106: The last string to break

The last string to break

Music Recommendation: Lily's Theme- Alexandre Desplat

—

Anastasia couldn't believe the sight presented before her because never in her wildest dreams did she expect another death to take place in such a short span of time. The longer she stared, the more intensely the bloodied sheet seemed to glare back at her. 

Sitting on the ground beside the bed, Princess Niyasa wept, her forehead pressed against the surface of the bed in sorrow. The other members of the family wore expressions of grief and disbelief, standing in stunned silence. The young princess raised her head, and for once, she looked like a person with emotions as her tears flowed freely, 

"This is a lie. There's no way Brother Maxwell would kill himself! Someone murdered him to get the throne!" She turned to look at the Mother Queen and demanded, "Why aren't you doing anything about it?!" 

The Mother Queen looked sombre as she stared at one of her grandsons, who lay drenched in a pool of his blood. Her lips were set in a thin line, a frown creased her forehead, and her eyes held sadness because, despite the foolishness of her kin, they were still her family. 

"It's the ones next in line to the throne! They are the guilty ones!" Princess Niyasa accused her brothers, tears streaming down her pale, damp cheeks. "You accused my mother of being guilty, but look here? Someone murdered my brother!"

"Niyasa, nobody killed him," Lady Sophia stated, wearing an equally grim expression as the rest. 

"You are only trying to protect his position!!" Niyasa snapped back, rising to her feet and confronting the woman. "First, it was our father, and as if that was not enough, they locked up my mother, and now my brother is dead! All of you are responsible for his death!!"

Anastasia, who stood at the side of the door, watched the family members cry before she heard hurried footsteps approaching from behind her, but she didn't turn to look. Her attention shifted from the princess, sobbing uncontrollably, to the others in the room before her eyes finally settled on Dante. He stood on the other side of the bed, his expression vacant. 

"Perhaps we should ensure there was no foul play…" Princess Emily said softly, with the rims of her eyes becoming red around the edges. 

"Where is my mother? Has anyone informed her?" Princess Niyasa questioned but received no response from any of them. Her eyes widened, and she ordered Aziel, who was present in the room, "Aziel, go and inform my mother about this! And bring her here immediately!"

But Aziel didn't comply with her command. Instead, he turned to look at the Mother Queen, who said, "Inform her. But she is not to be released."

"What…?" Princess Niyasa exclaimed in shock, "He is her son. She is the king's mother. Is this some kind of ploy? For whose benefit is it?! For yours? Or is it for Brother Dante, whom no one has questioned about the change in his eyes! He killed the king!" 

"In spite of how harsh the truth may be, the king took his own life, Niyasa," the Mother Queen tried to keep her family from crumbling further amidst the turmoil left by her grandson. She said, "It wasn't a dagger, but his own hand that pierced his chest. He used his gift to end his life…"

"No, that cannot be true! I need to speak with my mother immediately!" Princess Niyasa exclaimed, running out of the room with more tears streaming down her face. 

"Noor," the Mother Queen addressed, "Take Victor away from here. I don't want his mind to be scared by any more distressing events." 

Lady Noor nodded and took hold of her son's hand before stepping out of the room. However, instead of leaving the corridor, they remained at its side. The Mother Queen then shifted her gaze towards Emily and Lady Sophia and said, "You both can leave as well. You will have another chance to see him."

"I am fine," Lady Sophia responded, unfazed by the sight of blood, as it wasn't something new to her. 

"I want to stay," Princess Emily replied, her voice trembling, and she took a deep breath to calm her emotions. 

The Mother Queen didn't insist further, and turned to look at her first grandson, addressing him, "It is time." 

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Anastasia watched Dante walk around the bed before he came to stand next to his dead brother's body. He placed his hand on Maxwell's chest, which was still wet and sticky from the blood that had saturated his clothes and the white sheets. The strong scent of the blood invaded his senses and mind, yet no one seemed to notice the hollowness in his eyes. 

"Why would he take his own life this suddenly?" Lady Sophia murmured, voicing her bewilderment and confusion. It seemed illogical for a king, who held a perfectly secure position, to throw away everything he had in such a manner. 

Maxwell's lifeless body was discovered when a servant came to wake the king, leaving most people in the room with unanswered questions. No one could fathom what had triggered the man to take such drastic action, considering he had the crown on his head, a throne to occupy, and a multitude of subjects to command. 

With his other hand, Dante firmly grasped Maxwell's bloody hand, which was buried deeply inside his chest, and slowly pulled it out, revealing a gruesome hole caused by Maxwell's metal hand, which soon quickly filled with blood.

Princess Emily raised her hand to cover the lower half of her face behind it, as if the harsh reality of Maxwell never coming back finally sunk into her mind. Prince Aiden, rendered speechless, closed his eyes, and the scene brought back memories of the evening when he had found his father dead. 

Anastasia observed the melancholy that permeated the air, spreading beyond the confines of the room. Outside, the servants continued to whisper among themselves about the news they had heard, but had yet to see the sight of the dead man. 

"Dante?" The Mother Queen noticed his hand trembling, and soon the tremor seemed to affect more than just his hand. 

Anastasia's eyes moved back to look at Dante, who took a step back from the bed. Black fumes emanated from him, stretching out and causing people standing nearby to step back in response. 

"What's happening?!" Lady Sophia questioned because what was happening before her didn't align with what she had been told about a typical manifestation of their demon bloodline. 

"Grandmother?" Prince Aiden turned to her, seeking answers, as she was usually the one with explanations for such occurrences. 

"Step away from him!" The Mother Queen ordered her family, who quickly moved towards the door while keeping their eyes on Dante as the black smoke continued to envelop and swirl around him, as if it had been suppressed until now and had finally been set free. 

The scene was obscured by smoke, resembling a cloud crackling with lightning, preventing anyone from seeing what was happening. As the smoke gradually subsided, the transformation became apparent. Dante's claws and canines were now longer and sharper. His ears had turned slightly pointed, his eyes were red as blood with distinct slits in them, and thin root-like markings spread from the inner corners of his eyes. 

Beneath his skin, uneven cracks revealed a red glow akin to molten lava. However, it wasn't just that sight that left people's mouths hanging open in awe. It was the presence of two horns protruding from his head and horn-like bones extending in two lines along his spine until his lower back. 

Dante raised his blood-smeared hand, observing it before his gaze met the others, who bore fearful expressions. He calmly remarked, 

"I am finally awake, earthlings."

All present, except for the Mother Queen, wore gobsmacked expressions, their bodies frozen in place, not daring to utter a word of a whisper as they held their breaths in suspense. Lady Sophia was the first one to break the silence after seconds passed by taking two steps backwards and saying,

"Wh—what the hell is going on?!" 

Anastasia's composure crumbled completely as her knees trembled uncontrollably at the sight before her. Never before had she witnessed or even heard of anything like this, and it would be a lie if she said it didn't scare the soul out of her body. 

"Not now, Sophia." The Mother Queen responded, herself taken aback as she had not expected the demon to be awakened this soon. Not now. There had been plenty of opportunities for it to happen, with Lucretia's death and Anastasia almost losing her life in the sea. However, she had never anticipated it would be so fully awakened at this moment. And in such perfect sync?

When Dante snapped his fingers, his demonic appearance reverted to his human form, but the eerie look in his eyes and the swirl of darkness didn't disappear. As he made his way towards where they stood, the others quickly moved aside, allowing him to step outside the room. With a commanding tone, he ordered, 

"Prepare for the funeral and gather the ministers for a court meeting afterwards." His words fell on shocked ears, and when no one responded, his eyes glowed with an otherworldly intensity, resembling the fiery pits of hell where sinners' souls burned for eternity. 

"I will have it taken care of right away." Prince Aiden swiftly responded. However, rather than going alone, he grabbed his sister's hand and dragged her out of the room as if he needed to discuss what they had just witnessed. 

As they walked out of the room, Princess Emily crossed paths with Prince Raylen, who walked past her with his eyes ahead of him. Dante took a deep breath, and his eyes narrowed even further. Turning his head, he soon caught sight of the Storm Prince, meeting him halfway. 

"Had a good sleep?" Prince Raylen asked with a slight smile. His hands rested in his trouser pockets, seemingly unfazed by Dante's eyes or the lingering smoke escaping from the room. 

Dante's glare intensified as he responded, "A sleep that was unnecessary and far too long at that." And he finally understood what the Storm Prince was doing in the palace, and a subtle curl formed at the corner of his lips. "And to think you attacked me in the past," he added.

"I had hoped that it would do the trick of waking you up," Prince Raylen replied, leaving the bystanders even more confused by their exchange. 

"How considerate of you, knowing you were present when the curse was cast. If not for the smell of rain and ash, I would have believed you have become an earthling yourself," Dante's words were low, intended only for the Storm Prince's ears. "It is what you wanted ever since you first set foot in this world."

"It suits my recent tastes," Prince Raylen commented. His expression grew slightly serious as he continued, "It wouldn't be the worst option for you to embrace it as well."

A smile spread across Dante's lips, holding a wickedness that had never graced them before. He remarked, "After such a long slumber, it never held any appeal for me. But you are already aware of that." 

With those words, Dante walked past the Storm Prince, leaving the man with a puzzled frown, his awareness drawn to the people looking at him with curiosity. With the first prince absent, Lady Sophia returned to the Mother Queen, pressing for answers, "Are you going to tell me what just happened here? What were those horns and that smoke…?!" She looked back and forth, inquiring further, "What was he talking about with the Storm Prince?" 

Though she was late to realise, the Mother Queen felt her body stiffen when she saw Prince Raylen approaching where they stood and stopping before her. It became clear to her that this man wasn't here to find his soulmate, as he had claimed. He was here for the demon. 

"A word with you, Queen Ginger. Alone." 

With a strong desire for answers, Lady Sophia observed the Mother Queen and the Storm Prince depart to talk privately, prompting her to turn to Lady Noor for a discussion, who was equally as confused. Anastasia was still recovering from shock when Theresa discreetly pulled her away from the scene, though not before she stole another glance at the lifeless man on the bed. 

Far ahead, at the end of the corridor, where Mother Queen and the Storm Prince had taken a turn around a corner, the woman's eyes shifted to glance at him. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to confirm, 

"Are you one of the original demons?" 

"I thought it was evident," Prince Raylen replied, offering her a slight smile, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He then proposed, "How about we take a walk to where the Blackthorn rose grows?"

With everything happening so rapidly, the Mother Queen felt as if her head would explode; there was no time to catch a breath. On the one hand, she had lost her grandson; on the other, her other grandson had awakened the demon of destruction within him. Not to mention, she had dragged this demon around to meet her granddaughter. Nonetheless, she maintained a stoic expression. 

Once they reached the forbidden side of the palace, the Mother Queen commanded the guards, "Leave us!"

Without hesitation, the guards stationed around the area promptly obeyed and withdrew. The Mother Queen and the Storm Prince entered the place, walking through the corridors until they reached the location where the Blackthorn rose plant stood.  0

"It is changing appearance," the Mother Queen stated upon seeing the plant. The previously withered and lifeless stems that had curled on the ground were no longer dry and dead in appearance. Instead, the stems had turned green and sprouted leaves. 

They walked towards the Blackthorn plant and noticed the stem connected to the rose remained dry, the black rose still lifeless. The Mother Queen said, "I think it is time to tell Dante about his soulmate."

"I wouldn't do it if I were you," Prince Raylen cautioned her by placing his finger on his lips, signalling for her to lower her voice, and the woman turned to look at him.

"But his soulmate will balance him. That is what the scriptures said," the Mother Queen explained, because that is what she had believed until now. 

"Earthlings are good at overlooking details," Prince Raylen murmured before saying, "You can inform him during the golden moon, not that you will necessarily need to. However, I would advise you to refrain from provoking the demon. He earned the title of 'demon of destruction' for a reason; he emerged out of the underworld with destructive intentions, not as a demon of love," he remarked with a hint of amusement before continuing, "Do you think one would be happy to discover that the descendant of the person who cursed them all these centuries is alive? I think not." 

The Mother Queen had considered this possibility, but she had hoped that with the awakening of the demon, the entire Crux situation would be solved, and the young woman would be able to keep Dante under control. 

"What do you propose then?" 

"There are only twelve days left for the golden moon. Just don't breathe a word about the soulmate matter and let things flow the way they have been until now. He's still your grandson, only merged with the demon," Prince Raylen advised the Mother Queen. He continued, "I will be here until the golden moon. Of course, what happens to this kingdom isn't something I will meddle in, and I will be merely observing from the sidelines." And this had the woman wonder why he was here in that case. 

Twelve days had never seemed this long before, mused the Mother Queen in her mind. 

Meanwhile, away from the forbidden side of the palace, the ministers had assembled inside the royal courtroom without requiring Aiden's word, as it was time for the morning meeting before King Maxwell to commence. And while slight murmurs continued, the doors opened swiftly, prompting them to rise from their seats. 

To their surprise,  it wasn't King Maxwell who had entered the room, but Dante, who confidently walked to the front. 

Several ministers were taken aback when they caught sight of blood on the first prince's hands. But none dared to inquire about the whereabouts of the king or what had occurred because they sensed the foreboding aura surrounding him as he walked straight to the throne before seating himself upon it. 

Dante leaned back and crossed his legs before remarking, "I will be taking back what belongs to me."

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