Married To The Mad Vampire Lord-Chapter 112: Angry Wife_Part 2

Cordelia, who sat across from the human and noticed how she was barely touching her food and looked lost in thought, glared at her as she sipped from her blood wine. Bringing the cup down, a smile so sweet graced her face as she said, "Are you all right? You’ve barely touched your food."

Belle, who had been poking at her food while wondering where Kuhn was, looked up at the woman sitting across from her at her words. Mustering a small smile, she replied, "I’m fine. I had too many snacks earlier today when we went out shopping, so I suppose I’m not feeling very hungry."

It wasn’t a lie—she had eaten a few treats offered to her by the Madam Elizabeth in an effort to please her. But that wasn’t the reason for her lack of appetite. The truth was, the food simply didn’t taste the same without better company beside her. And she wasn’t stupid—she’d felt the vampiress glaring daggers at her the entire time.

"Oh, I see. It must’ve been nice, having the privilege of being the Duke’s wife," Cordelia said with a smile. "Only, I imagine for a human, it must be a bit... overwhelming. Maybe even undeserving, don’t you think?" She laughed softly.

"Not at all, Lady Cordelia," Belle responded with a polite smile. "I was a duke’s daughter before I became a duke’s wife. I’m quite used to it. And I see no reason why I should feel undeserving of my husband’s privilege." She returned the smile with a calm composure, hiding the flicker of heat that had risen in her chest. She wasn’t the only one capable of saying cutting things with a pleasant smile, Belle thought to herself.

Belle understood exactly what the other woman was aiming for. And while she had felt overwhelmed by the attention she’d received today and the sheer volume of shopping bags—so many that Gwen had to move things into another chamber’s closet—it wasn’t something she would ever admit out loud. Not to her.

Cordelia was trying to put her down. But Belle wasn’t going to let her succeed.

Cordelia let out another delicate laugh. "Oh yes, I always forget, you’re a duke’s daughter in your land. You see, we’ve all heard the tales in Nightbrook. The duke’s daughter is said to be a beauty to behold, an elegant flower. It’s just... hard to place your face with that picture that was carved into our minds. No offense, of course, but the rumors about your beauty were so exaggerated. I must say, I’m quite disappointed in the real thing."

Belle had long grown used to such comparisons, being measured against her sister had numbed her long ago. It didn’t sting anymore. She merely nodded her head and replied smoothly,

"Of course. You know how rumors can be—they’re always so inflated. Just like the ones I heard about your family. They must’ve been exaggerated too, because I heard you couldn’t even afford a carriage of your own anymore, or maintain a steady supply of blood at your residence."

She watched Cordelia’s eyes darken. The woman’s grip on her wine glass tightened until a faint crack echoed in the quiet hall.

"Rumors are not to be relied on, Lady Dagon. Indeed, they can be exaggerated. My family is doing quite well, and in no time, things will go back to normal," she said with a tight smile. Then she leaned forward. "Talking about blood... has cousin Rohan taken yours yet? You see, he always likes to give and take. And from all those things he got you, I guess he would want something in return.

"I’m only worried about you. If he hasn’t taken your blood yet, be careful—he can be a savage. Once he starts to drink, he won’t stop until the very end, and I will be so heartbroken if I hear he sucked you dry. Take it as a warning from a friend—don’t let him take a bite, or you are dead."

Cordelia smiled sweetly, but the word dead came with an edge so sharp it sent an involuntary shiver down Belle’s spine.

Belle’s hand trembled, and her spoon slipped from her fingers, clattering loudly against her plate in the silent hall.

She quickly composed herself. As much as she wanted to act brave and pretend Cordelia didn’t unsettle her, she couldn’t deny that the woman did. Those eyes never looked at her without a glint of resentment.

"No," Belle said calmly. "He didn’t take my blood in exchange for anything. And I appreciate your concern, but he bought me those things because I’m his wife."

She rose gracefully from her seat. She wasn’t that hungry anymore—and she certainly wasn’t in the mood to entertain someone who didn’t like her. The feeling, after all, was mutual.

But Cordelia banged her fist on the table, and when Belle looked at her with a startled expression at the sudden bang, she smiled. Only the smile did not look as genuine as she forced it to every time—it was tight and hard.

"Don’t forget about our training, Lady Dagon. You are to master using a crossbow before the hunting day, and I don’t want to let His Majesty down on my promise to train you. Good night."

Belle left after giving her a nod. She wasn’t looking forward to practicing with this crazy vampiress, but she had no choice—it was an order given by the king.

Once Belle left the hall, Cordelia gritted her teeth and used her hand to angrily swipe away the food on the table. She yelled at Gwen and Rav, standing at the side where His Lordship had ordered them to stick around wherever his wife was and whenever his cousin was around.

"You imbeciles! Clean up this mess before I kill you! And send me my dry blood snacks to my chamber," she ordered, as she walked away from the hall to go to the guest chamber she had been given, which was far away from Rohan’s chamber and his wife.

How dare that human look at her like that? Did she think she was better than her because she had Rohan’s attention and the respect of everyone? Cordelia scoffed.

She couldn’t wait for the day she would put the human right where she belonged, in her grave! She would show her that no one messed with or took what belonged to her. If only she wasn’t so afraid of what her cousin would do to her, she would have stabbed the human right in the eyes.

The only thing stopping her from killing the human was the wrath of Rohan. She had to be extremely careful, especially after what happened today. He had the power to make her life more miserable than it already was—all because of the human he had taken a fancy to!

"Bitch!"