Marry Who?!

"You…cheap woman.

How dare you…poison me?!" Realizing that Cassandra's last move hid some kind of poison, Gaiseric snapped, holding his chest as purple veins popped on his temples and his body turned sluggish. 

Equipped with the Blood Smelting Hammer and Blood Smelting Gene, the king was always the nation's strongest templar. But of all generations of Blood Smelting Kings, Gaiseric was the strongest—having perfected his first-class Blood Smelting Gene and reached the peak of Great Expansion in less than 300 years. 

Sadly, without a first-class Inner Flame to temper themselves in, templars couldn't reach the Golden Palace rank, making it impossible for Gaiseric to take the next step. This didn't stop the Blood Smelting King from crushing the head of a Golden Palace tier elder priest of the Red Cloud Theocracy, a feat that helped him broker a truce in the previous war. 

But no matter how physically gifted, Gaiseric couldn't stop Cassandra's poison from making a mess of his internal organs. 

"Ah come on now, don't you know the saying that poison is an ambitious woman's secret lover? 

House Elektra's Pyretic Hell is not a forbidden skill for its impact on the user's life span but because it also turns everything the user touches into a lethal first-class poison. Your majesty is strong…but not strong enough to shrug off my Pyretic Toxins," Cassandra burst into laughter, and with naked killing intent, the matriarch bolted at Gaiseric, swinging her blade at his neck.

The king too refused to show weakness, ignoring the poison ripping through his veins to raise his hammer and swing at Cassandra. 

"Enough…"

But before the two could meet for a final clash, a mellow voice echoed, followed by the sudden appearance of an elegant mature beauty dressed in the scarlet and gold of the royal family—casually standing between Gaiseric's hammer and Cassandra's flaming sword. 

The moment the dark-haired beauty appeared, both Gaiseric and Cassandra stopped in their tracks. But while the king's face brightened, Cassandra's eyes flashed with killing intent. Still, the matriarch backpedaled, putting distance between her and the newcomer: 

Vel'Asha, Queen Mother of the Blood-Smelting Kingdom, had made her entrance. 

"Now, now, do things really have to come to this? Cassandra, I am indeed the one who sent Honoria into your house. But as a royal relative and an experienced politician in your own right, surely you understand that with the task at hand, spies are a must-have. How else can we make sure you're defending the royal family's interests, and not the enemy's? 

Your sister is the queen of this nation. And even though she took her late mother's name, your niece is Gaiseric's daughter and the crown prince's sister. Would I have really tried to sabotage you from the shadows?

I only sent Honoria to keep an eye on House Astalon. Anything she did beyond that didn't receive my blessing. Please explain what happened so we can find a solution that doesn't cause more bloodshed." Vel'Asha took a surprising stance, causing both Gaiseric and Cassandra's eyes to narrow in confusion.

"Mother you can't be s—" 

"I said…enough." Barely had Gaiseric started his protest that Vel'Asha cast him a sidelong glance, causing a blast of formless energies to send the king reeling back. 

To protect her son's royal prestige, Vel'Asha never used her powers in his presence, much less against him. That she broke her own taboo now could only mean one thing: 

The Queen Mother was angry, so angry that she didn't have time to care for her son's ego. 

Cassandra's surprise deepened. From that one exchange, she could tell the rumors surrounding Vel'Asha still failed to do her justice. 

Even in his weakened state, no one under the Golden Palace rank could send Gaiseric reeling with just one look. That Vel'Asha could accomplish this showed that…unlike what the rumors suggested, the Queen Mother's powers went far beyond Great Expansion. 

Back when he was still a prince, the previous Blood-Smelting King believed that for the royal family to escape the shadow of the Red Cloud Theocracy and rebuild the glory of the Great Blood Empire, they had to invest in women. Pair the heirs with the most outstanding women they could get their hands on, regardless of noble lineage. 

So, he went into the far eastern desert, and three years later came back with Vel'Asha. No one knew where she originated from, leading the then-ruler to declare that for his son to marry Vel'Asha, he would have to give up his royal status and inheritance rights. 

The previous king did it without hesitation. But the move that should have marked the end of his political career became the spark that kicked off his irresistible rise. One after the other, the princes gave up their succession rights, forcing the then ruler to take back his abandoned son as heir and abdicate a month later—making the previous king the youngest to ever take the Blood Smelting Crown. 

Likewise, from the moment Gaiseric was born, none of his brothers or uncles had the balls to challenge him for the throne. It's not that they didn't want to. But so long as Vel'Asha stood in the shadows of the royal palace, they didn't have the courage to plot against her son. 

She was the power behind the throne. A woman that even the Grand Priest of the Red Cloud Theocracy treated with respect. That woman was now taking a step back, giving Cassandra a way out.

"Mhm… where do we begin? Your Chief Court Attendant raped my godson. Yes. That's the problem," Cassandra said following a moment of silence, resting her flaming sword on her shoulder as she looked straight into Vel'Asha's eyes. 

"The servant boy you had anointed in the Three Way Church? All this…for a servant?" Vel'Asha asked with surprising composure. 

Following the events in the conference room, Cassandra had Mithras anointed in the Three Way Church and registered as her godson, forcing Luther to sign the papers as well. This wasn't a secret, and while the act caused a huge commotion in aristocratic circles, no one could expect that when push came to shove, Cassandra would be putting her house on the line for that servant boy. 

The Queen Mother too couldn't believe it--much less that Honoria sexually assaulted a youth from the servant class.

"What can I say? He's the cutest thing ever. Brings light into my life with every silly play. The sight of him pressed under your horny bitch truly put daggers into my heart.

I'm sure you can understand. Having spent centuries of your life alone in this dull palace, with your reflection in the mirror being the only person you could tell the truth to. If you could find someone whose every word and deed brought you to cloud nine, would you let them go?

Would you let anyone get away with harming them?

I have always been possessive and vindictive to the extreme, and can't forgive the horny bitch you've trained for having harmed my beloved," Cassandra said, and with a casual throw, tossed the recording crystal ball forth, causing the scene of Honoria hammering her cunt on a chained Mithras' cock to flash before the Queen Mother's eyes. 

That ball was proof that Mithras was likely scheming something. But Cassandra didn't care either way, determined to give him justice. 

"I see. Your godson is older than Arian by about two months, making him the eldest heir of House Astalon in the eyes of the faith. This is indeed a serious matter. 

Let's solve it right away. Gaiseric will upgrade him from the servant class to the working class and name him a Royal Shadow. This will make him untouchable by all except for the king himself. He will also marry Honoria to prevent unnecessary rumors from ruining both their lives. I will pay him 300,000 Ener Crystals from my own pockets to cover for Honoria's dowry and apologize for her actions," Vel'Asha said, causing both Gaiseric and Cassandra's eyes to widen in disbelief. 

Royal Shadow was the highest rank for a court attendant, granting them the privileges of a duke without the duties attached to it, and a massive salary of 120,000 ener crystals per year. 

The same salary as the Grand Commandant of the Royal Guard! 

But more importantly, Mithras would now be free to own all the assets he wanted to. Even owning territories became an option! 

These were extraordinary rewards. However…

"Why the hell should Mithras marry that hussy?!" Cassandra couldn't agree with that part. But barely had the words left the matriarch's lips that the sky darkened, the temperature dropping to frigid degrees as a flurry of massive stone blocks split from the ground, shooting towards the sky. 

"I AM TAKING A STEP BACK AND GIVING YOU FACE SO DON'T PUSH YOUR LUCK! HONORIA IS MY CHIEF COURT ATTENDANT. HER DISGRACE IS MY DISGRACE AND I WON'T HAVE HER END THIS WITHOUT A RING ON HER FINGER!

YOUR BOY WILL MARRY HER, AND THAT'S THE END OF IT!

You can write the terms of their marriage contract, I don't care. But if Mithras doesn't marry Honoria, YOU'RE BOTH DYING NOW!" Vel'Asha dropped the act, the pressure of her Sid units exploding in full force.