Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual
Chapter 104: The Royal History.

Chapter 104: The Royal History.

Night.

Throne Hall, Citadel.

Critic-Citadel, Critic-Ishire.

*****************

Theodore had looked around, using his striking blue eyes to look for the Duke of Critic-Izinghale but he didn’t spot him prompting him to ask that question.

"What?" someone, the Marquis of Critic-Izinghale asked.

Theodore looked at him. "The orphans of his city are corroding the streets of my city and I cannot have that," he said, his voice cold and calculative.

A councillor took the list of attendees and went through it before looking at Theodore. "He is not present, Lord Theodore" he reported.

Theodore narrowed his eyes. "Does he even exist?"

"Some councilmen shall be sent to check on him after this meeting and something shall be done about it" The emperor’s advisor said softly.

"If nothing happens about it, I shall check there myself next month, tell that to him," he said to no one in particular because even if the man was not here. The other noblemen from there are present. Theodore looked at everyone around the table, he could not allow any of them to mess with a city he had built this long to have peace with his wife now that he had found her.

The air in the hall thrummed with the weight of history and the anticipation of the future, as these heads of society wielded their rhetorical prowess like finely honed blades, each argument a deftly executed thrust or parry in the arena of political discourse.

Theodore suddenly fell quiet when a feeling jabbed his heart. He felt his heart sinking and it was as if he could sense an impending doom.

He glanced at Conan and the man offered him a smile.

Perhaps nothing was wrong, he thought focusing on the current affairs.

Amidst the ebb and flow of debate, tempers flared and alliances shifted, yet through it all, a profound sense of duty and stewardship pervaded the proceedings.

For these men, bound by duty and heritage, were not merely participants in a grand spectacle of governance, they were also custodians of a legacy stretching back through the annals of time.

"I heard about a big business that has started to thrive in your city, Lord Theodore" the head of the business council stated drawing attention to Theodore.

Theodore turned his distracted gaze to the speaker waiting for him to continue.

"The glassmaker" the man continued briefly.

"Yes, Lord Theodore he started his business late last month and almost everyone has a piece of his work at home" the magistrates of West Critic Arley said.

"What does he do?" Theodore asked now slightly focused on the conversation.

"He makes glasses for buildings and a lot of other things, Lord Theodore" the magistrate continued.

"I see" Theodore mumbled, his mind taking him back to that man who had met him in the marketplace to talk about looking for a job, perhaps he had met the magistrate, Theodore didn’t feel the need to ask so he continued to think about his wife. Her eyes, lips and words.

How he missed her.

As the night wore on and the candles burned low, the echoes of their discourse lingered in the air like the fading strains of a sonata, a testament to the enduring power of intellect and the indomitable spirit of leadership that defined Critic-Ishire.

Only the people of Critic-Citadel went back home that night, the rest stayed back as they were given rooms while Theodore to his well-forgotten chambers.

****************

Morning.

Emperor’s dining hall.

Critic Citadel, Critic-Ishire.

****************

Salvatore invited Theodore to breakfast and Theodore did attend because he had a few things to ask his brother.

"Theodore" Salvatore acknowledged when the lord strutted in. His aura of superiority flowed after him.

He sat down with a question to him. "How are you?"

He shrugged. "I am still the emperor"

"You should stay loyal to that position" Theodore taunted.

Theodore is the first child of Former King Shannon Rhuins and Queen Margaret Rhuins, and in the royal house they practice primogeniture, the tradition dictates that the eldest child inherits the family’s wealth, property, and titles and that was Theodore who was an only child.

Queen Margaret was loved by her husband and together they built the kingdom, governed the kingdom and were loved by their son but soon a beautiful seductress entered the Rhuins house and made King Shannon fall for her curves, accent and audacity.

Queen Margaret was at a loss, she loved King Shannon with all of her heart but a part of his has been given out to the new audacious lady.

Theodore watched as his mother became angry he could not talk to her without her beginning to behave as though someone was about to take him away from her, she taught him different techniques to fight and hide. It was at that period that he realized his mother was a witch and must have gotten a vision she was trying to avoid. Stop it from happening.

Slowly Queen Margaret became uncontrollable too, as soon the seductress ’Sandra’ was pregnant and she was upgraded to a concubine.

King Shannon’s first concubine.

Queen Margaret felt betrayed but she could only be patient perhaps the child would be female she thought then her vision wouldn’t come through.

Sandra was pompous and snarky, she would try to hurt Theodore in a different way or embarrass him if possible. Theodore was a smart and intelligent kid, he would always come out of her ’pranks’ as she’d call them without trouble but Margaret hated that.

One day the concubine’s daughter got delivered and yes, it was a boy, Salvatore.

Queen Margaret was heartbroken. Is the kingdom she has built along with Shannon about to get taken away from her son? She would muse.

She watched as Salvatore grew and saw Theodore’s approval in everything he did making her relax and believe perhaps peace could reign but Sandra didn’t want peace she wanted her son to be the king of the kingdom after Shannon. So she reached out to an assassin to help her kill Theodore so that way they would be no competition.

Queen Margaret found out about this and was startled, she couldn’t believe Sandra would be as cruel as her son, so out of anger, pain and disappointment, she marched into Sandra’s chambers in the night and as the lady lay nestled under the blanket, Margaret put an end to her life with magic.

It was satisfying and she felt her son was finally free but as morning came a piece of news that the emperor had been murdered spread in the Citadel. Queen Margaret was confused and as she went ahead to check, Sarah Jones her maid stopped her.

’Your majesty you need to run away’ she advised her eyes side.

’Whatever do you mean Sarah, I need to see my husband’ she said angrily. At this point, Queen Margaret had already lost a good amount of her mind and acted irrationally.

’Your Majesty, I saw you yesterday, I know you killed him, if a witch is brought to confirm the killer because since he died in the concubine’s room they shall doubt her, my lady it shall be confirmed you did it and then your son would never be eligible for the position of the king’ Sarah said explanatory making Margaret whimper.

’I did not kill him, I only wanted to end that vicious woman’ she confessed and her voice was growing she couldn’t keep her calm, Sarah panicked.

’your majesty only the two of us know, you can leave and nothing will happen to you’ Sarah advised, she couldn’t watch her lady be executed.

As Margaret ran back into her chambers, she packed a few of her belongings with a precious photo of her son, she sighed, if she ran away then her sins would leave with her. ’I cannot leave you like this Sarah, I am sorry’ She raised her hand and blinded the maid.

’that way you would not be regarded when you talk about what you have seen’ Margaret whispered bitterly while the maid sobbed, hoping she made the right decision.

Margaret created a portal and as she walked inside she tried not to turn back and as she didn’t she never saw the heartbreaking look on her only son’s face as he watched her abandon him, leaving him to resent her for having such powers and searching for her ever since.

The witch that was brought somehow took a look at the body and for reasons no one knew she stated that it was a natural death and that the queen couldn’t take it and has ended her own life out of sadness and grief.

In Critic-Ishire when a woman ends her life only her household members shall witness her burial, but as they was no body, no burial ever took place only an announcement that the queen had been buried.

Theodore became a shell of himself, he could not understand what happened and Sarah would not say a thing, she would also act so warmly that Theodore avoided her altogether.

Sandra did not believe the king died a natural death, she thought whoever killed the king took away the Queen and has been dreading her return since but that never happened.

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