Chapter 693: The dog(4)
Chapter 693: The dog(4)
Lechlian remained on all fours long after his lips left Alpheo’s ring, his breath rattling through clenched teeth as the cold stone beneath him seemed to drink the last of his dignity. Sweat glistened on his brow, not from heat or effort, but from the searing shame that radiated from every corner of the room.
The nobles looked on, their expressions frozen in horror. Some stared at their prince as if they no longer recognized him. Others, lips pressed thin, tried not to look at all.
To see a sovereign prostrate himself, not in ritual or ceremony, but in true, desperate submission, struck something primal in all of them.
As any ounce of respect they could have had for their liege opened the door and made itself out.
Alpheo meanwhile slowly withdrew his hand, wiping it without ceremony on the velvet cloth of his tunic as if ridding it of filth, though his smile betrayed how thoroughly he had savored every second.
He took a step back from Lechlian, to admire the full breadth of the ruin at his feet , like an artist finally laying eyes on his life’s work.
“So,” Alpheo said at last, his voice smooth, indulgent, filled with the ease of absolute power, “we’ve finally found your true station. Tell me how is the view from down there?”
He did not wait for an answer as he turned slightly, sweeping his gaze across the long table and its stunned occupants. “Look well, my lords and ladies,” he continued, his tone rising like a theater master unveiling the final act. “This is your prince. This is the man who led you to ruin, the man who raised his voice against me, who dared sully my name. Behold him now, where his arrogance has taken him.”
A few nobles dropped their gaze, unable to meet his eye. Others exchanged silent glances, as if truly realizing how low they had fallen.
Lechlian finally moved, barely. He shifted one trembling hand beneath him, then collapsed onto his back, too weak or too humiliated to lift himself back up. His lip trembled, though he said nothing, not even in defense.
He had none left.