The Assassin And The King [Completed]

|Chapter Twenty-Three : Decisions|

▪︎ Kaitlyn Winchester ▪︎

"Katherine," Victor's maroon eyes bored into mine, "She was my daughter."

I couldn't help the shock displaying my face at the confession. So this is why he wants to kill Valerian?

"So it's a revenge for you?" I had to ask, "Because Valerian kissing your daughter got her killed."

Victor raises an imaculate brow at my question before folding his arms over the table and resting his chin atop his fisted hands, "You take me to be that shallow, Queen?"

We're back to pen-name basis, huh? Did I piss him off that bad?

"So there's more to it then?" I ask rhetorically.

"Hmm." He hummed, "You heard the story of the daughter. Want to know about the guard?"

The guard? As in Victor?

At my nod, he hummed another time, "I and my wife Melanie, we were both loyal members of the raverian court from the start of Queen Prudence's rule. I was a commander in the raverian army and Melanie was one of the seven ministers of the court. We were just fine with our life and our daughter, Katherine. Until one day, the news of Queen Prudence selling her subjects off to the slave market was spread."

Oh.

Oh.

This was the reason why she was executed?

"Upon checking her room, they found documents and files regarding the selling of thousands of ancients. The High Queen of Ancientriova who was adored by the five sub-kingdoms became a traitor overnight and the very people who worshipped her turned against her. There was no mercy shown for traitors. Queen Prudence's execution was scheduled. But what made it more terrible was that she was to be executed by her own husband. And King Alker being the sickening man he was, forced his ten-year-old son to see his mother's execution." Victor sighed.

A feeling of sadness washed over me thinking of Valerian going through the pain of seeing his own mother being killed in front of his eyes. Traitor or not, something told me he loved his mother a lot. Maybe that is why he still keeps her picture frame in his drawer? Maybe that is why he can't bring himself to call Eleanor 'mother' despite how close he's to her?

"That day something in the young prince changed. The boy who couldn't look at an animal being hurt killed his own father the moment he came of the legitimate age to rule. But he didn't stop there," Victor's eyes took a dark look before they snapped upto mine, "Valerian killed his mother's entire council of seven ministers. He claimed them all to be the traitors who helped his father frame his mother. Including my wife."

The shock on my face might've given away how I felt as leader let out another sigh and flattened his palms on the smooth surface of the wooden table.

"I don't blame him for what he did." He murmured so low that it was almost inaudible.

I gave him a questioning look. He didn't mind Valerian killing his wife?

"I love my wife. Truly. But I don't know why she betrayed the one we were supposed to serve." An expression of loneliness took over his chiseled pale face but it was gone as soon as it came.

"Queen Prudence, she was really framed?" I continue when I see Victor nod, "So your wife. . ."

"She really was one of the many traitors framing Queen Prudence." He let out a tired breath, "When Valerian killed Melanie, despite the pain it bought on losing my mate, I understood why he'd do it. When Katherine died because of the rumor, I tried to understand the circumstances again. But what he did after made me loose my final resolute."