Beautiful Rogue

Chapter 03

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A B A N D O N E D

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In a musty dungeon infested with rats and roaches, the king of an entire nation was kept chained up, his wrists and ankles all shackled together, ultimately limiting his motion. He'd been imprisoned down here for god knows how long, and there was not a single soul in sight to keep him company. Finally, he could hear distant footsteps approaching which was then followed by the jingling of keys. A familiar scent wafted in the air and Ashton's heart grew bitter upon realizing who his visitor was. "Edwin, I thought you were my friend," he spoke, disappointment laced in his voice. To be betrayed by the people he trusted, words could not even begin to describe the madness he felt.

The tall and slender man who had charcoal black hair, which was slicked back with gel, grinned sadistically. "Correction, I was never your friend, Ashton Kavalier. You were always a thorn in my side and now that I have gotten the people of Elysium to turn against you, you better believe I will waste no time in seizing this golden opportunity," he sang wickedly as he stood on the other side of the steel constructed cell bars, fingers intertwined behind his back.

Upon hearing his words, rage started to surge within him. "You're going to get my family killed just for power? How could you do such a vile thing?" Ashton growled. His wife and children were placed in a separate chamber and he could only pray no harm had been inflicted upon any of them.

"I'm human, it's in my nature," Edwin reasoned, that infuriating smirk still sprawled over his lips. Then, all traces of amusement disappeared and his expression hardened. "The throne is rightfully mine. It has always been mine. You stole Anise from me. I was supposed to marry her. I was supposed to inherit the title of King of Elysium but you just had to come in and ruin it all, didn't you?"

To this, Ashton simply shook his head. He couldn't believe that after all of these years Edwin still felt wronged about what had happened between the three of them. The smiles they exchanged, the laughter they shared. There was nothing real about them. They were only used to mask the burning hate Edwin had been harboring and to think he had considered the man to be a friend. Ashton should have known better. He should have been more cautious with whom he befriended. His father-in-law, may he rest in peace, had warned him. But clearly, Ashton was a poor judge of character seeing as the people he thought were his allies were secretly conspiring against him without his knowledge this entire time. How foolish he must have seemed in their eyes. "Anise didn't love you," Ashton said. "When will you accept that?"

"Oh dear fool, I've gotten over that woman ages ago. Do you think that's why I'm doing all of this?" Edwin cackled darkly, his shoulders vibrating along with his laughter, which bounced off of the dungeon walls. "She never loved me. You think I didn't know that? To be frank, I did not fancy her much either. She was too—timid for my liking, but marrying her meant that I would become king. It was a no brainer. Everything was going perfect as well until you decided to show up. The fact that she fell for a filthy mutt like you and kicked me to the curb without even batting a lash is why I'm doing all of this."

Ashton balled his hands up into fists. "She's my mate, Edwin," he reminded through gritted teeth. "She was destined for me and her father knew it as well which was why he allowed us to wed. We were inevitable."

Edwin nearly lost his composure but managed to remain levelheaded. He would not give Ashton the satisfaction of getting under his skin. It was supposed to be the other way around. "And because she's your mate, you and your entire family will have to perish. It's the only way to ensure my son will succeed the throne when I retire," he proclaimed. The look of utter horror flashing over Ashton's features was the one he had been waiting for. Nothing was sweeter than revenge. "Once the royal family is out of the picture for good, then I can rest at ease."