BXBX NOVEL Chapter 143 The Bomb Was Ticking
Volume 2: PROLOGUE
Aries and Dexter stood by the entrance of the House of Vandran, receiving the royal decree the emperor sent to their estate early in the morning. Behind them were Gustav, the head butler, and several servants who were confused by this sudden visit.
"... under the orders of the sovereign of Haimirich, hereby declare Lady Daniella Circe Vandran\'s betrothal with the crown prince of the Maganti Empire..."
Whispers and murmurs and gasped caressed Aries\'s ears, but her aloof expression didn\'t change. She had always known this would come, and she prepared for it day and night.
"Do you acknowledge His Majesty\'s benevolence?!" asked the royal messenger after reading the royal decree to the Vandrans\'.
Aries snapped her eyes and took a deep breath, glancing at Dexter only to see his unsmiling visage. His eyes were sharp, glinting with anger, but she knew it was for the act. Dexter was angry... he was angry at the people who wronged her and at the sheer thought of Aries setting foot on that land once again.
"Acknowledge." Dexter\'s jaw tightened at the viceroy\'s last remarks, closing the parchment in front of him.
"I.."
**
"I... do." Her eyelashes fluttered ever so tenderly, snapping out of her trance, revisiting how fast everything happened. It hadn\'t been a month since Dexter acknowledged the royal decree and now she was standing in front of the altar, marrying her groom\'s ring.
It was customary that Aries and her groom should get married in the Haimirich Empire before she would set off to get married under the Maganti Empire\'s law. But because of the crown prince\'s disposition, he couldn\'t just go to another empire for his own safety.
Therefore, it was no surprise that her groom\'s stand-in was his accessory.
This marriage was an insult to their party — the aristocratic faction — that Aries requested for a short ceremony. It was to show their displeasure at the emperor\'s abuse of power. But Aries and only a few already preferred it this way.
Everything was just for show... everything since the beginning and they had been playing their part perfectly.
"I now pronounce you... husband and wife," said the wedding facilitator, clearing his throat at his hands trembled. He didn\'t even announce the long-awaited \'you may now kiss the bride,\' afraid that would be the last words he would say.
The only guests of Aries\'s wedding were her brother, some noblemen in the aristocrat faction that was close to the marquess, and some people from the imperial factions such as the imperial advisor, Conan.
The atmosphere was thick and was growing abundant. None of them clapped, even when the ceremony reached the end. It was worse than a funeral.
Aries picked up the jade ring placed on top of the stand beside her. She carefully kept it in between her thumb and index, staring at it through the white veil covering her face.
\'This ring...\'
Memories... painful memories in the past flashed before her eyes while staring at this familiar jade ring. The ring she would often see everything that man\'s hands approach her. Those hands... that seemed to grow bigger every time she watched them touch her, letting this jade ring graze her body.
\'... is only the beginning of what I will take from you.\' Aries carefully wore the ring on her forefinger, taking her precious time, as this same thing, would also be something that the crown prince would look at with eyes full of fear.
Watching Aries from his respective seats, Conan snapped his eyes and glanced at Dexter from the opposite side of the ceremony room. The latter\'s eyes were burning, fixed on Aries\'s figure as she wore the ring with such deep hatred burning in her eyes.
\'I\'m worried,\' Conan thought, peeling his eyes away from Dexter to Aries. \'His Majesty is like this. I\'m afraid they\'ll kill them all before we can even proceed with the plan.\'
A shallow breath slipped past his lips, recalling the look in Abel\'s eyes before he left him to attend the wedding. Unlike Dexter\'s eyes, which reeked of bloodlust, or Aries\'s, which were burning in anger, Abel\'s eyes were… empty.
Not the kind of emptiness that was melancholic or shocked. The emperor\'s empty eyes were… dreadful. Conan had seen that look in Abel\'s eyes many times, that look in his eyes he usually bore during his devastating onslaught.
\'The Coven is approaching again. It\'ll be a massacre now that Lady Aries will be away.\'
******
Imperial Palace: Throne Hall
\'Don\'t go, don\'t go, don\'t go, don\'t let her go, stay, stay, don\'t go…\'
Abel closed his eyes as he breathed out heavily to shun the voices inside his head. Aries was marrying someone else right at this second, and he was locked in the throne room, knowing how fickle he was.
It was harder than he calculated. The voices in his head wouldn\'t shut up since three nights ago, keeping him from sleeping.
"Isaiah…" he dawdled, keeping his eyes shut, stretching his neck in a slow circular motion. "Burn that wretched empire."
"Lady Aries is already the crown princess of the Maganti Empire, Your Majesty," reported Isaiah, standing on the far side of the throne. "Burning the Maganti Empire right now, we will automatically proceed with the propaganda on why they deserved it… and Lady Aries would have to face consequences as well."
"Burn… burn... Ah…" Abel slowly opened his eyes as he stopped mumbling. "Right. Aries just got married and is now the crown princess of another land."
Isaiah took a deep breath, noticing the shift in Abel\'s tone. Although calm, Isaiah was uncertain what would be the unpredictable emperor\'s next move. Would he stop it now? That was something the emperor would do.
"Move up the date of the coven." To his surprise, Abel laughed as he cocked his head in his direction. "I need some calming."
"Your Majesty –" Isaiah had to hold his breath when Abel suddenly appeared in front of him faster than a blink.
Abel bent over to the duke\'s side, hands inside his pockets. "Blood. I need more if you don\'t want me to massacre everyone on the continent and start anew in the ruined land of Rikhill." He smirked, planting a hand on Isaiah\'s shoulder.
"Good. And prepare me a steed. I need an excuse." He squeezed Isaiah\'s shoulder lightly before patting it, walking away with the same devious smirk on his lips.
As he did, Isaiah could not help but look back and watched the emperor\'s back.
\'He already set his eyes on Rikhill,\' he thought as his eyes darkened, alarmed by Abel\'s remarks. \'This year\'s coven will be bloody.\'