Chapter 25

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"What is the meaning of this?!"

Queen Cinder sat on her father's newly remade throne, having also changed a lot of the monarch's chamber after she managed to successfully poison him. The older man was always stubborn about not having another person rule over his kingdom, and he'd rather die before submitting to anyone's authority. It is unfortunate that King Midas never realized that his own daughter would betray him.

Gus and Solana silently kneeled in front of her, their heads bowed respectfully as nervousness plagued their minds. The queen's furious shout echoed through the throne room, making both men's hearts race while sweat ran down their foreheads.

She glared at them in pure anger, baring her teeth with growing frustration. "How long has it been since I have been searching for my dear old friend?" Her fists clenched tightly on the armrests. "Do you have any idea what either of you have done?" The audacity to tell her what happened was infuriating.

The general gulped loudly before replying, "Forgive us, your highness—"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Cutting Solana in mid-sentence, as her glare intensified, veins in her neck protruded like snakes, and her breath became erratic. This sudden outburst caused the respected general to tremble while the other man flinched.

"YOU WERE SO CLOSE TO GETTING HIM, BUT INSTEAD, YOU PLAYED AROUND LIKE DAMN FOOLS!" Rising from her seat, Cinder snarled at them both, "NOT ONLY THAT, YOUR HONOR COST ME THE JOY OF SEEING MY BELOVED AGAIN!" Shouting at the top of her lungs, she was breathing heavily with rage that consumed her whole being.

They were afraid. Afraid of what they have done and what would become of them, "my queen," Gus stood up in their defense despite how terrified he is on the inside; one wrong move or answer and they're going to torture themselves; "there is a chance that he's still there," reasoning with her was his only hope.

Cinder narrowed her eyes at him as silence enveloped the room. She sneered before sitting back onto her throne and asking, "What are you implying, Gus?" Coldly demanding answers from her underling, the queen listened while folding her arms and saying, "Do share your ideas." Her icy stare made his heart race and his palms dampen.

Solana noticed this and responded in his place while remaining in her position: "There is some chance that he might be there if we are quick enough to return to Lighthaven." She suggested that perhaps they have a second chance at recapturing Seth, but that depends on whether it isn't too late.

The queen placed her fingers underneath her chin, contemplating herself and the possibility that it might work in retrieving him. "I suppose that there is a chance; however, if he isn't there then," a smile crept on her lips of another idea. "Hmm, yes, that could work," she whispered to herself as a new plan formed inside her mind.

While still furious over what they've done, she is willing to give them a second chance because of how important these two are to her empire. If they were just some knights, then she wouldn't hesitate to send them to the torture chamber and have them punished for their incompetence: "Gus, tell the scouts to check on the village," ordering the woman to have it checked out for Seth's presence.

Both are incredibly important assets in having Seth captured and become her personal pet; how much she desired him for so long. It makes her body heat up just thinking about being intimate with him. "You two are dismissed," the queen announced with a wave of her hand.

Getting back up on their feet, they respectfully bowed to their superior before promptly leaving her presence. "General," calling out to the woman with piqued interest, "stay, I need to speak with you about something," her order made Solana halt as Gus exited through the door, which slammed shut afterwards.

When he left, she turned around to face Cinder, who wore a blue dress and crown. "Yes, my queen?" Professionally dressed with a salute, the general patiently awaited her ruler's command, as the queen's orders are the very law that all men in the empire must follow without question.

Smiling delightfully at her, the queen then said, "Come with me." Standing up from her throne, she gestured for her to come before walking past her seat as the two calmly move side by side in this long and spacious throne room that seemingly stretches for miles. "Tell me, why do you think I want Seth?" Asked in curiosity to know what she thinks her reasons are for his capture.

Stroking her chin in wonder, Solana replied, "Probably to execute him publicly; that is your usual way of handling someone who disobeys you," giving the obvious answer that everyone knew the queen's preference of choice in dealing with her enemies.

Cinder stopped in her tracks, frozen at hearing such a response that seemed to make her reconsider her decision to speak with the general about "you." Slowly turning to the frightened general, she coldly stared at her subordinate with utmost shock.

This isn't good—not very good. She had something offensive or wrong! Solana can feel herself tremble underneath her skin at the greatest mistake she has committed: "Did I say something I shouldn't have?" Timidly asked if her guess was accurate or not, which, in a way, it wasn't.

She had fought many battles before and arrested and killed enemies of the Empire. Some are so terrifying to the core that any ordinary man would be shaken by it. But the only thing she is afraid of is their very ruler, whom they faithfully serve to the end. "Pardon me; I should not have assumed what is in your mind," she says, bowing her head and torso in shame for being rude towards her.

Minutes passed, and silence once again entered the atmosphere. Frozen in her place was Solana. Her face was still staring down at the floor, with sweat dropping down her cheeks and the fear of what her fate might become. She thought her life was over, which it probably is.

Closing her eyes, she prayed to the great divines that they will find another high-ranking general in the empire so the men in the empire can be led by someone who cares about their existence rather than some corrupt noble who will only use them as mere puppets or meat shields for their own profit.

Then the unexpected happened: "Ahahahaha!" The queen laughed joyfully as if the general said something humorous while she covered her mouth with one hand; seeing that reaction, it made the general raise her head out of curiosity with a questionable look in her own eyes.

Cinder approached the baffled general before grabbing her shoulders and giggled, "Oh, my underling, I appreciate how honest you are being with me," leaning forward to whisper into her ear, "However, I'm offended by your low expectations of what I want with him." Her insult made the orange-haired woman blush with embarrassment, but that feeling vanished instantly when she released her grip.

Turning around to face away from her, she stared up at the huge stained window where its sunlight provided the half of the throne room with radiant beams in its luminous rays. "I admire your honesty and how dedicated you are to serve me," she said, speaking honestly of her subordinate, unable to help but find some amusement in this conversation, "but what do you know about love?"

"Love?"

Taken back by this, Solana was unsure of where this was going until it clicked her: "You love him." The answer was easy to see as the queen has a longing gaze when she talks about Seth; it was subtle but clear to detect. "My deepest apologies for being blind to see it," she bowed again, regretfully being ignorant in regards to this topic, which is none of her business and doesn't have to do anything with the empire's stability.

But nonetheless, she knew love was what drove her majesty to do what she did for years. And this little realization brought more questions instead of answers: "To answer your question, milady, love is affection and concern over someone," simple yet powerful in changing one's perspective.

Hearing that made her blush at how cliche that sounded, but she never got tired of hearing it: "I see..." A smile graced the queen's lips, closing her eyes before turning to face the general. "That isn't love, however!" Spreading her arms, she let out a long, dramatic monologue about what love is while blushing heavily in crazed display.

"Overwhelming desire and craving are! You see, I love Seth not because we were childhood friends, but because of the flesh and smooth skin, his alluring features that make any woman fall for his beauty!" Her insane description and laughter became unbearable and hard to listen to: "I LOVE HIM FOR HIS CHARM AND REMARKABLE QUALITIES THAT I CAN'T FIND ANYWHERE ELSE!"

The general gawk at this distorted version of love, which was filled with more lustful intention and sickening obsession than any respectable love that was ever heard of, but she nonetheless continued listening, for it is not wise to make their tyrannical ruler be offended or angry.

For when she is, nothing good can come out of it.

"I'M INFATUATED BY HIM THAT NOT EVEN THE WORDS ITSELF ARE CAPABLE ENOUGH TO DESCRIBE HIM, YES, THAT IS HOW BEAUTIFUL HE IS, ALMOST FLAWLESS THAT IT MAKES ME GO WILD JUST THINKING ABOUT CUTTING OFF HIS JUICY COCK AND KEEPING IT AS SOUVENIR, RIGHT AFTER I'M THROUGH WITH HIM!" Laughing hysterical in manic episode, scratching the sides of her head with her own hands. "YES, I LOVE HIM FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART; EVERY TIME I LOOK AT HIM, IT FEELS LIKE HE WAS BORN TO SERVE ME AND BE MY PERSONAL PET FOR ALL ENTIRE!"

Her queen's salacious mania was over the top, unable to say anything nor respond to any of it; she silently nodded and pretended she didn't hear any of that, which, in a way, made it better to play along. At least she isn't dead, mutilated, or stripped naked to be sexually abused.

Whatever the case, she simply found it best to simply nod in agreement, "Yes, your highness," playing along with the insane woman, "That's what love is." Drops of water from her face flowed down her cheeks in an attempt to contain herself while being at her wits.

Cinder panted heavily; saliva dripped down from her open mouth while her cheeks were dyed red with an intense blush. Blue eyes full of insanity stared down at the floor like a lifeless doll, "no... no, it's more than that," correcting her general with a wide smile of depravity, "this feeling is stronger than love, oh, my dear general," giggling to herself while smiling with eyes closed.

"How I'd been waiting for this for years; now I know he is not only out there but alive!" Great news for the queen as she became filled with overwhelming joy in Seth being alive. "So I shall you tell you this?" gathering her bearings and straightening herself up, she raised her right-opened palm, fingers facing upwards at the heavens above.

"Order every general below you to search all the settlements outside this city, find Seth, and capture him, but if town or village doesn't have him, then burn it into smithereens," wickedness beamed from her as she gave this dreadful order, "make sure nothing but ash remains from what they've done," smiling coldly with a wicked and malicious grin.

Horror displayed upon Solana's face after hearing that, "But the people living in those towns and villages are innocent citizens of the empire!" Trying to persuade her queen to rescind or alter her decision, the order she gives is very unreasonable to begin with, as it was too much even for her.

But she insisted, lowering her hand with the twisted grin still plastered on the queen's lips, "none shall be spared; kill any man, woman, child, or old man. Any livestock will also be killed or brought to my son's playground to be tortured," Cinder declared this monstrous declaration of slaughtering thousands of lives out of sheer obsession with a single person.

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