Dagger To The Heart {Princess x Yandere Boys}

Chapter 11: Compulsory

Dante's pov:

I entered the tavern through the small, soft wooden door, welcomed by the smell of alcohol and excitement. It's as alluring inside as it is on the outside. Rounded stone beams support the upper floor and the huge lamps attached to them. The sunset was flooding through the windows.

The walls are loaded with hundreds of pieces of memorabilia, all signed and most likely donated by customers.

The tavern itself is packed. Soldiers seem to be the primary visitors here, which put me a bit on edge. Fortunately, they probably don't know what I look like. Several long tables are occupied by separate groups of people, all keeping to themselves. The other, smaller tables were further recessed into the corners. Untouched by the setting sun. Devoid of any light.

They were waiting in the darkest corner. I knew nothing about this person besides the fact that they could decode this deadly document and rewrite it.

I sat on the stiff chair. I returned the stranger's glare and slid the document forward. The dragon stamp burned holes into my vision as they picked up the scroll. Minutes passed like seasons. "Why is everyone in Epibreren so ineptly slow!?" I thought as I carved lines into the table with my small blade. I brought it everywhere; it's deep red handle perfectly fits my hand, and it's silver-glistened. It was a gift from my father before he died. He told me that if I claimed this blade, I must carry his legacy.

The stranger cleared their throat, interrupting my memory. Their dispassionate voice floated like smoke. "I cannot correspond with those suspected of affiliation with turncoats."

"It's a baronial assignment." Scowling, I threw coinage across the table, along with a royal seal. Surprisingly, I managed to clean the blood off without damaging it. They looked convinced and greedily grabbed the money. Their hushed voice read the contents of Silvestre's final declamation. His record was infuriating. I wished I could revive him, only to kill him a million times over. Accusations of my involvement as an inside member of the Society. A membership that could get me executed under law. But the worst part, Silvestre suggested a more suitable partnership for Y/n. King Miklós. The half-witted, depraved king. He didn't even deserve the title of king, the f*cking coward. Actually, he isn't even a king anymore; I conquered his pathetic territory. I should've killed the bas*erd when I had the chance. What right does he have to my angel? She deserves better. Me.

Their sluggish voice once again invaded my thoughts. "Anything else?"

"I need you to provide a cipher key right now." I tossed paper and writing utensils. "You have ten minutes."

"Why does a royal official not know such a simple key? It's incredibly common in the castle."

"You, well, you're asking too many questions for my liking." I walked and sat next to them on the bench. My small blade piercing their lower back. "I will use any force necessary. I get what the King requests, no questions. If you'd like to leave this tavern as a free citizen, I suggest you start. You have nine minutes remaining."

They wrote as fast as their wrists could manage, barely making the time. I took the key from them, grinning. "Now, get the f*ck out. If you tell anyone about this interaction, I'll find you. And your family. Don't rely on me being so merciful this time."

Their eyes grew wide, and they ran out. "Coward," I thought. I started writing my coded truth. It was much easier than I thought; Silvestre must've had this thing memorized. Before I knew it, the tavern was crowded with more soldiers. Two peculiar men stumbled over to my table, cups in hand. "Mind if we... .......sit here?" I observed the two men and nodded.

The man with the wobbly voice sat on the bench first. He had messy blonde hair that was falling out of its original bun. The sleeves of his jacket were a comfortable fit and reached down to well below his hands; they're decorated with decorative bands at the edges. An odd choice for a work coat, but perhaps he changed after his day in the fields? The jacket has a wide neck, which revealed part of the intricate shirt worn below it, and is worn with a big rope belt, which was held together by a big belt buckle. Iron, it looked like. His boots are made from rare leather, but otherwise they were an ordinary design.

His companion was even stranger. His face blushed, and his eyes were dazed. He clearly had too much to drink, practically fell onto the bench. His clothes were also ostentatious, with expensive fur on his boots. Don't these fools know how to disguise themselves? Embarrassing.

"Have you heard uhhhh the recent news?" His voice carried the s like a snake.

"What were your names?"

They looked at each other and smirked. "I'm Lazaros Michaliou, and this impaired boy is my brother, Kostas."

When he heard his name, Kostas threw a fist in the air and slammed it back on the table. "Thas meeee, your hehe high-ugh."

Lazaros slapped him in the back of the head and offered an apologetic smile. "Poor boy can't hold his bottle."

"It's certainly odd that a seigneur, such as yourself, would dine at a local tavern." He looked shattered. He looked at his "brother" and laughed nervously. "Seigneur?! Now I'm guessin you had a bit too much."

His voice cracked, and his accent changed. Subtly, but I still noticed. "Don't panic, Dante. There's a low chance they saw my arrangement." My mind was racing, but I kept my face set in stone. "You expect me to believe that you spent all day in the fields without getting a spot of mud on your antique leather shoes? Perhaps you changed your clothes, huh? You can simply afford multiple intricate apparels such as this." I gestured at his jacket. "On a meager farmyard salary. You changed just so you could go drink your hard-earned money away. Leaving your poor family to finish your labor. Is that what you'd like me to believe?"

"He got youuuuuu!" Kostas laughed over the chatter. This is why I don't drink. Lazaros firmly set his cup down and scowled at me. "You bas*erd." He rubbed his temples. "The Society is dissatisfied with your King's actions."

Oh, the joys of being anonymous. Salvino thought my plan wouldn't work HA. I've invaded their Society without being noticed.

"We never stationed any female members in the castle. Red scarves are only delegated to those in high positions. We know what he did; now the dragon has more pressure than ever. More security to pass, more hiding, more codes. I need you to tell King Dante that if he doesn't fulfill his end of the contract, his secret is out."

Sh*t Sh*t Sh*t. "Very well. I pledge that he will be in attendance at your next assembly."

Lazaros looked satisfied and heaved Kostas out of the building. The full light of the moon was out by now, and I trudged my way to the back stable to receive my horse. The cold wind chipped beside me, and as I turned the corner, I saw a dozen royal guards. Fastened on top of a beautiful dark horse was Tedwin Hédiart, the head of internal affairs. "Good evening, your majesty."

The wind howled louder in my ears. "Evening, Hédiart." I tried to calmly walk past and fetch my horse, only to be seized by four guards. I tried to break free and nearly succeeded until two more piled onto me.

"King Dolent personally commands your presence for interrogation."

"Why?"

"Suspicion of collaboration with the Red Dragon Society."

A/N: Let me know if you prefer these longer chapters over the short, direct ones!

Thanks for reading! :)