Chapter 298: Northern Throne (1)

Over the next month, Arawn and Evanna stayed at the palace to celebrate the winter solstice. Once the celebrations were over, though, they began preparing to leave. After Eleanor’s execution, the royal family celebrated the unity of the Flori through Evanna and Arawn’s engagement. They were to marry in the elven lands, which Evanna preferred anyway, especially now that her mother was well enough to travel.

During this time, William and George were quiet, their food was barely touched, and presents were looked upon with forced small smiles. Their mother was not coming back, and they wouldn’t learn the reasoning behind Eleanor’s death until they were older.

While the peoples’ spirits in Dunhurst were gradually growing brighter once more with the return of their princess in good health, the soon-to-be marriage and unity between two kingdoms and the celebration of the heroes who kept Evanna alive, the north was in a completely different state. The brittle cold and ongoing storms marked the ominous presence of the Demon Prince’s return.

On his return from Lyvaria, Conrad’s mind was focused on his goal. His act of vengeance. To take everything away from those craving more power. King Horik made the poor decision to throw him into battle at such a young age. He thought Conrad would never return. How wrong he was.

Now, he stood before another bloodied battlefield. This one like none other before. Blood dripped down the pristine palace floors from suspended bodies on pikes. His father’s mouth gaped at him, eyes lifeless, expression shocked with the blade piercing his heart. His men searched the surroundings, and until they returned, Conrad shoved King Horik’s body onto the ground with a loud thud and sat on the throne, lifting the bloodied crown to his head.

"Prince Arvid has fled."

"Find him," Conrad snapped. The Crown Prince was the only one that could threaten his spot on the throne. There were also his other siblings, but he was sure he could keep them under his thumb. If not, then they, too, would die.

His gaze moved to Queen Annika; she trembled in the corner, hands covering her face, knees up to her chest as she leaned against the wall. Blood stained her garments, but it wasn’t her own. Even though Annika never saw him as a son and flinched anytime he spoke or tried to touch her, tried to earn her love, Conrad couldn’t kill her. Though he felt nothing staring at the woman who birthed him, he deduced that he kept her alive to ensure his siblings remained obedient.

"Your Majesty."

Conrad’s gaze moved from Annika’s shivering body on the floor, across the blood pooling near his feet and to the approaching guards and those they had in their clutches. His brothers and sister were brought forward.

Twins Harald and Halvar were tense, their broad backs stiff, until they saw their mother alive and well. Their shoulders sagged some, and Halvar took a step in Annika’s direction, but Harald stopped him. When they looked at their father, it was apparent they did not care for him much like Conrad.

Once Horik made up his mind on who the successor to the throne was, he ignored his other children except for Princess Marna, his beloved youngest daughter. But she was only ’beloved’ to him because of her beauty and how she could be used for the empire.

Marna, the youngest at sixteen years of age, kept her golden eyes fixed on Conrad’s bloodied boots. Unlike her mother, Marna’s looks were similar to Conrad’s, yet they were much softer and gentler. Her dark blonde hair was in a messy bun, the dark red dress still splattered with blood that touched her ethereally pale, alabaster skin. The dots of blood on her cheeks were striking, and Conrad’s fingers twitched with the need to clean it off his sister.

Conrad didn’t have any problems with his siblings. Harald and Harvar were little shits growing up, following the Crown Prince’s mockery of Conrad until they, too, were sent off to war. They returned two years ago, eyes hardened, bodies grown like all northern men, though they were just sixteen, and upon seeing Conrad again, they apologised for their actions.

Whether it was genuine or an act of survival, who knew. Since then, they acted like true brothers to Conrad, including some raillery, which the Demon Prince reciprocated.

Now, at eighteen of age, the twins were still identical, but their hairstyles and differing ink crawling up their arms and bodies were different, making it easier to distinguish who was who.

Where Harald had long hair braided into a high ponytail, the sides of his head bold, and one side inked, Halvar kept his hair pinned back in a braided half-up hairstyle, the plaits holding black and golden rings. Halvar didn’t have as many tattoos as Harald, and his features were slightly softer compared to his brother, where he tried to grow out some facial hair and failed; Harald was already attempting a small beard with one bead pinned at the bottom just below his chin.

"What now, brother?" Harald, the bolder of the twin brothers, asked, his gaze cutting to Conrad.

Conrad relaxed into the throne, his legs spread wide, bulky arms resting on the armrest. His sheer size was intimidating, on top of his dark, sinister aura that clung to him like tar.

"Swear your allegiance to me. Swear there will be no more bloodshed between us, and you will be protected." It was all a formality. The twins weren’t foolish; they had been bracing for this moment to come. They only had their suspicions, but it was clear what Conrad would do. He was the ’Demon Prince’ and now the ’Demon Emperor.’

"I-I swear," Marna was the first to begin, lowering herself to the ground. Conrad frowned, feeling his skin itch as he saw his sister’s dress soak in the blood at her feet.

"Get up," Conrad snapped harshly, ignoring the wince on his sister’s face. "Marna, you need not be afraid of me."

Marna gulped, her thick golden eyelashes fluttered up to meet her brother’s intimidating gaze. Her eyes instantly dropped, unable to look for too long.

"We swear our allegiance to you, Prince Conrad-"

"Emperor," Conrad adjusted, tilting his crown to the side with a smirk.

Harald and Harva smirked. "Emperor Conrad."

Conrad released a breath, his broad shoulders relaxing before he clapped his hands once, causing Annika to whimper in the corner and Marna to flinch. "Now. It’s time we make some changes around here." His gaze moved to his mother, and he motioned to the guards to take her away.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read