The Lonely Warrior Queen

{Chapter 63}

Xander's POV:

"Are you satisfied now?"

The man who had been underground for weeks looked up at me. His skin was filthy and his once fine hair was ruffled like wild grass. He was beyond recognition. He was no longer the man he was before.

"I know nothing of what you speak," he croaked, avoiding my eyes.

"You know exactly what I am speaking of," I spat, glaring at him with judgment.

One day had already passed since I arrived at this castle. It had been exactly a week since I left. A week since I saw her and tried all I could in my power to protect her.

And what happened at the end?

"Let me ask you a question, Lord Esther," I whispered, swirling the silver goblet in my right hand.

The man looked up, surprised that I addressed him by the title I stripped him of. The man had been turned into another, a different being as if the lack of alcohol had, at last, kicked some sense into his head.

"You will get nothing out of me---"

"What do you gain by serving him?"

He looked at me as if he saw a spirit. My heart was burning with a fury that I was unable to water down. But my eyes showed otherwise.

"What did you want that he offered that I can not?" I questioned, staring at the disheveled man. "Why did you value dishonoring your King and butter up to another?"

I expected his lack of words. What else did he have to say? What could he tell a man he betrayed when being confronted? I sighed deeply, looking at the one window of the room. The rays of the sun were bright, contrary to the present predicament.

"Do you love your son, Darwin?" I asked him, my sights still on the window.

A long pause and then, "Do you wish to punish him for what I did?"

It was a snarl. I turned my gaze at him coolly and leaned back on the chair. The room was lightless, all except that one window. But I could still make out the frown on the old man's face.

"I will never punish a son for his father's blunders," I said calmly.

It was hard to imagine how I was this collected when I was crumbling part from within. The man sniffed and glanced at the glass of wine which he left untouched ever since the beginning of our conversation.

"Is it poisoned?" he asked, glancing at me suspiciously.

"No," I replied and my hands reached into my pockets. "Unless you wish for it to be,"

I pulled out a small blue vial containing a teaspoon of liquid and threw it on his lap. He shuddered as he even did not dare to touch it.

"I will grant you a painless death," I told him, crossing my legs. "In exchange, I want you to hear me out,"

The man glanced at me, puzzlement painted all over his face. He kept his guard as he carefully took the vial and stared at it. Out of nowhere, he chuckled.

"I will not be grateful, boy," he said, as he pulled out the wax seal and poured the contents into his wine without hesitation.

"My child is dead,"

He froze as he was just about to touch his glass. I stared at his rigid fingers, inches away from the death he wanted.

"What?"

"The King you chose over me had used the most complicated scheme. First, he had people trick a sixteen-year-old girl to meddle with food. Then, he had one of his men dress as one of mine and forced my wife to go through brutal pain, leading to miscarriage,"