The King stared down at her with blank eyes as she cried pitifully.
"Please... You can do it. Let's... Let's go back to how we were. I am sorry. I will apologize to everyone. Ivan... Ivan is your heir. I am your queen! Remember all my ancestors have done for this kingdom. Remember how my father helped you..."
A bitter smile twisted the corners of the King's lips as he shook his head slowly. "If your father indeed helped me run this kingdom smoothly, why did I put in a lot of effort to make him have a rough death?" he retorted, his tone sharp and taunting.
Arya's eyes widened in shock, unable to fathom the truth her husband was revealing. "No," she gasped, "that can't be true. My father was loyal to you. You... were loyal to him!"
The King's gaze hardened as he continued, his words laced with pain and bitterness. "Did you truly think I was unaware of your schemes, Arya?" he questioned, his voice low and filled with accusation. "Did you believe I didn't know about Tyra? Or that night when you tried to make me lie with you to conceal the evidence of your crime?"
Arya's breath caught in her throat, and her heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Eli... please," she pleaded, her voice desperate, "I... never meant to betray you. I loved you, even though we were forced into this marriage. But... my f-father..."
The King's expression remained cold and unyielding as if he had already made up his mind. "Your actions have consequences, Arya," he declared, his voice devoid of emotion. "You killed so many people, even Maria, and you buried your sins deep enough for others not to know. You... were smart."
The weight of her sins and the depth of her husband's knowledge crushed Arya's spirit, leaving her feeling utterly exposed. "I... I did what I had to do," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I had to protect myself, my position, and our children. I'm... sorry. But I always loved you." She cried bitterly and shook her head, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "It was a mistake. Damon... it was a mistake. I was... I was lonely. I don't know why I did that. I... I don't know. I was stupid..." she cried. For the first time, she sounded genuinely remorseful.
He still looked down at her; not even a flicker of wistful sadness flickered in his eyes. There were no signs of pity. Of love. He had always hated her.
"You were clever; I will admit that," he said, his voice tinged with bitterness.
He crouched down to look her squarely in the eyes.
"But your daughter was smarter than you." He said quietly.
"She was an Omega. Yet she was very smart, very strong, and always appeared to be weak. Unlike you, who I could tell all you were up to, I could not always tell for her."
"She was just like her grandfather. But unlike him, who succumbed to his madness and only killed your mother and those around him, Tyra did a lot more. So much for her name to always be remembered for as long as the Moon Kingdom exists. She... even poisoned me too." He let out an amused laugh.
Arya's eyes widened in shock, unable to fathom what her husband was talking about.
"W-What... is that... supposed to mean?" She asked with a trembling voice, withdrawing from him a little.
"I am petty." He said and stood up.
Tears flowed freely down Arya's cheeks as she realized the full extent of her husband's revenge. He was suddenly unrecognizable to her.
The King's demeanour remained stoic as he spoke with an air of finality. "Your actions have consequences, Arya," he repeated. "And now, you and your children will bear the weight of those consequences."
Desperation filled Arya's heart as she reached out towards her husband, but he stepped back, out of her reach. "Please, My King," she implored, "forgive me. I never meant for things to turn out this way."
"Forgiveness cannot erase the past," he said sadly. "The damage has been done, and the price must be paid. Ivan is my son. So rest assured, nothing else will happen to him."
As Arya continued to weep, the King turned to leave the room, his steps heavy with the weight of his own regrets. But before he walked away, he spoke one last sentence that pierced Arya's heart like a dagger.
"Remember this, Arya," he said with a hint of sorrow, "your family's lineage ends with this generation. The sins of the past will not be passed on."
With those words hanging in the air like a haunting echo, the King left the repentance room, leaving Arya on her knees, shattered and heartbroken. Her world had crumbled around her, and the consequences of her actions had finally caught up to her.
Arya bellowed loudly, her cries reaching the ends of the Moon Kingdom, but it was the end of her.
The exile of Queen Arya marked the end of her glory days, leaving behind a legacy tainted by deceit and treachery. The people, still reeling from the revelations, looked to their Prince Harold with hope, yearning for a leader who would bring justice and compassion to the kingdom. Because as far as they were concerned, that was neither King Eli nor Prince Ivan.
As the sun set over the ancient castle, painting the sky in hues of gold and crimson, Harold stood by the lake, his heart heavy with the weight of responsibility. He knew that the road ahead would be arduous, filled with challenges and difficult decisions. There was still no good news.
And as the winds whispered through the castle walls, carrying with them the echoes of a painful past, Harold vowed to learn from the mistakes of his father and to protect the ones he loved no matter what.
He wanted to believe that in the midst of darkness, there remained a glimmer of hope for a brighter future.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om