IGIWS: FIRST DRAFT: Chapter 240

Alaric sat in his chair and squared off against his nephew.

"What about your own gains, nephew?... You've changed in ways that are frightening to the future of our kingdom... Not only have to been taken as a concubine by this Dark Elf, but you started eliminating those who you think are a threat to the throne. Your bloodlust has gotten out of hand," Alaric said in a condescending tone.

Quinus' head snapped towards his uncle and his golden eyes lit up in rage.

"Bloodlust!?... If you are accusing me of something, Uncle. Say it," Quinus spat out.

"So your cousin means so little to you that you already forgot you ordered his murder in the Tomb of the Horde?... You used the threat of the monster stampede that would have overtaken the west of our kingdom to hide the fact that you are a murderer, nephew. And not only did you have your new pet take out our spies. But you ordered the death of those you don't agree with? Marcus has been nothing but loyal and kind. Yet, he was killed by your retainer out of an unjust fear that he was a possible heir to the throne? Tell me, my Prince, what are we to believe?" Alaric said in an accusatory voice.

Most of the major nobles who didn't know gasped at the accusation. Johan, Count Sebastian, Viscount William, and Marquess Duval were the only ones who didn't react to the accusations.

Princess Hilda felt a pit in her stomach after hearing Alaric's accusation. She knew she shouldn't jump to conclusions, but her mind was going through the worst-case scenario. She was supposed to marry this man. And she didn't want to be tied to a monster. But then a thought occurred.

'It must be the Dark Elf's fault... I need to save him more than ever,' Hilda thought.

She couldn't let Quinus continue down the path of a madman. And she was ready to do what needed to be done to save the Prince, even if she needed to commit a sin to do it. Like showing off more skin, flirting, or even kissing him to make sure he knew that he was safe with her.

'I'll be the light to guide him away from the darkness that is that Dark Elf!'

Quinus was about to lunge at Alaric when his eyes glowed with anger when his uncle brought up Marcus. The man who abandoned him and his men to die at the hands of endless waves of goblins and hobgoblins. A man who sacrificed minor nobles for his own gains in hopes of ridding Quinus once and for all.

'Yes!... That's it, nephew!... Come at me with all your anger! I will end this farce and you will be labeled as a tyrant that needs to be removed,' Alaric thought excitedly.

But right as Quinus was about to yell at his uncle, Rya grabbed his right hand and squeezed it. Making Quinus' head turn towards her. She gave him a small smile.

"I love it when your eyes glow that brightly," Rya whispered so softly that only Quinus heard it.

Quin calmed down immediately and his eyes lost the golden glow. He gave her a little smirk.

"Let me take care of you, uncle," Rya whispered.

Quinus looked deep into her eyes and nodded.

Rya patted his hand and looked over to Alaric whose confident demeanor slightly wavered when he saw his nephew looking calm and collected.

"Well now... Those are mighty big claims, Duke... But is that the question you really want to be asking?... Isn't there something that is plaguing your mind?" Rya asked in a sultry voice.

Alaric locked eyes with the Dark Elf as he tried to figure out what was her game 

'She thinks she can outsmart me?... This little whore doesn't know who she's dealing with,' Alaric thought with an internal smirk.

"So you aren't denying that the Crown Prince murdered my son!" Alaric said trying to sound angry.

Rya smirked at him while ignoring his lie. She couldn't let him steer the conversation to fit his false narrative.

"Do you want to know why I chose Quinus over Marcus?" Rya asked as she looked deep into the Duke's eyes.

Alaric froze as his thoughts ran wild.

'She knows!?... No!... This little whore is trying to distract me from my goals,' Alaric thought.

"I have heard you have a way with words and people. I see why Quinus likes you. Your looks are quite alluring, but I see through your charms, demon," Alaric spat out.

Rya tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

"My, my, my... I see the resemblance between you and your son... It's unmistakable," Rya stated in a soft voice.

Alaric's blood pressure rose at the mention of his deceased son. This was one of the only people to get under his skin with her wit and quick tongue. Normally his anger rose when his subordinates failed to complete a task that he asked of them. Or when his plans failed because someone got in the way of his schemes. But she was on a whole different level. She wasn't intimidated by him at all. She was a power mage, a healer, and she had the Prince's heart in her hand. She's made the toothless lion, that Alaric loved to mock his nephew as, has grown teeth that were stronger and sharper than steel. If only she chose Marcus. If only she chose the real heir to the throne. If only his plans hadn't fallen apart.

"And what is it that you see?" Alaric asked trying to hide his anger.

Rya leaned back in her chair.

"When I was last in the Dark Elf tribe of Sorellia. When the Divine Three attacked the citadel. I only just learned one Maja Spell... The Dark Elf knights tried to protect me and a... friend from the oncoming assault. The knights failed and died in front of me and I was able to kill off a few White Knights... But I wasn't strong enough to take on Sir Claudius... I thought this was how my life was going to end... That's when my friend exhausted his mana when casting a teleportation spell..."

Everyone in the chamber was quiet as they listened to every word Rya spoke.

"I thought it was a miracle that we survived but I didn't know the effects of mana exhaustion... My friend turned into dust right in my arms... It's a slight I pray I don't have to see ever again... But after I regain myself was when I realized I didn't know where I was... Just stranded only in a forest full of goblins... It turned out that I was teleported right next to the Tomb of the Horde. And after being chased by countless goblins, I somehow fell through a hole in the ground and landed in a underground lake, which was apart of the labyrinth... My only goal was to escape the labyrinth and survive... But as I roamed the tunnels trying to avoid the goblins was when I first witnessed the Royal Party that was sent to deal with the Dungeon Core... I was hiding in the shadows at the time but I first saw Quinus and his two retainers, Sir George, and Percy in the front... And then there was Marcus and his three Mercenary Bodyguards...

"Quinus and his men were fighting a large group of goblins that didn't let up, while Marcus and his men seemed more like they didn't even care to fight as they sat back waiting for something... At first, I didn't care. I thought they were a good opportunity to distract the goblin horde and I could get to the surface with no problem... But I watched the group of men fight and once one of Quinus' retainers got injured he was distracted by helping protect his men. That's when Marcus made his move... He left Quinus and his men to die at the hands of the Horde... But Quin was strong enough to use his enchanted sword to rid the Horde... I never seen such destruction in my life... He showed bravery, loyalty, and kindness..."

The room was quiet as the members took in the new information.

"Quin and his men would have died when a few hobgoblins were hiding above them in the stalactites jumped on top of them when their guard was down... I tried to tell myself to stay out of strangers' problems but I couldn't watch innocent men die... So I came out of the shadows and took out the remaining hobgoblins and saved their lives... It was the best choice in my life. I just didn't know it yet... Anyway, I changed my mind about leaving the labyrinth and tagged along with the party to destroy the core and it didn't take long to catch up to Marcus and what was left of his bodyguards... It was then I got a good look at Marcus and saw what type of man he was... It's similar qualities that I see in you, Alaric..."

The Duke clenched his jaw and tried not to make any sudden moves.

"When Marcus and his only surviving bodyguard were disarmed. Marcus, with his achilles cut and his arm cut off looked at Quinus... Begging for mercy... It was at that moment that I truly knew who he was... That being weak, cowardly, stupid, disloyal, and worst of all... A traitor..." Rya said with disgust in her voice.

Alaric had never felt such a rage before as he listened to Rya.

"Marcus played stupid games, and he lost his head because of it... So that's why I chose Quinus. He's a man of honor and loyalty. A man I could trust to be with me forever... Plus, I'm a sucker for a man with golden eyes," Rya smirked as she glanced at her fiance.

Rya didn't know that her last comment struck a cord within Alaric. That was one of the main reasons he lost his right to the throne. He didn't have the Meredydd golden eyes that all Meredydds were supposed to have. He had his mother's gray eyes and the court at the time thought he was a bastard child. Once his younger brother was born with golden eyes, they quickly declared Cyndre as the next in line and the true heir to the throne.

It was then that Alaric's heart turned cold and vowed to get the throne for his son no matter the cost. But fate always seemed to go against him whenever he was a step away from succeeding.

The armrest of Alaric's chair was making cracking noises as his hand was tightening into a fist. He was about to explode but he couldn't let her win.

"What? Are you ok?" Rya asked in a teasing tone.

Alaric cleared his throat and tried not to give in. "I'm not fine," he said through gritted teeth.

"And why is that?" she asked as she leaned closer towards the Duke.

"Because you claim my son is a traitor, but you have shown no evidence that proves this. My son would never do anything dishonorable," he said with conviction.

Rya sat back in her chair and chuckled. "You have it all wrong, Alaric... Where's the evidence that proves he isn't a traitor? The fact that you have to ask is proof enough for me..."

Alaric's right eye starts to twitch as he tries to maintain his calm.

"You can't argue with facts. And the fact that you are a convicted traitor speaks for itself. You tried and failed to kill Quinus in the past and your son failed in the future... The only difference is you somehow still have your head attached to your shoulders, unlike your son... I don't know how the fates haven't caught up to you yet..." Rya said as she tilted her head and smirked.

Duval had a nervous smirk on his face because he was the one who accidentally saved Alaric's life that day, so many years ago.

Alaric finally lost it and slammed his hand on his desk. He was about to yell when Duchess Leandra had her own outburst.

"You lying little bitch! You murdered my son!"

"Oh, you are a feisty one, aren't you?" Rya smirked at the noblewoman who stood up from her seat causing a commotion.

"Calm down, Leandra. Please, have a seat. We don't need you acting hysterical in front of the court," the Prime Minister said to her.

"Oh, shut up, you miserable little man!... You couldn't prevent this harlot from entering the Kingdom, you couldn't stop her from entering the palace, and you couldn't stop her from taking over this entire meeting," she spat at the Prime Minister.

"If it makes you feel any better, your son didn't suffer," Rya said as she made Leandra look her way with a glare.

"How dare you!" Leandra was about to walk around her desk but her husband stopped her.

"Now's not the time, my dear. Don't play into her game. She wants us to lose our composure... The court has been waiting for this day. They want us to fall," Alaric said with an angry tone.

"I hate this," Leandra said with a quivering lip.

"We can't discuss it here with them listening. Elves ears are much sharper than ours, remember?" Alaric whispered to her.

"You can say whatever you like, Duke. I won't mind. I'll wait till the end of the meeting to respond to your questions if it makes you more comfortable," Rya said as her smirk widened.

Both of them glanced over to the smiling dark elf and were surprised to see her ears twitch and her eyes narrow.

"Your secrets are safe for now," she said.

Leandra looked back at her husband and nodded.

"Fine," Leandra said as she sat back down next to Hilda.

Just as Leandra was about to sit Duval finally found his gavel and hit it against the table.

"Order! I will have order! And if Duchess Leandra has another outburst like that again she will be escorted out of the chambers. Is that clear?" he asked.

Leandra looked at the Prime Minister as if he was an idiot. But she stayed silent.

Terenthiel leaned over towards Prince Zane and whispered, "This is why women aren't suited to rule the country."

"I can't tell if they are brave or stupid," Zane replied as he looked at Leandra.

"Unfortunately it's a mixture of both... Tell them that they are fat and they get angry, tell them they are skinny and they get angry... They're unreasonable creatures that can't be trusted," Terenthiel replied.

"Women are the most dangerous creatures in all of existence," Zane said.

"Yes, I've always thought that women and snakes were related," Terenthiel nodded his head.

Rya wanted to laugh at those two idiots but she looked behind her to Nieren and Yuliana who were sitting in the far back. The wood elves heard what the two princes were talking about.

"I'm gonna cut off his balls and use them as fertilizer for my plants," Yuliana whispered as her fists clenched.

"Sis knows how to deal with men like them," Nieren giggled.

Yuliana looked at both of her daughters and said, "Don't ever let a man talk down to you, or think that they can treat you like an object."

"Well, I'm covered, Mom," Rya said as she turned forward.

"Yeah... Well, it looks like sis aren't has found a good man," Nieren pouted as she looked at Rya.

Yuliana sighed, "Then find a man that's like the Prince, Nieren."

"Just like the Prince?" Nieren mumbled as her eyes drifted toward Quinus. The back of his neck looked so strong and his dark red hair looked soft to the touch. Her mind started playing back all the passionate moans he made when making love to Rya.

Her face started heating up and she was feeling a little too warm in the chamber as she started to rub her thighs together.

Dalia who was leaning in the back of her chair was bored out of her mind. These humans were talking about boring things like voting, tariffs, taxes, and some other political crap.

Her mind almost drifted off until her nose picked up Nieren's scent.

"Huh!? Woody?... Why are you giving off your mating scent?" Dalia mumbled as she leaned over and smelled Nieren's head.

"Hey... stop it!" Nieren mumbled as her face turned crimson red.

Dalia just shook her head and moved back to her chair.

'F-Fantasizing is fine, Nieren... But I need to stop thinking about my prince and pay attention. Sis needs to have her back in case they try anything,' Nieren thought to herself as her eyes darted around the room. She needed to do something besides staring at Quinus' muscular back.

Leandra was glaring at Rya when she turned her head back to the other two wood elves. At first, she thought nothing of it. That was until she noticed how the blonde elf was staring at her nephew. It was the eyes of a girl who had fallen in love.

'Well, well, well?... I think that she's interested in the Prince... This could work out nicely for me,' Leandra smiled as her hand rubbed her chin.

Hilda saw the Duchess's smile and it made her curious.

"Lady Leandra?... Is there something amusing?..." Hilda asked.

Leandra snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the princess and smiled, "It's nothing, Princess. Just something interesting... I'll tell you later."

'Hmm?... Maybe I can convince Hilda to sneak in the AphroAroma Wick into the Prince's chamber when that blonde elf comes in and they make love?... Surely that will send that stuckup little bitch running back to the dark forest where she belongs... The Dark Elf's heart will be ripped out, and then my nephew will live in despair for betraying his future bride... Then, Alaric can kill you Quinus... And my son Marcus will avenged... Heheheheh...' Leandra thought.

"Alright, now that we have settled down, let's continue with the meeting by—"

"Now that I dealt with the concerns with one religious idiot and the traitor, let's finish our talk about the trade deal shall we?" Rya asked with a kind smile while getting glared at by Terenthiel and Alaric.

Duval was annoyed that the Dark Elf interrupted him again and he was about to bang his gavel once more until Lord Johan jumped in.

"I would love to see the numbers. How about you Earl Nathaniel?" Johan asked.

The Earl rubbed his chin and noticed how pathetic the Prime Minister looked.

"I see no reason why we shouldn't hear the rest of it. Lord Eamon, you're the Minister of Trade and Commerce. Do you wish to go over the trade deal?" Nathaniel asked.

Eamon was curious about the details. His Domain's financials have been stagnant due to Duval ordering him not to tax his goods from Berger Domain. It was lost revenue and if his domain were to get the trade deal that helped boost the economy then his Domain would prosper.

Duval gave Eamon that look to stop this foolishness but the Baron decided otherwise.

He looked at Nathaniel, "Let's make it quick... We have other matters to discuss."

Duval wanted to cry as his ally decided to turn against him for this one instant.

'Why does no one respect me!?' Duval screamed in his head as he dropped his gavel.