The Third Prince Of Darkness

As I entered the room, I noticed it was quite opulent and elegantly decorated. This suited Fiona's style perfectly. Particularly, the excessive prominence of gold and the flashy chandeliers made me a bit uncomfortable. The paintings on the walls, the furniture in the room, and the ornate carpets reflected Fiona's taste for extravagance and expense.

Before long, I heard footsteps approaching from behind me, and when I turned around, I saw Fiona among a few servants. With her short, disheveled blonde hair and bruised eyes, she seemed like a shadow of her former self. Fiona, who often wore excessive makeup, was now without any, and frankly, she was still a beautiful woman.

After all, she had managed to seduce Richard, who was currently the most powerful man in the kingdom. Yet, despite her beauty, her constant use of heavy makeup showed how insecure and therefore fragile she really was. Indeed, her lack of self-esteem despite her beauty might be because of her unhealthy relationship with her family.

When Fiona approached, I stood up and offered her the flower I was holding.

"I offer my condolences on behalf of your son and hope that he finds happiness in his next life with the goddess," I said as kindly as possible.

Fiona was momentarily surprised, but took the flower from my hand and brought it close to her nose to smell it. However, a nearby servant immediately took the flower from Fiona's hand.

"If you allow me, Your Majesty, I'll place this with the other flowers," said the narrow-eyed servant.

She was probably lying. She likely wanted to take the flower to the back room to check for any poison. But actually, this incident made me realize something very important. No ordinary servant would take a flower from someone they were serving in such a disrespectful manner... So this girl was probably not a servant, but a guard. And she was likely one of Fiona's brother's soldiers.

Fiona nodded to the servant, who then gave the flower to the other servant, who left with it.

"If you permit, I would like to speak with you," I said to Fiona.

"Unfortunately, Your Majesty, the Queen is currently mourning her son and has very little time to spare," the servant replied disrespectfully once more.

"I'm not talking to you, plebeian. It would be best if you kept your mouth shut."

As Fiona flinched at my words, the narrow-eyed servant took a few steps back, but I could see she was still ready to attack at any moment. My gaze returned to Fiona, ignoring the servant's alert posture.

"Queen Fiona, I've come here to speak with you alone and to deliver a letter," I said, pulling out the letter.

Fiona looked at the letter, furrowing her brows, and then looked at me with her eyes swollen from crying. "Is this letter for me?" she asked.

"Yes. Your daughter, Umala, gave it to me to deliver to you."

"May I have it then?" Fiona asked eagerly, extending her hand.

"I will give you this letter after we speak privately," I said, putting the letter back into my pocket.

Fiona's face quickly shifted from excitement to disappointment. "What do you want to discuss, Prince Ethan?" she asked, her voice betraying an unmasked fragility. Her eyes were still fixed on the letter I had tucked into my pocket.

I took a deep breath and positioned myself more authoritatively in the room. Fiona's servants were still lingering around us like shadows, but the threat they posed no longer bothered me. "Queen Fiona, I told you I wanted to speak with you alone," I said.

The narrow-eyed servant moved to intervene again, but Fiona silenced her with a wave of her hand. "How can I be sure you won't harm me, Ethan?"

Looking at Fiona, who was now addressing me in an informal tone with a hint of fear in her eyes, I couldn't help but smile involuntarily. But it seemed this involuntary smile only served to further unsettle and frighten the narrow-eyed servant. "Fiona, do you really think that if I wanted to harm you, this little servant behind you could stop me?

If my father, who is the strongest person in the kingdom, could barely defeat me, do you think I need such a foolish plan to harm you? Also if I had wanted to harm you, I would have done so years ago. Now, can we talk in private?"

After a brief hesitation, Fiona nodded to her servants. The narrow-eyed servant hesitated for a moment, but then bowed respectfully and withdrew. The other servants followed her, leaving the room. Once the door closed behind them, we were alone. Fiona's fear and fragility were now more apparent. She placed her hand on her chest, as if trying to calm herself.

"What do you want to say, Ethan?" she asked, her voice still tinged with nervousness but now more controlled and tinged with sadness.

"First, sit down," I said and watched as Fiona took her seat.

"I've come here to make an agreement with you, Fiona, not to become your enemy." I said.

When Fiona heard my words, I saw a sign of relief in her expression, though it was quickly mixed with suspicion. "What kind of agreement?" she asked, her voice still cautious.

I leaned back against the back of my chair, clasping my hands in my lap as I carefully watched her. "We both know who killed your son, and we both know the person who killed him didn't like either of us," I said.

Fiona's eyes widened in surprise as she listened intently. "You're saying Liam, my own son, doesn't like me?" she asked with apparent anxiety.

"Are you so naïve that you're surprised someone who killed their own brother wouldn't love their mother? I know your son is angry with you, and it's likely that the only reason he hasn't killed you yet is because he still sees you as a useful tool," I said. Of course, this was a lie. I was the one who truly saw Fiona as a useful tool, and I was also the one who had killed Lugoar.

Fiona was quite taken aback by my words. "How do you know Liam and I have a bad relationship? Wait," Fiona paused as if she had realized something. "... Roxanne, isn't it? She's been your spy from the very beginning" she said, squinting her eyes.

"Yes. And I think you should thank her rather than blame her. Thanks to Roxanne, I learned that you're not guilty, but a victim. If it weren't for Roxanne, I would have continued to see you as an enemy." And of course, that wasn't true either. I had seen Fiona as an enemy since the moment she tried to kill me when I was six years old.

After all, who wouldn't see someone who tried to kill them as an enemy?

Fiona's astonishment deepened. Shaking her head from side to side, she said, "I didn't expect you to use Roxanne as a spy... I saw her as my own daughter and had shared some of my secrets with her because we were close... Well, it's done now. So, will you tell me what you want from me?"

"I want you to tell me where your grandson is," I said suddenly.

Fiona's eyes widened in horror. "I-I never told Roxanne about this! I have no grandson!" she shouted.

"I know that Liam has a child. He keeps hidden from everyone, Fiona." I stood up and walked over to Fiona, sitting next to her.

Fiona, who seemed a bit apprehensive and scared, wanted to move away, but I gently held her arm to prevent her from leaving. "Fiona, I'm the only good man in this palace. I'm not someone who kills his own brother like Liam or a failed spouse who doesn't support his partner like Richard. If I weren't a good person, why would I still come here asking for your help?

If I weren't a good person, why would I help your daughter, Umala?" After my words, I took out the unopened letter written by Umala and handed it to Fiona.

"This is Umala's letter. Read it. And if you think this letter is fake, you can immediately write a reply to Umala," I said, watching Fiona as she opened and read the letter with trembling hands.

The letter was indeed written by Umala and asked me to deliver it to Fiona. I didn't read the contents, but I could roughly guess what it said. After all, I was the one who suggested to Umala that she write this letter and told her to be completely honest with her mother.

Fiona read the letter for a while, and I could see the emotions on her face changing constantly as she read. First, there was astonishment, then anger that made her teeth grind, followed by sadness that even brought tears to her eyes, and finally, a small smile formed on her face. She finished reading the letter and turned to me.

"Is all of this true?" she asked.

"I haven't read the letter, but it's probably true," I answered.

"... But why?" Fiona whispered. "I wanted to kill you... Why did you help me? ... Aren't you angry with me?" she asked in a low voice.

I gently held Fiona's hand and looked into her eyes. "At first, I hated you. There were nights when I wanted you dead," I said, causing Fiona to tremble and her eyes to fill with tears again. "But then I grew up. And I realized that you were a victim and that everything you did was to protect yourself and your children... In fact, now I admire you, Fiona.

You are a small bird in this forest of monsters, and despite everything, you have a big heart that somehow keeps your children alive. At least, that's what I see when I look at you... And now I want to help you, Fiona..."