He Is An Imposter?

Asher saw a well dressed man with average looks and looking in his early forties with pale skin. He had a thick black mustache and a pair of dry, dark red eyes that seemed quite incisive. He was wearing a long black shirt and pants with flashy ornaments on his fingers and wrist.

His body was sturdy and square, and his height was taller than 6 2".

Behind him, there was a group of men in grand black armor, making Asher guess that these armored men were not mere guards but obviously ranked higher to follow someone who surely seemed to hold a grand position based on his powerful bearings. These men were vampires as well and not of other demon races, which made him confirm that their ranks must be quite high.

The man briefly waved his hand at the servants standing in the hall as they scurried away without even wasting a single second.

Ceti bowed as she said in a respectful tone, "Your Highness, I found him in a small village not too far from here. Everyone from the village was killed though when we reached there, we only found him without any Hunters around."

'Your Highness? Is he a prince or something?' Asher wondered as he took a careful look at this man.

"What a waste! How convenient that he does not have to worry about anything while we have been turning things upside down in search of him and even got our men killed all because he wanted to go for a stupid stroll. How disappointing. I feel so sorry that my niece has to put up with him every single day," He said as he looked at Asher with a look of disdain and contempt.

Asher didn't expect this man to be his 'wife's' uncle.. It also seemed like people here were searching for a 'retard' like him, though he felt it made sense since he was still the Royal Consort in the end.

If not for the vague memories of his time in this realm, he would have felt surprised at this extreme hostility from the people around him.

He fell into thought as he realized he would be dealing with people like him from now on, every day.

To rise to the top again, he would have to get rid of anyone who might stand in his way but not without calculating each and every move. The problem that he was crippled was proving to be quite a headache.

And apparently, he wasn't really feeling very good upon meeting his wife's uncle. He felt that everyone here would be treating him like shit because of being known as a crippled royal consort. Maybe in the world of demons, strength was everything. Even the servants he saw before may not have said anything, but he surely saw the scornful looks they gave him.

He had no doubt how his so-called wife would be thinking of him, though the question was why she didn't just simply throw him away?

But first, he had to get rid of his 'retard' image, "I went for a stroll?" Asher mumbled with a confused look.

Ceti unconsciously clicked her tongue in annoyance as she remembered that she had forgotten this dimwit who must have had no idea before whom he was standing.

She twisted her neck around as she whispered to him in a vexed voice, "Mind yourself. You are standing before Prince Seron, your uncle-in-law and also the Demon Queen's royal advisor."

'Royal advisor, huh?'

However, Seron was shocked by something as he looked at Asher with lifted brows, "You can…talk?"

Even the men in armor standing behind Seron couldn't help but look at Asher with disbelief.

Ceti quickly turned her head around as she said, "Forgive me, but I was about to tell Your Highness that the royal consort's mind is no longer crippled. He seems to have suddenly gained the ability to function like any other person."

"How…is that possible? What happened out there?" Seron asked as his eyes was unable to shake off his disbelief and added, "Have you made sure it isn't some enemy of our kingdom controlling his mind?"

'What's wrong with this guy? Shouldn't he be happy that his nephew-in-law is healthy now? Or is he really feeling concerned about the safety of the kingdom?' His actions piqued Asher's interest as he felt that he had to keep an eye on this guy.

Ceti firmly nodded her head as she said, "That was the first thing I did to make sure His Majesty wasn't compromised. I also found it shocking, but this is His Majesty in every way.

However, Seron's expression seemed as if he wasn't satisfied, and he said with a squint, "The royal physician had announced in the past that this boy's mind was probably crippled since birth. He also mentioned that there was no remedy or miracle in the world that could fix him. So the only explanation I can think of is that I have to thoroughly investigate him personally and see if his body and mind haven't been compromised. I can explain this to Her Majesty later. Men, take him," Without even any warning, Seron ordered his men to grab Asher, who frowned at the sudden turn of events.

He felt a very bad feeling just by seeing the way this man was looking at him.

Ceti had a confused expression as she said in a hesitant tone, "B-But, Your Highness, I don't think this is—"

"You have to understand I am doing this for the safety of our queen, Lady Ceti. I am sure you want the same. Don't you? I will later tell Her Majesty everything after I make sure of things," Seron said with a inscrutable smile as he looked at Asher, who was about to get grabbed by his men.

Asher was pissed off when these men grabbed his arms, pulling him away like some animal, "Hey! You dare touch this Royal Consort? Do you all want to get punished by my wife for doing this without her permission?!" Asher's sudden roar shook the two men who were dragging Asher away, making them suddenly stop what they were doing, and they looked at Seron with a look of hesitation. Asher always trusted his instincts which he had cultivated over his time as a Hunter, and after hearing Seron's words, he felt as if he might not come back alive if he got taken away by these men. What if they cripple his mind again in attempts to get rid of the 'imposter'.

All he could do was use the Demon Queen's name to scare them and buy some time if possible.

Only when Asher said, it did they remember about their queen and how they were basically dragging away the Royal Consort without her permission. Even though he was worth nothing in their eyes, they weren't sure how exactly their queen would react, considering the fact that she had been keeping him alive all these years.

Ceti was a bit startled by hearing his brazen words, not expecting such an attitude from him, considering how she had only seen him as a doormat without a mind of his own for all these years. She also didn't expect to get startled by his shout and felt ashamed she even became startled by the cry of a weakling like him.

But hearing him repeatedly address her queen as his 'wife' made her wrinkle her nose in contempt, wondering what gave this weakling the confidence to call someone like their queen his wife. Just being married in name wasn't enough for him to be worthy of calling their queen as his 'wife'. Was he too ignorant to understand that?

"Why are you fools getting bothered by the words of an imposter? He will say anything to save his skin. Take him away, and I will take full responsibility," Seron said with an irate look as he gestured with his hand to take him away.

Asher looked at Seron with a harsh look as he tried to struggle free but to no avail. Even if he had mana he knew it would be useless since he could already feel that these two men in armor were too strong.

Seron scoffed, seeing his futile struggle but right before Asher could get dragged out, a cold yet mellifluous voice echoed from behind, making everyone stand frozen in their spot,

"Who dares to cause a commotion in my castle?"