the chessboard.

 

He proceeded with explaining the rest of the information that Avelina needed to know about chess.

 

"What about the pawns?" Avelina inquired along the way with folded arms, her eyes glistening with attentiveness.

 

Draven smirked. 

 

"I think the name makes it quite obvious what kinds of chess pieces they are."

 

"Heh?" Avelina wrinkled her brows.

 

"They are pawns! Pawns, Avelina! They are the only feeble pieces that can capture other pieces in a way that's different from how they normally move. They do it by moving one square diagonally forward to the left or right."

 

"Oh…I see." Avelina nodded her head.

 

"So, how do I play then?" she inquired. 

 

Draven took a deep breath.

 

"Before we begin, I would like to teach you the rules of chess first, so that when you lose, you won't assume that I cheated."

 

"Draven, I am just a beginner. It is only right that you will beat me. You're clearly an expert, and even after a month, I'm very sure that I still won't be able to beat you." Avelina chuckled. "How long have you been playing chess?"

 

"One year. I discovered the game of chess a year ago," Draven replied with a soft smile, deepening his dimples.

 

"Wow…" Avelina grinned charmingly and leaned onto the table. "So, what are the rules of this game?"

 

Draven, with his brow raised, gave Avelina a look that said: Why are you grinning?

 

Avelina cackled.

 

"I am just excited to learn this game. I would be able to keep myself occupied with it and of course—" She shrugged. "—It would be nice to try beating you some time. "

 

"Oh…?" Draven appeared a bit surprised.

 

He could not help but add inwardly. Beat me? That will take you quite a while.

 

"Yes!" Avelina responded, cupping her hands together. "So, teach me all you can."

 

Draven stared at her and couldn't help but reflect on how they had naturally gotten so comfortable around each other. 

He recalled buying her, and how she looked like a frightened kitty whose life remained one out of its nine lives. Her pleas, questioning, and petrified gaze—he remembered them vividly. She was totally different and carefree now.

 

He half smiled and proceeded to explain, "The rules of chess are quite basic and simple. You can move one piece per turn, except if you are casting. You cannot move a piece to a square occupied by a piece of the same color." 

 

He went on and on with his explanation. "The best part of this is that this game can end in three ways."

 

"Hmm? Three ways?" Avelina struggled to comprehend.

 

"Yes." Draven nodded his head, his lips curving into a grin. "One, checkmate, two, stalemate, and lastly, draw."

 

"Checkmate is simply when your king is in check and there is no legal move that you can make to get out of check. On the other hand, stalemate is when you have no legal move to make but your king is not in check."

 

"Does that mean that I can still play further?" Avelina curiously inquired.

 

"No, but your opponent cannot claim a win either, which makes it a draw. Hence, game over!" Draven responded. 

 

"Ah, I see," Avelina finally comprehended.

 

Draven affirmed with a light smile. "Anyways, for the last one, a draw is when neither you nor your opponent can win, either because of insufficient material to checkmate, for example, king versus king, or because of a repetition of moves. The lack of progress for a certain number of moves can also be the reason," he said.

 

Avelina folded her arm and leaned back on the cushion. "Is that all?"

 

"No, there are two more rules left." Draven shook his head.

 

"The game can also end by resignation when you or your opponent decides to concede the game. The last one is pawn promotion. Pretty rare in my opinion."

 

"Why do you say so?" Avelina was rather intrigued.

 

Draven elucidated briefly, "Pawn promotion occurs when a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board. Then, you can choose to promote the pawn to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of their color." 

"If any of my pawns kill my father, the king, and take the throne from him in my place, consider that pawn promotion. But that is near impossible nor would I allow it."

 

Avelina asked, "Why do you say it's rare?"

 

"Isn't it obvious?" Draven raised his brow at her. "If two skilled players were competing, that move would be the hardest to pull."

 

"Oh, right, right, that makes sense." Avelina nodded in agreement.

 

"I think I am fully ready to—"

 

She went silent at the sudden sound of someone's footsteps. In unison, she and Draven turned their heads.

 

A gorgeous middle-aged woman clad in a sleek black form-fitting dress made of silk was walking towards them. Her neck was adorned with a gold necklace, while her ears held onto ruby-studded earrings.

 

On her fourth finger was a diamond ring that sparkled under the morning sun. She looked impressive and gorgeous, and she did not fail to exude power, sophistication, and otherworldly glamor.

 

"Mother!" Draven stood up from his seat, his face not looking delighted at all. He had a rather frigid expression.

 

The lady whose name was Lilith went ahead to say, "I'm glad that you still remember me, son."

 

She shifted her gaze to Avelina. "Who is this?"

 

"I am Avelina. Nice to meet you," Avelina said calmly.

 

Lilith scrutinized her from head to toe and scoffed. "Who do you think you are talking to?"

 

"Huh…?" Avelina blinked her eyes in confusion.