Third's POV
"Let my son go, or I'd burn your children to the fine dust, and your favourite wife, I'd decapitate."
The court gasped at the audacity of the lady standing in their midst. Their eyes darted fervently from the Alpha King's seated at his high throne, staring intently at her, to the dark haired Duchess glaring back with her head high.
The Duke of Fear was the one to speak first. "Duchess, let's be mindful of words. The King understands your wish to protect your son, but you do not need to give threats to the royal family blessed by the Goddess." He said firmly.
The Duchess glared at him, but he kept her gaze, relentlessly. The courts whispered amongst themselves, gauging the tension between the Duke and Duchess.
"And empty threats, at that." The King added calmly, making the hall fall silent. His lips curled to a smile and his crimson eyes never left her.
"Empty threats?" A count whispered to the one beside him. The other looked to the Goddess with a fallen jaw. Has their King run mad? He must've had! Seven years ago!
First, he forced a Disciple, a Duchess of Deception, to marry him. Now she had a child blessed by the Goddess like her, and he wanted to stop him from taking over her legacy? He dared the Goddess herself!
A pager tapped his leg anxiously with his tab, many thoughts going through his mind. The King just had to let go of his obsession with this one wife. He should make do with the other two he had. She wasn't even his mate yet he had been so obsessed with her.
Everyone knew that the five Bloodlines of the Disciples must have an heir. Whether or not they birthed them, and whether or not they were royalty.
The Duchess already birthed a daughter and he had sons from his other wives. It'd cost him nothing to release the young boy to his calling.
The child would bring nothing but pain if he declined his calling and remained as a royal Prince. The mother would rather burn the kingdom and everything in it, including herself, than let that happen.
"Are you deathly curious and want to see what would happen, Alpha?" The Duchess asked the King, her voice raised.
The Duke of Fear left his seat, he could sense the worry growing on the court. The moment he did, everyone else in the court did the same. He had to do something since his colleague wasn't listening to him and might actually cause damage.
He bowed to the King. "Please, Alpha. Release the Prince! Let the Bloodline live!"
The court chorused after him, bowing. "Release the Prince! Let the Bloodline live!"
The amusement remained in the King's eyes, till they closed and he sighed deeply. "The Goddess just has to find another to continue their Bloodline. It doesn't have to be my son."
"But it is." The Pager reminded. "Please, Alpha. As long as there's a living Bloodline, there wouldn't be a new one unless the old one transfers the grace to their student."
"Then we do that."
"But he isn't even a Duke of Deception yet." The Duke of Fear sighed. "Alpha, please, so that you wouldn't incur any punishment from the Goddess."
There was silence for the next minute. The Duke of Fear counted each passing second till the Duchess would blow up.
"If I release our son," the King finally spoke, his tone was softer. "Would you leave with him?"
"Of course." The Duchess said with relief that the conversation was making headway. "I'd be out of your hair immediately."
The King opened his eyes and frowned. "Why wouldn't you stay?"
The court raised their bowed heads in confusion. Did he just ask why? Why would the Duchess of Deception leave after threatening his life and generation? He preferred her to stay?!
The Duke of Fear looked intently at the King. He sensed no fear in his eyes, and if the King planned to deceive them, the Duchess wouldn't be relieved.
Then could it be... the King genuinely loved her and his son? The Duke of Fear lowered his head again. The King lost the moment he forced the Duchess to marry him. There was nothing to salvage that.
A Duchess of any bloodline hated the idea of marriage and mostly raised the next Bloodline that would come from their student. Rarely do they start families, unless after their service and the new Bloodline had been declared.
Hence for a Bloodline to bear her own successor, many had great hopes for the child and so, he couldn't be kept in the palace. He had to fulfil his mission.
That must also be what the Royal Family were interested in. Having a Bloodline with royal blood to control. But for the King, he was only trying to keep his wife and son.
"Who would keep him safe out there?" The King asked, since his first question was ignored. "He needs to be protected and watched all the time. You know how he is."
The pager glanced at the Duke of Fear as if begging him to instill some knowledge in their King. Did a Bloodline really need protection?
"My students—"
"Katerina was killed." The King interrupted. "Even a Blood-Hound was killed and she's the only one I'd trust to keep my son alive. Her daughter is too young to take that role. Also where is the girl? She should stay—"
"No. I'm taking her. It was Katerina's dying wish. I am not conceding." The Duchess interrupted back.
The tension rose and the court members hid behind the Duke of Fear. Glares were shared and an unsettling silence grew between the King and the Duchess.
"Very well. I will agree with all your demands." The King conceded. "Do tell me where the girl is when she's settled. She is my niece, after all."
"Is she?" The Duchess walked away, making the beating hearts of the court members slow down. When she finally left the hall, a deep sigh escaped their lips as they fell back to their seats.
The Duke of Fear bowed before rushing out to meet her, but he was too late as her carriage had already left.
"May the odds be in your favour, sister."
He knew she started a battle, and one only she could fight. For the sake of the other Four Bloodlines, she should prevail.
The royal family of Dionus wouldn't easily give up the Prince, even if the Alpha King permitted. They'd find a way to take him. To control. To control the Bloodlines.