The royal courtroom is filled with a tense atmosphere. The silence pressed down on everyone like a stabbing blade. The Emperor and Empress sat on their respective thrones, deep in thought. Evren stood with his brows furrowed and his hands held behind his back.
Among the imperial advisors sat Rehn, the wisest and trusted of all.
Rehn stood up and said, looking at the emperor, "Your Majesty, I suggest we call Prince Arzoth to the courtroom so that with his consent we can know what the letter is about."
Evren said, "The letter is Arzoth's matter; what it contains shouldn't bother the court."
Rehn, ever the voice of reason, spoke, "But Your Highness, if it were from some allied kingdom, then we wouldn't have been so concerned. But this is not the case; the letter is from the demon realm, the Valkyra clan, no less. We have to investigate the content to be sure that it is not something to worry about. Though there is a very high possibility of it being something to worry about."
The emperor Valthor Draven listened to Rehn's words with a grim expression. Being convinced, he gestured to the servant standing beside him at a respectable distance to fetch the prince immediately. The servant complied, and soon, in just a fraction of time, the prince stood before the royal court with a calm yet knowing look.
This confused everyone present there. Valthor asked in a clear voice, "I hope you heard about the arrival of the letter from the Valkyra clan, addressed to you, Prince Arzoth?"
Arzoth looked head-on toward the emperor and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I have heard about the matter."
The emperor narrowed his eyes faintly as he said, "Do you know anything about it? About why the letter is addressed to you?"
Arzoth's voice was flat and blunt, "No, Your Majesty." His gaze remained fixed on the empress, Velmira, as she clenched her hands in her lap. Her face stoic and unreadable, but her eyes dart between Arzoth and Valthor.
Arzoth smirked faintly, seeing her distress, "She's nervous. Good!"
"Velmira was Arzoth's biological mother and the second wife of the emperor. Evren was the son of the first empress who passed away after giving birth. Velmira always despised Evren and favored her son every time. She wanted her son to be the crown prince rather than Evren, but her aspirations failed when Evren earned the position."
Velmira closed her eyes for a moment before he opened them again and said, "Evren's point is valid as well; interfering with the prince's belongings isn't becoming."
Arzoth could feel how much it was hurting the women to even be on the same page as Evren.
Arzoth gave a small smile and said, "I give my consent to investigate the content."
Velmira stiffened, her posture tensed, and her jaw clenched. She glared at Arzoth, giving off a silent warning to keep his mouth shut.
The emperor gave a curt nod and gestured for Rehn to read the letter.
Arzoth met the empress's eyes with a gleam, "She knows exactly what that letter contains."
Rehn gave a small nod himself and carefully opened the seal of the Valkyra clan with poised hands. He took out the letter, reading it aloud and clearly.
"To Prince Arzoth of Eldrakai," Rehn paused for a brief second before continuing, "Prince Arzoth, we made a pact. The child is born, I hope you remember your part of the deal. We are waiting for you to show up, or else there will be severe consequences." Rehn paused with wide eyes. Folding the letter carefully, he voiced the last words from the letter, "From The Valkyra clan."
Evren looked at the letter in Rehn's hand intently and then at Arzoth. The fact that his brother had made some kind of pact with the demons filled him with dread.
Arzoth kept his eyes on the empress throughout the narration of the letter. He saw her clench her fists in her lap, her jaw tightening, her eyes darting around with a hint of dread, of the fear of getting caught.
"In the novel, Velmira was the one who made a pact with the Valkyra clan herself, for her selfish desires to see her son get the crown. The Pact was to assassinate Evren in exchange for a half breed child. Arzoth complied blindly. After the child was born, Velmira manipulated Evren to discreetly bring the child to the kingdom so that the demons could assassinate him. But this time, it won't happen."
The courtroom was filled with whispers, confusion, and curiosity.
The emperor's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Prince Arzoth, what does this mean? Explain yourself"
The empress gulped hard. Arzoth could see the fear and warning flashing in her eyes; she was a formidable woman for sure, but it did not intimidate Arzoth; he was not Arzoth after all.
Arzoth looked at the emperor and said, "I fathered a child, a half breed."
The court fell silent, and the initial shock and dread washed over everyone's faces, a chill running down their spines.
The empress's blood ran cold, her face going pale as she looked at Valthor for his response with an anxious gaze.
Valthor took a deep breath, he couldn't lose his temper or his composure. The letter was indeed personal and not regarding any war that required the attendance of the advisors.
"Leave us," Valthor commanded.
The advisors bowed deeply and left the courtroom one after the other.
After all the advisors left, leaving the royal family alone in the room, Valthor looked at his youngest son and said with a deep rumble,
"Arzoth, do you mean you fathered a demoness's child?"
Evren looked between his brother and father with concern, reflected on his face, while Valmira bit her tongue, her stomach curling with anxiety.
Arzoth said, "Yes, Your Majesty…"
"And about the pact.....?"
Arzoth looked at Valmira and thought to himself, "Speak, Your Grace."
Valmira flinched slightly as she heard the emperor mention the pact. She could not risk letting the Valthor know about the pact. Valmira looked at the emperor and purred, "Your Majesty, I believe this is a delicate matter, and shall be handled with care. Please leave the matter to me, and trust my capability of handling it."
Valthor thought for a while before he nodded, "Very well, I leave the matter to you…" With that, he stood up, followed by Valmira, and walked out.
Evren let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and said, "Arzoth-.."
Valmira said, interrupting, "Evren, the advisors heard something they shouldn't have. Can I request you to make sure that the word does not get out?"
Evren's gaze moved to the empress, "Yes, Your Grace." Evren moved out.
Valmira stood up, her jaw clenched, and her fury radiating off her face. She walked towards the exit with elegant grace while saying, "Arzoth, follow me."
Arzoth nodded and followed the empress to her chambers.
Once inside, she paced back and forth, trying to calm her nerves. She frowned at her son and said, "Arzoth! Why did you reveal about the child!?"
"I had no choice."
"How can you be such a fool?" She paced again like a caged lioness, "And why on earth did Evren receive the letter? What were you doing then??"
Arzoth said calmly, "I was asleep, so I could not receive it."
She narrowed her eyes at him, "Arzoth, are you perhaps mocking me?"
"How can I, mother?" Arzoth smiled, but the look on his face said otherwise.
She sighed, "Anyway, we can send Evren now…."
Arzoth's smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "Mother, I will go with him…"
Valmira looked at her son, her wide eyes boring into his. "Are you out of your mind!? You do know why I am planning to send Evren there!"
"In the novel, Evren not only managed to survive the assassination attack from the demons but also brought the child to Eldrakai, turning the Valkyra clan against Valmira and Arzoth, and putting everyone's life in danger. After that attack, Evren was heavily injured. I can't let such a thing happen this time. I have already sent a reply to Valkyra mentioning the changes in the pact without Valmira's notice."
"I need to trade carefully here." Arzoth thought.
"I know, but think about it. The emperor knows about the child, and the advisors know about it. Sending Evren alone to the Valkyra's land would risk revealing our connection with the demons, and our plan to assassinate Evren would get revealed along with it.
Arzoth paused, letting the weight of the implication settle in her gut before he continued, "But if I go along, the suspicion won't be on us."
Valmira looked at her son with surprise, "You are right…."
She thought for a while and finally said, almost breathless. "Alright, go with him, and make sure he doesn't return." The empress paced again, but with a determined smile this time.
Arzoth smirked at her naivety, "Of course, mother."
"I am not the one you raised, mother. But I promise you, I will not betray you. Having a mother is…..strange."