The Villianess story: A 100 ways to kill your husband
Chapter 405: The brothers he chased after

Chapter 405: The brothers he chased after

Back in the palace, Eleanor finally stepped out of the king’s chamber. The head of the imperial army, one of the oldest generals and Eris’s father, the Duke of Silverheart, bowed before her, just as everyone else.

She was now the queen regnant until the next king would be crowned. Undoubtedly Lucian.

"What are your orders, your majesty?" The Duke asked.

"I hereby declare the first prince of Darconia, Cedric Von Drakkar, the prime suspect of the murder of King Kaiden. He shall be stripped of every privilege of his title and is declared wanted dead or alive"

Her words stunned everyone. Why was the first prince, who had just returned a hero, being labelled the culprit? The Duke bowed, "Your wish is my command. He shall be captured and brought straight to you."

Inside the king’s chambers, Lucian stared at Kaiden’s body with his hands clenched. He never expected Cedric to go as far as killing their father. They had differences but it was uncalled for.

"I knew Abrielle was never to be trusted," Callista muttered beside the crown prince who had not altered a word yet.

"I still find it hard to believe, Are you certain about it?" He asked her, Callista panicked, her gaze flickering.

"I am sure about it, and besides, Bernice saw her too. Every piece of evidence points to them." Callista stated then turned to leave. Close to the exit she paused, affected by Lucian.

He was really a good guy, even up till now, he was searching for excuses to vindicate Cedric. "If everything had been different, it would not have come to this. They pushed him to the edge and now he is hungry for blood." He said his memory faded to the day he approached his elder brother.

Lucian never understood why Cedric was scorned by everyone in the palace. He was always curious about the quiet boy who stayed in a corner next to his nanny and was completely detached

Eleanor called him a dead child, saying it was only a matter of days for him to die. She warned them to stay away from him.

He never knew they were even related until the day they started taking classes together. Kaiden did it to know the abilities of the children who were being educated separately. They were very young then, little children that were curious about everything.

It was a small class, containing 5 of the king’s children. Ophelia was the youngest in the class, with Astrid, the oldest child, at around 9 years old. Cedric was a year younger than Astrid, followed by Lucian a few months younger than Cedric, and 2 years younger than Astrid. Alfonso was around 6 at the time, glued to little Ophelia, the youngest heir.

Ophelia was a toddler at the moment but wanted to join the fun even if she did nothing. He was excited to know more about his half-siblings. The first class was fun, all the children were knowledgeable in most of the topics except Ophelia, who was too young, and Cedric. He didn’t know a thing and was left behind in everyone’s progress.

Cedric was then being neglected by the tutor. It turned out Cedric wasn’t being educated by anyone. No tutor was ready to teach him privately.

Lucian, at that moment, wanted to help. He loved the idea of having an older brother, hoping they could be playmates.

Lucian ignored the warnings from his mother, the whispers from the maid. He approached Cedric that evening going to his chambers, then he saw it. Cedric was seated on the floor scribbling on the wall like some lunatic.

He should have left that moment but instead he called out his name. He didn’t remember much except from the fact the entire room went off in flames. The maids came rushing in to rescue them

Lucian was badly injured from the incident, and he almost died from the burns. A priestess from the Starlight Cove had to be brought specially to treat him, but Cedric, who was in the same heated flame, didn’t have a single scratch. He didn’t even apologise. Lucian knew he was behind the fire, even though he never said it.

Eleanor pointed fingers at Cedric condemning him for not being injured in the slightest. She even claimed Cedric deliberately lured Lucian to the room to kill him and demanded that Kaiden behead Cedric.

Kaiden refused, of course, but the rumours still continued. Lucian felt guilty for it. He never said it, and could never approach Cedric, who was always a step away.

By the time Lucian was able to join classes again, things had changed. Cedric’s performance far exceeded everyone, including Astrid, the oldest. Astrid wasn’t dumb and was considered smarter than her peers by a large margin. The sudden performance change was wild, but it was true, Cedric, the desolated boy who didn’t have a private tutor, was even arguing lessons with their general tutor using words too complex for children.

That was when Astrid’s crush, or rather, her obsession, for her younger brother started. Lucian didn’t want to be left behind, so he studied thrice as much to catch up with Cedric, and ever since then, he had always been referred to as strong as the first prince.

They caught up to each other but Cedric was smarter and better. The only thing was that he lacked emotions, but still, this was too much for the boy who always chased Kaiden’s approval.

"There is nothing you can do. The evidence points to him and it is your duty as the crown prince to avenge your father. Most importantly there can’t be multiple dragons in a cave. Only one of you can survive." Callista reminded him.

That was how it had always been in the battle of succession. That was what he was told from a child. His brothers were all his rivals, and only one could be king.

The door creaked open, and soft footsteps could be heard until it stopped. "I need to have a word with you alone."

Lucian felt the gaze against his back. His face, which had looked troubled earlier, eased up. That’s right he was going to listen to voices in his head. It was always right. "Kill him before he kills you and destroys your sister."