Chapter 21 - Bullseye

Evie forced herself to go to bed after the maids left her. But no matter how hard she tried; she just couldn't calm down sufficiently to drift off to sleep. Her mind was occupied with a lot of things, mainly, about Gavriel. She didn't want to think about him, but it was impossible for her to ignore what she had just managed to glean from her maids. It was just a rumor she repeated to herself, but according to all the things she had observed in the imperial palace – the royal family's reaction towards him including all the vampires present in the ball, all told her otherwise. Moreover, appearances do not lie! The difference was pretty obvious and having Gavriel being the only one with such distinct appearance says it all.

Burying her face into her pillow, Evie let out a deep sigh. She never would have thought something like this was going on in the vampire's empire. Back home, the human's main and biggest problem was nothing else but vampires and there were no major issues among the royals. Of course, the royal bloodline was always at an utmost importance but there were just too many princes and princesses it was unthinkable for anyone to worry about the possibility of the royal bloodline ending.

Thinking about this made Evie realize that perhaps, this was one of the reasons why the vampires agreed with the ridiculous truce the humans had offered. Who would have thought that they were actually hiding a bigger problem within their midst? She couldn't help but feel a little anxious because she knew that a battle between Gavriel and the royal family could just be triggered anytime soon. Could her husband have a chance against them? Would everything be alright?

Squeezing her eyes tightly, Evie's forehead creased even more. She realized the irony in where she was almost similar to Gavriel. Only that she was not born male. She was the only child of the Dragon keeper. If her mother could not produce a son, the Ylvia's bloodline would…

Evie's eyes opened wide, shocked at her own thoughts. How could she even bear to think of such a terrifying thing? Her mother would give birth again to a healthy son very soon! She screamed to herself as she shook her head because if that happens, Evie knew that humanity's only hope would crumble to pieces and they would forever remain in the mercies of the vampires.

…

The sun was already shining bright when Evie woke up. She immediately looked to her side, expecting to see her husband lying there, asleep beside her. But when she saw that side of his bed empty and cold, Evie felt something inexplicable. She looked outside the window and the sun was already high. It's supposed to be late for the vampires already, right? So why was he not back in their room yet?

Suddenly, the image of Gavriel dancing gracefully with Lady Thea flashed in her mind and her fingers clenched the bed covers tightly. When she realized her reaction, Evie buried her face into her cupped palms. Why? What was going on with her? She should've been happy that he wasn't there... She should've been glad if he went and slept with someone else… Her plan was to have him ignore her as if she didn't exist so why was she feeling this way?

Evie's mood was dark and gloomy for the rest of that day. Her maids brought her out to view and enjoy the garden and showed her around the vast and breathtaking castle. She tried her best to feel better but no matter how much she smiled, it never quite reached her eyes and the emotion on her face never truly came from her heart.

"My lady, are you sure you're alright? Are you feeling unwell or perhaps you are homesick?" Fray asked tentatively as they sat on one of the benches in the middle of the sprawling and beautiful garden.

"I…" Evie could not answer immediately. "Yes. I miss my mother," she said. She did miss her family, her home, and her life back home, but she couldn't fool herself and deny that her homesickness was in fact overshadowed by something else – something unwelcomed yet incredibly strong.

The maids looked worried. "Do you have something you want to do, My lady? I mean, do you have a hobby you loved doing…while back home?"

Seeing how much the maids were trying to cheer her up since morning, Evie sighed and then smiled. "Hmm… my hobby…" a small spark glimmered in her eyes and she stood. "Do you think you can find me a bow and a quiver of arrows?"

Fray and Gina looked at each other and then looked at her with wide eyes. "Arrows?!"

"Yes. My father used to teach me archery when I was young and I'd say I fell in love with it." For the first time that day, the maids saw a real spark in her eyes and it hyped them up.

"Stay with Her Highness, Fray. I shall go and bring a fine bow and some arrows. I'll be quick!" Gina said as she ran off with her task.

When the energetic red-haired maid returned, Elias was with her. The butler that Evie haven't seen since the night he was introduced up till now looked worried as he approached her, holding a fine bow in his hand.

"My Lady, you… you asked for a bow and arrows?" he asked.

"Yes." Evie didn't waste a moment and stretched out her hand to take the bow from the butler.

Elias swallowed as he hesitantly and carefully handed the bow over to her. He was not sure if this was the wisest past time activity the Lady should be doing. "Uhm… my lady, isn't it dangerous for you to…"

Evie smiled at him and Elias froze. "Don't worry. I think I should be competent enough in this." She took the bow from his hand, even tugging it when Elias held onto it and refused to let go.

"Please prepare something for me to practice with." She told the butler and Elias nodded at the maids. "This bow is amazing. My bow back home is heavier than this." She examined the bow with awe flashing through her eyes.

And then, she stretched her hand towards Elias again, asking for the arrows.

The expression on Elias became even more worried and anxious as he gave her an arrow. "Please be careful My Lady. I can't let you get hurt."

"Geez. You're being such a worrywart Elias. I said I'm fine." she gently yanked the arrow from the poor butler again. "No one's going to get hurt. It's not like you're sending me to a battlefield or something."

Once the maids had set up a shooting range for Evie, she positioned herself.

She took a deep breath before lifting her bow and pulling it taut, to eye level. Evie could tell that Elias and her maids were anxious like cats on a hot tin roof. She could even sense Elias' alertness. He had his eyes turn red as he was more than prepared to come to her rescue any second.

Evie steadied her hand on the bow and focused her aim on her target. She realized the bow – though lighter than her bow back home – and the way it was strung seemed tighter.

When she finally released the shot, she ended up missing her target by a fair bit. The maids clapped looking very excited and happy for her. Even Elias looked like he was impressed.

Ignoring them, Evie focused on her target and shot again and again, getting used to the feel and pull of the arrow. As she took shot after shot, her emotions were starting to boil inside her. Her family's faces began to appear in her mind. She missed them. Were they missing her too? Were they worried about her? Were they also thinking about her now?

Evie sighed and when she looked at her target, she smiled bitterly when she saw that she didn't even manage to land a single bullseye. But she couldn't stop yet because she knew that doing this was better than her going back into the room that she and Gavriel shared and end up sulking there.

However, as she silently aimed, she heard faint sounds coming from her maids. When Elias spoke, Evie didn't know why but the first thing she heard was Thea's name, and then… he mentioned her husband's.

Suddenly, Evie got furious. Her grip on the arrow tightened and something hot and tight seemed to be blocking her throat. Thea? So he wasn't home because he was with his fiancée?!

The next series of Evie's shot all flew true and fierce as they pierced the bullseye, that Elias and the maids had their mouths gaping open in shock. They couldn't even react immediately and just stood there staring in disbelief – between their 'delicate' Lady and the target.

No one spoke even when Evie's hand dropped, and her breathing was a little more ragged than earlier. Someone then started clapping from behind her and when she heard the voice that followed, her body stiffened.