Chapter 37: Send for Me the Healers

Leonidas stormed down the corridor.

The blood roaring in his ears was deafening.

He was upset.

He was hurt.

He was also unbelievably, deeply embarrassed.

Just last night, he had stripped himself of every single ounce of his pride. He, the mighty Panther King of Shadow’s Edge, had dropped to his lowest point in front of his entire court, begging the woman he had neglected for six years to stay. He had bared his soul, discarded his mistress, and offered her everything. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

And she had looked at him with so much apathy.

Now, to make matters infinitely worse, Cassian was here.

That bastard.

Why? Why did that arrogant, white-haired flirt have to show up now? Of all times?

Leonidas gritted his teeth, his fangs elongating slightly as his panther instincts thrashed against his ribcage. Cassian’s eyes looking at Karina... the way he had smiled at her, the way he had purred his words, invading her personal space. It made Leonidas want to burn the castle to the ground.

He turned the corner, his purple eyes scanning the long hallway.

There.

"Empress!" Leonidas called out.

Up ahead, Karina stopped in her tracks.

Instantly, her two loyal shadows reacted. General Aldric immediately shifted his broad frame, stepping half a pace in front of her. On her other side, Lady Sophie stiffened, nervously clutching the fabric of her pink skirts but standing her ground.

Karina turned around slowly, setting her eyes on him with a tired expression.

Then, without a single word, she turned back around and continued walking, her entourage falling perfectly into step beside her.

Leonidas felt his heart physically drop into his stomach.

He scrambled to catch up, his long strides eating up the distance until he was standing just a few feet behind them.

"Karina, we haven’t spoken since yesterday," Leonidas said, stepping into her path and forcing her to halt.

Aldric instantly fully stepped between them, tired of him, but Karina simply raised an elegant hand, gently pushing her general’s arm down. She could handle this.

"There is not much to speak about, Leonidas. Bring me the annulment papers. That is all I want to talk to you about. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Leonidas flinched.

"And also," Karina added. "Please put your cousin in check. I have enough headaches in this miserable castle without having to deal with whatever oversized ego trip he is on."

Oh.

"Karina," Leonidas whispered, his voice cracking. His eyes were still swimming with misery. "I don’t want the annulment. I won’t sign it. You hear me? I won’t sign it."

Karina cocked a brow, a short laugh escaping her.

Just how delusional was this guy? She knew for a fact he wasn’t even concerned about Renira, who he had deceievd and lied to for years.

Tch.

What a selfish man.

"It seems you have forgotten I am the Empress of Zyleria," Karina said. "My word is law. You do not have a choice in this matter. It was your wish to be parted from me originally, no? Let us go ahead with that."

She took a half-step forward, forcing him to look down directly into her unyielding gaze.

"Now go away. Leave this place," she commanded softly. "Before my son sees you."

Before my son sees you.

It was the ultimate, killing blow. Sophie physically winced at the sheer devastation that washed over the Panther King’s face, while Aldric simply stood like a stone wall, thoroughly internally satisfied.

Leonidas swallowed a heavy, dry lump in his throat. He had failed her as a husband, and he had failed Valen as a father. She was holding a mirror up to his sins, and the reflection was too hideous to bear.

He lowered his head.

"As you wish," Leonidas murmured. "And do not worry. I will keep Cassian in check, I swear it."

He slowly turned away, dragging his heavy boots against the stone as he walked back the way he came.

Karina watched his raggedy behind retreat for exactly two seconds before scoffing and continuing down the hall, Aldric and Sophie quickly following.

Her mind was already racing, swiftly moving past the pathetic Panther King and onto the next problem.

Hmm, Karina thought, her brows knitting together. Cassian.

The Sovereign of the Glacier’s Crown surely couldn’t be up to any good. The way he had spoken, the way he had looked at her... he was definitely a flirty type. Exactly like Rafael, except with a terrifyingly high power level. But maybe he wasn’t as sleazy as Rafael.

Or maybe he was.

Ugh, whatever, Karina decided, mentally tossing the white-haired man into the same garbage bin as her husband. He’s irrelevant. Just another arrogant beast to ignore.

But there was something else she had been thinking about.

The feral sickness.

The rabid plague.

It had spread to his domain.

Karina frowned, her pace slowing slightly. All those poor panthers. They weren’t just mindless monsters, they were people. They were citizens of this kingdom, warriors and farmers and parents, suddenly losing their minds and foaming at the mouth until they had to be violently put down. The memory of the rabid beast tearing off their carriage door flashed in her mind, sending a cold shiver down her spine.

Surely there must be something I can do about it, Karina thought, chewing on her lower lip. I’m the Empress. I have access to the entire imperial budget and the smartest minds on the continent. I can’t just sit around eating honey cakes while a literal zombie plague wipes out my son’s people.

If this sickness reached the inner city... if it reached the castle...

No. She wouldn’t let that happen.

"Aldric?" She called out, just as they were about to reach the garden.

"Yes, empress?" He responded, ready to carry out whatever she needed of him.

"Find out where they are keeping the bodies of the infected panthers. And send for the lead healers. I wish to speak to them immediately."

"As you wish, your Imperial majesty. It will be done."