CHAPTER 11: The Serpent in Golden Robes
1164 Words
The heavy silence in the subterranean chamber broke under the rhythmic, mocking sound of hands clapping.
"Truly a magnificent display of dormant royal blood," the man purred, stepping completely out of the shadows.
He wore flowing golden robes embroidered with intricate black dragons—the mark of the High Imperial Family. A dark iron crown rested upon his grey-streaked hair, and his narrow, snake-like eyes held a cold, calculating glint.
Behind him stood four giant guards in heavy dragon-scale armor, their hands resting on the hilts of their broadswords.
My blood ran ice-cold, yet the golden flame in my chest surged with violent hatred.
"Uncle..." I whispered, the word tasting like venom on my tongue.
Duke Vane.
The man who had orchestrated the betrayal of my father ten years ago. The snake who had sent the Shadow Stalkers and the Chimeras to murder me on the mountain pass.
"Ah, so you remember your dear uncle, Lilya," Duke Vane smirked, placing his hands behind his back as he walked past the groveling form of Steward Vivienne.
He didn't even glance at Julian, who was still shivering in the glowing ash of the shattered altar.
"Look at you," Vane continued, his gaze sweeping over my glowing golden eyes and the velvet cloak wrapped around my shoulders.
"From a miserable, pathetic slave scrubbing wolf pens in the Bloodmoon Pack... to standing in the sacred Citadel. My late brother would be so proud of his little rat."
CRACK!
Before Vane could take another step, the stone floor beneath his feet fractured violently.
Robin was on his feet in a blur of black energy, his broadsword unsheathed and hovering less than an inch from Vane’s throat.
The lethal, dark aura radiating from Robin was so intense that Vane’s four dragon-scale guards were instantly forced to their knees, coughing up blood under the raw Lycan pressure.
"Utter one more insult toward my Queen, Vane," Robin snarled, his voice a monstrous, inhuman roar that shook the stone ceiling.
"And I will peel the skin from your flesh while your guards watch."
Vane’s smile wavered for a split second, a flicker of genuine fear crossing his narrow eyes as he looked at the razor-sharp black steel pressed against his neck.
However, Vane slowly raised his hand, gesturing to the dark corridor behind him.
"You may be the Lycan Overlord, Robin, but you cannot kill a member of the Imperial Senate without the unanimous decree of the Seven Elders," Vane said smoothly, though his voice had lost its playful edge.
"Touch me, and you plunge the entire Dark Realm into a civil war before your precious Queen even sits on her throne."
"Do you think I give a f**k about your Senate?" Robin growled, his crimson eyes flashing with mad, bloodthirsty desire. "I built this realm with blood. I can tear it down in an afternoon."
"Robin, wait," I called out softly, stepping beside him.
Robin didn't lower his blade, but his fierce gaze shifted sideways to look at me, waiting for my command.
I walked right up to Vane, staring into the eyes of the man who had destroyed my family, stolen my birthright, and condemned me to a life of torture.
"You sent assassins to take my heart on the mountain road, Uncle," I said, my voice dangerously calm, resonance vibrating softly in the air.
"You sent Chimeras to rip me apart. And when that failed, you tried to burn my soul on this altar."
Vane chuckled dryly, maintaining his arrogant posture. "A simple test of strength, my dear niece. The realm belongs to the strong. If you had died on the altar, you were simply too weak to bear our name."
"Is that so?" I smiled, a dark, lethal expression that made Vane’s jaw tighten.
Without warning, I reached out, my hand moving faster than his eyes could track.
I grabbed Vane by the lapels of his golden robes.
BOOM!
A localized burst of solar fire flared from my palm, instantly scorching his expensive golden silk into black rags and burning the skin on his chest.
"AAARGH!" Vane shrieked, stumbling backward as I released him, clutching his charred chest in agony.
His four guards gasped, completely stunned that a former slave had dared to lay hands on a High Duke.
"Listen to me carefully, Duke Vane," I spoke, my golden eyes blazing like two suns in the dark chamber.
"You want a war for the throne? You've got one. I won't hide behind Robin, and I won't ask for your Senate's permission."
I stepped closer, leaning down as Vane fell onto one knee, gasping for air.
"In three days, during the Blood Moon Coronation," I whispered coldly, "I am going to take back everything you stole from my father. And then... I am going to feed your heart to the wolves."
Vane looked up at me, his face pale, sweating profusely from the pain of his burns, his eyes filled with a sudden, deep-seated terror.
He finally realized that the broken omega he had tried to execute was long gone.
Stand before him was a Sun Queen who smelled of blood and vengeance.
"Guard... guards! Fall back!" Vane wheezed, scrambling away like a wounded rat, dragging his heavily pressured guards with him as they retreated up the dark stairs.
The subterranean chamber returned to silence.
Robin sheathed his broadsword with a heavy click. He turned to me, his dark expression melting into pure, intoxicating pride.
He wrapped his large arms around my waist, lifting me effortlessly into his chest once again.
"Three days until the coronation, my love?" Robin murmured, his deep voice vibrating against my neck as he pressed a slow, fiery kiss against my jawline.
"Three days," I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck, inhaling his dark, comforting scent. "I want them all to see me take the crown."
"Your wish is my command," Robin growled softly.
He carried me up the winding stone stairs, leaving behind the shattered altar and the terrified servants.
As we reached the grand imperial bedchambers at the top of the Citadel, a heavy velvet door swung open, revealing a breathtaking room overlooking the entire glowing city below.
Robin set me down on the edge of a massive, silk-draped bed, kneeling before me to remove my worn leather boots.
His touch was surprisingly gentle, a stark contrast to the monster who had threatened to butcher the Senate minutes ago.
"Rest now, sweet girl," Robin whispered, his hands lingering on my ankles. "Tomorrow, your true training begins."
"Training?" I asked, looking down at him.
Robin smirked, his crimson eyes glowing with dark anticipation. "You have the fire of a deity, Lilya... but I am going to teach you how to hunt like a Lycan."
Suddenly, a loud, panicked knocking echoed on the heavy double doors of the bedchamber.
Lord Kaelen’s voice barked frantically from the hallway outside.
"Your Majesty! Emergency! The Southern Border has fallen... Alpha Max has escaped from the silver mines!"
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