Chapter 880 The funeral gathering
( Zandar, Severus's POV )
Amidst the somber shadows of Zandar, a silent gloom had descended upon the assembly of vampire lords as they gathered to pay their final respects to Vega Titus.
It wasn't just them either as beyond the grandeur of the palace walls, the streets of Zandar were a sea of flickering lights.
Millions of commoners and soldiers, unable to enter the hall of lords, gathered outside, holding candles that danced like fireflies in the night.
Their silent vigil was a testament to Vega's influence and the love he had garnered from all ranks of society as when seen through the lens of an outsider the sea of candlelight seemed to stretch endlessly which seemed to symbolize a river of shared grief and solidarity with the fallen lord's family.
Severus, who like most other lord's arrived well before the invite time to show his sincerity, navigated through the gathered crowd with a palpable sense of discontent and anger in his heart.
The grand hall of Zandar which usually resounded with declarations of power and intrigue, was now subdued with a palpable sense of loss.
At the center lay Vega, dressed in royal regalia, his body resting peacefully in an ornate sarcophagus. Behind it, Sabrina, his widow, sat with stoic grace, her red eyes betraying her sorrow and at her side was their child, whom Severus knew as Lucian who sat silently holding his mother's arms.
Lucian wasn't a powerful warrior like Vega, nor was he interested in politics which was always a matter of grave concern for Vega.
With his untimely passing, Lucian was going to be forced to take over the throne, however it was going to be a challenge for the young boy to take over a lordship as influential as the Titus clan without the power to back his stature.
As Severus moved through the crowd, his ears tuned into the undercurrents of whispered conversations.
He could sense the shift in the atmosphere; the death of Vega was not just a loss but a catalyst, stirring the dormant sentiments against King Regus Aurelius.
A group of lords from the Sabitzer and Fangtooth clans quietly discussed how Regus's decision to send Vega instead of Max was a grave error, one that had cost them dearly.
While as he drifted closer to the members of the Denver clan, he caught fragments of a different conversation as they spoke in hushed tones about the futility of the ongoing war against Dracula and the primordial vampires.
A low ranked lord could even be heard saying cowardly words like- "Perhaps it's time to seek peace, and end this bloodshed," a suggestion which was met with a mix of agreement and skepticism.
However, the individuals that were most vocal about Regus's shortcomings was none other than the members of the Caesar clan, now led by Julian's widow who was a fierce woman who openly displayed her disdain for Regus.
Her words echoed the sentiments of many as she openly questioned the king's judgment, and ruined his image to the point where people no longer viewed him as a wise ruler.
"A leader must foresee the consequences," she argued when someone tried to defend Regus's actions saying that he could not have possibly imagined that such an outcome would be possible, however, Mrs Caesar rubbished this defense and demanded that Regus take accountability for his poor decisions in a voice that was laced with bitterness.
In the midst of these whispered politics, Severus noticed a solitary figure standing apart from the crowd.
He was Fallen Twilight, the leader of the Twilight clan who seemed lost in thought with his expression being a mask of contemplation as Severus couldn't help but wonder what thoughts were brewing in the mind of the one who had witnessed Vega's last moments.
As the ceremony progressed and the official starting time drew near, Max entered the building alongside Anna and Asiva as Severus could feel the tension in the room rising several fold.
The air was charged not only with grief but with the undercurrents of discontent and the brewing storm of political maneuvering.
The death of Vega Titus had opened a chasm, and within that gap, the seeds of dissent and rebellion were being sown.
The vampire society stood at a precipice, and Severus knew that the choices made in the days to come would shape their future, for better or for worse.
Although the death of Vega was a sad event, it undoubtedly gave Max an opportunity to consolidate his power and undermine Regus's authority, and if he made the most of this situation he could raise his status to one that was equal to that of Regus himself.
As he turned his gaze once more towards the sarcophagus, where Vega lay- In the stillness of death, the fallen hero seemed almost at peace, oblivious to the turmoil his passing had ignited.
Severus couldn't help but wonder if Vega had foreseen the ripples his death would cause, the upheaval that was now slowly unfurling like a dark tapestry across the vampire society.
Finally, as Regus Aurelius entered the room, the atmosphere became so thick with tension that one could physically cut it with a knife.
As his name was announced, only 22 of the 35 vampire lords gathered kneeled, with 13 including Severus and Max refusing to even bow their heads before him, in what was an open show of hostility and rebellion in such troubling times.
Regus waited patiently for all those gathered to kneel, however, the 13 vampire lords refused to budge as Regus could only awkwardly accept the hostility as he took his seat beside Sabrina and Lucian, prompting everyone to be at ease.
From the moment he entered the room, his eyes hardly ever left those of Max as the two entered a silent stare-down as if to decide whether to fight openly or to discuss this situation diplomatically.
Regus knew that the support of Max at this critical juncture could make or break his kingship and the integrity of the vampire society, however, he did not trust the Rajput's moral integrity that he would do the right thing and hence he refused the thought of talking to him in private.
However, what he did not understand was that he committed a grave error by not doing so.