"Ha! Her majesty?" Ezekiel's ridiculing snort was heard as Seraphina descended from the carriage with an elegant jump, showing off her agility and enthralling beauty. Her white fur was enticingly beautiful that even the noblest of madams and young ladies would fight tooth and nail like shrews if given the chance to obtain it.
Human greed is blinder than bats as it never differentiates the things that could be desired and those that could never be. The moment Seraphina's four feet landed majestically before the gate, the eyes of the two guards turned red with greed and obsession as they were well aware of how much that pure white fur could fetch. However, before they could even reach their dirty dishonest claws toward her, the deep rusty voice of the old man startled them into soberness as his command was preposterous to the point that they doubted their hearing.
"Send their heads to that spiteful woman and relay my words. Each time a mouth calls her 'her majesty,' their heads will be sent to her bed. She can have her delusional fantasy on her bed with the same-minded," said Ezekiel.
When his words ended, the heads of the guards were already rolling in the dirt with wide eyes that displayed their shock and horror. After all, only a glance was needed to realize the identity of the old man because his dark red glistening eyes were proof of who he was. Two insolent guards, who did not know how high the sky was, were not given a second to plead for their lives as usually gentle and well-mannered Jayce decapitated them with a neat and fast movement.
Their punishments did not come without rhyme or reason. In fact, the act of addressing Aynat Shelon as 'her majesty' could be considered a fallacy and treason against the royal family because only the mother of the emperor, the empress dowager, and the mother of the empire, the empress herself, could be honored with the title of 'majesty'. If not for marrying into the imperial family, Aynat just would have been a shameless mistress who birthed bastards. A royal consort is just a titled concubine that many imperial families could have more than one at a time, unlike the one and only empress of the nation. Therefore, Aynat was not worthy of the title 'her majesty' because it belonged to the late empress Natalia Heroux.
Seraphina was gaping at the scene, not because of the unexpected duality of Jayce, but because of the similarity that she had witnessed from Ezekiel's words and actions.
So similar! The tone and gaze. Even the method! It turns out this old geezer was the one who was responsible for turning my dear father into a head-decapitating lord. I knew that this imperial elder taught my father swordsmanship personally because none of his sons were talented, and he wanted to leave his legacy even if it meant being inherited by an outsider. But! Still! How can he just teach a child to send decapitated heads left and right?! Daddy wasn't even ten when he was learning swordsmanship under this unruly ex-ruler.
Seraphina was staring at the imperial elder with a heated gaze. In her previous life, she had witnessed this scene when she attended her very first banquet as a Callenso. She was fearful of her family and even more dreadful of the stares that were thrown her way during the banquet, especially from men. Therefore, she left the banquet hall and hid in one of the terraces, which she only realized was a bad mistake later off. Before her sigh of relief could even escape her mouth, a noble she did not even know the name of walked into the terrace and molested her. Of course, Seraphina struggled fiercely by scratching his face bloody and pushing him away with all her strength. However, it was not done due to her courage or dignity, but because of fear and resurfacing memories of Baron Teivel. As a result, panic attack was inevitable. Her ears were ringing, and the curses of the man calling her a daughter of a lowly prostitute were deafening her. In a state of going in and out of consciousness, she felt relief when the loud curses of the man came to an abrupt stop, and warm hands enveloped her entirely. However, when the voice of the person who was holding her reached her ears, she was chilled to her bones.
"Send its head to its parents. Tell them to raise their wretch properly in their next life," was all Seraphina heard as the sight of a bloody head separated from its body forced her to turn her head in the opposite direction in nausea and terror. Unfortunately, turning her head was an even worse choice of action as her father's stormy expression that barely concealed its bloodthirstiness caught her eyes before the whole world turned black. She was scared into fainting, not from a panic attack, nor from a decapitated body, but from her father's icy expression.
The imperial elder caught the blaming gaze of the little fox directed at him and found it, nevertheless, adorable.
"You have to get used to it. Your father is no less of a tyrant than I am," he explained almost proudly.
Of course, he is! You taught him! Seraphina harrumphed coldly.
Ezekiel was amused by the little fox's actions and wanted to tease it more, but his amusement was short-lived as the said fox dashed into the second floor, leaving the old man in bewilderment.
Seraphina was an ancient divine beast. Even though her body was that of an ordinary fox, her senses and strength were far from the normality, and she quickly picked up the sniffling sound of a woman that was impossible for the imperial elder to catch. She followed the sound and soon found herself in a small bedroom that was almost bare of furniture, with only a bed and a nightstand inside. It seems her fluffy paws cushioned her rushed steps as the occupants in the room had no idea that they were being observed by glimmering golden eyes that were turning frighteningly chilly as each second passed.
On a bed lays a thin child of age six with an unnatural flush covering her lovely face. Her golden hair scattered on her pillow, and her light red eyes, which were almost pinkish in color were hazy with unshed tears, making her look indefinitely vulnerable. It was obvious at a glance that she was running a high fever as her breathing was rather labored and her gaze unstable. On her right side sat a woman who was shedding big droplets of tears while holding the sick girl's small hand tightly and whispering words of worry. Her average-looking face with brown eyes and hair was dripping with gentleness as she gently patted the little girl's hand in an effort to comfort her. Anyone who saw the scene would find the situation heart-warming and pitiful while praising the kindness of a woman who did not abandon the princess as everyone else did. However, that seemed not the case for Seraphina, as her bright golden eyes were staring at the sobbing woman without blinking as if wanting to rip her to shreds at any second soon.
It is that woman. The one Aine cherished and trusted with all her heart until she took her last breath. Hmm, what should I do? I really wish to rip her throat out right now.
"Ha! Her majesty?" Ezekiel's ridiculing snort was heard as Seraphina descended from the carriage with an elegant jump, showing off her agility and enthralling beauty. Her white fur was enticingly beautiful that even the noblest of madams and young ladies would fight tooth and nail like shrews if given the chance to obtain it.
Human greed is blinder than bats as it never differentiates the things that could be desired and those that could never be. The moment Seraphina's four feet landed majestically before the gate, the eyes of the two guards turned red with greed and obsession as they were well aware of how much that pure white fur could fetch. However, before they could even reach their dirty dishonest claws toward her, the deep rusty voice of the old man startled them into soberness as his command was preposterous to the point that they doubted their hearing.
"Send their heads to that spiteful woman and relay my words. Each time a mouth calls her 'her majesty,' their heads will be sent to her bed. She can have her delusional fantasy on her bed with the same-minded," said Ezekiel.
When his words ended, the heads of the guards were already rolling in the dirt with wide eyes that displayed their shock and horror. After all, only a glance was needed to realize the identity of the old man because his dark red glistening eyes were proof of who he was. Two insolent guards, who did not know how high the sky was, were not given a second to plead for their lives as usually gentle and well-mannered Jayce decapitated them with a neat and fast movement.
Their punishments did not come without rhyme or reason. In fact, the act of addressing Aynat Shelon as 'her majesty' could be considered a fallacy and treason against the royal family because only the mother of the emperor, the empress dowager, and the mother of the empire, the empress herself, could be honored with the title of 'majesty'. If not for marrying into the imperial family, Aynat just would have been a shameless mistress who birthed bastards. A royal consort is just a titled concubine that many imperial families could have more than one at a time, unlike the one and only empress of the nation. Therefore, Aynat was not worthy of the title 'her majesty' because it belonged to the late empress Natalia Heroux.
Seraphina was gaping at the scene, not because of the unexpected duality of Jayce, but because of the similarity that she had witnessed from Ezekiel's words and actions.
So similar! The tone and gaze. Even the method! It turns out this old geezer was the one who was responsible for turning my dear father into a head-decapitating lord. I knew that this imperial elder taught my father swordsmanship personally because none of his sons were talented, and he wanted to leave his legacy even if it meant being inherited by an outsider. But! Still! How can he just teach a child to send decapitated heads left and right?! Daddy wasn't even ten when he was learning swordsmanship under this unruly ex-ruler.
Seraphina was staring at the imperial elder with a heated gaze. In her previous life, she had witnessed this scene when she attended her very first banquet as a Callenso. She was fearful of her family and even more dreadful of the stares that were thrown her way during the banquet, especially from men. Therefore, she left the banquet hall and hid in one of the terraces, which she only realized was a bad mistake later off. Before her sigh of relief could even escape her mouth, a noble she did not even know the name of walked into the terrace and molested her. Of course, Seraphina struggled fiercely by scratching his face bloody and pushing him away with all her strength. However, it was not done due to her courage or dignity, but because of fear and resurfacing memories of Baron Teivel. As a result, panic attack was inevitable. Her ears were ringing, and the curses of the man calling her a daughter of a lowly prostitute were deafening her. In a state of going in and out of consciousness, she felt relief when the loud curses of the man came to an abrupt stop, and warm hands enveloped her entirely. However, when the voice of the person who was holding her reached her ears, she was chilled to her bones.
"Send its head to its parents. Tell them to raise their wretch properly in their next life," was all Seraphina heard as the sight of a bloody head separated from its body forced her to turn her head in the opposite direction in nausea and terror. Unfortunately, turning her head was an even worse choice of action as her father's stormy expression that barely concealed its bloodthirstiness caught her eyes before the whole world turned black. She was scared into fainting, not from a panic attack, nor from a decapitated body, but from her father's icy expression.
The imperial elder caught the blaming gaze of the little fox directed at him and found it, nevertheless, adorable.
"You have to get used to it. Your father is no less of a tyrant than I am," he explained almost proudly.
Of course, he is! You taught him! Seraphina harrumphed coldly.
Ezekiel was amused by the little fox's actions and wanted to tease it more, but his amusement was short-lived as the said fox dashed into the second floor, leaving the old man in bewilderment.
Seraphina was an ancient divine beast. Even though her body was that of an ordinary fox, her senses and strength were far from the normality, and she quickly picked up the sniffling sound of a woman that was impossible for the imperial elder to catch. She followed the sound and soon found herself in a small bedroom that was almost bare of furniture, with only a bed and a nightstand inside. It seems her fluffy paws cushioned her rushed steps as the occupants in the room had no idea that they were being observed by glimmering golden eyes that were turning frighteningly chilly as each second passed.
On a bed lays a thin child of age six with an unnatural flush covering her lovely face. Her golden hair scattered on her pillow, and her light red eyes, which were almost pinkish in color were hazy with unshed tears, making her look indefinitely vulnerable. It was obvious at a glance that she was running a high fever as her breathing was rather labored and her gaze unstable. On her right side sat a woman who was shedding big droplets of tears while holding the sick girl's small hand tightly and whispering words of worry. Her average-looking face with brown eyes and hair was dripping with gentleness as she gently patted the little girl's hand in an effort to comfort her. Anyone who saw the scene would find the situation heart-warming and pitiful while praising the kindness of a woman who did not abandon the princess as everyone else did. However, that seemed not the case for Seraphina, as her bright golden eyes were staring at the sobbing woman without blinking as if wanting to rip her to shreds at any second soon.
It is that woman. The one Aine cherished and trusted with all her heart until she took her last breath. Hmm, what should I do? I really wish to rip her throat out right now.
