𝓑𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽'𝓼 𝓜𝓸𝓸𝓷

Chapter-43

*•.¸♡ AUTHOR'S POV ♡¸.•*

"We'll need a large number of powerful warriors if we're going to launch a direct attack on the Beast's palace," the clan leader said, his eyes locked on the large map spread across the wooden table.

The map was marked with black ink—roads, patrol routes, guarded towers—stretching over miles of land. At the center, circled in red, was Diego's palace.

"The place isn't just protected by guards," he continued, his tone heavy. "It's covered by a shield—some kind of energy barrier that only Diego controls. Inside it... he's like a god. He can control everything. Even our breathing."

The room was thick with silence and tension. Dim lights flickered against the stone walls, casting shadows across the leaders' serious faces. 

Everyone stood close to the table, the air around them filled with urgency, fear, and the weight of decisions yet to be made.

"That shield is our biggest problem," one of the leaders said, his voice low and tight. His brow was furrowed with worry. "He controls everything inside it. Fighting him there it's almost impossible."

Voices rose again as more strategies were discussed—quick strikes, distractions, waiting for the right moment. Every word carried the same goal: freedom from the rule of the Beast King.

But underneath their plans was something else—an unspoken fear of what it meant to fight a being with godlike power on his own ground.

While the others focused on battle, Althea stood silently by the window, apart from the group. Her arms were crossed, her back leaning lazily against the wall.

She didn't look tense or anxious like the others. Her face was calm, almost blank, and her eyes stared out past the window, barely paying attention to what was being said. The flickering lantern light touched her face, but nothing in her expression changed.

She looked... bored.

Dacian noticed it. His voice broke through the room's heavy mood as he walked over to her.

"At least try to act a little serious," he said, stopping beside her. He placed his hands on the open window frame and leaned forward slightly, his eyes focused outside. "That bored look on your face is too easy to see."

Althea slowly turned her eyes toward him. She didn't speak, but the message in her gaze was clear: And so what?

"I know this whole planning doesn't concern you," Dacian continued, his voice lower now, meant for her ears alone. "But we can't let these clan leaders start having doubts about us. Not now. Things are getting worse, and we need them focused."

Althea gave a soft sigh and shrugged one shoulder slightly as if brushing off his words. "If something's boring, I'm going to look bored," she said flatly.

Then she glanced back at the table, at the men who were still deep in discussion, their faces serious, their voices low. Her eyes narrowed slightly, just for a second.

"And besides..." she whispered, her voice cold and quiet enough that only Dacian could hear her. "They're just pawns in our revenge."

There was no fire in her tone, no anger or cruelty. Just calm cold cruel truth. And that made the words hit even harder.

Dacian's gaze was sharp and cold, cutting through the tense air like ice. He watched her closely—her face set in a cruel, hard expression as she confronted the clan leaders. 

But she didn't notice the storm behind his eyes, the silent calculation hidden in his cold stare.

The room was heavy with tension. Around them, whispered plots and secret alliances were being woven, all aimed at one impossible goal: to bring down Diego Xendar King, the Beast King.