Bab 20: Broken Heart.
The fourth prince made his way downstairs. His guards, who had attempted to persuade the third prince to wait until they announced his arrival to Aric, were quickly pushed aside. They feared Aric, but they feared Darius as well, and they knew better than to lay hands on him to prevent his advance.
"Brother, it's great to see you."
Darius turned to Aric, who spoke as he descended the stairs. The third prince clenched his teeth and balled his fists in anger, his eyes bulging with fury.
"What have you done?" Darius muttered, barely containing his outburst.
This was exactly what Aric wanted—the unguarded look on his brother's face. He had forced his hand. All his life, Darius had always looked at Aric as though he were nothing but a slight inconvenience.
But this was different. This was raw, primal anger.
"Calm down, brother. I'm not sure what you mean," Aric smiled, knowing that each word of ignorance would only fuel Darius's rage.
Just as it seemed Darius might explode in fury, his anger dissipated, leaving only the usual unreadable stoicism.
"Don't waste my time. You're mistaken if you think I won't kill you—and everyone present here," the third prince's voice echoed ominously through the manor.
"Whoa," Aric raised his hand. "Watch your language, elder brother. People might see your true colors."
"What is wrong with you? You're acting foolish," the third prince spat.
"Foolish?" Aric laughed heartily. "I was—perhaps the most foolish in all of Valeria. But not anymore, certainly not now. You took from me and destroyed me, mentally and physically, but no longer."
Aric turned to Mia, who stood to the side.
"You know, I've kept a gift for you. As much as I wanted to give it earlier, I had to wait—so you could see your failure with your own eyes."
"Where is my money, Aric?" Darius glared at the fourth prince. Days ago, he might have spoken less and attacked immediately, but something was different about the man standing before him. Many things, in fact, which made him hesitate.
"You mean my money?" Aric tilted his head. "Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves."
Aric turned to Meholt before pointing at Mia. "Bring her over here."
Meholt, confused but swift to obey, escorted Mia, the caretaker, toward Aric.
"Make her kneel," Aric commanded. Meholt pushed her down, forcing her to kneel before them.
"I have one question, brother, and I will ask it once. If you answer truthfully, she lives. If you don't, well…"
Aric walked over and drew Meholt's sword from its sheath. Everyone present—Lerai and Serina included—knew what was about to happen.
"Please, Your Highness, don't do this. I've done nothing but care for you," Mia whimpered, realizing her peril.
"Don't plead. It only infuriates me more. Instead, beg him, as your life depends solely on his answer." Aric turned back to Darius. "Tell me, brother, did you or did you not send this woman to poison me, ensuring I never recover from my illness?"
"Say yes, and I will spare her, believing she acted on your orders. Say no, and I will execute her for treason."
As Aric asked the question, everyone became aware of his motives. Yet Darius's expression remained unchanged.
Aric pressed the cold steel to Mia's neck.
"You bastard!" Darius hissed through clenched teeth, his hand glowing as his mana flared. His composure cracked once again.
"Third prince!" Serina called out, her eyes glowing with a fierce purple light, her hands crackling with energy. "I advise you to reconsider doing anything that puts us in a difficult position."
Darius glanced at Serina. He knew who she was—he had plotted several times to prevent her from allying with Aric. She was in the top five of the mage academy, and even though he was a prodigy, a fight with her was one he might not win.
"I won't ask again, Darius. You have five seconds to answer."
Darius's composure faltered once more, his anger flaring alongside his mana. "Aric, you dare to do this?"
"Three seconds," Aric responded calmly, raising the sword.
"Please, don't" Mia mumbled again, but was ignored.
"One," Aric whispered, ready to strike.
"Stop! I did… I ordered it."
Aric's eyebrows raised in surprise at the prince's admission. There was a reason for this display. Normally, Darius wouldn't care enough about a subordinate to admit he had plotted poisoning another prince. But Aric had discovered something in his previous life: Mia wasn't just a subordinate.
Mia was the third prince's lover, the only person he trusted to commit treason on his behalf. She had been Darius's most trusted mole because he was in love with her, a truth Aric had only uncovered when they had officially become engaged near his final years.
"Well, I see," Aric dropped the blade, helping Mia up. "You were simply acting on orders."
She stood, tears filling her eyes, as Aric gestured for her to go to the third prince. Barely containing her emotions, she began to walk toward Darius.
But as she took a step, blood splattered, and her head snapped back. With a sickening thrust, Aric shoved his hand into her back.
"But treason… is treason," Aric muttered, pulling his hand free, holding Mia's still-beating heart in his cold grip.
Mia, dying swiftly, stumbled toward Darius, whose eyes widened in utter shock. By the time he could even hold her, she was already dead.
"You came here for money, but I'll give you something even more valuable, Darius, my dear brother." Aric raised his hand and tossed Mia's heart onto the floor in front of Darius.
"The heart of your lover."
Hadiah
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