Chapter 120: A Blind King’s Fall
Azriel
"You request to see me in private? Why?" I demanded, my brow furrowing into an intense frown as I stared down at Eiren, whose head remained bowed low against the stone. "What do you want with me? You are no longer my concubine."
Eiren lowered himself further onto his knees, his forehead practically touching the courtyard tiles. "Your Highness, I humbly seek your permission for just a few moments of your time... solely to bid you one final farewell. I have resided in Asmodeus Palace for so many years and grew accustomed to Your Highness’s gracious mercy. I only wish to see you one last time to express my eternal gratitude for everything you have bestowed upon me."
"My, my! Your kingdom’s infamous hospitality must have been truly intoxicating if the poor creature simply cannot bring himself to part with you," Raizel drawled with a snicker, casually taking a deep sip from his crystal goblet.
"Oh, shut your mouth, Raizel," I snapped back coldly.
I turned my eyes back toward Eiren, my gaze sweeping across the grand banquet. Several court ministers and nobles were covertly watching us from their tables, whispering behind their sleeves.
My brothers, meanwhile, put on an act of total indifference, sipping their wine as if Eiren were nothing more than a stray speck of dust.
Beside me, however, I could feel the subtle shift in Seraphel’s pulse—a quiet, prickling uneasiness blooming through our soul bond.
I leaned down close to Seraphel, my tone softening instantly. "If this makes you uncomfortable, I won’t go. Say the word, and I will have a guard escort him away..."
Seraphel gently shook his head, offering me a small, reassuring smile. "No, go ahead and grant him his audience. Just as he said, you two have a history, and it is only right that he gets to say his proper goodbye."
A faint smile touched my lips, deeply grateful for his grace and understanding. Truthfully, I had intended to turn Eiren away without a second thought as there was no longer any reason for us to exchange words.
"I will return to your side shortly," I murmured softly, lifting his hand to press a lingering kiss against his knuckles before rising from my throne. "Follow me, Eiren," I commanded quietly, stepping off the raised dais.
I led the way out of the brightly lit courtyard and into the quiet inner hall at the front of the palace, the soft rustle of Eiren’s robes trailing closely behind my footsteps.
Stopping in front of a heavy, carved wooden door, I turned to face him. "I have already arranged lavish accommodations for you outside the palace gates. Private villas across the finest districts of the realm have been deeded in your name, alongside a fortune of generational wealth that will ensure you never want for anything. So tell me, Eiren, what more could you possibly ask of me?"
Eiren slowly raised his hands, bowing his head respectfully. "Your Highness, I desire no further treasures. I ask for nothing more than to pay my final respects in proper solitude. If it is not too much of a burden, may we step inside the chamber so I may give you my final, untarnished vow of gratitude?"
"Final respects?" My brows furrowed into a suspicious glare. "What nonsense are you implying?"
Before I could question him further, Eiren stepped forward and pushed open the door to the quiet chamber. "If it pleases Your Highness..."
I let out a heavy, tired sigh, raising a single finger in stern warning. "My heart and my body belong exclusively to Seraphel. If you harbour any foolish notions of seductive tricks, it will be the absolute end of your existence."
"No, Your Highness," Eiren replied softly, his voice smooth and trembling with apparent humility. "I truly wish only to pay my respects."
I scoffed gently and crossed the threshold. The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by the faint, flickering glow of two tall crimson candles placed at opposite corners, casting long, dancing shadows across the dark stone walls.
Once the heavy door clicked shut and we were entirely isolated from the court, I spun around to face him. "Well? Out with it."
Before the words could even fully leave my mouth, Eiren dropped heavily onto his knees, pressing his forehead directly against the cold floorboards.
"I wish to offer my deepest, eternal gratitude for everything Your Highness has bestowed upon my wretched life," Eiren whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You rescued me from the squalor of that wretched pleasure house years ago. You elevated me to your personal quarters, allowing me to taste a life of divine luxury and protection for so many years..."
Eiren abruptly fell silent, a heavy pause lingering in the air for five long, suffocating seconds.
I clenched my fists at my sides, my patience rapidly wearing thin. Just as I opened my mouth to demand he speak, Eiren raised his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the floor.
"Your Highness... I know I could never hope to win your heart," he murmured softly. "But... could I not remain within Asmodeus Palace? Allow me to stay as your humble servant..."
My jaw tightened, dark fury igniting behind my eyes. In a single, fluid motion, I glided forward, bending down to catch his chin in a brutal grip, forcing his face upward to meet mine.
"Are you putting on this pathetic, tragic farce in front of me?" I asked.
My voice did not rise in anger; instead, it dropped into an unnervingly quiet, dangerously silk-smooth whisper that vibrated with deadly intent. "How dare you utter such an absurd, arrogant request? Who do you think you are?"
My fingers slid down from his chin, wrapping around the slender column of his throat.
I tightened my grip, seamlessly lifting his entire body off the floor with one hand as his feet dangled helplessly in the air.
"Why in the dark realms do you believe you have the right to demand anything of me?" I murmured right against his ear, watching his eyes widen in terror as he clawed futilely at my wrist, choking and gasping for air. "You are a lowly servant—a discarded toy. I disbanded the concubines, granted you a lifetime of boundless wealth and unearned freedom, yet you have the audacity to beg to linger by my side? Have you completely forgotten your place, Eiren?"
Eiren’s face turned red immediately as he struggled against me, his nails digging uselessly into the back of my hand as he wheezed, his airway entirely cut off.
"You are a nobody," I continued, my voice remaining soft, serene, and terrifyingly gentle amidst his desperate struggles. "I explicitly warned you that if you dared overstep your bounds, I would snap your neck without hesitation. And yet, here you are, testing my mercy. Wouldn’t it be quite tragic if I ended your life right here and now?"
"Your... Your Highness..." Eiren choked out through his constricted throat, tears welling in his eyes. "I am... s...sorry..."
"You should be," I murmured softly. "Because this is the final shred of mercy you will ever receive from me."
I unclasped my fingers, releasing his throat.
Eiren collapsed onto the floor with a heavy thud, clutching his bruised neck as violent coughing fits wracked his body. He panted frantically for air, dragging air into his starved lungs before immediately pressing his forehead back against the stone floor.
"I... I apologize, Your Highness," he sobbed out, his voice trembling violently. "I was ahead of myself... I forgot my place..."
"It is fortunate you recognized your foolishness," I said coldly, adjusting the cuffs of my pristine sleeves. "You are exceptionally lucky that I have no desire to stain my hands with blood on my wedding day. Take your wealth, leave this palace, and learn to live out the rest of your quiet, mortal life in obscurity, Eiren."
I turned my back on him, walking toward the wooden door. "This is goodbye."
"Your Highness..." Eiren called out weakly behind me.
I didn’t bother turning around. "What else could you possibly want, Eiren? More gold? Land? Estates? I will grant you anything in this realm except for me.’’
A low groan escaped Eiren as he slowly pushed himself up from the floor. Soft, deliberate footsteps echoed against the stone as he closed the distance between us, stepping directly behind my exposed back.
"Could you... brush your hand over my head one last time?" he requested softly. "Just as you used to do?"
An irritated groan rose in my chest. I began to turn around, fully prepared to unleash the full extent of my aura and obliterate his arrogance once and for all.
Then suddenly, an icy pain tore directly through the center of my chest.
The air in my lungs vanished instantly.
My eyes dilated in sheer shock.
I let out a choked, breathless gasp as my entire body went rigid.
"I truly did try to convince you to join my side, Your Highness," Eiren whispered right beside my ear, his voice entirely devoid of its former fear.
He drove the gleaming, silver dagger plunged into my chest even deeper, twisting the blade mercilessly. "I tried to make you see reason, but you refused... and so, it had to end like this. I am sorry..."
"You... you bastard...!" I spat through gritted teeth, trying with every ounce of my formidable strength to raise my arm and crush his skull.
Nothing moved.
My limbs refused to obey. My powers had also disappeared.
"What... what did you do to me...?" I wheezed out, my vision blurring.
Eiren released his grip on the hilt, leaving the weapon embedded deep inside my heart.
The blade slowly disappeared inside my chest and then realization dawned on me what it was.
Elysium.
That weapon—it was the infamous Celestial Dagger of Elysium, an ancient relic forged specifically to seal the core of a Sin, completely paralyzing their power and stopping their heart for several hours.
"You..." I gasped, my knees buckling beneath me as I crashed heavily onto the cold marble floor at Eiren’s feet. "You... were working with Elysium all along..."
I had been entirely blind. I believed our defenses were impenetrable, believing the traitor was nowhere near us—yet the very snake I had nurtured in my own halls had delivered the fatal blow. He had lured me away from the banquet under the guise of a farewell, drawing me away from Seraphel.
Which meant... Elysium’s forces were already inside the palace gates.
My heart hammered its final, sluggish beat as darkness crept into the edges of my sight.
A single, scalding tear escaped my eye, tracking down my cheek as a terrifying image flashed in my mind.
"Seraphel..." I choked out in a faint, trembling whisper, helpless as the darkness dragged me under.