The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 232

Chapter 232

Chapter 232: Tainted Blood

ALDUIN ERALITH

I watched as Merial gently stroked our daughter’s hair, tucking in loose strands behind her ear while she slept soundly. Pale columns of moonlight enveloped the two of them, casting a serene atmosphere inside the quiet room.

How long has it been since we were last together like this? I thought.

Too long to remember. We’d spent the better half of the night talking, like a real family, until Tessia finally fell asleep.

She had grown so big, so beautifully. She was the spitting image of her mother, yet she had my stubbornness. And hearing her talk—hearing her really talk—about how she was doing and what her plans were for the future... it was what I needed.

It reaffirmed my decision.

I made my way towards the door, taking one last look at my two girls. Merial looked up at me, giving me a determined gaze. Her eyes were lined with tears and her flushed cheeks could be seen even in this dimly-lit room. She was gently holding Tessia’s hand as she gave me a nod.

Nodding back with a hardened expression, I stepped outside the room. I’d been in the Castle for several years now, but never before had it felt so large and barren. The sconces lighting up the hallway flickered wildly as I passed, almost like they knew and were rebuking me.

I only made it a few steps before I relented under the pressure weighing down on me. I leaned back against the wall for support as the tension grew in me, spreading through my face and limbs like a wildfire. The wave of panic didn’t stop there—it merely came in erratic pulses, driving me mad as my mind imagined the consequences of what I was about to do.

My breath came in stuttered gasps and my heart hammered so fiercely against my chest that I feared my ribs would crack. The empty corridors tottered and spun with every little movement I made, rendering me to the floor. I buried my face in my knees, clutching at my hair with trembling hands as I thought back to the words spoken to me last night.

It was Arthur’s bond in her human form.

Her demeanor was casual yet refined as she approached me.

“What is it now?” I snarled, taking an involuntary step back. I knew exactly who it was. It was obvious just by the way she carried herself and the expression on her face that it wasn’t actually Arthur’s bond—it was Agrona.

“How very curt of you, King Alduin,” she, or rather, he, replied. “I thought we were closer than that.”

“Close? I did what you asked, but my daughter still almost died out there on the field! If it wasn’t for General Aya—”

“If my soldiers purposely avoided her like some sort of plague, your daughter wouldn’t be merely bruised by her own inadequacy,” he interrupted, expressionless. “She’d be suspicious, and that isn’t something you want.”

I grit my teeth in frustration. “Why are you here? I’ve done what you’ve asked. I smuggled in your men so that they could kill our prisoners.”

“I’ve come for a different matter, King Alduin,” he said. It frustrated me more than anything else how relaxed he was. “Currently, our sides are engaged on the western shore. For you—for your people—that means you’ve abandoned your kingdom.”

The emotional side of me wanted to lash out at him. How dare he come in here and talk as if he had nothing to do with it, but years as a political figure had trained me to keep silent and mask my expression.

“I wanted to hear from you,” he continued without missing a beat. “Where does your loyalty lie?”

“What do you mean? Letting you kill prisoners that have no use is one matter, but if you’re suggesting even the remote possibility that I betray my people—”

“Not ‘betray your people.’ You already did that,” he cut in. “I’m asking if your loyalty lies with all of Dicathen, from the barren deserts of the Darv all the way to the outskirts of Sapin—whose men capture and sell your people as slaves even today, or your kingdom.”

I didn’t answer. And that moment of hesitation was all he needed to know—that I could be wavered.

“I will cease the attacks on all of your elven territory. As long as they do not attack any Alacryans, your people will be guaranteed safety along with you, your wife, and your troubled child.”

Our eyes remained locked as he waited for my answer.

“What do you want?” I finally asked.

“Similar to last time, I need you to grant a few of my men access into the Castle as well as Xyrus City.”

After staring blankly for a moment, I laughed. I laughed at an asura that was capable of potentially wiping away my existence with a flick of his finger.

But Agrona remained calm. He let me laugh and ridicule the very idea until my office was silent.

Suddenly, he snapped his fingers as if he just remembered something. “I forgot you always need that little extra push, King Alduin. How about this, then. Your daughter will die if you don’t. Not only will she die, she’ll also most likely kill quite a few people around her in the process.”

“W-What?”

Agrona tapped his sternum. “You know those corrupted beasts that has caused so many problems for you? Well, just like them, your daughter’s core is also poisoned.”

Anger flared up inside and I grabbed Agrona by the collar. “What did you do to her?”

He laughed jarringly in the body of Arthur’s bond. “I didn’t do anything. Ironic as it is, you can blame your daughter’s boyfriend for this.”

It took me a moment to realize what he meant. It was the beast will of the elderwood beast. The S class beast that my daughter had assimilated with.

My hands lost strength and I released Agrona before falling back onto my chair.

“I’d give you a demonstration, but that might put a little hiccup to our little plan. Besides, I think you know by now that I don’t lie.”

I shook my head, trying to force the memories out of my head before continuing forward.