The Dragon's Flame Queen ✔

✔LIV - The Tempest

They were about to draw their weapons out with shaky hands when a punch fell on Lord Heartstone's face making him stumble back as a cart wheel and his body collided against the tables behind him. As everyone's eyes moved they saw the person who had made the move was none other than Princess Seraphina, herself. Her hand was still in the air where Heartstone's face was a while ago and she breathed heavily as her face twisted with anger. Her rage filled gaze fell on the Lord as he still couldn't register what happened. And certainly, Lord Heartstone wasn't the only person who was stunned, Demian and the others were stunned as well and it was no doubt, this wasn't part of Demian's plans as his brows twitched vigorously.

"You call yourself a Lord!" Seraphina growled as she stepped forward and Heartstone coward back, "You have used your knights to do every dirty thing for you, made them helpless as you have threatened them with their families, you took away the lands of the poor and you raised your hand on your wife and you dare to say you are going snatch away their rights!"

Seraphina's eyes darkened as if the God of Anger had possessed her. She could not no longer see this man before her eyes. All this while she was questioning whether what Demian was doing was right or not but after hearing what he had said made her blood boil with rage. All she saw was red. He had been using his people as his objects of need. Using them he pleased and discarding them when they couldn't give their services. Had wealth made him that blind?

She hated him. She hated the nobles who were there cowering with fear. She wanted to burn them in her flames of anger. She looked at Mrs Heartstone and to her as she helped her to stand up. As the poor lady stood, she broke into tears in her arms and she felt Lord Heartstone didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve the people, the knights, the city, nothing. She had never met a person like him who would not even prioritise his family and she recalled the words Demian had told her. 'Men are so greedy, even when they get everything, they would want more'.

Lord Heartstone shouted from where he was seated, "This is unacceptable! I would not tolerate this kind of behavior!" He shouted at the knights, "Get her! Kill her!"

However, all the knights put down their swords at Seraphina's feet which startled her and bowed down in surrender as their general said, "You may capture us while the riot is still in action. We can't draw our swords at our Lord but we don't want to harm any of the commoners, nor the Prince of Dragon nation."

The man put down his helmet as the other soldiers followed him and smiling a bitter smile he said, "We had been enduring it for two years now and now we're all tired to kill our own people and watch them get sold to the slave merchant."

Demian stood up and asked, "So, it is true that Lord Heartstone was selling his people."

He nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."

From behind Lord Heartstone's voice still continued to shout at his knights, "You cowards! You are selling your lord to a child! I will punish all of you!"

Demian looked at him irritatedly and called his guards who were behind his chair all this time, "Capture him and put him in the dungeons. We might need him for interrogation."

His guards came as he shouted at Seraphina with disrespectful language, "You vile woman! Women should only please their husbands not poke their noses into state affairs! It was because of you that Crown Prince decided to cut all of the taxes." He continued to vomit his anger at her as Demian's fists itched to kill this man instantly as he was insulting his wife however, he needed him for more information on the slave trading. He was more angry at Seraphina as she didn't listen to him!

As Lord Heartstone continued, Demian was getting furious that he was afraid he might end up killing him but with a slap that resonated the hall, Lord Heartstone stopped. And he saw it was his wife Mrs Heartstone. The short woman stood before Seraphina as if she could not hear a bad word about her daughter. Her face had anger and pain swirling on it. Her slap might not had that much power but as it was from his own family, Lord Heartstone went into shock.

He didn't blink, didn't speak and probably didn't breath as he stood like a statue and Demian's guards dragged him toward the dungeon.

Mrs Heartstone turned at Seraphina and said with a breaking voice, "I am so sorry, Your Highness. I knew what he was doing was wrong but I had no power to stop him. I tried to many times to tell him but he..."

Seraphina took her hands in hers and Demian knew she liked the poor lady. His wife wasn't like him but she had no choice but to obey her husband.

Demian got up and asked, "You knew about the slave trading?"

"Yes," Mrs Heartstone's head hung low.

"And what was it that you were trying to say about 'the vile man'?" Demian remembered she was trying to warn her husband and said about a man but could not finished as Lord Heartstone slapped her shut. It seemed he didn't want them to know.

The Lady said, "Lord Irwin knows every detail. I don't know much but when I saw him first time, I felt he wasn't good for our city."

Demian nodded as his eyes fell on his dear wife. She had frozen in her place.

Seraphina looked at Demian with a horrified face as she thought Lord Heartstone was only threatening the knights with the slave excuse but she had no idea it wasn't an excuse but the truth and it shocked her to find that Demian was unfazed by it. "Yo-you knew about the slaves?" She asked.

Demian nodded and said, "Yes, but we didn't have a strong proof. Master Valentine had informed me in the conference that there had been some unusual activities and I thought it would be wise to see it for myself."

"So, you-you came here for them? To save them?" A smile formed on Seraphina's face which said she hadn't expected him to do good things and it irked him.

"Why?" Demian raised a brow, "Did you think I came here to rob them of their wealth?"

Seraphina smiled as she scratched the back of her neck and Demian came near her, his eyes boring holes in her.

She shivered as he asked calmly, "Hadn't I told you to stay seated?"

Seraphina's eyes drifted everywhere as she said, "I- I could not take it when he treated her poorly."

Demian was angry at her but he knew her too well. If there was injustice, Seraphina would gladly jump to fight, that was her nature after all and it just amused him so much. He liked the way his wife was like a tempest running wildly anywhere as she liked and nobody could stop her, sometimes except for himself.

"Your Highness, the masses have broken through!" A knight came running holding his bleeding arm and Demian looked at him with a serious face as the sound of the roaring masses was louder now.

"Fine then." He straightened his back as the smirk returned on his face. Now the game had begun.