1102 Rivera"s Confession
[A/N: Has Yuri. Please skip the chapter if you dislike it. A TLDR will be given in the next chapter"s end for the important bits of this chapter. This chapter doesn"t have too much Yuri tbh, but yeah, still warning, just in case.]
…..
After some careful consideration, Rivera chose to come out clean. Hiding things from the Royal Family would only turn into a disaster for her. Rivera placed her palm on her chest and bowed while still being seated. "Your Highness, I was provoked by someone, a.s.saulted too, and in a fit of rage, my judgment got clouded and a lot of blood was shed. I am aware of it, and I shall not resist any judgment pa.s.sed down on me."
Vanessa frowned from the side. The room had turned silent and cold. The s.a.d.i.s.tic Rivera that tormented her on a daily basis despite being a realm lower was actually accepting her wrongs like that… Vanessa knew she wasn"t totally in the wrong. All this bloodshed started because a plebeian old man had dared to a.s.sault her and even challenged her. This had happened in the banquet she attended a few decades ago and had left a deep stain on her. Rivera had said so herself to her. Lith was unfazed by Rivera"s answer. He crossed his legs and leisurely took a sip of tea again. "Then tell me, what is the judgment you deserve?"
Rivera took a deep breath. She lifted her head up and looked Lith in the eyes. The amethyst eyes placed great pressure on her, but she remained confident and said, "I"ve served in the best interests of the Royal Family and the Vampire Society. The entire expansion and exploration was done by me, and it was through me that a lot of economic growth had taken place. I know the Prince might be aware of it, and this was just a gentle reminder about it. The destruction I"ve brought upon does not outweigh the good, hence, from my side, I would say that the judgment shouldn"t result in a complete wipe out of my existence."
Rivera then bowed her head and placed her palm on her chest. "I do not dare doubt His Highness" judgment, and if the deeds I"ve done do result in a complete wipe out, I shall happily accept it without any questions."
Vanessa raised her eyebrows in shock while Lith too was taken aback by the behavior of such a high ranking official. He hadn"t underestimated the power his clan had over the Vampires, but holy s.h.i.t, this was still something he couldn"t predict. Keeping a calm appearance on the outside, Lith said, "Do you have anything else to say?"
Rivera shook her head. "No. That"s all, Your Highness."
Lith looked at Rivera seriously and asked, "Are you sure? Don"t you want to elaborate on the matters of a.s.sault you mentioned before? I am quite interested to know who could potentially hurt a d.u.c.h.ess of the Vampire Society."
"…"
Rivera went silent on this one while Luna had a small smile on her face. She could tell at one glance that her Prince was up to no good. Fei, standing on the other side, tried her best to not shake her head. Her Master seemed serious, but she had a feeling that he was up to something perverted once again. If Lith were to know what his maids thought of him, he wouldn"t hesitate to bring out the unholy swatter and baptize their tender peaches. Before Rivera spoke, Lith looked at Vanessa and said, "Get the arrays activated. I"ll be there in a few minutes."
Vanessa looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded and left the room. She could tell he wanted to speak with Rivera alone. Perhaps it had something to do with the Vampire administration and he may have wanted confidentiality in it. He did not know she knew, so he may be thinking that it was best if she did not know about Rivera getting a.s.saulted. Too bad, she already had an idea of everything. Vanessa thus did not feel hesitant to leave. Being alone in the courtyard, Rivera looked at Lith and sighed. "It all happened during His Highness" banquet."
Lith raised an eyebrow at that. "At the banquet?"
"Yes." Rivera nodded. "I went to the restroom and was a.s.saulted by an old man there. He belonged to the plebes, and my prejudice for the plebes came from him."
"One second." Lith interrupted Rivera. "You"re saying… someone… under the nose of the Royal Clan, a.s.saulted their guest?"
"Well…" Rivera wiped the sweat off her forehead with a handkerchief. The conversation was quite taxing because what she just said was indirectly saying that the Royal Clan was incompetent and could not even take care of the security. Rivera chose her next words carefully and continued, "…I wasn"t harmed. I got groped by an old man, and there was no magic spell or spiritual power involved, so it may have gone unnoticed."
Luna tried her best to not smile while Lith was quite proud of this lady here. Even during the worst of times, she wasn"t trying to go against the Royal Clan and covered for them instead. If all rulers had such subjects, the world would be such a happy place. The d.u.c.h.ess felt her legs go weak. Being interrogated like this was definitely not the best experience. Lith eyed Luna and she understood what she had to do in a single glance. She went behind Rivera and stood there. Lith laid back on the chair and crossed his legs. "Was the a.s.sault something like… that…"
A pair of old, hairy hands appeared in front of Rivera"s b.r.e.a.s.t.s and groped them hard. "Ughh…" Rivera was disgusted at first, but then realized it was the pretty maid of the Prince groping him and not an actual old man. She calmed down, but the moment she saw the hands, her eyes widened in shock. "W, what!?!"
How could the Prince get it so right!? These were the exact pair of hands that had groped her that day! She would never forget them even in her dreams! Rivera"s body shivered at the thought of the old man groping her, but her mind kept telling her it was Luna"s hand so she shouldn"t push it away. Lith smiled this time, taking off his serious mask. He eyed Luna once again, and the latter changed her hands to her normal, smooth, slender, and pale lady ones. The beautiful pair of hands improved Rivera"s mood instantly. Luna felt the d.u.c.h.ess" nipples starting to get rigid. She pinched them with her thumbs and index fingers, then pulled them out. "Ahhh~!"
Rivera let out a moan, but immediately shut herself up when she realized who was sitting in front of her. So unsightly of her!
It was as Lith had thought. This lewd lady was definitely someone who would soar on cloud nine if she realized it was not an old man, but a beautiful lady who had groped her. Lith did not ask Luna to stop and she continued to play with Rivera"s cloth-covered t.i.ts. He made eye contact with her, and feeling his gaze, she did her best to focus on him and not shoot through the pleasure heaven. "I commend you for taking my clan"s side till the end. However, you"ve still vastly underestimated us, and got your judgment clouded due to your emotions."
Lith propped his arms on the table and placed his chin on his interlocked fingers. "Do you really think an old man could make it to the ladies restroom under the security provided by the Royal Clan? And why do you think it would be a plebeian of all people? No plebes were invited to the banquet."
Lith then got slightly serious. Luna stopped groping Rivera and stood behind her, awaiting further instructions from her Prince. "You knew these things, and could not figure out who exactly had done this to you. Thus, you vented on the plebeians because they were an easy target. Isn"t that right, d.u.c.h.ess?"
Rivera had been found out. It was over for her now. She, however, did not break down. She was a strong warrior and strategist, and also a mature lady. It did not suit her to break down when someone pointed out her own mistakes. Rivera placed her palm on her chest and bowed. "His Highness is right. I could not figure who it was even after repeated searches, and thus vented on the plebeian vampires, killing many innocents."
Lith stopped being serious now. He once again laid back and said, "I am happy to see you be so accountable and loyal."
"Huh?" Rivera looked up and said. What did the Prince just say? It felt unbelievable to hear those words after what had happened.
Lith continued with a smile, "You did well, d.u.c.h.ess Rivera. You"re worthy of being promoted and deserve my complete attention."
As soon as Rivera heard those words, she went:
"Huuuhhhh!?!?!"