Chapter 74: Are you interested in her?
~Raphael’s POV~
“So, what you’re saying is, you’re bringing me a princess that’s not loved?” I quirked a brow at the priest who had been answering me.
He began squirming under my gaze. Restless, shifting from foot to foot. His former composure? Forgotten. Now, this is more like it. My lips curled into a wicked smile.
“Way to go, vessel,” Grey sounded proud.
“Y-your Highness, Princess Allora is well-loved by all and beyond.” His hands were tightly clasped around the princess as if he feared she’d slip away and cause trouble.
I watched her. She looked rebellious, like she had something to say. There was no fear in her scent. No, what clung to her was anger. Even now, she looked ready to cause chaos, but she was being pressed down by the king.
For someone who had been scared of me at the beginning, I was surprised, and entertained, by her sudden bravery. She was standing before me and being talked about, like she isn't important, and yet, she didn’t shrink.
“Is your princess beautiful?” Grey taunted.
‘What do you need the answer for, Grey?’
“I didn’t like the way you were looking at her.” So, he’s guarding the territory for his mate.
I ignored Grey and focused on the Holies, covering up Grey's question. “When does the treatment for my mate begin?” That was all that mattered to me. Ava.
“As soon as your highness agrees to our demands.”
I see. They wouldn’t treat Ava unless I said yes.
A cold glint crossed my gaze as Grey released another round of dark aura. None in the room could resist the fear that took over them. One by one, their heads bowed in submission.
For a while, all I could smell in the hall was submission and fear, yet in the midst of it all, there are always going to be fools who mistook my silence for tolerance. Maybe going Grey’s way, at times like this, wouldn’t be bad.
“ Your highness, we must consider the benefits,” one of the ministers dared to say. His voice was steady, but his hands trembled at his sides. “The Netherlands princess is a noblewoman of great asset. Some might even say she is…” He hesitated.
But the idiot beside him finished the sentence.
“She is a stronger, more suitable queen than the slave girl, Ava.”
Gasps echoed through the hall. Ministers looked at each other warily, waiting for me to snap and end their lives.
One thing about words? They can never be taken back.
The two ministers who had dared to speak looked like they wished they hadn’t. Some of the others stiffened, their gazes darting between me, Caleb, and the fools who had spoken. The spineless ones lowered their heads, as if that would save them.
My fingers drummed against the armrest of my throne. Slow. Deliberate.
Grey growled inside me, his fury almost unbearable.
"Kill them. Let’s see how ‘suitable’ they are with their heads rolling across a spike."
I didn’t respond. Not yet. I let them stew in their own arrogance, let them feel and wallow in the mistake they had just made.
Then, Caleb laughed. A mirthful, biting sound that echoed in the dead silence.
“I see some of you have grown bold with stupidity today,” he mused, stepping forward, arms crossed. His golden eyes gleamed with mockery. “How quick you are to discard your queen. Just weeks ago, some of you were swearing loyalty to her. But now?” He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “Now, you speak as if she’s already been replaced.”
I read through Caleb’s mind, understanding why he would stand up for Ava.
‘These ministers are fools! Are they trying to have us killed? One would think they’d learn their lesson from Wan. No, I need to step in before it’s too late. Bubbly fools.’
I see. So that’s his reason.
At least he was more sensible than the old dregs in this room.
One of the ministers swallowed hard. “We-we meant no disrespect, Lord Caleb…”
“Disrespect?” Caleb cut him off with a smirk. “Oh no, you’ve made yourselves very clear.” His gaze dragged over each of them, resting just long enough to watch them shrink under his stare. “Perhaps I should inform His Majesty that we have a few traitors in our midst? After all, why would you choose a stranger to be queen over his fated mate.”
Grey huffed. “I like him.”
I finally leaned forward, resting my chin on my knuckles. My voice, when I spoke, was quiet. Chilling.
“Tell me,” I murmured, my gaze locking onto the minister who had spoken first, “do you wish to offer your head in place of my mate’s?”
The man paled instantly, his throat bobbing as he fought to find words that wouldn’t get him killed.
I leaned back. “I thought not.”
No one dared speak or even murmur.
Even the Holies, who had already exchanged their silent glances of fear, remained unnervingly still. Scared to even breathe.
Weird. They would suffocate if they continued like that.
Still, I let them suffer in it a moment longer before I waved a dismissive hand.
“Enough. This meeting is over. Dismissed.”
The response was immediate. The ministers rushed to leave, their steps hurried but careful, as if any sudden movement might make me reconsider sparing them. The Holies hesitated before following, though the lead priest cast a long glance in my direction.
And then, there was her.
The princess. Almost lingering, silent. I could feel her hesitation, the war inside her. Her hands clenched at her sides before she finally turned, following the others.
Smart girl. She should be scared.
Because if I was forced to take her as my wife to save Ava, she would not live long enough to regret it. Yet, the beast of me, decided to use her for sport.
“You.”
I called out to the princess pretending to be a priest.
She stiffened. Stopped in her tracks. Her eyes darted to the head priest, but he only gave her a gentle shake of his head.
“M-me, Your Highness?”
“Yes, you.”
“Why not shake her up a little?” He is certainly a villian.
She hesitated, then walked back toward me. She bowed her head and wouldn’t lift it.
Interesting. I was truly intrigued by this one. Ava would have loved her.
“Y-your Highness?” Her soft voice rang out. Like bell chimes. Light. Almost musical,although not as soft as Ava’s. I miss her. My little mate.
“Why are you wearing a cap?”
Her eyes snapped to mine, then to the lead priest standing behind her. He hadn’t left her side.
“Ahh… Your Highness, I have a bad rash on my head.” What a smooth lie.
I clicked my tongue at her. “Is your rash contagious? Because it would be a crime to bring a disease before the king.”
Her eyes flicked to the priest, filled with worry and questions.
“However,” I continued, watching her squirm, “since you are a Holi Priest, I have no reason to be scared. You can leave now.”
Her shoulders sagged with relief.
She bowed and practically ran off before I could wave her away.
“My king,” Caleb murmured beside me, amusement in his voice, “are you interested in her?”
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