Chapter 278 - Horrible Husband
"I knew this would happen," Elias remarked, his lips curled in amusement. He glanced at her white dress stained in red, misfortune hanging above her, and eyes glazed over. She appeared defeated by the events, as if realizing her fate wasn't in her hands.
"I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, Immortal, but that'd be a lie," Elias stated, his attention flickering to the man holding her tightly.
Elias always found obsession to be interesting. The emotion festered from the chest, an insatiable urge chewing at the fingertips and gnawing at the heart. No one ever realized they're obsessed, not even when they're behind bars and cuffed at the wrists.
"Hm, what to do…" Elias tilted his head and pressed his lips together. "You shot my informer, ruined the garden my wife favors, and accumulated far too many crimes such as bringing a gun, murder—"
"All of those problems would be gone the second I shoot you," Kaden mused, his eyes narrowing with warning.
Elias paused. Then, he burst out laughing. The icy sound echoed down the hallways, frightening even the lost spirits and terrifying the ghosts. Only two people remained unfazed.
Lina stared at the King like he was a mad man. Kaden didn't even blink. In a way, she realized they were similar, but also worlds apart. Both men enjoy toying with people's emotions. Ruthless murderers. Sly snakes. As cunning as they were, their charisma was hard to deny.
"You rushed the wedding," Lina realized. "To meet Kaden faster."
Elias calmly gazed at her. "Indeed."
"Why?"
"I was growing impatient," Elias stated with a shrug of his shoulders.
Despite his nonchalance, Lina saw right through him. He masked his hatred with humor. Kaden hid his disgust through indifference. She wondered how the two of them could be this good with hiding their emotions. She wore her heart on her sleeve and was an open book. Some said her eyes were the window to her soul.
"As impatient as I am, so is another man," Elias responded, shifting his attention to Kaden. He noticed how possessed the Immortal was. The immortal clutched his woman like a beast protecting its mate. The scene was romantic, really. But it made Elias gag.
"You made a threat to kill me and you'd probably succeed, given your immortality. But what if I murdered your woman in front of you? That'd kill you more than death ever would," Elias remarked.
Kaden stiffened. His expression became murderous, a glimmer in his eyes. Kaden could kill Elias, but Elias could never do the same. Kaden fantasized about the idea of turning the Queen into a widow who'd be forced to defend her young son from assassins. With Elias dead, everyone would begin to attack her and her children, beginning with the naive little boy.
"But we're not savages, are we?" Elias teased.
Elias tilted his head. He saw Lina's slight frown. She was beginning to put two and two together. Smart woman. He liked those who were intelligent beyond their years. His daughter had this personality trait.
"If you tell me the secrets to your immortality, I'll let you both go. Your shootout and murders together will be pardoned. You'll leave this country unscathed, as if the events of today never happened," Elias stated.
"Reject my offer, and I'll have your woman poisoned."
At this exact moment, Lina felt her stomach dip. She let out a shaky breath. When she saw the King's eerie expression, she knew. They both knew.
"The food I've eaten thus far… you've poisoned me," Lina murmured.
"Never accept food from a table you don't trust," Elias chided her.
Kaden wasted no time in setting his woman down. With great patience, he reached into his suit pocket. He pulled out a silencer, not afraid of the Pure-Blood's lightning speed. Even if the King attacked Kaden, it'd just give the perfect range to shoot him dead. Even if the King attacked Kaden, he'd pull her out of the way with the same superhuman speed.
"Luckily for you two, I have the antidote," Elias said.
Elias reached into his suit pocket and revealed a small vial of liquid. He dangled the item, giving it a small shake just to tease the two of them. Feeling Kaden's overwhelming presence, he even let out a soft chuckle.
"I can tell you want to torture me alive," Elias snickered, tossing the antidote up in the air. Before any of them could move, he caught it just as quickly. Then, he threw it again and let it slip through his fingers.
Kaden took a step forward, but Elias caught the vial seconds before it hit the ground.
"My life might be easy for you to end, but so is your woman's," Elias remarked.
"As easy as it is for my dove to die, your children and wife will suffer the same fate," Kaden slowly revealed.
Elias' eyes flickered. "Good for you."
Kaden knew he had touched a nerve. He suddenly found the situation to be stupid. They were both powerful leaders with blatant weaknesses. Women. Be it their wife or lover, they weren't as undefeatable as they initially thought they were. Now, Kaden understood why his father never let any concubine get close to his heart.
"Let me add another wager into the deal just for you to answer a simple question," Elias stated.
Elias turned his full attention towards Lina. Lina was as careless as she was smart. Lina was supposed to be hiding behind the Immortal. She should have been using him as a shield. A girl like her should've been peeking over Kaden's arm out of curiosity.
Instead, Lina slipped away from her lover's protection to stand on her own. Brave and brilliant. Lina was on her feet, despite the poison draining the life from her face and eyes.
"Within minutes, your woman will no longer feel her limbs. Within hours, she'll experience the most excruciating death. Her bones will feel like they are being ground into dust within her body, her blood solidifying into jello, and she'll be suffering through agony worse than the seven layers of hell," Elias pointed out.
Kaden became furious. King or not. Antidote or not. He was going to murder Elias. Without warning, he pushed off his feet and dashed for the King. In an instant, Elias released the antidote, preparing to let it fall to the ground.
"Wait."
Elias bent to catch the glass vial just in time for a hand to reach for the spot where his neck should've been. Kaden was right in front of him, his hand outstretched to strangle the King.
"What is your other term?" Lina asked.
Kaden calmly placed his arm down.
"Filling the hole that an idiot made," Elias teased.
Kaden let out a growl and grabbed the King by his collar. Instead of being fazed by the bloodthirsty presence, Elias snickered. Elias knew Kaden could never kill him. In fact, both leaders knew the truth.
"By the way, this is just water," Elias said, swishing the vial in his hand. "The true one is hidden."
"The antidote will surface once I torture your—"
"Filling what hole?" Lina asked, despite how dirty it sounded. She believed it was this lewd King's personality, seeing how touchy he was with his wife.
"Your amnesia," Elias stated with the click of his tongue.
At this, Kaden stiffened.
Checkmate.
"House Luxton," Kaden spat out.
"So you're not just brawns, afterall," Elias mused. "But yes. House Luxton, my family, have always inherited the ability to warp memories, perspectives, and the list goes on."
Lina let out a shaky breath. She was unable to stand any longer. Beginning to see double, her legs suddenly gave out. But before she even touched the ground, Kaden was back at her side. He grabbed her seconds before her knees painfully slammed to the ground.
Lina instantly felt how much he treasured her. He could've killed the King on the spot. It would be a hard and long fight, but possible. Maybe that was why the King feared the Immortal. The battle would be bloody, but the victor was clear.
How would one kill a man that never dies?
"I can reverse your damage, Immortal," Elias stated, eyeing Kaden carefully.? He had suspected Kaden's ability was the cause
Kaden's expression was calm but his alert eyes shot to fix on Elias.
"Damage…?" Lina tiredly said, touching her head. She realized all of the headaches must be caused by her amnesia. She didn't think she had amnesia.
Lina felt perfectly fine, but she knew that was a lie. She had always felt like a part of her was missing. There were memories with blurry faces and dates five years in the future which had occurred when she was supposedly older than sixteen. She saw events she didn't think had happened, but apparently they had.
"This is the most absurd business deal, in all honesty," Elias stated. "I give you the antidote, pardon your crimes, and heal your amnesia, all for the return of immortality. Fair enough, isn't it?"
"Why would you even want immortality?" Lina uttered.
"It should not concern you—"
"I see you pay your wife's wishes no mind," Lina shot at him.
Elias froze. His lips curled back into a snarl, his composed face cracking on the spot.
"Adeline said it herself, she doesn't wish for immortality. You're going to force it on her. You're going to force her to watch all of her loved ones die. When that happens, she'll be all alone. A shell of the woman she was. When that happens, she will no longer be the wife you love."
"You—"
"What a horrible husband," Lina realized. "What a pitiful Queen."
"You know nothing, little girl—"
"Immortality is not a blessing, it is a curse. The cruelest of curses," Lina softly said. "You may never die, but the agony you suffer is worse than a thousand deaths.. If immortality is truly what you want, then you're a fool."
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