To His Hell and Back
Chapter 295: It’s A Witch-II

Chapter 295: It’s A Witch-II

A lone guard dressed in polished silver armor stood before the royal chamber door, his gloved hand hovering for a moment before he finally knocked against the intricate wood. The sound was solid, echoing faintly down the silent hallway.

Not long ago, he would have walked to the left, where the King’s chamber stood in quiet authority. But ever since His Majesty’s health had mysteriously declined, the Queen had claimed control, and now the guard, like the rest of the court, had no choice but to bow to her.

He hated working under Morgana, hated the idea that the Queen was now responsible for all the movement in the castle. But it wasn’t because she was a woman, not because she was once human, but rather because Queen Morgana ruled with a ruthless willfulness that stifled even the air in Versailles. She bent everything and everyone to her desire— her guards, her court, her own husband. Even her own son. And when force wasn’t enough, she didn’t hesitate to kill.

She ruled with fear, not wisdom, and her flaws were showing far too glaringly for all of them to forget it ever existed.

The kingdom was in an utter chaos despite its glamour. The nobles and those who once bathed in luxury and whispered praise beneath golden chandeliers— were growing restless. Their unease was no longer confined to gossip behind fans and wine glasses. It thickened in the air like a storm brewing. No one said it aloud, but the fear was tangible. They too, cannot accept the Queen’s ruling and her decisions.

The murder of their beloved princess had been a spark and the Queen’s reaction to the murder by launching the Human Hunt, ordering the slaughter of humans to "remind them of their place"— was a wildfire.

It had backfired. Horribly. The human factions, already bruised and bitter from the sudden upheaval of vampire rule, now turned rabid with vengeance. To them, vampires had proven what they always feared: that they were not rulers, but beasts in silk.

Some of the court, of course, still supported Morgana’s approach. They cheered her strength. Applauded her mercilessness, believing that humans should never be on par with them, never to be given freedom and so they should suffer.

But most of them, quietly, carefully, wanted no part in her war. They didn’t like to pay blood with blood, especially the ones who aren’t living in the castle, those normal commoners who just wanted to get to another day, not wanting to bother whether they’re humans or vampires. And unfortunately for Morgana, those voices were much more than the people who supported her.

To make it worse, the Queen had yet made another unreasonable demand, accusing the prince behind the potions that were going around Versailles, saying that he’s working with a witch.

A witch?

That the woman Cassius had kept around him was actually an immortal witch?

He hadn’t seen the woman by his own eyes and had only heard from people how she was really stabbed to die yet had miraculously walked back up as if she wasn’t hurt at all. But how foolish. How could anyone believe that? The people who made the claim of witnessing it all happening were mostly the people who supported Morgana in the first place so the guards and soldiers only believe this as nothing more than a ruse Morgana had made up yet again.

"Come in," ordered Queen Morgana and with a heavy heart the guard opened the door and walked in.

He removed his helmet and his short red hair took a little ruffle as he brushed it aside. He then trained his bloody red eyes to the floor only to hear a click of tongue from the Queen that made him look up toward her.

He sighed inwardly upon seeing how the Queen’s eyebrows had been furrowed and her annoyance had gotten over the roof yet again. But before the Queen could be royally pissed off, he knelt one knee on the ground and held her hand, giving it a kiss at the back of her hand.

This gesture was usually only for the King yet since the king fell ill she demanded this as if it was normal.

"How is the prisoner?"

The crown prince now turned as prisoner. This woman must have thought she had became the King himself that could crown anyone she liked.

Perhaps after the death of her daughter that she wished to be a son, she realized it was much faster to simply steal the throne to herself than her children.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is currently facing all accusations with a calm demeanor," the guard reported evenly.

He knew the moment the words left his mouth that it irritated her. Not because of the update—But because he had called Cassius the Crown Prince.

A subtle shift in the air followed. Though the Queen remained silent, he could feel her displeasure like a prickle against his skin. Still, he did not correct himself.

She could have his head if she wished, but the truth of the title hadn’t changed, not yet.

"The court has decided," he continued, choosing his next words carefully, "that a formal judging session will be held by the end of this week. The purpose is to cross-check the presented evidence and determine whether His Highness is innocent... or a traitor."

He let the word traitor hang in the air.

A dangerous word. A final word. One that Morgana clearly hoped would seal Cassius’s fate.

But not everyone had declared him guilty.

And Morgana knew it.

The guard kept his eyes low, expression unreadable, but inwardly he braced himself for her reaction. Queens like Morgana did not take well to waiting. And even less so to doubt."Raven," the queen said with a hum, calling his name as though they were close, "Have he spoken anything? Anything at all?"

Raven, the guard shook his red hair, "The Crown Prince have said that he had decided to keep quiet and wouldn’t talk a single word until the day of the judging session is held. He had also asked me to look at the King. You have told me that the King’s current doctor is... what was her name again?"

Morgana seemed ruffled but managed her smile.