Chapter 57: Whispers of Deceit

Chapter 57: Whispers of Deceit

Valerius Evander leaned closer, his eyes softened with concern as he whispered, his breath warm against Ethan Caelan’s ear. Without waiting for a reply, he drew near, arms winding slowly around Ethan from behind. His chest, hot and steady, pressed against Ethan’s frail back. Silken strands of hair brushed against Valerius’s cheek, carrying with them a faint, intoxicating fragrance. Lowering his head, he buried his face in those dark locks, his voice a gentle murmur by Ethan’s ear:
“Look at you… cold to the bone. How could I not worry?”
The sudden embrace startled Ethan. Instinctively, he struggled to break free, yet no matter how he fought, his weakened body was soon caged completely within Valerius’s hold.
The faint trace of dragon musk clinging to Valerius struck Ethan like a curse. It was all too familiar. His chest tightened with dread, his breath faltered, and his body began to tremble.
Sensing the fragile resistance, Valerius only tightened his embrace. Pressing his cheek against Ethan’s, he whispered, low and coaxing:
“Do not be afraid. I only came to see you… just for a while.”
Ethan’s voice quivered as he forced out the words. “Please… let me go, first.”
Valerius smiled faintly, whispering again. “Ethan… ever since that night, I have lived with regret. Tell me, how can I possibly make amends?”
Make amends? The thought cut into Ethan like a knife. You stripped me of my dignity, my honor—what could ever atone for that? He swallowed the grief and spoke softly:
“Let me leave this place… and I will pretend it never happened.”
Valerius’s gaze lingered on him, still gentle, almost tender. “You have shared my bed, Ethan. That makes you mine. Where else do you think you could go?”
His eyes ignited with heat as he seized Ethan’s hand, pulling him flush against his body. “For what I’ve done, I will take responsibility. I will not leave you nameless at my side. A man serving as a consort to his sovereign is not without precedent,” he murmured.
At the word consort, Ethan froze. A bitter, hollow laugh slipped from his lips, sharp as shattering glass in the silence of winter’s night. He lifted his clear eyes, now glinting with desolation and scorn, staring straight into Valerius’s face.
“Consort?” His weak voice carried the weight of contempt. “For a prince to be reduced to a plaything in your harem—what an honor indeed.”
The mockery in his tone made Valerius’s smile falter. His brows knitted, voice darkening: “Ethan, that
“Rightful?” Ethan’s laugh this time was colder still, steeped in sorrow. “Violated, stripped of my honor, only to be granted a title fit for a toy in your harem? Tell me, Valerius Evander, what do you take me for? Some courtesan to be used at your whim?”
He tried once more to push him away, but his frail strength was no match. Helplessness surged through him, feeding the fire of his fury.
“Valerius Evander, I am the Fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Aria! To disgrace me is to disgrace Aria itself! Do you think my father, my brothers, will ever let this pass?”
Valerius’s grip on his shoulders tightened, danger sparking in his eyes. “I am the Son of Heaven. Whatever I desire, none can deny me. Aria? If they dare provoke me, I will raze their capital to the ground!” His voice rang with ruthless finality, the softness gone, replaced by a sovereign’s tyranny. “Ethan, do not test my patience. Stay by my side, obey me, and you will have everything. Defy me… and I have countless ways to bend you to my will.”
Ethan’s lips curved into a smile—beautiful, almost ethereal—but his eyes were cold as winter steel. “You think you hold my life and death in your hands? If you insist on degrading me, I will not hesitate to give up this life.”
The smile slipped from Valerius’s mouth. He gazed into Ethan’s eyes, and where once had burned lustful possession, now there flickered the thrill of a hunter discovering prey that dared bare its fangs.
“Splendid,” he murmured, a low laugh rolling from his chest. “You would rather shatter yourself than yield. That spirit… I admire it.”
Leaning down, Valerius whispered with a velvet tone, his words laced with a cruel intimacy:
“Tell me, Ethan… did you ever wonder why your mother, Lady Victoria Everglow, chose death in that forsaken palace?”
At the name, Ethan’s heart clenched, his breath caught as though seized by an unseen hand.
Seeing the shift in Ethan’s expression, Valerius pressed his cruelty deeper. “The world believes she lay with a guard, that shame drove her to the noose. But I heard another story—far more intriguing.”
His voice dropped, cold and merciless. “That white silk… it was brought by Aria’s Empress herself, who always saw your mother as a thorn in her eye. She gave Lady Victoria two choices: her own death… or the death of her most beloved son—you, Ethan Caelan.”
“Tell me, do you think Lady Victoria will choose to live… or to die?”
Valerius Evander’s voice cut through the silence. Ethan Caelan, struck dumb, stared at him in disbelief.
Valerius continued, his tone calm yet merciless.
“Perhaps you do not know—before she became a consort, your mother already had a fiancé.”
Ethan’s breath caught.
“But on the very day of their wedding, the groom suddenly took his own life. The bride vanished without a trace. And I heard… that it was the handiwork of your so-called ‘honorable’ father, the King of Aria.”
“No! My father would never commit such disgraceful acts…” Ethan shook his head, his voice trembling.
Valerius only smiled, and pressed on.
“Lady Victoria was forced into the palace, desperate for death. But then—something changed everything.”
He leaned closer, whispering into Ethan’s ear, each word searing.
“The imperial physician declared she was with child. It was the scholar’s blood she carried—already formed within her womb. That child was you, Ethan. It was you who bound her to life.”
Bang!
The world inside Ethan’s mind shattered. He stood frozen, as if struck by lightning, unable to move or breathe.
“The King of Aria knew. He knew you were not his son!” Valerius’s eyes glittered with cruel delight. “He raged. He despised it. Yet, the more he loathed, the more he lusted after your mother. In return, he allowed a bastard like you to bear the royal name, to live as a prince.”