The Royal Revenge
Chapter 188: An Heir

Chapter 188: An Heir

A handful of the knights hesitated the second Aleksander’s instruction ended with the vision he gave them. However, the anguished cries of the nobles seemed to have irked them, and after another second of thinking, plus the young king’s intense glare, the knights immediately took action.

"What are you trying to do?" High Priestess Naya angrily asked as the knights pushed their way towards the vampire clergy.

"High Priestess, do you know what your priest has done in particular that we believe without fail that he has committed treason against the crown and that of the whole kingdom?" Aleksander addressed the angry High Priestess.

"I have no idea whatever it is that you are trying to imply, your majesty," she replied sourly, "All I know is that Priest Mora is a valuable member of the clergy, and a loyal citizen of the Western Kingdom."

Elys scoffed, her brows knitting together at the middle.

"High Priestess Naya, your priest has brought in a dangerous item given by the Eastern spy, and used it to create mayhem and destruction within the kingdom," Elys said. "Specifically, the fire that raged and claimed innocent lives today."

This time around, High Priestess Naya’s ears twitched and turned towards the young queen.

"What do you mean?" she asked utterly confused. "That Mora... he burned the capital himself?"

"That is what it is, High Priestess," Elys lifted her chin and smiled with a smug look on her face.

The High Priestess ground her teeth. Heavy footsteps of armored knights approached the side of the vampire clergy, and one of them stepped out to address the criminal in question.

"Priest Mora, under the orders of his majesty, King Aleksander Reagan Hazreel Ardorlean, you are under arrest for treason against the crown. Please come forward and we will accompany you to the dungeons," the highest ranking knight within the room spoke directly to Mora.

"You can’t take me! I have done nothing!" he denied the allegations.

"If you resist then we will have no choice but to use force and restrain you, Priest Mora," the knight warned.

"Get him already," Aleksander suddenly said with a loud voice travelling from the elevated part of the High Courts. "Restrain those who try to get in your way."

Mora turned to the High Priestess, and his eyes were basically begging her to step in and stop the knights from taking him.

The other priests and acolytes gathered around the priest and tried as much as they could to block the knights, trying to stall until High Priestess Naya decides what to do. The High Priestess bit her lower lip – she can’t let them take Mora, he might just rat her out!

High Priestess Naya’s eyes turned cold and calculating. She glanced swiftly from the throne and back to the vampire clergy, and then with a forlorn sigh, gazed at Mora.

The priest knew immediately what her look had meant. His heart sank instantly as High Priestess Naya waved her hand and whispered to the nearest knight beside her.

"Take him away," she spoke in a hush, "the vampire clergy needs no one who would put the kingdom into jeopardy."

’She is going to sacrifice me!’ Mora realized. ’How could she?’

The priest always thought that the High Priestess had their best interests at heart. She looked out for the clergy and that of the whole kingdom. He couldn’t start to process how she easily dismissed him.

Aleksander and Elys on the other hand was amused by the show in front of them. The young king waved a nonchalant hand, a bit uninterested after a few minutes of looking at the same angry yet conflicted faces from the vampire clergy.

When Priest Mora was finally whisked away from the High Courts, there was an undeniable heavy air that clouded the entire court.

High Priestess Naya stayed at the middle, and seeing this opportunity, Aleksander took the chance to address another pressing matter that should have been cleared a long time ago.

"High Priestess, you are looking stressed a lot lately," he started off.

She knew he was trying to get something out of her, but out of common court courtesies, it was very unheard of that she should not reply the king when he spoke to her. "I think of the kingdom constantly, your majesty. The current events have worried me ever since."

"Ah... I understand," King Aleksander said, "well then, would you be kind enough to share with me what you think of the current events within the kingdom? Surely you have something to say, like perhaps the fact that one of your priests has committed treason under your nose and has gone undetected for a while now."

High Priestess Naya squared her shoulders and straightened her back. Aleksander has started to drop in hints that he was basiclly threatening the influence of the vampire clergy.

All the more was High Priestess Naya’s power as well as influence on all of the Western Kindom’s residents who are religious.

Squinting at the young king, High Priestess Naya replied, "It is an unfortunate event that has befallen into the kingdom. It seems like there is a lot to work on, your majesty."

If the young king was going to play dirty and throw mud at her, High Priestess Naya was not the type to back away.

On the contrary, she would actually stoop lower than that.

’The shade he gives won’t be as petty as mine would be,’ she thought to herself.

"Well, the whole palace court and knights have done all that is necessary to address problems in the kingdom. The output, I would say, has been timely and organized compared to the previous."

"But there are still several lapses, King Aleksander. How would the King and Queen be able to gain loyalty if rumors arise of them as only a couple in paper?" the High Priestess countered.

Elys rolled her eyes at the High Priestess’ attempt to show their marriage was weak.

’She is trying to attack me, get rid of me even before I do more and finally abolish the slavery system,’ Elys thought to herself.

"Many marriages are for power and political gain, High Priestess. Even our nobilities marry for money and not of love. Such a rumor does not faze us," the young queen interjected.

"Truly, it does not at all?" High Priestess Naya raised an incredulous brow.

"Like what my queen said, such rumors does not faze our marriage," Aleksander agreed with a smile on his face, "Of course, every soul in the kingdom knows of how unconventional our union came to be, but what happens within that is none of anybody’s business. Besides, our actions should be enough to prove we work well. You should have seen my queen ride off towards the capital fire, her hair blazing in the wind."

"Indeed, even the King and Queen themselves have responded firsthand during the fire. It is truly commendable, your majesties. The people will remember your kindness and bravery," Marquis Lanz spoke, backing the king who had trusted and put him in the position he is at now.

High Priestess Naya’s eyes darkened. Her attempts to put them down seemed to be uneffective. But she did not let that setback faze her. Instead, she raised her chin indignantly and faced the rest of the vampire High Court.

"Do you all agree to that? Does is not concern you all of the king and queen’s unstable relationship?" she addressed them one by one.

Murmurs started to rise from the room, but was shortly stopped with Aleksander’s golden death stare. Marquis Lanz flicked his hands, and the mirrors in the room rearranged accordingly. He knew too well that the king wanted to intimidate them, and the loyal secreatry wanted to do his part.

Somebody cleared their throat, and then a familiar voice spoke out a concern nobody have aired out before.

"I disagree that love is something prerequisite for a good marriage. The King and Queen are right. However, is it not concerning that we haven’t even heard of anything about King Aleksander and Queen Elysianne securing an heir?" Archduke Keane asked.

Slowly, the High Court started to discuss among themselves what Archduke Keane pointed out. Elys and Aleksander looked at each other, whereas the people loyal to them worried that the power they hold seem to have been questioned with an apparently absent heir.

"Truly, but what of blood purity?"

"Would the heir be actually as strong as any vampire considering it would be half human?"

"Maybe the king should take a concubine..."

"Is he even fertile?"

"I say the king and queen should step down and let Sir Wiriam and his wife take the throne. He already has a son, a promising boy at that."

"Not to mention King Aleksander is said to be cursed..."

High Priestess Naya smiled evilly. The seeds of doubt she had sown in the High Court instantly grew wild.

"Silence!" Aleksander’s enraged voice rose. He rose with all regality and then spoke calmly, an instant change in his demeanor as he announced, "a fool of you all to believe the queen and I haven’t been trying. Very well then, an heir is what you want, then an heir we shall grant you!"