Duke Wolfsbane's Plan

"Hurry up, but please be quiet so they won't notice us," William ordered.

The servants swiftly entered the secret passage, followed by Aria and the others.

"Your Majesty, please be careful," Cedrik urged, to which Aria nodded.

Izekiel clutched her hand tightly, fearful of the darkness, while William, at the rear, kept a vigilant eye for potential pursuers.

"How long until we reach the exit?" Izekiel asked.

"I don't know, please be patient. We'll reach there soon," Aria reassured him. Izekiel looked back, hoping their escape remained undetected.

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The door swung open, catching the attention of Duke Wolfsbane, who noticed the unusual silence within the palace.

"No one is around," he mumbled, scanning the area. "They've escaped! Find them quickly!" he ordered, and his guards began scouring the palace, inside and out.

The Duke clenched his teeth. "Tsk. How dare they escape! I'll make sure to punish all of them!"

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Finally, the exit door opened, and they emerged, with a collective sigh of relief.

"Thankfully, no one saw us," Aria remarked. She turned to the servants. "Please depart now; we don't know how long it'll be until they notice our absence. Leave before it's too late."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!" the servants bowed.

She smiled, the servants departed in various directions.

Aria noticed Izekiel staring at a statue of the emperor emeritus. "He was loved by the people," he mused. Unlike him, the people hated him.

"Kiel, we should leave now. The boat is waiting for us," she urged.

"Your Majesty, let's go," William added.

They were on the verge of departing when they heard approaching noises. The knights swiftly drew their swords, prepared to defend the emperor and empress. Hachi, in his wolf form, positioned himself at the front.

It was Duke Wolfsbane's guards who had finally caught up.

"We've found you!" one of the guards declared. "Don't try to escape!" another one warned.

"Protect the emperor and empress!" William ordered, and a fierce battle ensued.

Aria clung tightly to Izekiel. "We must leave here." She tugged Izekiel and Cedrik along. "Hachi, let's go!" she called out. They mounted him, and he raced away.

"Chase them!" the guard shouted.

"I won't let you!" William defiantly blocked their path.

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"Faster, Hachi! We're almost there!" Aria exclaimed, glancing back anxiously. She hoped William could catch up.

NEIGH!

Their escape came to a halt as knights on horseback blocked their path, with Duke Wolfsbane in their midst.

"Where do you think you're going, Your Majesty?" Duke Wolfsbane taunted, his smirk dripping with arrogance.

"Gilmesh! How dare you betray the emperor? He trusted you! Are you truly so consumed by greed that you'd frame him?" Aria shouted, her anger boiling.

"Hahahha! Yes, you're right! I am really greedy, and I won't hesitate to eliminate anyone for the sake of gaining a higher position in this empire," Duke Wolfsbane confessed without remorse.

Aria gritted her teeth.

"Lord Gilmesh, I don't believe that you're a bad person. It's not too late for you to stop this madness! Please!" Izekiel pleaded.

Gilmesh gazed at Izekiel, then smirked. "I'm sorry, Izekiel, but I have been using you from the very beginning. My true goal was to get closer to the late emperor and attain a new position, but when I met you, I saw an opportunity to make you the new emperor and have the power to control the other ministers and nobles. However, you proved to be so useless that I framed you to manipulate the people's opinion and force you to give up the throne. And if that happens, I, Gilmesh Wolfsbane, will be the new ruler of this empire!" he gloated.

"That's why you also killed your own brother, because he discovered your dirty scheme," Aria accused.

"Haha, that useless brat was always getting on my nerves. It was only right to silence him forever, so no one would stop me," Gilmesh admitted callously.

"You're heartless," Aria said.

"Aria, just give up. Why don't you surrender and return to the palace? Don't worry, I won't punish you," Gilmesh taunted, a wicked smile on his lips.

Izekiel clenched his fists. "Aria, I will protect you!" he declared, drawing his swords.

"Kiel, you don't know how to fight," Aria cautioned.

"I won't let them hurt you! This is all my fault, if I had only listened to you before and not trusted him, this wouldn't have happened. So let me handle this," Izekiel insisted, facing Gilmesh.

"Do you think you can hurt me? I doubt you can make a single scratch on me," Gilmesh sneered.

Izekiel tightened his grip on his swords. The fight began as the knights closed in on Izekiel and attacked him. Aria snatched the swords from the wounded knights and joined the fray.

"Hachi, protect Cedrik!" she ordered, and the beastman did so, making it challenging for the knights to deal with him.

William finally arrived, joining the battle. "Gilmesh!" Izekiel cried, rushing towards him.

Gilmesh dismounted and drew his swords. Aria halted as she heard Izekiel scream in pain.

"Kiel!" she exclaimed, rushing to him as he lay wounded.

Gilmesh prepared to strike him again when Aria interposed herself, shielding him. "Stop! I'm begging you!" Aria implored in her most serious tone. "I will do anything you want, but please don't kill him!"

Gilmesh stared at her, then sheathed his sword. "Then let's return to the palace now," he said, returning to his horse.

"Kiel!" Aria cried, seeing his injury.

"A-Aria... I'm sorry," Izekiel said, tears in his eyes.

"No, you did your best, Kiel," Aria reassured him.

The fight ended, and they had no choice but to surrender. The knights captured them and brought them back to the palace.

Gilmesh ordered the knights to lock them in prison.

"Aria!" Izekiel shouted as they separated Aria into a different cell, with their cells facing each other.

"Master!" Hachi called out.

"Your Majesty!" both Cedrik and William said.

Aria managed to force a smile. "Don't worry about me."

"Aria, you should have left me earlier, you should have escaped with the others and let me face this alone," Izekiel said, his voice filled with guilt.

"Do you really think I would do that? I promised to myself that I would protect you, no matter what happens," she replied firmly. I promised the real Aria.

Izekiel bit his lip, struggling to hold back his tears. "B-But, Gilmesh only wants me to give up the throne. If I give it to him, he'll free us, right?"

Silence followed his question.

"Why isn't anyone answering? Isn't that what he wants?" Izekiel asked, growing increasingly frustrated.

"He won't stop as long as we're alive. He sees us as a threat to achieving his goals," Aria explained.

William punched the prison wall in frustration. "If only I were stronger..."

"Damn it! Why can't I break these chains?" Hachi complained, attempting to free himself.

"It has magic on it, it won't break easily," Cedrik explained with a sigh.

As Gilmesh realized Hachi's strength, he ordered the guards to chain him securely and ordered a mage to cast a spell on the chain to prevent him from breaking free. This additional measure was taken to ensure that Hachi's formidable abilities would be effectively neutralized, adding to the difficulty of any potential escape or resistance.

Footsteps approached, and they spotted Gilmesh.

"Let us out of here!" Izekiel shouted, glaring at him.

Gilmesh ignored him and turned his attention to Aria.

"What do you want?" Aria demanded, her voice laced with seriousness, while glaring at him.

Gilmesh signaled the guard to open her cell. Aria immediately stepped back, uncertain of his intentions.

Gilmesh entered her cell. "You said earlier that you would do anything for me in exchange for sparing the life of your beloved emperor."

Aria took a defensive stance. "So, what now?" she asked, trying to hide her fear.

Gilmesh approached her, stroking her hair. "I've been thinking about it, what to do with you," he said, inhaling her fragrance. "Now, looking at you up close, I realize you're truly beautiful. No wonder so many men in the empire fell head over heels for you. Aria, the flower of the Serolf Empire," he added, taking her hand. Feeling Aria's trembling in his grasp, a sinister smirk crept across Gilmesh's face.

"Let go of her hand! You filthy bastard!" Izekiel shouted, gripping the bars tightly.

Their collective concern for Aria grew, knowing she was alone in her cell with Gilmesh.

"Quit beating around the bush and tell me what you want," Aria demanded, managing to speak.

Gilmesh smirked and whispered to her, "It's a waste if I only imprison you here. I plan to put you to good use. I will impregnate you to bear my child, the future ruler of this empire."

Gilmesh believed that even if Izekiel relinquished his throne, there was no guarantee that the people and other officials would support making him the new emperor. He needed a new plan. He could use Aria to have a child, with the Serolf family's blood, the child would be a legitimate heir and that he could control them in ruling the empire.

"W-What?" Aria pushed him away. "That will never happen!"

"What's happening? Aria, what did he say to you?" Izekiel shouted.

"Argh, you're so noisy!" Gilmesh snapped. "Punish those bastards," he ordered the guards.

The guards entered their cells and began whipping them.

"No!!!" Aria cried out as she saw them in excruciating pain.

She was about to rush to their aid when Gilmesh grabbed her.

"Let go of me, you monster!" She struggled to break free, punching him, but he was too strong, with a muscular body and formidable fighting skills, making her attempts futile.

"You don't belong here. Let's go," Gilmesh said, carrying her over his shoulder and walking away.

"Let go of me! I said let go!" Aria continued to fight against him.

The guards silenced her by placing tape over her mouth.

"A-Aria! NO!" Izekiel tried to stand up, but the guards whipped him again, causing him to scream in pain.