Chapter 54: Bloody throne
Ethan was walking through the corridors of the palace and around him the bodies of the palace guards were scattered everywhere. The bloodstains were hidden by the red carpet, but the walls were painted red. The motionless bodies of the guards increased with each step. Their faces seemed to have witnessed horror before their demise, and their weapons didn't seem to serve a purpose. Ethan continued down the corridor, eventually arriving at the entrance of the throne room. Pushing the door open, he entered with confident strides. The throne room was a scene of horror. All the nobles of Asina lay on the floor, and as he advanced, the lifeless bodies of important figures of the Asina kingdom multiplied. The room was in ruins, with the pillars of the throne room destroyed. Cold air blew in through the broken rear window. Ethan crossed over the fallen pillars and continued walking on the red carpet leading to the throne.
He walked towards the throne with steady steps, ignoring the surrounding dead.When he finally reached the steps of the throne, he saw the bodies of those he was closest to. His mother, his brothers, his sisters, the women he loved, even his father Richard was there, his bloody corpse on the throne. Ethan continued walking towards the throne through the blood, but at that moment, another man flung Richard's motionless body off the throne and sat upon it the throne. It was as if this was the rightful place for him to sit. Ethan looked at the man sitting on the throne. He had fiery red hair and eyes that seemed to proclaim him the greatest hunter in the forest.
The redhead held an enormous sword in one hand and stood imposingly on the throne. Like children who had found an anthill and were watching the last remaining ant with curiosity after killing most of them. The redhead looked at Ethan. Ethan didn't move or make a sound. He was overcome with pure fear because of the surrounding horror. At that moment, the redhead, now bored with the ant, stood up. Ethan realized that everything around him was growing larger, or rather, he was shrinking. As his body diminished, he finally became as small as an ant.
The redhead descended the stairs and approached Ethan. When he finally reached Ethan, he raised his foot to crush the ant, and began to bring it down rapidly towards the ant. Ethan awaited his fate helplessly, and just as the shoe was about to crush him, Ethan woke up drenched in sweat from his nightmare. He gobbled water from the nearby glass to calm himself.
"Who the fuck is this red-haired motherfucker?"
Ethan cursed after the redhead in his dream, then his heart calmed down, and he looked at the moonlight shining through the window. The dreams with the redhead man were becoming increasingly frequent, and Ethan was sure he hadn't seen this man before, but he couldn't understand why he kept seeing him in different dreams. Honestly, he didn't know whom to ask for help about this issue. He knew that dreams were triggered by the subconscious, even in his previous life, but no one ever fully explained dreams, even in his previous world. A few minutes later, Ethan lay back down to sleep again, and soon fell asleep without another nightmare this time.
The next day, after a quick bath and breakfast, he left the inn where he stayed. They had stopped in a small village a few days away from the city of Aurendale, and now it was time to hit the road again since it was morning. Ethan got on the carriage, he stayed in and sat across from Jackson. Luna, not feeling well, had boarded a carriage with servants to assist her.
During the time he spent with Jackson, he had concluded that he was an alchemist and a relatively kind person. "When we arrive in Aurendale, if you want, you can work with me to earn some money. What do you say?" Ethan asked.
"Sir, I would be honored, but I've grown quite rusty during my time in prison, and I don't think I'll be up to your standards," he said.
"I'll be the judge of that, and don't worry, I asked not because you're Aphrodite's brother, but because I truly need an alchemist. Finding one lately has become quite challenging," Ethan said.
"In that case, I look forward to serving you," he said.
There was a moment of silence between them, and Ethan looked out the window. It had become a soothing habit to gaze at the magnificent view of the mountains. Taking advantage of the silence, Jackson glanced at the sword beside Ethan. The hilt of the sword was black, and the red color gleamed even brighter towards its sharp edge. No matter how much Jackson looked at the sword, it seemed as if the sword was looking back at Jackson. Shivering, he withdrew his gaze from the sword.
"Your Majesty, why do you always carry the sword with you? I don't think it's comfortable. If you want, there's a compartment under the seat where you can put it," Jackson said.
"No need, I'm fine like this," Ethan said.
Ethan had noticed that as long as he kept the sword nearby for a long time, he somehow grew stronger. That's why he started keeping this strange sword close to him as much as possible, but the demon inside the sword, eager to come out at any moment, hadn't forgotten. Fortunately, when this demon was weak, it would try to possess Ethan, and as a prince, especially a powerful one, it was almost impossible for Ethan to weaken so much.
With these thoughts, the journey continued, and they finally arrived in the city of Aurendale. The residents of the city watched with curiosity as they saw dozens of carriages arriving. Most of the soldiers who had participated in the war from Aurendale had already returned, but some had stayed in the capital to protect Ethan. So, the soldiers who finally returned home and went happily to their homes.
Ethan entered his mansion and got off the carriage when he saw Aphrodite and Eleanor waiting at the door. Jackson got off behind Ethan and looked at the pink-haired girl with a surprised expression. Jackson approached to understand better who the pink-haired, beautiful girl was. At that moment, Aphrodite's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief as she looked at Jackson.
"I didn't expect you to be so cold to your sister you haven't seen in so long," Ethan said. Upon hearing these words, Jackson finally recognized Aphrodite and ran towards her. His sister, whom he hadn't seen in years, was now in front of him. They hugged each other in disbelief.
"You've grown so much since the last time I saw you, little sweet sister," Jackson said.
Aphrodite looked at Jackson with a warm smile, and a slight melancholy appeared in her eyes. "I've grown this big because my sister took good care of me. So... How come you're here? You're not going to leave us again, are you?"
"His Majesty Ethan picked me up and brought me to you. And yes, my sweet little brother, I promise I will never leave you two again."
They hugged each other again, and Aphrodite looked at Ethan with grateful eyes. Finally, everyone entered the mansion. As Jackson went to another room to spend some time and chat with his sister, Eleanor approached Ethan.
"You have many letters waiting for you," Eleanor said.
"What kind of letters?"
"You have sixty-eight marriage proposals even though you have a fiancée, but I haven't looked at the contents. There's also a letter Ulric gave me before he left and I left it in your room"