The Devil's Son and His Fated Bride
Chapter 199: End of a traitor.

Chapter 199: End of a traitor.

A part of the cloudy shade of darkness shifted into the shape of a dragon’s head, its long, sinuous body slithering through the air as it coiled around Chancellor Oka. The man was terrified, his eyes bulged wide as an eerie cold pierced straight into his marrow.

Everyone nearby recoiled, stumbling back as far as they could. Shadow could taste the thick wave of terror rippling through the air, so tempting, so ripe for feeding. Yet the sin radiating from this man was stronger than all the rest combined.

Chancellor Oka heard distant screams and pleading voices that echoed through his mind, driving him mad. "Stop it, bastard!" he howled.

But the insult only enraged Shadow further. The dragon’s shadowy tail whipped around the chubby man like a rope and hoisted him into the air.

The man writhed in agony. The cries of the fallen, souls forever lurking in the shadow world, always came for men like him first. The greedy ones. The ones who, even in the end, would trade their souls for more power.

"Tell us, why did you save Victor Keleemont?"

The King of Alvonia asked, his voice cutting through the silence. The other kings were too shaken to speak, each of them now realizing how deeply they had underestimated Kaisun and the true force that stood at his command.

The man couldn’t even resist. The confession poured from his lips before his brother, Minister Karon, could regain his senses enough to intervene. The air in the sanctuary turned glacial. Faces grew pale. The shadow world cast a gloomy pall over the room, dimming the light as if mourning.

"I saved him because we had a deal," Oka confessed. "We wanted to kill King Baron so Victor could claim the throne, but that fool killed the crown prince out of jealousy and anger."

The King of Sokalia scowled. He had no idea his own court had been rotting with such conspiracy.

"Why are you helping the vampires?"

Kai asked, his voice low as he began to slowly circle the man, who now teetered on the edge of begging.

"The Vampire King promised to conquer the Seven Kingdoms. House Kalia would then rule over Sokalia. Vampires wouldn’t be a threat as long as they stayed in the North and took Alvonia and Thegara. I did this to secure my House."

His treason was laid bare before everyone. There was no one defending it.

Kai gave a subtle signal, and Shadow began to retreat, withdrawing before the wrath within him burned completely out of control.

King Benkin unsheathed his sword and descended the steps.

"You don’t deserve to die by my dragon’s fire," he said coldly.

He walked slowly toward the trembling, pale man, the tip of his sword scraping along the stone floor with a sound like distant thunder.

All the royals in the room held their breath. They had come to bury one noblewoman, now, it seemed, another noble would meet his end. But this one was not going to be buried here. The corpses of traitors would be cast into the sea.

"Your Highness..."

A woman burst from the crowd and dropped to her knees. "Please, forgive my foolish husband. He didn’t know what he was doing."

The king looked down at the woman clutching his leg, her face streaked with desperation.

"Lady Solin. You are from House Keleemont. I can forgive you... but your daughter must become a concubine to one of my elite men, as a sign of your loyalty. Or, if you prefer, I can kill you all here and now, to accompany your traitorous husband."

Chancellor Oka’s daughter was beautiful. Unlike her father, she bore no trace of his features. She would be taken quickly. To save her daughter, Lady Solin slowly backed away. Her husband shot her a venomous glare.

"We cannot die," she whispered, then stood and wrapped her arms around her daughter protectively.

The King turned his gaze toward Minister Karon. "Are you not going to stop me? Your brother killed a guard, he was working with a witch named Phoria. Did you know that?"

The minister shook his head. "He aided the enemy who slaughtered our men. How could I ask for mercy? He gave us no room for forgiveness."

Chancellor Oka stared at his brother in disbelief, eyes shimmering with silent pleas, but the King’s sword did not wait. In the next breath, a head dropped to the floor with a dull thud. Blood fanned out across the stone like flowing silk.

The King turned his attention to the spy girl, Daniella. She flinched as she met his fierce eyes.

"I’ll keep you alive for now. Not because I need you, but because my daughter asked for it."

He pointed to Beta Coran, who stood at the doorway. "Take this girl back to Thegara. She is my daughter’s prisoner."

As Coran escorted the girl out, guards entered and swiftly removed the traitor’s corpse, cleansing the sanctuary of his filthy presence.

~*~

Ren and Gloria stood on the balcony, gazing at the sky. It was clear, no clouds, no wind, just stillness and beauty. Arkilla and Rail stood a few steps behind them, quietly keeping watch.

"I can’t believe Kai and King Benkin let her die," Ren said. Her voice was sad, but laced with lingering anger. She was still upset, they hadn’t needed to kill Araben, especially not by using Josa.

"You shouldn’t feel guilty about that," Gloria replied. "She was planning to kill you. We wanted to toy with her, yes, but King Benkin didn’t want to drag it out. He’s older than us. He knows better. And Josa, that girl would have tried to kill Araben either way. You heard what Lora said. She was talking to herself ever since she read the letter."

Ren shook her head. "He did it because of you and me, not for the lives she took or for Josa."

She had seen it in his eyes that night. The king had let his emotions, or maybe his fear, spill across the ground like blood. There were other ways to cleanse the court. Killing wasn’t the only one.

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