Chapter 159
Chapter 159
Killian’s POV
“You’re scaring me, Killian.”
A pang of guilt twisted inside me. I could already see the strain carving itself into her delicate features. If only she knew that the truth I held would do more than just wound her heart. For a fleeting second, I regretted not following through with the plan to sabotage his death.
“My love,”
Ruby touched my arm, giving it a gentle shake. She stepped closer.
“Why did you go so silent all of a sudden?” she asked.
“Forgive me. My thoughts drifted.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, my other hand holding hers firmly. “I don’t know where to begin, truly. Because, my dearest, you are the one I feared for the most when I heard it.”
She paused. Her breath caught, just slightly.
“I suspected as much.”
She exhaled slowly, her hand brushing over her now rounder belly. A few moments passed, and her tense expression melted into something softer. She leaned her forehead against my arm, her eyes falling shut with a tenderness that broke me further.
“Thank you for caring so much about my emotional and mental wellbeing. You always think of me.”
Her words struck deeper than she knew.
“Darling, please believe me,
this-”
“It’s alright.” She cut in. “Whatever it is, I’ll hear it. I’ll face it. Stop treating me like I’m made of glass.”
Ruby raised her head. Our eyes locked hazel meeting crimson, two colors woven into sign eternal.
“Please?”
I shook my head slowly. “I’ve never seen you as a fragile woman, my love. If anything, it’s your heart. The beautiful heart of yours that tends to get in the way. It’s simply too kind for this world.”
“Then tell me. You wanted to talk to me about it, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
How could I deny her? I was the one who brought this subject up in the first place. So I gently took her hand and led her to the nearest sofa in our chamber. We sat close, our shoulders brushing, and every now and then, I gave her hand a light, reassuring squeeze.
“Promise me you won’t take this out on yourself,” I asked her.
Ruby, ever intuitive, gave me a smile gently. “The way you say that it makes me think this isn’t something small. But alright, I’ll try.”
And she was right. Ruby had a way of turning herself into the culprit, even when she had nothing to do with the blame. It was a cruel habit; one I had vowed to undo, no matter how long it took.
“Do you remember spending time with our youngest, teaching him arithmetic before you left for your trip?” I began.
She gave a slight nod, her expression thoughtful.
11:00 Mon 9 Jun 1
Chapter 159
“Did
you notice anything unusual while you were in the library?”
Her brows drew together as she searched her memory.
“Not really. Everything felt normal. Wait,
the library made him feel uncomfortas did get a little cranky. He kept saying he didn’t want to be there. Said he’d rather study in our rooms Hes
“And what about you?” I questioned again.
“I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. Probably just this faint sense of being watched?” she admitted, eyes narrowing in thought. “But I brushed it off. Big rooms like that can sometimes play tricks on your senses, it’s easy to feel like the walls are watching.”
“That’s a reasonable thought. However, that day was different, Ruby,” I told her.
She turned her gaze to me. “Different? How?”
In the end, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I told her everything. Every word that left my mouth reshaped Ruby’s face. Disbelief and shock flickered across her features. Terror settled in her eyes. Her silence spoke louder than any protest.
My throat tightened as I forced myself to say it: It was Aztes.
“W–why?” she stammered.
“My own kin thought I’d grown too hungry for power,” I said bitterly. “They believed I was something unnatural in this world. They knew I wouldn’t surrender the throne as easily as tossing a fish back into the sea. They hated what I’d built.”
“I never once claimed to be heaven’s chosen. I’ve worn the title of ‘child of darkness‘ with pride, as you know, Ruby. I never showed mercy. I rooted out every trace of rot from this kingdom ruthlessly.”
I looked into the distance, my voice hollow. “You know what that means.”
“That’s why they sent Aztes, to get close to me and…”
“That’s exactly what happened.”
Ruby’s trembling hand flew to her mouth. “They’re going after our family! H–how could he do this? Elias and the twins are just kids!”
“War and cruelty rarely care about age, Ruby.”
That was the cruel truth we had no choice but to face. It was that truth that had kept my rage burning like wildfire these past days. I’ve been hunting them. Nonetheless somehow, they slipped beneath our radar. Not a single trace that I found. To hell with it all.
Let the world be damned. I will not forgive them.
“I’m sorry, Ruby,” I whispered regretfully. “I swear I will protect our children. I never meant for our family to be caught in the crossfire of all this.”
Her lashes were soaked. Her nose tinged red from holding back sobs.
“I never blamed you. Don’t carry that weight.”
She reached out, her fingers cupping the side of my face.
Her voice was soft, but beneath it lay the cracks of something broken.
“It just hurts that someone I once trusted would betray me like this, Killian.”
Then her expression shifted. The grief in her eyes turned to steel. The room seemed to darken around her, her presence charged with a storm only a mother could summon.
11:00 Mon, 9 Jun G
Chapter 159
“I despise conflict and bloodshed. With one condition, I will not stand by while they lay a hand on my family.”
She leaned in, her face inches from mine. Her hand drifted down, pressing softly against my chest. A shiver ran across my skin as those eyes burned with defiance and a thousand promises of vengeance.
“Take me to Aztes. And let me teach him what it means to touch my family.”
