The Villain's Redemption

"Kuzma hasn't returned yet and I doubt he would return to his quarters." The King looked at Lucinia then towards Mo Li. "The fact that he was working with the witches to try and frame you— " he sighed. "I am disappointed in him. I couldn't help but wonder why he would abandon his family— us— and chose to side with the witches."

"Love," Lucinia uttered. Zacharia had ties to the witches, and Prince clearly loved him. It's actually quite understandable for him to chose Zacharia over the King and his siblings. After all, the King was never a warm father and his siblings only wanted benefits than a real relationship. Kuzma must have found that Zach's warmth is better than the warmth from the comfort of his luxurious bed. "I don't blame him. He— " Before she could speak, the Queen suddenly burst towards the door, tears were already streaming in her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked the King. "What did you do to Kuzma?" Without waiting for the king to utter a word, the Queen's eyes were already on Lucinia. "It's you… it must be you! Tell me! What did you do this time?"

Lucinia sighed in response.

"Answer me! What have you done to Prince Kuzma?"

"She didn't do anything." The King hissed. "Kuzma is already with the witches. He ran away after trying to frame Lucinia and attempting to kill his own brother Prince Gavril. You have raised such a monster who would not even hesitate to betray his own kind just! Why are you blaming Lucinia?"

"You— What did you say?" the Queen asked.

"Your son is in cohorts with the witches. We found some flower of death in his quarters. All of them were in liquid form. He was capable of poisoning anyone of us!"

"You—" The Queen staggered. Eyes wide as he stared at the king in front of her. "No… No! That is not true!" She screamed. "My son would never do that! He hated witches! He would never work with them! You are lying to me! You— You are lying to everyone! Tell me that you are lying!" The Queen had long favored Prince Kuzma over her other sons and daughters. To him, he should be the perfect King. There is no other person that should inherit the throne other than her second son. She balled her hands into fists as she tried to control her anger. Then she looked at Lucinia.

"You— " the Queen pointed a finger towards the Princess. "You are manipulating the King! You are a lying bitch! Why are you doing this? Why would you try to frame my son!?" She tried to approached Lucinia but Mo Li was quick to arrive before her hand could even touch Lucinia's hair. "AHHHHHHHHHH!" The Queen's loud shriek followed as she clutched her now missing finger. "You dared— "

"I could kill you. But I wouldn't allow my woman to see a pool of your filthy blood." He said coldly. "Go your family and cry to your father. Tell him, I did this to you. Tell him to come after me. That would give me enough reason to obliterate your own clan."

"You are— "

"I don't threaten, your majesty the Queen. But you have to try it to believe it." Mo Li waved his hand. "Leave before I changed my mind and end your life."

"How dare you threatened me? I am the Queen of— "

Her words, however, were interrupted by the King. "Leave now." The King uttered. "Don't come here unless I tell you too."

"Your majesty…"

"Now!" The King suddenly hissed. Seeing this, the Queen could only glare at Mo Li before stomping out of the King's study. "My apologies." The King said, this time, his gaze was directed to Mo Li. "She had been a little … dramatic lately."

"You are enabling her too much." Mo Li uttered. "She had been planning to take the throne away from you for a hundred years now. And yet you do nothing. You let her do whatever you want, making her grow her own horns. I told you I will kill her the next time she would offend me."

Lucinia only listened as the two started talking as if she wasn't there. After a few minutes, Mo Li told her that they should go back to their mansion as the King needed to visit Prince Gavril to check if his wounds were already healing from the dagger that Prince Kuzma was using.

To Mo Li's surprise, Lucinia only nodded. She didn't say anything else and just smiled at her own husband. For some reason, she still feels a little confused about all this. She felt that something was amiss with the King but her brains couldn't seem to grasp it. Something else is happening. She could feel it.

"Are you alright?" Lucinia suddenly asked when she saw sweat on Mo Li's forehead. Just like her, he had been very quiet since they left the King's study too. A flash of worry appeared in her eyes. She remembered that Mo Li actually drank the poisoned wine earlier before the system informed her about it. At first, she thought that it wouldn't affect him since he wasn't showing any signs of weakness. But now…

"I am tired."

"Vampires don't get tired." She countered, using his favorite line against him. In response, Mo Li gave her a gentle smile.

"I think lives like this are really complicated." He said. "I don't want to live like this."

"Live like what?" She asked. Mo Li actually never told him what he was. Aside from the fact that she knew he was like her, Lucinia knew nothing about her husband's past. Of course, she wasn't interested to know about this too. After all, she would forget about it anyway. All the things that would happen in this world would turn to dust once she leaves.

"I am called an ancient." Mo Li didn't seem to have any hesitations in his voice as he looked at her. A long stretch of silence followed as the carriage continued to move forward. "I… I am supposed to protect whoever it is that is holding the crown." He uttered. "I am no threat to the crown, and he knows that." He was obviously referring to the King. "Killing him would be akin to a death sentence to someone like me."

"Are you a vampire?"

"I am."

"So you are like the first vampire?"

"No. I am not." He chuckled. "There was no such thing as the first vampire. Only the ancients, the kings and the nobles." He sighed. "When you told me that he is after me… I thought that it was crazy. He couldn't be after me. He knew about me and my capabilities. He knew that I couldn't kill him or anyone that would hold the throne."

This made Lucinia frowned. She looked at him, urging him to continue but what she saw changed her expression. Mo Li's face… was turning paler. "You— Are you sick? Do you feel anything?"

"I already told you. I feel tired." He gave her a sad smile. "Aside from that… no. I don't feel anything else."

Lucinia used her palm to check his temperature, and just as she expected, his flesh was burning. She immediately urged the coachman to make the carriage faster. How could a vampire— a very powerful vampire— would get a fever? That is just… impossible! After arriving in the mansion, Lucinia made him lay on the bed. "It must be poison." She said. Mo Li is not immune to such things. She looked at the sweat on his forehead and the smile on his face. "You should take some rest."

"Where are you going?"

She bit her lips, she was about to say she would cook some porridge but immediately realized the foolishness of such words. Why was she treating him like he was human? But most importantly, why was this situation so familiar? "I will find something to cure you."

He chuckled at that.

"You should rest first." Lucinia was, of course, confident that she could heal him. It's because of her potions, the ones that she brought from the other world. She knew that it would be effective to the wound from the flower of death. So if the poison that is affecting him is the flower of death then… "Hey, the flower of death can be used as a poison too?"

"Yes." He said, almost weakly, and she immediately hated it. She was used to him being sharp, always making fun of her and making her laugh with her dramatic lines.

"Can you detect it?"

"No. We are not like you." Mo Li uttered. Aside from being powerful physically, Mo Li is not like Lucinia, who was not affected by poisons. He cannot break the rule of the world as this would be enough to change everything. After all, he was nothing but an anomaly, a soul strong enough to break the bindings of the universe.

"Then… Just rest, alright? I will make sure that you will feel better when you wake up." She smiled.

"You don't want to see me dead? I thought you don't like me?"

She slowly pinched his arm. "Stop talking and rest."

"You know… you always liked pinching me. In every world… you have this tendency to pinch me." He said before he slowly closed his eyes.