Klein gulped hard as the general matched to him. What was going to happen now? He couldn't kill his brother, even with a knife to his neck. The General stopped in front of him with a stoic expression, “You will be taken to the execution ground today and I must warn you, if you try to pull any stunt, you will lose both your heads.”"I… I can't do it. I can't kill… you have to understand me, we grew up together. We do everything together. We are…”" I don't care about your family tree. The Emperor gave an order and if you can't fulfill it, you will suffer the same fate as him,” the General cut him short. Klein could barely move a muscle. The soldiers had to grab him immediately and dragged him to the execution ground. By the time he got to the execution ground, his soul left his body as he took in the state of his brother. The man was covered in burns and injuries that looked very fresh. His head had missing patches of hair and on one of his arms, a bone was sticking out of his f
Mona cried profusely in her bed, the scene replaying over and over in her head. She could feel her heart breaking over and over again. The servants didn't bother about her pain.. No one even stopped to ask about the reason for her tears or sympathized with her. It was obvious they already knew what had happened but the grudges they held against her wouldn't let them sympathize with her. Someone tapped her suddenly and she turned to see her mother. Anger coursed through her veins as she saw the woman.“Mona,” Elena called quietly, attempting to touch her again but Mona flipped her hand away. "Don't touch me! This is all your fault!” She screamed at her. Elena flinched, surprised by the hostility even though she'd anticipated it. " My fault? How is it my fault? I didn't ask your brother to rape the Empress!” She retorted. “You know, I always suspected you were heartless, now you just proved me right! They killed your son and you're not even bothered about it,” Mona screamed at her
Nine months later.Styles had the best doctors surround Ivory. Her due date was in one week but he wasn't going to risk it. He made sure the servants attended to her and provided her with everything she wanted. He didn't want to hear that she lifted a finger to do anything.Ivory felt suffocated with the numerous strange faces around her but she couldn't do anything about it. It was the only way her husband would leave her side and attend to matters of the empire.“Your Highness, do you need anything else?" A servant asked after serving her the fruits. Ivory shook her head and proceeded to eat the fruits under their watchful eyes. If she didn't know better, she would assume they were waiting for her to drop dead. But the opposite was the case. “Your Highness, do you like the fruits? Should I get you more?” The girl asked and Ivory managed to shake her head. The irritation shooting through her veins threatened to make her snap and she couldn't afford to.They didn't deserve it. The
The news of her missing baby kept Ivory in shock for almost a week. She didn't say a word, didn't eat, barely even blinked. She just stared blankly into space, disregarding everything that was being said to her. The doctors tried their best to get her out of her depressed state but nothing seemed to be working. The Empress was depressed and broken. Only the cry of her baby could bring her back. The Emperor was devastated. He didn't understand why anyone would want to harm him daughter. She was only a baby. Innocent and fragile. His heart hurts everytime he thought about the possible suffering they were subjecting her to.He could imagine her cries from all the times she was denied food. She wasn't even allowed to taste her mother's milk.This was by far the highest form of cruelty. “Your Majesty, I know this might not be what you want to hear at this critical moment, but sulking will not solve this. We need to find the culprit and we can't do that if you're moping around," Ragi s
Cedric was beyond surprised when Ragi showed up at his doorstep with soldiers. It wasn’t a pleasant visit, else there would be no need for soldiers.“To what do I owe this unpleasant visit?” Cedric asked, trying to play off the seriousness of the situation but he was damn wrong. The face that greeted him back was icy and possibly the last face he would see before dying.Not that he planned to die but that was the vibe Ragi was giving off.“In the name of his majesty, The Emperor of the Black Empire, you are under arrest for the kidnap of the newly born heir,” Ragi announced coldly. “Take him!” He instructed the guards and Cedric’s eyes widened in surprise.“The heir is missing? Wait… what is going on, you have to talk to me… I don’t understand what’s going on,” Cedric said to Ragi but the General didn’t believe him.“For your sake, I advise you to stop pretending. The Emperor has been condoning your excesses for long enough but this is the final straw. He is going to make sure you are
Cedric's screams infiltrated the prison as they tortured him. His lips were busted, big purple bruises around his eyes with little cuts scattered all over his face. But that was nothing compared to the wounds on his body. With the way they were going, they were going to torture him to death. And that was the last thing he wanted. Dying for another man's crime.“Are you ready to talk now?" Ragi asked, as soon as his screams died down. "I don't know how else to convince you that I am innocent. I had nothing to do with this, you have to believe me, “ Cedric pleaded. Ragi stared at him critically. “Let's do it this way, don't admit it. Give us a name. Tell us who is holding her. Easy, right?" Ragi tried to reason with him. “You don't understand. I don't know anyone!” Cedric spat out.“Why are you so stubborn? Fine, no names. Just give us a location. Where can we find the girl?" Ragi persisted and Cedric slammed his injured fists on the table with annoyance. “Are you deaf? I said I
Elena dragged Mona’s body to a corner and tied her to the bed. She stood by a corner staring at her unconscious body. She picked the letter and opened it up. Her eyes widened as she read through the contents.Just as she suspected, the silly girl was about to expose them. She didn’t even think of the consequences of her actions. All she cared about was returning the baby to the king after all he put them through.Elena shredded the letter, picked the chair at the corner of the room and set it in a corner. She dragged Mona with her and after a little struggle, she threw the girl’s body over the chair. She searched the drawers for a rope and tied her to the chair.Once the body was secure, she thought about the perfect spot to keep her to avoid suspicion. No one would search for her for sure so it was going to be easy to keep her hidden.Her eyes connected with the closet. It was their personal wardrobe so there was no chance that anyone would come looking in it. Her husband was dead an
“What are you doing tied up in a closet?" The servant asked again but Mona was busy gasping for breath. The girl untied her and Mona fell off the chair. Her whole body felt numb. The girl stared at her in confusion.She heard the screams earlier but she didn't think anything of it until it persisted and when she entered the room, she couldn't see anyone so she assumed it was a prank. Until she came back again and heard the voice coming from the closet just before it seized. Mona tried to sign that she needed water since her voice was but the servant merely stared.“I don't understand what you're saying. Can't you speak?"Mona managed to pick herself off the floor even though she was swaying. She reached the drawers and took out a jotter and grabbed a pen. She scribbled letters boldly and showed the girl. “Oh, water! I'll be back. Sit on the bed," the girl instructed and left the room. Mona lay back, hoping the burning in her throat would lessen a bit. The girl returned shortly
“You already cast this spell on me. Am I supposed to stay awake forever, Darell?” Ivory was fed up. “Please calm down, your highness,” Darell said softly. “How many more of these temporary spells do I need? You already did the first one and it wore off in three days or less and now this?” Ivory exasperated.“We are trying to buy time to find a solution, Your Majesty. Please understand,” Darell explained calmly. She couldn't find it in her to get pissed at Ivory. She couldn't even imagine what the woman was going through now. “You know what, I'm done with this!” Ivory growled and stormed out of the room. “Where is she going? Somebody stop her!” Darell yelled but the glares that Ivory threw their way made them stand back. They resorted to informing the Emperor as he was the only one who could calm her down. Ivory got to the kitchen and matched to the cabinets where the knives were kept. The maids gasped as she grabbed the butcher knife. Darell rushed into the kitchen at that mom
Darell went to the execution ground with a couple of guards. Roy was still unconscious and it was perfect for her operation. She set her materials in place and started the ritual. Soon enough, she invaded Roy's mind but just before she could extract the information she was looking for, his eyes flew open and a cruel laugh escaped him.“What do you think you are doing?” He asked her. “Do you think I will keep such confidential information in my head?” “What did the Empress do to you?” Darell demanded.“Nothing,” he shrugged. “Was it the Emperor then?” She asked. “He doesn't need to do anything for me to punish him. I love the feeling of crushing the weak,” he laughed. Darell knew this man was a maniac.She knocked him back unconscious with an enchanted powder and began the ritual once again. Although he made it clear that the answers were not in his mind, she didn't want to relent. Even if she didn't get a direct answer, she was sure she would find a clue on how to stop it. She
The first hit had Daniel flying across the street. He let out a loud groan as his back connected with the tree. This wasn't the regular fight he was used to but he knew exactly what he was getting himself into when he challenged Roy.He forced himself up the ground and charged towards Roy but the man easily swung him to the side. “You know when you challenged me, I actually thought you had some insight on how to fight me spiritually,” he huffed, “but engaging you has proven to be a waste of time!”“Which is why you should take me on!” A feminine voice challenged from behind. Roy already recognized the voice as Darell's.He whipped his head around, surprised that she could get the chains off her. He'd always known there was something special about this woman and every single minute he spent with her proved that she was twice as powerful as he was.“I didn't expect you to be up so soon,” he said. “How long did you think I could stand the stench of your wife?” Darell retorted. “Wife?
Eisha didn't dare look back as she ran. Although she was afraid of what would happen to Daniel with her gone, she knew it was necessary to save the Empress before the monster she once considered a friend got to her. She didn't think that Daniel was equipped enough to hold him down for long and her legs were getting tired. On sighting a horse from a distance, she quickly flagged the horse and luckily it was a royal horse. “Who are you running?” The soldier asked. Eisha was about to respond when she suddenly realized that a single royal horse couldn't be out here in their market.It only meant one thing. Without responding, she dashed past him, running to catch a carriage to the palace. Her heart skipped when she heard the horse galloping behind her.“Hey, woman! Stop there!” He yelled. She quickly diverted into a narrow street and went through several houses, confident he wouldn't find her. By the time she was out on the street again, the rider was nowhere in sight. She flagged a
“You need to come with me to the palace now,” Daniel told Eisha. “Why? Is something wrong?” She asked. It was sudden to see him return at that this time of the day so she knew for sure that something was up. “Yes, very wrong. The Empress, something is happening to her and we don't know the cause of it,” he said. “What is wrong with the Empress?” Eisha asked. “Her nightmares are becoming reality. She has bite and claw marks all over her and it's becoming frightening. I have this feeling it might have something to do with Roy,” he said. Eisha frowned. She didn't exactly see the connection. As if he read her mind, he responded. “The attacks started immediately after the ceremony,” he explained.“I know Roy is into some shady business but I am not sure he has anything to do with the Empress' ailment,” Eisha argued. “Fine! Even if he's not responsible for it, let's inform the Emperor about his true identity.”“I don't know, Daniel. Is that really necessary…” Eisha drawled uneasily.
Darell opened her eyes to an unfamiliar environment. The place was stuffy and smelled like it hadn't been cleaned in years. Her heightened senses could pick out the smell of a rotting corpse somewhere. She tried to sit up from the lying position only to discover that her body was chained to the bed. Her nose scrunched in irritation. “You're awake,” the gruff voice startled her. She didn't notice his presence in the room, until now. “That's good. I was hoping we could have a civil conversation.”“If you were going to abduct me, you should have at least picked somewhere with enough oxygen. I would the bare first than a room with a rotting corpse,” Darell said.Roy's eyes widen in shock. He thought the spell he used to give the room a homely smell was very effective since no one ever complained about it.How come she smelled it in just seconds of consciousness?“I don't know what you're talking about,” he denied. “You have a yard behind this place, don't you? Didn't it occur to you
Darell squinted her eyes, trying to get a glimpse of his true appearance but there was nothing for her to see. Everything was concealed by the mask on his face. “I don't want to kill you. Left to me, I wouldn't even be here but you are trying to interfere with something that is none of your business and I can't let that happen,” Roy said. “You mean the royal family? I'm afraid that is every bit my business as it is yours and I am going to stop you,” Darell said confidently. Darell pulled out a sword, surprising her. For someone with such an evil aura, she expected him to go fully spiritual on her. “A blade? I thought we were playing with magic. Except, you're not as powerful as you pretend to be,” she mocked. Roy didn't let her words get to him. The mountain already weakened him enough. Any attack he made on this woman had to be physical.She could head to head with him spiritually because of his weak state but her dainty form was no match for his physical strength.“You are not
“What do you think?” Ragi moved away from the Empress with a puzzled expression. “I must confess your highness, I have never seen anything like this. It is strange to me,” Ragi said.Ivory’s shoulder sagged hopelessly. She was expecting that response. Even in her kingdom, there had never been a record of anything like it. “So what do we do now? We have less than ten hours to figure this out, Ragi. I don't want my wife going to bed and waking up with more injuries. We need to do something about this,” Styles said. “I'm sorry, your Majesty but I really don't understand what we can do in this situation. It is a new ailment and it is quite scary,” Ragi sighed.Ivory stood, begging to be excused. She couldn't take it anymore. The images in her head was scary enough, she didn't need a reconfirmation.Styles wanted to go after her but Ragi stopped him.“Maybe Darell can help,” he suggested.“Right, Darell! Why didn't we think about that earlier? Get her here as soon as possible. I'll go
Ivory sat in her chelanvers, staring at the clock. She was afraid to sleep. She didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time.A part of her was still trying to convince her that it was all in her head. That she probably for the scratches from thrashing. But the injuries were too deep to have been her nails and the doctor confirmed it too.Styles walked into the room and this time, she was well aware of his presence. “My love,” she smiled. “Why are you still awake? It's pretty late,” he asked then glanced at the baby's cot, “was she giving you trouble?”“A little but I'm glad she's asleep now. I didn't expect you to come in so soon,” she said. Of a truth, she didn't expect him to come to her chambers at all. She was afraid he would easily notice the marks. Although she was fully clothed, she could feel the lust as his eyes roamed her body. “You're a bit overdressed, don't you think?” He spoke up and she bit her lip. “I was catching a cold,” she lied. “Are you feverish?” H