My Vampire Harem Will Dominate Everything

The hallways of the peacekeeper headquarters passed by in a blur as Ezra made his way to the secured area where prisoners were held.

He arrived at the cells, where the guards stood at attention, opening the door for him after they'd gone through the necessary security checks.

He walked into the cell block, moving to the third cell, the place where Green had been stashed. He opened the door and walked in.

Green was there, sitting on the narrow bench, chains cuffing his hands and limiting his mobility. He had been sitting slumped with his eyes closed but after hearing the door opening, his eyes darted open and he looked up.

True to his name, he had green hair which glowed softly in the dark. That had to be an enhancement made by whoever had turned him. Ezra chuckled, remembering what Gen had given him during his turning.

"Captain Matten." Green greeted, his voice shaky.

Ezra walked until he was standing in the middle of the cell. "Green." He said, projecting the casual authority that was associated with his position. "We need to talk."

Green's eyes flicked nervously around the room like a trapped man. He shifted in his seat, swallowing hard. "What do you want from me?"

"Let's make this simple." Ezra crossed his arms. "Why did Hyde want you dead?"

Green blinked startled, before his eyes widened. "You want to help me?" He whispered.

Ezra didn't bother to correct him, staring down at the vampire.

Green licked his lips and a tiny sliver of hope shone through his eyes. "It's… It's what Hyde does." He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"This is his tactic. His way of getting rid of people who get too close. He uses the Law of Secrecy to frame them, to make it seem like they're a threat to Vampire Society. But it's all a cover."

Ezra's eyes narrowed. "I'm asking why, Green. Why does he do that?"

"To control his people. To keep them in line. He makes an example out of them, making sure they're killed in the most legal and public way possible, showing everyone that he didn't have to get his hands dirty."

"It sends a message. That he can eliminate anyone, anytime, without even lifting a finger."

Ezra frowned. If this was really Hyde's habit, it meant Hyde had been using the system, manipulating the very laws that kept the vampire world secret, to consolidate his own power and remove anyone who crossed him.

It wasn't uncommon for Counts to play political games, but this… this was something else. And with his close relationship with James and Anya, no one could touch him.

"Why should I believe you?" Ezra asked, curious of what Green's answer would be. "You could be making this up."

"And why would I do that?" Green's fingers twitched nervously. "Look into the long list of people who've been executed for breaking the Law of Secrecy in Faewall. Most of them were before you came and most of them were Hyde's doing. He uses it as his personal weapon."

Ezra leaned in closer, his voice hardening. "And what did you do to get on Hyde's bad side?"

Green grimaced, his mouth opening and closing as if he was weighing the risk of telling the truth. After a moment, he sighed. "All I did was look into his funds."

Ezra's brow furrowed. "His funds?"

Green nodded, his voice almost a whisper now. "I was working for him, handling some of his financial transactions, when I noticed something… off. There were large sums of money being moved around, and some of it didn't make sense."

"I started digging into it, and the next thing I know, I'm being accused of breaking the Law of Secrecy and Hyde's sending people after me. He framed me because I got too close."

Ezra stood back, letting Green's words sink in. If Hyde had truly been using the Law of Secrecy as a way to silence anyone who got too close to his secrets, it would explain why it was only his Subjects that had been accused of breaking the law since he got here. But it didn't explain everything.

Ezra's eyes darkened as he asked the next question. "And all this is why you killed Hyde?"

Green blinked, confusion flashing across his face. "What? Hyde's dead?"

Ezra said nothing.

"Look. If he's really dead, I had nothing to do with it." When Ezra still said nothing, he leaned forward, desperate. "I really didn't kill him! I swear, I-"

Ezra stepped forward, his voice growing cold. "Don't play dumb with me, Green. Hyde framed you, tried to have you executed. You had every reason to want him dead. So, you found a way. You got someone to help you, didn't you?"

Green's eyes widened in panic, his hands trembling. "No! I didn't- I wouldn't! I was just trying to survive, not kill him!"

Ezra's gaze bore into him, searching for any sign of deception, but Green's terror seemed genuine. His body language, his frantic tone, all pointed to someone who was desperately trying to convince Ezra of his innocence.

Ezra's voice dropped, cold and measured. "You were the only one with a clear motive to kill Hyde. You knew where he was, you knew what he was doing, and you had a reason to want him gone. Don't lie to me, Green."

Green shook his head vigorously. "I didn't kill him! I don't know who did it! I swear! I was at the townhouse where you found me!"

Ezra watched him carefully, every instinct on alert for a tell, a slip, anything that would reveal the truth. But after minutes of grilling, nothing surfaced.

Green's story remained consistent. As much as Ezra didn't want to admit it, Green didn't seem like the type who could pull off something as sophisticated as Hyde's murder. And if he had an accomplice, Green wasn't giving them up.

After several long moments of silence, Ezra straightened up. Then, without saying another word, he left the cell. He closed the door behind him and walked out to the corridors.

He still didn't have the answers he wanted, but he now had something else. Two leads. Two avenues that could take him closer to finding the killer.

First was the list of all who had been executed for breaking the Law of Secrecy. If Hyde had indeed framed others as Green claimed, there would be people left behind. Family, friends, allies, who held grudges against him. People who might have had a reason to seek revenge.

Second, Hyde's finances. Green had uncovered something, something big enough to make Hyde panic and set him up for execution. If this was about money, if Hyde's death was a crime tied to his financial dealings, then that trail would lead somewhere. It had to.

All he had to do was pull on the threads and hope something unravels.