The Hero's Forsaken Princess
Chapter 161: A Threat

Chapter 161: A Threat

King Zaraki, Princess Eve, and others returned to the castle. He summoned her to the palace hall as he decided to discuss something with her.

Chancellor Gustav stayed with them as a witness to their conversation.

"Princess Eve, you have the power of beast taming. You tamed the dragon, Zephyr. Now, I have a proposal for you." King Zaraki started.

Princess Eve had expected this to happen.

"What do you want from me?" Eve asked him.

"I want you to be obedient and serve as your King!" King Zaraki replied frankly.

"I want your powers. You have to be part of my army, leading our kingdom to victory. Conquer other kingdoms with the use of your ability." The king cut to the chase. He expressed what he truly desired.

"What will you do if I don’t cooperate with you? Will you kill me?" Eve stood her ground, questioning the king without fear.

King Zaraki chuckled. "You have no choice but to obey me. If you don’t, then your husband will die! As we talk right now, your husband might be suffering from intense pain. I poisoned him, and he only has one year to live."

Eve’s heart sank as soon as she heard that.

"What?! You can’t do this! I told you not to harm him!"

King Zaraki laughed maniacally again.

"This is the only way I can control you, Eve. If you don’t listen to me, your husband will perish forever. You have to decide now. I’m the only one who can cure him." King Zaraki started threatening her.

Eve didn’t see this coming. It was a lapse in her judgment. She put Alaric’s life in danger.

"Please... King Zaraki," Eve begged as she dropped to her knees. "Don’t let my husband die. I will obey you. I promise. I’ll do everything you say."

Chancellor Gustav remained silent as he listened to them. He just watched Princess Eve, assessing her reaction. His task was to check whether Eve was sincere with her words. No deception at all.

King Zaraki simply glanced at Gustav. The latter nodded as he gave him a signal.

The king burst into a peal of laughter. "Your husband’s life is in my hands now. I won’t let him die if you will behave well, Princess. Serve me and do everything I want."

"I understand, your Majesty! Tell me, what do you want me to do?" Eve asked him. She would do anything to protect Alaric.

"I have two tasks for you. First, I want you to deal with the rebel group. Bring their leader to me– Alucard Winslow." King Zaraki knew how to exploit others’ weaknesses.

Alucard Winslow was loyal to the former king, Arthur Goldwyn. His leadership and his army posed a great threat to his throne. By using Eve, he knew he could capture Alucard and execute him easily.

The king believed that Eve cared more about Alaric than Alucard Winslow.

Eve could only clench her fists tightly. She was being forced to betray Alucard and his army... the knights who had remained loyal to her grandfather until the end.

’Can I really do this? But if I won’t, Alaric will die.’ Eve felt so helpless right now.

"Fine. Give me more time. I will make sure to bring them to you. The rebel group. But I have one request. I want to use them to conquer Kingdom Averion. I want my revenge first. Queen Amara is the one who murdered my mother. Allow me to utilize the rebel group, and then I will make them surrender to you. I promise." Eve made a proposal to him. This was her way of buying time. She needed to figure out how to protect the rebel group and, at the same time, find the cure for Alaric’s poison.

’I won’t sacrifice anyone. I will try my best to save them.’ She thought to herself.

"Fine. I give you my permission to do that. But let me remind you. Don’t betray me, Eve." King Zaraki warned her.

"I won’t betray you, your Majesty," she simply replied. "What is my second task?"

"Your second task is simple. I want you to take Gideon as your second husband. Marry him after you succeed in conquering Kingdom Averion."

Eve fell silent the moment she heard that. She instinctively glanced at Chancellor Gustav, Gideon’s father. Was this his idea?

"Why? Why do you want me to marry him?" Eve asked them in disbelief.

"You can’t do this to Gideon! All he wanted was to be free. Don’t drag him into this. He only returned to this kingdom because of me. Don’t deprive him of his freedom!" She couldn’t accept this proposal.

"This is exactly the reason why I am asking you to marry him. I want Gideon to serve me. He is important to me. He is a great warrior. I hate to see him waste his talent. He needs to put his ability to good use. He should serve this kingdom! If you marry him, he will no longer leave this kingdom. He will stay here with you and his family." King Zaraki didn’t hide his desire to make Gideon serve him as well.

Eve could only grit her teeth as she refused to say another word. King Zaraki and Chancellor Gustav were good at exploiting people, using them to their advantage. They didn’t care about people’s feelings.

"If you have nothing more to say, go back to your quarters and rest. Don’t worry. You still have time to think it over. You have to prioritize your first task first." King Zaraki dismissed her.

Eve stood up and turned around to leave. She felt emotionally drained after talking to King Zaraki.

’He is greedy and selfish. Not a good ruler.’

Eve stepped out of the palace hall, heading back to her quarters. She ran hurriedly to see Alaric as quickly as possible. She wanted to verify if he was poisoned.

Eve pushed the door open and entered her chamber where Alaric was lying. Alaric was still weak and unconscious. She immediately checked his condition.

"His heartbeat is slow and weak. He is burning up," she mumbled.

She removed Alaric’s blanket to see his body. She gasped upon seeing his bluish skin and veins.

"No... he is really poisoned." Her voice trembled in fear. Her tears started to fall from the corners of her eyes as she hugged Alaric. She sobbed into his chest.

She was still crying when she felt his movement. It looked like Alaric was awakened by the sound of her cry.

His fingers gently tapped her back and stroked her hair. "Eve..." he said in his raspy voice.

Eve gazed up only to see him smile.

"Don’t cry, my dear wife. Don’t cry for me... Forgive me. I failed you once again. It’s my fault." Alaric reached out to wipe her tears.

Eve shook her head. "No. It’s not your fault. You did your best to protect me and your comrades."

She leaned closer, planting a gentle kiss on Alaric’s forehead. Then she lay down beside him, embracing Alaric. They just hugged each other for a long moment. No one spoke up.

In his weakened state, Alaric just watched Eve in his arms.

’I feel so weak because of the poison they forced me to drink. I’m not certain if I can still survive after this. But I have to recover my strength to help Eve escape. I can’t die just yet. I must ensure her safety.’ Even if he was facing death, Alaric would still prioritize Eve’s safety.

"Alaric..." Eve called out, breaking the silence.

"Yes, my wife?" Alaric glanced at her intently.

"I met a mighty dragon earlier. His name is Zephyr. I told him I would bring you to him once you recover."

Eve just wanted to have a random talk with Alaric. Their future together was uncertain. She regretted those moments when she avoided him.

"That’s amazing. I really want to meet him. I didn’t expect that a dragon would exist in our world. I thought they were just legends," he chuckled.

Despite the excruciating pain he was experiencing right now, Alaric tried his best to sound okay. He didn’t want her to worry about him.

Eve tightened her embrace as she rested her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat. His body felt so warm.

’I will protect you no matter what.’ Eve thought to herself, making a vow.

"I love you so much, Alaric..." she softly mumbled.

Alaric couldn’t help but smile upon hearing those words. They were enough to give him strength. He would endure everything for her.

"I love you more, my princess." Alaric pulled her body closer, kissing her head.

"I will get you out of this cage. Just wait for me to recover. I promise..."

Eve slammed her eyes shut while clenching her teeth. She knew that it was impossible for them to leave this palace. She needed the antidote from King Zaraki to prolong Alaric’s life. However, she knew that King Zaraki would not cure him completely because he needed him to control Eve.

’I must create the antidote myself.’