Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 366: Sister… Kill Me

Chapter 366: Sister... Kill Me

"No. No― I will do no such thing." Leonora’s voice was a wounded whisper. She flinched and refused to look Silas in the eye, as if Silas had struck her, leaving her numb and reeling with the weight of his request.

He wanted her to kill him. Leonora shook her head in disbelief and pulled away from Silas.

"Enough with your nonsense. I would never. How could you ask this of me?" The more Leonora thought about it, the more enraged she felt.

Silas must have been out of his mind to make such a ludicrous demand. Kill him? Kill half of her soul? Leonora might as well slaughter her entire family and fling herself on her sword to end it all. No, her brother had to live. There had to be a way, she simply had to buy him time.

"You’re going to be fine," Leonora insisted hotly, even as more tears began to fill her eyes. Silas was being overdramatic. There was definitely another way to resolve things that didn’t involve him dying! "There’s no cure now, but wait, in the future―"

"And what will you do with me in the meantime? Chain me down in the dungeons and throw humans at me to drink? Set fire to the doors so I can never leave? Nora, I can’t accept this sort of existence," Silas said, grabbing Leonora’s wrist to haul her closer. "I have lived my life as an utterly useless human prince. Please, let me die as one."

His nails were now short and blunted, and his hands were warm with the blood of a living being. There was no extraordinary strength in his muscles, and he didn’t need to worry about accidentally hurting his physically stronger sister.

But how long could this reprieve last? The syringe was so tiny. Silas half-expected his nails to turn back into the claws they once were, sharp enough to tear into flesh like wet paper, and for his mind to turn back into one of a beast’s, howling and snapping at his loved ones.

He had to convince his sister to free him from such a cursed existence. Hurting strangers and his servants was bad enough, but he would never forgive himself if he actually hurt Leonora, or worse, killed her by accident.

"It wouldn’t be for long," Leonora argued, gripping his shoulders tightly, staring pleadingly into his eyes. "And I’ll give you our kingdom’s hardened criminals to drink from. You’ll be doing good, even in your state!"

"Nora, don’t be ridiculous," Silas said with a pained grimace. "I don’t want to drink blood to begin with. You need to kill me now, quickly, before I regain my powers and hurt you."

Leonora ignored his objections. "You just have to hang in there for a while longer. Isn’t that right, Healer Sirona?" She turned to Sirona hopefully, waiting for a response.

"Whatever it is that you need for the cure, Reaweth’s royal family will provide," Leonora added. "We won’t spare any expense."

"It’s not a matter of expense. Unless you secretly have stores of iron meteorites lying around in your treasury, it’s simply not possible for us to cure him." Sirona said, feeling wretched in the face of Leonora’s hope.

As a healer, she had seen more than her fair share of death and had to deal with a good number of inconsolable family members. Her skill, along with Vramid’s stockpiles and Atticus’s support, meant that she hardly failed to save her patients.

That was why she never had to deal with telling a loved one that there was no other choice but to actually put down another member of their family, as though they were a lame horse that outlived its use.

Leonora’s face fell, and a strangled sob escaped her throat. Suddenly, she looked less like a composed war general and more like a young girl, crushed by the realization that nothing could be done.

No, Leonora knew all too well that her family did not have such a precious metal in stock. Iron meteorites were a rare commodity most kingdoms did not have access to. So far, only Xahan had any record of such stones, and even then Leonora could not be sure if the records were true.

There was no hope for Silas. Why had she left him alone in the infirmary? She should have been there for him from the very beginning!

Leonora’s shoulders shook as she sobbed, furious with her past self. Silas raised a shaky hand to pat her tears dry.

"Stupid, why are you crying?" Silas asked, even as his own eyes were wet with tears. "You can now get payback for all the times I messed up your books on purpose. And remember when Purrin the cat went missing? It was because I accidentally left the gate open when I snuck out."

Leonora wailed, but she also smacked his arm. "You told me it was Daphne’s fault!"

Daphne was startled at the mention of her name. She briefly recalled that incident― no wonder Leonora had refused to talk to her afterward.

"Yeah, sorry, I didn’t want to be killed by you," Silas said with a mirthless chuckle. "But I guess some things are unavoidable."

Leonora grabbed his lapel and shook him.

"You’re just trying to make me upset so I’ll kill you! It’s not going to work!"

"If it’s not you, someone else will have to do it," Silas pointed out with a wan smile. "Nora, I’d rather it be you. I can’t live like this. I don’t want to become a ravenous, senseless monster. Please."

Atticus couldn’t help but interrupt the touching moment. He could spot the veins around Silas’s eyes growing darker with each passing minute. It wouldn’t be long before he turned back into a monster.

"If you can’t bear to dirty your sword, I’ll be willing to lend a helping hand."

Silas shot him a frightened look and shook his head, while Leonora snarled and grabbed her brother in a fit of protective siblinghood.

How heartwarming; Atticus had no time for this nonsense. He raised his hand, his ring glowing an ominous dark purple.

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