Kieran stared at all the useless people before him who had taken their last breaths before he eyed the young boy who was shivering in fear. He noticed how his already pale face was turning white as he took a step away from him. Unable to tolerate the stress any longer, he dropped to his knees as he groveled before him to spare him.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I was wrong. I did not know what I was doing. Please forgive me." He was almost on the verge of crying and Seymour felt terrible for him even though he did even know what was happening. He was still far away from his King as he watched him kill the group, sparing the lad quickly.

Even though he pitied the lad, Seymour left it to the King to deal with him. He still did not know how cunning the boy was and his actual intentions. Only his King was excellent at reading people, and every time, his judgment of people had been perfect and accurate.

If he had spared the young man instead of crushing him to death like the others, it only meant that the King did not deem him worthy of being held responsible for troubling the people and did not deserve to be punished.

Kieran scrutinized the boy in front of him silently. He did not sense anything wicked or vicious about him, just as he had expected. Even though he was a lowly vampire, who, just like him, was feeding on people's blood, he was unlike his companions. Instead, he sensed the honesty and purity in him, a rarity among the people of his kind.

"What is your name, lad?" Kieran queried, not bothering to help him to his feet. He deemed it better that he stayed on his knees, for it would be easier to instill fear in him and make him speak the truth without him having to threaten the young man.

"Ga-Gavin, Your Majesty," He stuttered and Kieran's lips quirked up at his fear. Even though he was not a man who fed on people's fears, he found it necessary to be intimidating to keep them in their places. Else, it would not take even a moment for the wicked people to come for him and his throne, which they did not even deserve.

"Gavin, why were you here?" Kieran continued, his angry voice still sending trembles down Gavin's body.

"Your Majesty, I was forced to come here." This time, there were no apparent changes in Gavin's voice. It was as though he was complaining to King Kieran about the injustice he had suffered these years.

"Why were you forced, Gavin? What did they want of you?" Kieran continued, still not sparing him any sympathy.

"Your Majesty, I am a converted vampire. I was kidnapped when I was passing by the jungle one evening by a group of vampires."

Kieran immediately understood who Gavin was referring to. They were the rogue vampires famous for their vicious behavior and desire to kill people for pleasure. They immediately took refuge in the jungle, fearing him and his punishments, when they found the King trying to track them and their group to finish them.

"My human mother is in their captivity. They are threatening me with her and I cannot do anything but follow their orders even though I do not want to." The boy continued and lowered his head in guilt.

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"Answer this question honestly and I will help you find your mother and save her too."

The young man did not doubt Kieran's words. He had seen how he had killed his companions in an instant, which was enough to show how formidable the man before him was. He also did not doubt his identity as King as it was impossible for anybody else to impersonate him and claim himself to be the King when there were high chances of him being killed on getting caught.

"How many people have you killed by now?"

"None, Your Majesty." The lad's reply was instant and it took Kieran by surprise. He had never expected him not to have killed anyone, for newly converted vampires had difficulty controlling their urges to drink human blood.

"Interesting," Kieran remarked. " How have you survived all these days? Animal blood?"

The young man did not have the courage to speak. Instead, he was guilty when he remembered how he had killed all those animals to satisfy his cravings. But he had no choice either. It was either him or the animal and he had chosen to save himself, succumbing to his selfishness for once.

Gavin just nodded and Kieran could not help but marvel at his self-control. He knew how much strength the lad must have used to stop himself from sucking a person dry of his blood. It was almost impossible, and only a few vampires with strong willpower had achieved this feat.

Kieran did not doubt the boy whatsoever. Every word of his was filled with honesty. He slowly stepped forward and the moment he did so, the boy tried to scramble away from him in terror.

"Relax." Kieran held the boy's shoulders and helped him stand. "I will not do anything to you. You are just an innocent person who got caught by the wrong people." He tried to comfort him with an assuring smile, and the next moment, the young man let out a breath of relief. Only he knew how scared he had been to be in the presence of the King who held the authority over his life.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you very much."

"As promised, I will save your mother from the evil vampires' clutches. All I want is for you to lead me to their place. Can you do it?" Kieran held the young man's gaze, giving him the needed mental strength.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will take you to them." Gavin did not hesitate to do as he was ordered and watched the King's smile widen.

"Great. Give me a moment. I will speak to my man first and we will set off immediately." Kieran stated and looked behind him, sending a signal to Seymour and at once, the old Duke came rushing towards him.

The moment Seymour stepped closer to Seymour, Gavin's expression changed and he started to battle his urges which Kieran noticed. Then, not wanting to put the boy through any more pain, he took Seymour with him, away from the boy and once he did so, Gavin caught hold of his self-control.

"What orders do you have for me, Your Majesty?" Seymour had not seen the dilemma the lad was in. All he was focused on was his King, who had a solemn expression.

"I will follow the young man to find the other vampires behind this matter. Please find the people and assure them of their safety. Keep these bodies as proof to show that their King will never abandon them and also apologize to them on my behalf for ignoring this matter for a long time. I will apologize to them personally when I return after handling my brother."

Seymour took note of all the instructions carefully. Although he was still not sure why the King had spared the young man's life, he did not suspect him for it. His King always had a plan for everything and he trusted him to deal with every situation carefully.

"I will now be leaving with Gavin. Seymour, stay here and make sure that the people are appeased. They have suffered a lot all these years."

Once Kieran was done giving out the orders to Seymour, he approached Gavin, whose body stiffened on seeing him arrive. "Show me the place. The sooner we get to the vampires, the better. I cannot allow them to wreak havoc on my land anymore. They are done leading their lives."