Chương 139: To Be King (13)

Edited by Kuro and Lille

This is the 2nd chapter of the extras bought by Sakuradahl. Thank you so much for completing the Kofi goal (by yourself. we stan you) Please enjoy the extras ya bought teehee

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Everyone watched Grey and Prince Lawrence fight in the middle of the throne room. Those who supported Prince Lawrence felt regret in their stomachs. They all could see that Grey didn't even break a sweat while fighting.

With every second that passed by, Prince Lawrence became more and more frustrated. His form became more chaotic, showing more holes in his stances, but Grey didn't seem to care about that. It was like he was toying with him, watching him like a clown in a circus.

Seeing Grey looking at him like he was prey made Prince Lawrence want to cut his face into pieces!

"How are you so strong!?" Prince Lawrence finally stopped attacking when he saw that nothing was able to break through Grey's defenses.

"Do you wanna know what my name was on the battlefield?" Grey finally decided to end this stupid battle.

"Enemy soldiers called me the Cursed Prince of Death," He explained, stalking closer. "When they saw me on the battlefield, they all ran without any regard for their dignity. At least if they ran away from me, then they would be able to live another day, right?"

There wasn't a hint of emotion on his face as he stepped closer and closer to Prince Lawrence.

"It's time to end this." Grey's words rang through the throne room.

Prince Lawrence felt dread in his heart, but he knew he could not run away. He was the one who suggested this battle. Even if he died, he wanted to die knowing that he didn't give up!

He tried to defend against Grey's onslaught, but in the end, his sword was thrown across the room, hitting a pillar. Luckily, it didn't hurt anyone.

Without his weapon, he knew he was as good as dead. He didn't want to die though! No one wanted to die! Why? Why was this happening to him?!

Before he could even try to beg for his life, Grey stabbed him in the chest. Ultimately, giving him a quick death.

"Your biggest mistake was underestimating me. Rest in peace, big brother." His words were genuine and sincere, different from the sarcastic and condescending tone he used when talking with most of the members of the Royal family.

Even to this day, he hates killing people. He could kill thousands of people, but he would still hate the feeling. That was why, he couldn't disrespect even this annoying person in death.

With that, the battle was concluded. It was easy for Grey, but he knew there was a lot more to be done.

With Prince Lawrence dead, all hope was lost for Queen Meredith and Consort Ceanna.

Dean clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention. "The winner of this duel is Crown Prince Ameer! With Prince Lawrence's death, the other side must abide by the agreement or face the consequences."

To be honest, Duke Ross and Earl Leanen couldn't take it anymore. They felt it was better for their family to be alive than to die trying to save Consort Ceanna or Queen Meredith.

Duke Ross was the first to give in. "As per agreement. Men, stand down and retreat. From today onwards, you will no longer be serving me. Please, Crown Prince Ameer, make sure these knights have a place to go…"

"I will uphold that," Grey responded. He felt that Duke Ross was a smart man, so he decided to at least fulfill this promise.

Earl Leanen was a little frustrated, but he knew his family was safe even with his daughter gone. "I will also take my leave. I will be sure to uphold my side of the agreement as well."

He was a man who valued money more than his own daughter. His daughter made him, the once proud man who was richer than most, fall from the heavens to hell. How could he care about Consort Ceanna? He didn't look at her or his grandsons as he left the castle.

"Father! Are you just going to abandon me here?!" Consort Ceanna wanted to rush over to her father, but she was stopped by Abner and Hartley.

"And where do you think you are going, ya old hag?" Hartley blocked Consort Ceanna's path. She was much taller than Consort Ceanna, so she looked down at her like a hawk zoning in on its prey.

The consort sputtered in outrage, "Old hag?!"

Grey commanded, "Take Consort Ceanna and Queen Meredith to the cells. We will announce their crimes and convict them."

With a small pause, he then continued, "Also, take Prince Lawrence's body out. We will be burying him in the Royal Cemetery along with His Majesty, King Maverick."

"Yes, Sir!" The knights saluted before doing as they were told.

Consort Ceanna and Queen Meredith shouted, trying to escape, but the knights were much stronger than them.

Duke Ross steeled his heart and looked away from his daughter. He knew that if he tried anything, he and his family members would die with her.

He walked out, escorted by his former knights who wanted to fulfill their contracts one last time.

As for Prince Tobias, he had no idea what to do. He didn't say a word this entire time. Actually, he wasn't a main antagonist like his brother or mother, but his silence also made him guilty.

"How about me? What will become of me?" Prince Tobias couldn't help but ask. Seeing he was the only one left, he could no longer stay silent.

Grey did not forget about Prince Tobias. "Though you are not innocent, you also did not do anything. Since that's the case, you will be exiled. We cannot have you in the kingdom with fear that you will try to gather an army to usurp the throne. But don't worry. I won't send you out of the country penniless. Pick a country you want to live in and I will have some knights escort you to the border. This much should be enough, right?"

He couldn't stand people who were bystanders like Prince Tobias. If they saw something happening but only turned a blind eye to it, they were no better than the ones executing the action. This punishment should be harsh enough for someone who stayed silent this whole time.

"That's enough for me. Thank you, Crown Prince Ameer, for your leniency." Prince Tobias bowed. Tears wanted to escape his eyes, but in the end, he sucked them in and was escorted by the knights with his head held high.

It was much better than dying. Maybe, he could start anew in a neighboring country.

Grey finally felt relief with the conclusion.

"Ameer, let's get going. We have a lot of work to be done." Dean stealthily grabbed Grey's hand and smiled.

Grey held his hand back and smiled. "You are right. This is only just the beginning."

*****

With former Consort Ceanna and former Queen Meredith awaiting their execution date, there was a large funeral for King Maverick and Prince Lawrence.

Everyone knew that King Maverick's former wives conspired with each other and killed him. They also knew that Prince Lawrence challenged the newly appointed Crown Prince to a life-and-death duel. It was no surprise that Crown Prince Ameer was the victor. With his military feats, if he lost to Prince Lawrence, that would be a shocker…

The funeral for the late King Maverick was grand, lasting well over a week. As for his mourning, that lasted three months. Finally, Prince Lawrence's funeral wasn't as grand or long, lasting only a few days.

Once the mourning period was over, everyone's attention turned to Grey and his coronation ceremony.

The coronation, much to everyone's surprise, was a lot more humble than former King Maverick's funeral. The previous kings would decorate the throne room with flowers and gold and hold festivals every week for a year straight, but Grey didn't want to do that on the grounds of it being too soon since his father passed.

The common folk praised Grey for his filial piety. For the common folk, the time of mourning was pretty important so when they saw Grey's attitude and actions, their opinions of him became even better than before.

With their support, his coronation became one of the most anticipated in the history of Euluxos Kingdom.

On the day of the ceremony, Dean was the one who crowned Grey as king. The throne room was decorated with a minimal amount of gold and flowers. Nobles from all over the kingdom made their way to the capital to celebrate the coronation.

Many nobles who sided with Consort Ceanna and Queen Meredith felt like they were walking on eggshells. They did not know when their family would fall into ruin like Duke Ross' or Earl Leanen's. They could only hope their new King would turn a blind eye.

Unfortunately for them, Dean had already decided to flush the nobility of its filth, so after the celebration, many noble houses fell to ruin leaving those who supported Grey or stayed neutral.

When Grey became King, he didn't hear System 225's chirp or prompts, so he knew he had to prove to the people that he was a righteous king.

That was okay though. He had plenty of time in this world to complete his two missions…