The Duchesses

Chapter 67 : The Fall of a Sun

However, he feels nothing remorse about it. On the contrary, it gets easier since his mother's death as if a burden comes from his shoulder-another boulder stuck in his way that he must immediately wipe out. People may smell fishy when they go into this room with the smoke. One might be lucky to have a natural resistance to poison, while someone with a weak constitution might collapse when they take a deep breath.

Sure enough, when Ares enters the room, Julius throws open the window to let the poisonous smoke outside. However, as someone who always stepped in, Julius had resistant to the poison and took the antidote beforehand, same as Ares.

Emperor Atticus getting weaker each day, is because Ares needs to make it believable that he is sick of old sickness and longing for his wife. However, lately, something keeps coming on his way. With his limited power, he craves something more, something that is under the palm of his hand. So, he needs to destroy the old boulder in front of him.

"How are you feeling today?" the Crown Prince frowns, looking at the old man.

"My time almost come, my son," Atticus said, letting out his breath as his hand held his chest to numb the pain.

Ares moves his hand, touching the older man's and looking down at his wrinkled hand.

"Don't say that, father. Are you going to leave me just like the mother? I am not prepared and learn enough from you to rule the Empire," the fake tears come down as he moves his head towards the Emperor's hand.

Atticus moves his other hand, patting the younger man's head, chuckling lowly. It shreds his heart to see his only heir like this. Somehow, the sense of Deja Vu hits him, reminded of how his father left him like this. A heavy load sense of responsibility as the ruler of the Empire.

"You will be a great ruler, more excellent than I always been. No one has prepared to rule the nation, even I did. However, you showed your remarkable ability to handle one crisis after another. Your diplomatic skills are more hone than I will ever be.

Remember the time you gave me a piece of advice about the wars not a long time ago? If it weren't for you, we would lose our foothold against the Valimos. Your mother would be proud of you. I remembered the time we rejoiced when you were born in this world.

Our hearts explode in happiness, as we always crave a child. So my apologies for leaving you earlier than I intend to be," Atticus said while coughing up again and pulling Ares for an embrace.

Both men cry to each other's shoulders, with different intentions lying in their hearts. Ares pulls back, grabbing the water Julius gave earlier on his side. Atticus's cough won't stop, so the older man holds the water without thinking anything else. The sapphire eyes have a sight on the action, watching Atticus's throat running up and down, gulping the water ferociously.

Ares takes the glass, putting it on the side, as the corner of his mouth pulls upward, forming a grin. The Emperor looks drowsy for a while, but when he meets his son's eyes, he lets out a small smile, and his eyes glaze over.

"Father?" Ares suddenly said.

"What is it, son?"

"I have always wondered since the day I was born. You have given everything to me that I ask from you. The moment I am born is the moment I have everything bestowed on me. Even Medea has already been decided as my partner in the first place. From that day, I wonder what could give me the most excitement in the world?" the older man furrows his brows as his tongue harden at that moment.

Ares notices this and helps the man to lie down, while Atticus can't move any muscle. That moment hits him as his eyes dilate, looking everywhere. Then, his son leans in, whispering the words into his ears that are direct to his soul.

"Nothing. You can't give me that. Hera's divinity power should be bestowed on me instead of being born as the Crown Prince. I can be a greater figure with the power, instead of a clueless girl like her," he pulls back, stroking the man's hair gently.

Atticus could only whimper as his eyes filled with conflict when looking at his son. It is not like Ares at all in his eyes. It's like a demon in his body possessing him to do it.

"Hence, I started to appreciate my position as the Crown Prince. My ultimate goal is to be a God with divine power. As you predict, I will be the first Emperor with divine ability. But, of course, that's after you died," Ares chuckles and turns to laugh, looking at the older man.

Bubbles start forming from his mouth as Atticus' eyes roll over, and he begins to shake forcefully after that.

"Goodbye, father," he said coldly as he rang the bell, calling Julius to clean up the mess.

"He is still a nuisance, even after his death," Ares mumbles, leaving the chamber.

Just as people were recovering from losing the Empress, the Emperor died. Like the Empress' death, Ares lead the funeral again to the Imperial Burial Ground. Many send condolences to him, weeping for the loss of the Emperor. However, Ares's state gets worse than the Empress' death, his eyes puffy and filled with dark circles from a sleepless night and crying.

He puts on the same show again, making others like Medea, Natalie, Hector, and Eryx loathe him.

"It is mindblowing that he killed his parents in the same season."

People fall for the trick for another time, looking pitifully at him. The Pope comes again that day, praying as the representative to the Guardian Deity to bless the Emperor's soul.

"In shall of everyone who will perish within time, may the Guardian Deity bless his soul who left us forever and continues to make the Empire more prosperous than before," the fire arrows being released seven times at the lake.

All the audience bows down at the ritual as the breeze passes, causing the trees and leaves to dance around. It is indeed a gloomy day for the Angelos Empire to lose such a great ruler. However, his reign is one of the most prosperous in history itself. As people hoped his son would continue his legacy, little did they know the tyrant's reign would come soon, and he will be ready for all of it.

Only the nobles and the Crown Prince will attend the Imperial Burial Ground. Thus, as soon as Ares turns his back, as customary, the highest noble will let out a greeting to the new ruler of the Empire.

"It never occur me this time would reach this fast," Duchess Valimos had a thought rushing in her mind.

Then, with a massive lump in Medea's throat, she puts her right hand on the opposite shoulder, bowing a bit at him, as she lets out the first sentence, "Greetings to the new sun of the Empire, Emperor Ares James Angelos. Long live the Emperor!"

The other follows the same, as the Imperial Knights go on their knee, chanting the words, "Greetings to the new sun of the Empire, Emperor Ares James Angelos. Long live the Emperor!"

The moment things fall into his hand, and everyone bows at him, he eyes on one woman only. After that, he will find certain emerald eyes that go into hiding and accomplish his real intention. Then, he will crush whoever comes in his way and pinch his nerve even more. For a moment, he lets out a grin, thinking about the following plan after his coronation.

And that's the upcoming Eirene Festival.