Cassian Valmont POV.
Chaos erupted almost instantly as guards rushed forward, forming a protective wall around the royal family whom ministers stumbled over one another in desperate attempts to hide behind anyone wearing armour.
Several people dropped flat onto the floor while others covered their heads with trembling hands as no one could see the attacker and that made the fear all the more terrifying.
Cassian smirked from where he stood, eying the guard once more before shaking his head in amusement.
It would seem like he wouldn’t even need to get his hands dirty when it came to this people today.
Same thing.
His eyes lazily swept across the throne room, flitting over the people who were screaming, then those who had somehow begun to pray and cry.
While some others had already abandoned every shred of dignity they possessed as they crawled across the polished floor in search of somewhere or anywhere that they could find to hide away.
How pitiful.
Just moments ago these same people had been discussing how many lashes he deserved and now?
They were praying they survived long enough to even witness those lashes.
Life truly was amusing.
<You people sure change your opinions faster than the weather.>
<One minute I’m a criminal.>
<The next minute you’re all begging the heavens not to die.>
<How shameless.>
His gaze lingered briefly on several familiar ministers.
<Where’s all that courage from earlier?>
<Didn’t you all want me punished?>
<Why are you hiding now?>
<Go on.>
<Continue shouting.>
<I’m listening.>
A faint chuckle escaped him.
The sound was so soft that no one noticed it beneath the chaos consuming the throne room.
“We need to get word to the Imperial Guards!”
The Eldest Princess said as she turned to her brother, the king and the king nodded with a difficult expression on his face as he alternatively looked at Cassian and then his Head Eunuch who had just been killed by an arrow.
His face was still scrunched up in horror and pure disbelief at how quick his death had been with his eyes so wide open that anyone who saw his corpse would have nightmares for days.
The king’s fingers pushed harder into the armrests of his throne as he finally settled his gaze on none other than Cassian who looked far too laid back for the current situation they were all in.
He was even smiling.
“What do we do now?”
The Eldest Princess asked as she held onto the trembling figure of the queen who was holding onto a small princess who seemed to have fainted some time ago.
Nobody answered her question immediately but it wasn’t because they lacked ideas but because every single option sounded equally hopeless.
Send someone for reinforcements?
Who would they send?
The Head Eunuch was dead.
Rush the doors?
They had already been sealed.
Fight?
No one even knew how many enemies were hidden inside the palace.
The uncertainty was the most terrifying part and every passing second made the invisible enemy seem larger than life.
Eldest Prince Trevor asked as he also looked around, his eyes turning sharp as he saw a glinting object being aimed towards their position.
His eyes narrowed at the movement as he slowly traced it towards the king and his mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do at this moment.
WHIZ!!
The arrow was released before he could even think through a complete plan and the arrow sailed right past him in a slow motion as it came at the king.
“Watch out!!”
He cried out loudly in warning as he went to stand up to try and stop it but before he could even move, a sharp sword flew right in front of the arrow and slapped it away before the tip of the sword embedded itself into a pillar right behind the King’s throne with a dull thud.
The entire throne room froze as even the assassins paused for the briefest of moments as everyone’s eyes instinctively followed the spinning sword until it embedded itself deeply inside the stone pillar behind the throne.
The hilt vibrated violently as a deep humming sound echoed through the hall and only then did everyone realise just how close the King had come to death.
Several ministers nearly collapsed from relief as the King’s breathing became noticeably heavier because had that sword arrived a heartbeat later…the arrow would have pierced straight through his skull.
Cassian clicked his tongue.
<Tch…>
“My king!
Are you okay?!”
A voice filled with fear and urgency asked from below their thrones and they all turned their gazes to the culprit only to spot that bleeding guard that had rushed in earlier before any of this started to report the kidnapping of the Crown Prince.
Cassian watched in rising irritation as the king nodded with gratitude and relief clear in his face and stood up quickly.
Couldn’t that man just stay down and wait for death like a good little dog?
He had been so overjoyed when he saw that arrow fly past Eldest Prince Trevor and go straight for the king, he had felt like there would be no need for him to personally slaughter the king again if it succeeded.
Which it would have, had it not been for this guard.
Did he plan this?
He was certain that it wasn’t a coincidence and it was probably to save his head that the guard did that.
Who would put themselves in harms way after literally escaping one just to save someone else?
He wasn’t buying that story, he wasn’t stupid!
But worry not, he would take care of the duo if by any chance, they survived the ordeal.
Shaking his head, he watched as the assassins who had been in hiding all these while swiftly jumped out of their hiding place and felt disappointment wash over him.
They had just jumped in from the sides?
How boring!
They could have burst in through that arched ceiling up there!
Oh it would have been glorious!
“FOR THE DEATH OF THE FORSAKEN KING AND HIS LEAGUE OF TRAITORS!!”
“FOR THE DEATH OF THE FORSAKEN KING AND HIS LEAGUE OF TRAITORS!!!!”
The entire place that was already chaotic was turned up five notches as those words were cheered out by the assassins and many began to rush towards the double doors in a bid to escape the place before harm comes to them.
But the doors wouldn’t budge no matter how hard they pulled and tugged on it and instantly, the entire place eroded with pure fear and terror could be seen on the faces of so many people there.
“No!”
“They’re locked!”
“They won’t open!”
“Move aside!”
“I said move!”
Dozens of nobles shoved one another violently as friendships, political alliances and years of mutual respect quickly vanished in the face of death.
A marquis shoved a viscount to the floor as a count stepped over an elderly minister without so much as a second glance and someone even abandoned his own son who was a scholar in the desperate struggle to reach the doors.
Cassian quietly watched everything unfold with sharp eyes.
<Look at that…>
<So much for loyalty.>
<So much for nobility.>
<I wonder…If death wasn’t knocking on your doors…would you all still be pretending to be righteous.>
The small nobles each held expressions of terror as they watched along with the others as the guards there quickly engaged with the arriving assassins.
“Root out these vermin!”
General Barley screamed as he drew out his long broadsword and joined the fray as blood began to flow from the countless battles happening within the Hall Of Ascension.
Blood sprayed everywhere as throats were slit open and people were stabbed but in all these, Cassian stood off to the side as he leaned into a wall and crossed his legs, seemingly uninterested in the deaths happening around him.
His eyes were on the moving figures of the king, his sister and brother and then that guard as they began for the hidden door behind their thrones in a bid to escape and Cassian scoffed.
<You would so easily abandon your subjects so long as it works for you, wouldn’t you?>
<Of course, he would.>
<He did the same to me in my past life, didn’t he?>
<Selfish king!>
<Benevolent?>
<Paiii!!>
He actually spat to the side as his countenance increasingly turned darker and darker as he watched their retreating figures with pure disdain.
Shaking his head, he began to turn away from them but then got stopped when something happened that bright him a level of surprise and frankly?
Happiness!
Five assassins burst out from the large draped curtains on the walls surrounding the Hall Of Ascension and instantly began to circle the four individuals.
Now, this just got a lot more interesting than he thought it would.
“WHAT A KING!
TRYING TO ESCAPE AND LEAVE THE REST TO DIE!”
“SOME KING YOU ARE!”
“FORSAKEN RAT!”
“YOU SHOULD BE PUT TO DEATH FOR THAT ALONE!”
“AND YOU WILL!”
They all lunged straight for the four individuals and instantly the king turned his gaze towards the position where Cassian was relaxing at and quickly began to speak.
“Cassian Valmont—”
“No.”
Done!