Chapter twenty six

"How did you know we were inside?" This was the first thing I asked Daleri when we all sat in the backyard garden with tea. Daleri coughed awkwardly. "Master had gestured to me to stand on guard when he was dragging you inside, my lady." I hummed in response and silently glared at Liam. Couldn't he do everything silently? Was it necessary to tell the world about what they were doing inside the room? I was embarrassed at everything, and even knew that Daleri was aware of what had transpired. I couldn't help but blush at that, wishing to hide my entire being within Earth. "Did Barbara come yet?" This was the only question that can distract everyone from overthinking about the room. And the response of Liam and Daleri was within my expectations. The expression on their faces turned grave in an instant, hearing that name. Liam's finger tapped as he seemed to be in a deep thought. Same goes to Daleri. She was narrowing her eyes while looking at the distance, and she seemed to be thinking about something. Silence spread among us as three of us sat there. It was not until a weak looking servant came and bowed before Liam and Daleri. He seemed exhausted and his clothes were rugged. It was as if he had run a marathon to come here. I didn't know who this person was, but Daleri didn't seem surprised by his appearance. Instead, her back straightened and her expressions became darker the moment that servant entered. The servant came closer and whispered something in her ears before bowing again. He left without looking back. It seemed like he was even afraid to look at me. At this time, Daleri showed an angry face. Her hand hit the table out of the blue making me flinch. My eyes widened at her reaction. "How dare she!" "What happened?" A frown formed on Liam's face. "Barbara met with George secretly behind our backs!" Veins popped on Daleri's forehead. "She's on her way back right now." But Liam's face remained expressionless. It seemed as if he had expected such an activity. "Don't worry. Let her come." "But master-" Liam raised his hand to stop Daleri. "We had already assumed that she was acquainted with George, hadn't we? This happened within my expectations." "Master, sorry to say this, but we are missing an opportunity here! We could've caught them red handed and gotten over all of it!" Daleri seemed frustrated. From their conversation, I got a gist of what was going on. Although they all knew that Barbara and George were in a team there wasn't any solid proof of it. Today was a better opportunity, and Daleri couldn't help but lament over the fact that they lost such a good opportunity. At this point, I wanted to side with Daleri. I was confused as to why Liam avoided taking action today. I stared at him in bewilderment. Seeing both of us gazing at him in such a manner, Liam sighed and explained. "Before Emily came with that audio, I had ordered a spy to follow Barbara all the time and snap a few pictures if she does anything suspicious." I was surprised hearing that. No wonder Liam said that I shouldn't worry anymore. It seemed my husband was thinking ahead of me! "I was supposed to take the pictures and send them to all the council and senior vampires to show them the true face of George." Liam then gazed at me for a while before continuing. "I was almost sure that their target was only me, but now, I'm not so sure." My heart jumped up to my throat at that. Even though I had realized this and we had even talked about it all in the bedroom, talking about it again made me feel nervous and afraid. The implication of his words was if he were to release those pictures, they might end up harming me instead. Warmth spread in my heart at that. For me, Liam changed his plans and even compromised with everything he had planned for years! If not for me, Liam wouldn't have to take this step. A sudden wave of guilt washed over me at this. I lowered my head in a downcast mood. My presence had ruined all of his plans. Perhaps if I were to disappear one day, Liam would be able to capture his enemies freely. "Then, you have those pictures?" Daleri asked, frowning slightly. Although she hadn't heard the audio, she could tell that Liam's plan changed after hearing that. She seemed to hesitate and glanced at me. Her gaze carried a trace of affection. "That means you're also in trouble." I pursed my lips and nodded. Lowering my head, I looked at the round table where a few cups of tea were placed along with a tray. We were silent for a while. I didn't have any appetite for tea after the conversation. I just continued stirring the tea with a spoon round and round. As I sat in a daze, no one disturbed me. Not until a servant came along, trembling. It was the same person who had come to give information to Daleri a while ago. "She's here." The servant's timid voice sounded as he bowed and left us hurriedly. "Finally here!" I turned toward Liam. "Can we go and do whatever the hell you wanted to do to convince her to make me stay away from the palace?" Liam nodded and strode over to the main door where that servant went. I wordlessly followed him, still nervous as hell. I was still in the dark about what Liam had planned. Soon, we reached the same corridor where the guard had stopped us, but this time, there wasn't any guard before our eyes. The long corridor was empty and silent. It almost felt like I had suddenly appeared in a horror story that seemed to portray a long dark corridor, waiting for the death of the protagonist. After walking for a while, I heard a faint sound of piano. I would've appreciated the music if I wasn't so terrified. The combination of soft romantic music and an evil vampire sent shivers down my spine. Seeing my trembling form, Liam paused right before entering the room and caressed my back, tracing my spine with his fingers. Under his care, I gradually calmed down and nodded. Pushing the door, I entered after Liam. The guest room in the palace was similar to a big living room attached with several bedrooms. The living room contained a couch and a table at one side and a large piano at another with an oversized window. Birds seemed to chirp on the branches outside the window as a female figure draped in a black dress seabed with the soft music. The scene was indeed beautiful, but I knew the person creating such a pleasant atmosphere had a heart made of iron. Feeling bitter in heart, I averted my eyes and hid behind Liam. In any case, I didn't want to face Barbara. She looked more like a psychopath with a hidden evil intent, trying to portray a gentle appearance. We stood there waiting for her to finish. After what it seemed like hours, Barbara stopped and turned back to Liam, flashing a grin. "You're here!" But her smile faded as soon as she saw me hiding behind Liam. "And there's the future queen too." She said flatly, looking coldly at me. How dare she look at me like this! Anger flooded my heart at that. I had just opened my mouth to refute when I felt Liam's hand reaching my arms and pinching my skin. I flinched and glared at him before suddenly remembering the purpose of coming here. Right, I was nearly going to ruin my husband's plan again. I face-palmed myself and lowered my head, trying to hide the glint of anger in my eyes. "I want to take her away for a few days." Barbara's eyes narrowed at that. She stared at Liam for a long time as if she was trying to read his mind, but couldn't. "Why?" Her voice sounded even colder. "I want to punish her personally for something." What kind of excuse was that? As if Barbara could fall for it. But when I secretly glanced at Barbara's face, she seemed to relax her shoulders after hearing Liam's words, making me surprised. She really believed him! "Well well, looks like the soon-to-be queen made our prince angry." She walked closer and put her index finger on my chin, forcing me to look up. "What did you do?" I could see a smirk on her face. It almost seemed like Barbara was trying to show off that Liam was still on her side even after getting married to me. I had to control the urge to roll my eyes at her actions. It was her who was being fooled at this time, not me. But I stayed silent, waiting for Liam to see what he had planned. He, on the other hand, remained expressionless as always. His lips parted. "She did something to offend me, but this matter shouldn't attract the attention of the council members." He raised his brows and looked at her with interest. "Why are you getting involved in my personal life?" Barbara laughed and shook her head. "I'm not trying to focus on your personal life, my dear Prince." Her gaze diverted toward me and a strange smile formed on her lips. "I'm just curious. Why did you have to choose her out of all people? I thought you hated her." Even though I knew those words weren't true, somehow, the last few words still pierced my heart. Gritting my teeth, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. This woman was provoking me on purpose! I have a hunch that she just wanted me to get so angry that I would have no choice but to go berserk. But I silently closed my eyes and hid the dark glint in my eyes. I couldn't let her see that her words had made me angry. But Liam's next words made me feel so surprised that I nearly let my emotions show on my face even when Barbara was looking at me. "It's because her blood tastes good." The mere reminder of those words sent me flashes of the sexual episode a while ago. Liam had sucked my blood for the first time, and the moment was so pleasurable that it still made my heartbeat faster. I blinked several times to snap out of that memory. I'm not in that store room anymore! I should instead look at where I am before thinking of erotic things. After taking a few breaths, I found myself calming down. "So that means you're keeping here merely for pleasure?" Liam paused for a long time. It even made me feel as if he was hesitating. Of course, he would hesitate. The truth about the matter still wasn't clear. We didn't know whether Barbara's target was Liam or me. But then again, revealing the prince's feelings for me would make the matters worse. "More accurately," He glanced at me briefly then looked at Barbara again. "She's my slave, and this significant creature passed her boundary today." His voice carried a hint of frustration, and he grabbed my wrist, tugging me directly toward the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a servant to punish." Hearing his words, Barbara's face was filled with laughter. It felt as if she couldn't believe how Liam was treating his own wife. But the scene before her had been a source of pleasure for her. The more I looked at her smiling face, the angrier I got. I wanted to yank that smile off of her face and leave a few scratches on her cheeks to stop her from stretching her lips ever again! But before I could go blind with anger and attack her, I felt Liam's hand tighten, silently signalling me to be calm. That was when I blinked and took a deep breath. This woman was trying her best to make me angry. I wouldn't let her succeed! Without saying a single word, my husband dragged me out of the room. I stayed silent until we reached the garden outside, and I hit the table with my palm in anger. Daleri, who was still sitting there, flinched. "How dare she!?" I couldn't tell Daleri just yet how Barbara's words and actions made me so angry that I wanted to go out of control at this moment without thinking of consequences! Daleri was confused. "What happened, my lady?" "Cat fight." Liam spoke in a lazy tone as if he didn't have anything to do with it. I glared at him and crossed my arms over my chest, ignoring his presence. It was all his fault. Who told him to look so good that he was able to attract a lot of poisonous insects? Daleri looked at the two of us in confusion. She was still unable to figure out what had happened in the matter of an hour. Silently, she handed me a bag filled with necessary items. "Don't waste your time. Just go." She said, pushing me toward the door. Seeing me still ignoring him in anger, Liam rolled his eyes and took the bag. I dragged my feet behind him, continuing to stare at the ground. It wasn't like I didn't know why Liam said those words. But somehow, him speaking about me that way in front of his ex made me envious of that woman, even though Liam never thought of Barbara that way. By the time we reached the car and I entered the passenger seat, I breathed out a sigh in relief. At last! I can be alone with Liam without thinking twice of acting aloof and angry. I looked at him walking over and sitting in the driving seat, tucking the seatbelt. After that, he drove the car outside the main gate. "Thank God we're out!" I relaxed once we were outside the palace, away from those watching eyes of Barbara and her guards. But before I could rejoice, Liam interrupted my thought process. "Don't put on a smile on your face, and behave as if you're being punished." My eyes darted at him in surprise. "Why?" "It's because one car has been following us ever since we came out." Hearing his words, I glanced at the rearview mirror and sure enough, a black Audi was following us, sticking close. Straightening my back, I continued to look at the car behind us. Liam took many turns, and the only car that followed us was that black Audi. A trace of fear appeared in my heart. "Why are the following us?" My voice trembled as I continued to look at the black Audi car. My eyes were stuck to the car behind us constantly without blinking. "It's probably Barbara's spy." Hearing that name, a bubble of frustration formed in my mind. I finally snapped out after suppressing my anger, frustration, and fear toward Barbara for the entire day. "Who does she think she is!?! Can she do anything she likes just because I don't say anything at all? We're already listening to her! What more does she want?" My chest heaved heavily after I finished cursing that woman. At that moment, I felt Liam's palm massaging my thighs. His movements did affect me and I calmed down, but I still sulked in my heart for not getting a chance to say everything on her face.