"I think that is right. You and I know what kind of a man I am, and if you have known me well, you should know that I have made my decision and won't be changing it. I think you should move on from your feelings for me. It has been too long," Damien coaxed her with his voice turning quieter in her ears. 

Evelyn finally threw the cigar down, not bothering to stamp on it and letting it burn until it wanted to, "Tell me something. What did you see in her that you have decided to marry her? There were plenty of women who were much better looking when it came to appearance or status that would equal to your position. Out of all of them, why her?" the vampiress didn't stoop so low to add the words 'Why not me' as she was too prideful. She had Damien had shared wonderful moments, at least that is what she and most of them had thought when it came to their moments but it appeared that the pureblooded vampire didn't share the same thoughts about it. 

Damien let the silence sink and soak them, "I fell for her the moment I saw her. You are right. There are many better-looking women who have money and status but relations.h.i.+ps are not built on them solely, are they? In the beginning, I wasn't sure why I was drawn to her."

"It makes me wonder if I would have pursued her the same way without life putting us in different conditions. Sometimes you cannot tell why you are in love with the person, on what made you fall in love with and I would like to think it is because it is not one I think I love about her. Not just the smile or her eyes or the way she speaks but because I love everything about her that makes it hard to pick one single thing to be presented on the whys? Do you understand what I mean?" there was a small smile on his lips which turned wide as he said, "She is just she."

"Lovesick," Evelyn rolled her eyes, not wanting to hear from the man she had affection for boast about another woman. 

"I might be," he admitted it to her, "I am too sick in love to notice other women. What you feel for me is not love. You want me because you think I am the best out there, which undoubtedly I am," said the narcissist in him, "If you are lucky, you will find the person you would genuinely want to live with not because he matches your standards or brains but because you truly want to spend your time to be the companion they want." 

Evelyn sighed, already getting bored, "Did you come here to lecture me on my love life?" 

"You were the one who asked with a why," Damien's smile then slowly slipped out of his lips where he said, "I meant it, Ev. Don't go after Penelope unless you think G.o.d can protect you from my wrath. You are stubborn but I believe you are a good person. I hope to find your a.s.sistance in the council. Have a goodnight."

Back in the court where the council meeting was going on, Evelyn heard the question repeat from Damien's end for everyone to be able to hear it much more clearly on who were the ones who had been a.s.signed to pick the location for the exam to take place.

Evelyn could feel the glare still being directed and she parted her lips to answer the question, "In the group of elder council, we usually rotate the task and the area to be picked on where the exam would be taking place. Last time it was me and some others who had set the tasks," she could feel everyone's eyes on her on where this was going. 

"Are you telling you were the one to pick the location as you spoke about rotation in the elder council group?" Damien inquired loud enough for every person in the room to be able to hear it. 

"A lot of work goes like that but no. We didn't have a rotation this time."

��Why not?"

"Some of the elder council members were caught up with sight work. There was an issue in the land of Mythewald," answered Evelyn and she continued, "Councilman Krane, Councilwoman Ava, and Councilman Linguine were the ones in charge." 

"Thank you, councilwoman Evelyn. You may now step down and take back your seat," Damien smiled at her, giving her a nod and she made her way around to sit back in the empty chair. 

The courtroom was in complete silence as to what was going to happen next. Damien, on the other hand, turned to look at the three council members out of which two of them sat in a relaxed manner while the other man, Linguine, he remembered the man from the time when Damien had gone to Creed's house before his death. 

The man was showing his status in front of him and Damien had stopped the carriage to put him out in the cold while they had continued their journey. 

Not wanting to waste any more time yet wanting to see the people fret, Damien called one of the elder council members, "Councilwoman Ava, would you mind," he showed his hand over the box of witnesses that was empty. 

The woman was old but not so old to beat him over the loopholes that had been created. Her short white hair was combed with a side part.i.tion, her stature not too tall for a human. Standing up from her seat, she made her way towards the box and stood in it. 

"Councilwoman Ava. How are you today?" Damien questioned the old woman. 

"I am doing fine," the woman responded back to his question. 

"Wonderful. Is it true what Councilwoman Evelyn just said, that you were the one who picked the location because there was no time? If you don't mind telling us, could you enlighten us on what reason and work you went to Mythweald?" he came to stand near the box, placing his hand on it so that he could put his weight on it. 

"There had been reports of recent witches troubling some of the people there in Mythweald. I went to check with another elder council as you heard from councilwoman Evelyn." 

"How kind of you to take the initiative to go to Mythweald. Was there a shortage of councilmen that day?"

"What?" she asked the pureblooded vampire, raising her eyebrow. 

"It is not very often we find elders getting into cases unless they are handed down and every case goes through the head council here. There was no report found in his room. Did you bypa.s.s him and then go to help the people thinking it wasn't needed?"

"We didn't have enough time," Councilwoman Ava stood her ground. 

"Did you tell it was in Mythweald or was it around the border between Bonelake and Mythwelad?"

The woman gave him a smile as if he were a child, "Does it matter where I went in there? We had many pit stops where I needed to make sure that the land was free of witches." 

"It does," Damien walked to the other side of the room to pick up another file, "The guards you mentioned earlier this month during your meeting in the head council, you wanted them stationed but that wasn't your intention now, was it? The reason you went there was to make way for the witches."

Councilwoman Ava exhaled the air out, "Don't you think you're going too far with your words? To point your finger while trying to frame an elder council is a rule-breaker itself."

"Oh my, is that how it looked?" Damien said taking a step back from where he had been standing, "Let's call another witness. Kreme."

Kreme had been standing, listening and watching the meeting proceed when his senior called, "So Kreme, did you say you saw councilwoman Ava the day you were travelling around the land of Bonelake?"

"I did," Kreme nodded his head, "I saw her with black witches," the room broke back into whispers as they heard this.