Chapter 16: Blood Oaths and Betrayal
The chamber descended into chaos.
Nobles scrambled to their feet, eyes darting toward the exits—but the doors had already closed. Locked. Sealed.
Seraphina stood in the center, her expression unreadable as she watched them panic.
Duke Castiel's voice broke the silence. "You wouldn't dare."
She arched a brow. "Wouldn't I?"
The guards at her back tightened their grips on their swords. The air was thick with the scent of fear.
Mirella, ever the composed one, laughed softly. "And here I thought you'd play the game a little longer."
Seraphina turned her golden gaze on the woman. "This was never a game."
Mirella's smirk faltered.
Seraphina took a slow step forward, the click of her boots ringing through the tense air. "Let's be honest with one another. You all plotted against me. Conspired in the shadows, whispering like rats in the dark. Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"
Duke Castiel clenched his jaw. "You cannot rule through fear alone, Your Majesty. A queen needs allies."
"Allies?" Seraphina tilted her head, her voice a mockery of curiosity. "Is that what you call yourselves?" She let out a soft, bitter chuckle. "No, Duke Castiel. You are not allies. You are leeches. And I have no need for parasites."
Mirella's fingers tightened around her goblet. "Then what do you intend to do?"
Seraphina stopped before the long wooden table, placing a single hand on it.
"That depends," she said smoothly. "How much is your life worth?"
Silence.
The question hung in the air like a noose.
Some of the nobles paled. Others exchanged quick, nervous glances. They had expected a power struggle—a battle of influence, of words.
But Seraphina had made her position clear.
This was not a negotiation.
This was an execution.
She gestured to one of her guards. A large, armored man stepped forward, dragging a trembling Lord Evander into the light. His wrists were bound, his usually pristine robes dirtied with sweat.
"Evander was kind enough to confess his part in your little council," Seraphina said. "He told me everything."
Mirella's expression darkened. "You tortured him."
Seraphina's lips curled into a slow, cruel smile. "No. I simply… persuaded him."
Evander let out a strangled whimper, his knees buckling. "P-Please, Your Majesty, I—"
Seraphina raised a hand. "Spare me your pleas. I have no interest in them."
She turned back to the table. "Here is my offer: swear your loyalty to me—now—or suffer the same fate as Duke Valen."
Another tense silence.
Then—one by one— some of the nobles dropped to their knees.
"My Queen," Lord Damien rasped, bowing his head.
"I pledge my loyalty," another whispered.
One after another, they surrendered.
All but three.
Duke Castiel. Lady Mirella. And Lord Edgar.
Seraphina sighed, as if truly disappointed. "A shame."
She nodded toward her guards.
Blades flashed.
Screams filled the chamber.
When the chaos died, three bodies lay lifeless on the cold stone floor.
Seraphina gazed down at them, then turned back to the nobles who had sworn fealty.
Her golden eyes gleamed.
"Congratulations," she said softly. "You've just proven yourselves useful."
The ones still kneeling dared not breathe.
Seraphina turned on her heel, her cloak swirling behind her. "Clean this up," she ordered her guards. "And send a message to the rest of the nobility."
"What message, Your Majesty?" one of the guards asked.
Seraphina stopped at the door, looking over her shoulder.
"The Empire belongs to me. And I do not forgive betrayal."
Then she was gone.