Chapter # 04

“What will become of your duties here?” Jayralaam asked quietly as he looked at his grandson.

“You have other grandsons.” Azriel said while sipping on his tea.

Jayralaam observed his grandson with calculating eyes but it seems that like before, he was still unable to reach his thoughts. His heir, this child he has prioritised over his own true son and daughters has never actually become as he had hoped. Since Azriel’s birth, he had taken him under his leadership and teachings but Azriel had no ambition or greed.

No lust for more.

“It is not your job to fight the war with your own hands. We have trained soldiers for that. You are to be King.”

“Why not make one of my brother’s your next King ins—”

“Azriel! How dare you!” Jayralaam roared, his fist smacking his chair’s arm.

His widened eyes held more than anger.

They held a silent panic.

Azriel laughed.

“You raised my father to have nothing but greed for power, you raised him a pig of a man who must not bow down to anyone, who has no man above him and despite how he turned out, you tried to raise me the same way. Unable to see, to understand that our ways have weakened us. You say we have soldiers to fight the war, we have thrice their number yet unable to win because you and the Kings before you have ruined our blood. You have dirtied it with your greed and disobedience. You, who believe himself to be above the moon goddess, have cursed himself and with that every child who will be born with your blood.” Azriel softly said and saw the heightened fear in his grandfather’s eyes.

“You know of fear now? When you have withered, have passed on this filth?”

Jayralaam once again smacked his fist on the chair’s arm and roared, “Is it not for your stability that I took these actions? Our forefathers did what they did and lived as they did to assure our name, our lineage.”

Azriel once again laughed and said, “Yes, the lineage which after everything you did, ended up with just one true blood heir.”

“The existence of half siblings is needed to assure power stays within our grasp. Concubines exist to insure our might over the noble families.” Jayralaam once again put forward his sickening reasons.

“It is unfortunate grandfather, that instead of gaining loyal subjects, you decided to breed them yourself.”

Jayralaam just silently stared back at him. Azriel could see that once again, his arguing will be pointless. It used to be hard to make them understand his reasons but since they both lost their wolves, it had become impossible for them to understand at all. They had no soul left to understand.

“If you want to leave, you must take in at least one concubine before your departure.”

Azriel took another sip of his tea.

He knew he would not be able to fight his grandfather and father on this much longer. Right now, even if he kills them both or announces that they both have no wolf, he will simply become a King with no power. The noble family will play him like a toy between their hands. Half of them are married to his siblings and the other half have their daughters in his father and grandfather’s harem.

And he would become a breeding machine till they find out about Mira.

If they find out about Mira, he would truly become their puppet.

The filthy blood doesn’t just run in his veins but it has spread to every noble family in NoireLune. He can’t even take a step in the capital without every noble family knowing. The women they have been pushing towards him either held no power or held enough to make his skin crawl.

The maddening sequence of bringing in women from noble families has distributed the power among nobles while leaving an empty crown for the royal family to sit on. But in the sick mind of his father and grandfather, they can’t even see the web they were stuck in. They believe the crown on their heads assure absolute loyalty.

If he kept refusing, sooner or later they would starve his soldiers, raise taxes and accuse his people to make sure he would live his whole life not knowing his last breath. He wouldn’t be able to eat anything without risking someone else’s life, he wouldn’t be able to sleep without knowing who will come to kill him while he is asleep and the worst thing, he would never be able to protect Mira.

“Very well. Send them to my place by night. I will choose one and know how I treat her, how she lives will have nothing to do with you or father.” Azriel softly said.

Just the thought of it was sickening but then again, all of it was sickening.

All that mattered right now was getting Mira away from here to a safe place.

“I knew you would understand. Nobles need us and we need them. By bringing their daughters into our homes, we can control them.”

Azriel almost laughed out loud.

“If you say so grandfather.”

Azriel slowly finished his tea and walked out of the great hall. He didn't wanted to be surrounded by these walls much longer.

"Your highness....."

Azriel felt him before he saw him. The pungent smell of his wolf's soul almost made him keep walking.

"Minister Masaya...." Azriel didn't pause but kept walking.

"I wonder if your highness has time to discuss a proposition."