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“And the female victim that I am talking about was called Ruby.”

Alexander widened his eyes when he heard that very familiar name.

Caspian gave an understanding gaze and further clarified, “Yes, I am talking about the same Ruby who you met in Lavinya. I learned it from Hamilton that she was there in search of Everard.”

“If she is the victim, why would she go looking for him?” Alexander was now very close to losing consciousness because of information overload. His brain was unable to properly comprehend the overwhelming things that Caspian kept on revealing about his friend.

Caspian leaned back on his sofa and pushed his golden hair away from his face. He looked Alexander in the eyes and openly answered, “This is the main reason why I don’t want Everard anywhere near Anastasia. Yes, she was his victim. He had brutally bitten and mauled her, people had assumed that she was dead. But next thing we know, she had also turned into the same creature that he is.”

“Wh-What?” Alexander was now sweating a lot. The collar of his shirt and his back was almost drenched in the cold sweat, and so was his hair. He wiped his forehead and asked in a stuttering voice, “Wh-What do you mean by she also turned into the same creature?”

Caspian clenched his fists when he recalled how Ruby had bitten his guards and caused panic among the vampires. And he replied while grinding his teeth, “She also turned into that thing and bit two of my guards. They would have lost their lives if it wasn’t for the cure that all of our soldiers searched for persistently. Their bites are extremely dangerous to both vampires and humans.”

Alexander gulped and gently massaged his throat. He suddenly felt a little lightheaded when he recalled the gruesome scene of the mangled bodies of his guards.

.....

Caspian, on the other hand, kept on giving out all the details. “And you might have noticed with your own eyes how Ruby is still defensive of Everard. I had locked her here to get the information from her. But she never revealed the identity of Everard; it was us who found that out on our own, much later.”

He narrowed his eyes, angry about the things that Ruby had done in the past. And he muttered, “It almost looked as though she was very loyal to him. She was ready to die rather than reveal who was the culprit behind all those incidents happening in the town. Later, she escaped from here and the next thing I know, she was already with Everard. From what I heard, she had gotten really close with him in a matter of a few days.”

Alexander nodded his head and softly mumbled, “Yes, to me, it almost felt as if she worshipped Everard. And Everard also happily kept her around…” He furrowed his brows and asked while looking at Caspian’s face, “What was she doing, really? Was she there to take revenge on Everard? It does look that way to me now.”

Caspian noisily breathed out and debunked Alexander’s theory, “I doubt that she was there for revenge. From what I know, those creatures are very loyal to each other. Maybe she felt connected to him or something. But I can guarantee that she wasn’t there for revenge. Whatever she showed, it was her true emotions.”

Alexander didn’t even want to ask anything anymore. He felt as though he never really knew Everard at all. All he knew was the side of him that he was willing to show to him.

‘So, he was willing to confide in that girl he had never met before, rather than in me…’ he thought to himself.

Caspian, on the other hand, finally came to the main point that he wanted to convey to Alexander. He looked at Alexander’s gloomy face and voiced his concern regarding Anastasia, “If he has the ability to take complete control over other people’s lives like that, you know, practically turn them into a new creature and make them completely loyal to him then I fear that he would do the same thing to Anastasia if he got the chance.”

Alexander felt a loud hammering in his chest when it finally dawned upon him that it was a possibility. ‘Yes! If he could do that to Ruby, he could very well do that to Anastasia as well!’ he screamed in his mind as he recalled how he was desperate to meet Anastasia. ‘Was he planning to turn my sister into that monster?’ his throat parched just by the thought of it.

Caspian read Alexander’s face and asked, “You also think that he would do that if he got the chance, don’t you?”

Alexander heaved a deep sigh and didn’t utter a word. He was too stunned to even move his lips and form some words.

Caspian also sighed and then said, “That was the reason why I made him the culprit behind that recent attack on us. I don’t know if he was the real person behind that attack or not, but honestly speaking, I don’t want him anywhere near my wife. I treasure her dearly, and I don’t want him to come in between us, which I know he will if he is given the chance.”

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles looked white. And he grumbled in rage, “After how he forcefully tried to have his way with her right in front of my eyes, I hope you won’t blame me for trying to keep my wife away from his reach.”

Alexander gave a nod and guiltily replied, “I am more ashamed that I didn’t beat the life out of him when he openly pursued my sister in the past.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and added, “Please protect my sister. Our parents entrusted her to you. You have every right to keep her away from harm’s way.”

“Thank you for understanding.” Caspian let out a sigh of relief and asked, “But I haven’t told all these things to her. I didn’t want to ruin her friend’s image in her eyes. So, I hope you keep these things to yourself. I am only telling you all this because I thought you deserved to know the whole truth about your friend.”

Alexander tried to force a smile on his face but failed.

Caspian then warned Alexander, “Now that you know how dangerous the people of Xanmar are, I hope that you also understand why you will have to avoid war at all costs. It will be a one-sided battle if they have a lot of those creatures.”

“And regarding that attack…” Caspian cleared his throat and spoke in a somewhat calmer tone, “I will carry out an investigation from my side and share the findings with you. If you find something, please make sure to share the information with me as well. You can directly write to me. And we shall further discuss the course of actions that we need to take based upon our findings.”

Alexander nodded his head and agreed with Caspian. “I will write to you the moment I get closer to the truth. And I thank you for warning me. Else, I would have let my past attachment cloud my judgment easily.”