Chapter 3 Seize The Queen

"We all saw him die!" A man shrieked, clutching a little girl as he ran through the corridor.

"How can a dead man come back to life?!" A woman cried, hugging her son as if the man who had risen from the dead was coming to slaughter them both.

Wails and screams filled the air. Behind me, Sriza and Raya trembled, their hands gripping the folds of my dress.

The guard beside me stood rigid, his face pale with terror, though he struggled to maintain his composure as a soldier.

"Surround the palace and fish out every man who played a part in Prince Rhydian's death!" A man ordered with a growl.

We immediately locked eyes with him, just as Zevran attempted to pull me toward a secret passage.

I froze on the spot as a chill swept through my skin. My maids, on the other hand, closed their eyes tightly, ready to embrace death. Unexpectedly, the guard next to Zevran stood frozen, his hand tightly clenched at his sword.

Our eyes locked on the man before us; blood dripped from the silver sword in his grasp. He had killed many, I could tell.

The stains of red on his face and dark tunic proved he had slaughtered without hesitation. My mind raced to the children I had just seen clinging to their parents.

He didn't kill them, did he? My breathing hitched. Now, he was so close that the air around me seemed to thicken with an overwhelming presence.

"She should be the queen," he said, observing me carefully before turning to order the men beside him.

"Take her to the prince. He would like to have her. She's Aidan's queen."

"No, please!" Raya cried, falling to her knees to plead. Sriza joined her, lying flat on the floor in desperation.

"It's okay, Raya and Sriza. As long as you're unharmed, I will gladly go with them." I smiled softly at them, giving them a small nod, a silent command to run and save themselves.

They hesitated for a while, looking at the man with fear that they might die if they ran away. But the man nodded slightly, and they ran without warning.

As Zevran went with them, the other men seized my arms. I knew they were walking me down to the royal court because I could vividly recognize the path.

"What is your prince going to do to me?" I asked, forcing bravery into my voice despite the fear crawling up my spine.

None of them answered. When we reached the royal court, my breath hitched. Pools of blood stained the marble floor.

Lifeless bodies lay strewn across the room, and at the center of the carnage stood the man whose back was turned to me.

His sword gleamed menacingly, pointed at King Aidan, who knelt before him, in front of the throne.

He was trembling; his eyes shrank in fear. And then, I saw him. Rhydian. He was so impossibly tall that he made Aidan, who was not a small man, seem insignificant beneath him.

His shoulders were broad, his form powerful, exuding an aura of dominance that sent shivers through me.

But it was his hair, a cascade of silver that flowed down his back, untamed and ethereal-that made him look almost unreal. "What a fine man." I almost whispered the words, but I kept them inside.

Then he turned, and I forgot how to breathe. His eyes were molten golden, so vivid they glowed against his pale skin.

A long scar ran down the side of one eye, a scar that should have made him less handsome. Yet somehow, on him, it only added to his beauty.

Never had I seen a scar make someone this beautiful. But as his gaze darkened with rage, the gold burned brighter, shifting like molten lava.

My heart pounded heavily in my chest. I had never seen a man so strikingly beautiful. He was a force-untouchable, unreadable, terrifying, and mesmerizing all at once.

Aidan let out a sharp, breathless laugh. "How could you be alive?" Hatred laced his voice as he let out a sinister laugh.

"I killed you... and your beloved wife, who refused to be mine." His lips curled into a cruel grin. Rhydian's sword pressed harder against his throat.

Rhydian said nothing, his expression void of emotion, but the fire in his golden eyes burned brighter. "Killing you wouldn't be enough to atone for your sins," he said, his voice distant, cold.

"But I will make sure every piece of your body is fed to the palace hounds. And your precious queen..." His gaze flickered to me.

"She will be my slave. A reminder of your sins."

"No! Don't you dare touch her!" Aidan screamed, his eyes wild with desperation; he longed for me, but I didn't even know what to think about him anymore. After everything I've heard, I was already irritated by him.

If Rhydian made me his slave, I doubted it'd be enough to atone for Aidan's sins. What Aidan had committed was too heavy to bear.

The burden was too heavy to forgive. Aidan let out a dry chuckle. "Don't you want to know how she died?" He grinned wider, his eyes glinting with twisted satisfaction.

"I stabbed her... over and over. Then I threw her body into the cold mountains for the wolves to eat...."

Slash.

Aidan's head rolled to the floor. His blood sprayed across Rhydian's face right beside his scar and stained a side of his silver hair, yet he did not flinch.

He just looked around the room, as if seeing it for the first time.

I squeezed my eyes shut, nausea twisting my stomach.

When I opened them, Rhydian remained frozen, his sword slipping from his grip.

For a moment it felt like my eyes had played a trick on me, but he truly staggered back, his fist balled tightly, but he said no words, nor did any sound escape from his lips after hearing such words about his wife's death.

He stared at the throne in front of him, tall, cold, and stained with blood.

He stepped up slowly, leaving a trail of blood footprints behind. A man rushed toward him hesitantly. "Now that Aidan is dead, you should be king."

Rhydian did not turn to face him. His voice was emotionless. "I have no interest in being king." He exhaled, his broad shoulders rising and falling.

"I came for revenge. And yet... it does not feel like enough." Another warrior approached.

"We have executed all of Aidan's supporters, including those who contributed to your wife's death."

I didn't know why I was crying. My eyes were blurred with tears. It was as though I was having sympathy for a man I barely knew.

His story struck me deeply. I shouldn't be this affected, but here I was standing with tears streaming down my face.

"The people need a king to protect the walls of Vynsera," the advisor urged. "You must do it-for those who died fighting for you, and for..." "Don't." Rhydian interrupted him, his voice as piercings a blade.

Perhaps he didn't want to hear anyone mention his wife's name. Maybe he couldn't bear it. He seemed to be struggling to breathe after everything. "Call for a council meeting," he said coldly, walking away.

He even walked past me without a word, as if he had forgotten I was even standing there. "And the queen?"

One of his advisors asked hesitantly. Rhydian stopped walking. Slowly, he turned, his molten-gold eyes locking onto mine.

A shiver ran down my spine. I swallowed hard as my hand gripped my dress tightly because he began to approach me.