Hell's Consort

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The Vampire King Apollyon

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The ghost child's hands limped to her sides as she put them down and stopped crying.

The young lass had eyeballed him with child-like wonder, and it was Apollyon's turn to avoid extreme eye contact.

Clearing his throat, Apollyon stood up and straightened his spine, narrowing his eyes on the girl with fake menace.

He regretted scaring her because the young lass' face had turned ashen, and her breath burst in and out.

Hyperventilating, The child's lips trembled for a minute before she jumped, stretched her arms, and floated in the air like she was a mere dandelion seed in the wind.

Her apparition passed through the bed canopies and the sheer draping fabric on the ceiling.

From crying her eyes out and screaming like a banshee, the young girls' mood had quickly shifted into excitement and joy as she squealed, playing around the bed-chamber.

Glancing up as he glowered at the child, Apollyon paced around as he called for the kid to come down, but his mind control wouldn't work on a specter.

He was calm at first, but the young girl covered her ears and stuck her tongue out, giggling into fits of laughter.

The murderous glare that would have made his enemies cower in fear didn't affect her at all.

Apollyon could only shake his head and sigh as he rested his hands on his waist.

It was adorable and annoying at the same time.

Was it fun to watch that he was worried about this kid?

If this were a real flying stubborn kid, she would have messed up the whole room, but that wasn't the issue at all.

What if the child hurt herself and hit her head on the wall?

Children were too mischievous, and they had a mind of their own.

"Kid." He lifted his hand and beckoned a finger.

Apollyon narrowed his eyes and said, "Come over here, and I will beat you up."

Apollyon's eyes widened with shock as he realized that it came out wrong.

He slapped his forehead in his stupidity.

Argh.

Apollyon usually spoke to Cederic like this when he had annoyed him, similar to this silver-haired girl.

He frowned.

A King should never beat a kid up.

What was wrong with him?

He had no idea how to handle these kids, even those who live in the village who didn't know that he was the Vampire King.

Every time they were in his vicinity, Apollyon scared them off so bad by simply gracing them of his presence.

He would let out a relieved sigh when they flee like he was a leper on the streets, begging for alms.

Apollyon didn't have any experience talking to a kid before and taking good care of it,

That was why his eyes had trembled every time he and his wife discussed their future heirs.

They had this conversation before.

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Apollyon couldn't help his downturned mouth from curling upward into a tiny smirk.

Well, at least, this young girl had somehow distracted him from thoughts of loneliness, death, and revenge.

"Beat up?" The young lass had halted her flight mid-air and narrowed her familiar blue eyes at him.

Damn.

She didn't miss his slip-up.

The ghost child declared. "Bad man."

Apollyon figured out that the kid had desired to match his height as she flew around him.

She pointed a small accusing finger at Apollyon, which for some reason, made his heart skipped a beat in embarrassment.

"You bad." She yelled with utmost conviction that his stomach had twisted into knots.

Apollyon didn't expect to be judged by a strange girl with Luna's hair and blue eyes.

"Papa loves me."

His brows had furrowed at the last sentence.

It had hurt Apollyon like a poisonous arrow straight to the heart, and he couldn't explain why.

"I'm not your papa, lass." A downward gaze before he looked at her straight in the eye. "I don't care."

"I'm not a bad man." He gave her a nonchalant shrug as he added in a glacial tone, " I don't love a bad child who disobeys me."

"You bad man." Now the child's tears were on the brink of falling as she tried to put on a brave face. "You not love, Pari."

Crossing her arms, she scowled, bellowing, "I hate you."

Apollyon didn't like what she declared one bit, and he had this uncontrollable urge to rectify that.

Shifting from foot to foot, Apollyon mimicked how she had folded her arms across her chest as she hovered in the ceiling.

Why did he want the child's approval as a good man this badly?

The ghost child was a stranger.

What was he trying to prove?

"Don't hate me now, kid." Apollyon cleared his throat and announced. "I have gifts for you."

The ghost child plummeted until they were eye-level.

They scrutinized each other: blue eyes to blue eyes.

The young lass tilted her head at him in curiosity as she blinked.

She didn't speak but waited patiently to show his gifts.

The sleeves of Apollyon's dark green robes slid to his upper arms when he lifted his hands above his head.

The walls of the bed-chamber glinted gold as he sprinkled gilded dust all over the room—from the ceiling to the walls down to the thick floor carpets.

Golden orbs surrounded the dark room instead of relying on unlit candelabras.

He had replicated what Luna used to do when she was the High Priestess.

Leaning forward, the young lass paused to examine one golden orb that was closer to her.

Apollyon's mouth fell open in shock when the child lifted a finger and touched it.

He caught his breath as he gave her an incredulous stare.

When she brought her phantom hands together, the young lass could touch the glowing sphere and physically hold it.

It was unexpected.

The ghost child almost showed all of her baby teeth as she broke out into a wide grin, reminding him of Luna's breathtaking  smiles.