Chapter 394: The Voice in the Gloom

A voice echoed from the deepest cell in the corridor, cutting through the silence.

"Are you talking about me with my daughter, you piece of shit?" said the voice, accompanied by the clinking of black metal chains against stone.

Liora froze. Her ears perked up, and her eyes widened as the air left her lungs.

"Mom...?!" gasped Liora, running toward the iron bars at the far end.

Reaching the grate, the torchlight illuminated a figure chained by all four limbs to the stone wall. Although her robes were tattered and her body weakened, the Fox Queen held her head high. Her yellow eyes, burning with pride, locked onto her daughter first before shifting to Alexander.

"Liora... you’re alive," whispered the Fox Queen, her gaze softening for a fraction of a second before hardening as she glared at the vampire. "And who might this fool be, daring to judge the discipline of my kingdom?"

Alexander stepped forward, hands in his pockets, a smirk on his face.

"Just someone who saved your daughter a wasted trip, Your Majesty," replied Alexander. "Though I have to admit, for the sovereign of the Fox Clan, your current arrangements leave a lot to be desired."

Alexander lowered his gaze, tracing the sovereign’s body without shame, taking in how her tattered robes clung to her mature curves despite imprisonment. His crimson eyes flashed with lust.

The Fox Queen gritted her teeth, feeling his stare. She rattled her chains in rage, metal clanking against stone.

"Insolent fool!" snarled the Fox Queen, glaring at him with murderous intent. "The last bastard who dared look at me like that, I drained his dick dry before ripping the life out of him."

Alexander let out a laugh that echoed through the dungeon. He took another step toward the bars, leaning in with a smirk.

"And that’s supposed to be a punishment, Your Majesty?" asked Alexander. "To be honest, that sounds like a reward."

The Fox Queen froze, her lips parted and her pupils dilated. In all her centuries of rule, surrounded by refined nobles and enemies who feared her, she had never encountered anyone so shameless. The vampire’s raw audacity left her speechless.

"You..." stammered the sovereign, clenching her jaw as a flush of rage crept up her neck. "Not even the invading generals dared speak to me with such vulgarity."

"Alexander, stop it!" interjected Liora, her face burning with embarrassment. "She’s my mother! Show her respect!"

"Relax, brat," said Alexander, without taking his eyes off the chained sovereign. "I’m just appreciating the virtues of this realm’s royalty. Got to admit, the Fox Clan bloodline comes with quality."

"You damned creature!" spat the Fox Queen, trying to regain her majestic bearing despite being bound. "Liora, who is this animal, and why did you bring him into our catacombs?"

"He’s the one who rescued me in the other world, Mom... and the one who helped us get down here," explained Liora. "He’s a Vampiric Emperor."

The Fox Queen narrowed her eyes, assessing Alexander with surprise and mistrust.

"An emperor of the dark race..." muttered the sovereign, a cold smile touching her lips. "No wonder you reek of arrogance and blood. But if you think your title impresses me or that I’m going to beg a bloodsucker for help, you’re wrong."

"Nobody asked you to beg, grandma," replied Alexander, crossing his arms. "I came to get the daughter, and to see if the famous queen was worth the hype. I’ve seen enough, so make up your mind fast: are you going to stay chained up playing the proud queen, or are you going to let me break those chains so we can get out of this hole?"

The sovereign clenched her fists, torn between her bruised pride and her need to reclaim her throne.

Alexander let out a laugh and took a couple of steps back, moving away from the cell without rush.

"Well, since you can’t make up your mind, I’ll give you girls time to think it over," said Alexander, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I’m curious to see who is bad enough to deserve a spot in a hole like this."

Ignoring the looks from both mother and daughter, Alexander strolled over to the adjacent cell. He leaned against the cold bars and examined the hunched figure lying in the gloom, bound with heavy shackles.

The Fox Queen gritted her teeth, stunned by the vampire’s indifference.

"Wait! You can’t ignore me and go sight-seeing in the cells!" demanded the sovereign, rattling her chains. "That man in there is a traitor!"

"Sounds like great company to pass the time while your pride cools off, Your Majesty," replied Alexander, wearing a smirk as he locked his eyes on the emaciated prisoner. "So, old man... tell me your story. What did you do to have this woman leave you here to rot?"

The Fox Queen’s eyes widened in horror. A look of panic distorted her face, and she began thrashing against her shackles, rattling the gallery.

"Liora, stop him!" screamed the sovereign, her voice cracking. "Don’t let him talk to him! Anyone but him! Liora, do something!"

Liora flinched, seeing her mother lose her composure. She rushed after Alexander to pull him away, but before she could touch his shoulder, a raspy voice emerged from the shadows of that cell.

"It is too late to hide the truth, woman..." said the prisoner, slowly lifting his head. His emaciated face was covered by a matted beard, but his yellow eyes retained a faint ember of royalty. "My name is Ibrahim... or at least that is what they called me before I was buried in this tomb. I am the former Fox King... and your true sovereign."

Liora froze mid-step. The blood drained from her face, and her ears pinned back in shock.

"Father...?!" gasped Liora, choking back a sob.

Alexander let out a chuckle, crossing his arms as he glanced back at the Fox Queen, who kept her head hung low, gritting her teeth in silence.

"Well, well," whispered Alexander with a smirk. "The plot thickens. Turns out the ’monstrous traitor’ was just the king dethroned by his own wife."