To His Hell and Back-Chapter 144: Court’s Decision

That morning, Cassius had stepped out from the room, making his way to the throne room where the King had sat alongside with the other seven ministers of Versailles. Most of them were vampires except three. But those three humans weren’t a prey to these vampires beside them, instead they were even worse and crueler to their fellow humans.

The first few faces he noted was Minister Rueben, the Queen’s pawn.

Then there’s other more neutral minister, Paolo and Juan. Both who had always been loyal to the King since their youth as they had been the King’s retainers before eventually climbing to rank and becoming a minister who had govern their own part of Versailles.

Unlike the rest only a few out of seven really do have power in the court.

Paolo, Juan, Helena, and Rahael.

Helena had always been loyal to the late Queen, always looking down on Morgana which was the reason why the Queen had never truly participated in court talks as Helena refuses to work if she saw a sight of the Queen. Fearing the King would remove her in front of so many eyes watching, the Queen always made up some excuse to avoid being in the same room as the Queen. But one could only guess that there is almost no one in the room who was truly bought by her "excuses".

Such as now.

The one left is Rahael an old woman who had been against late Queen for reasons one cannot tell. Since then she had always been on Morgana’s side but Cassius didn’t put much concern on these people.

It wasn’t because he believe he had controlled them that he didn’t fear if one of them had sided with Morgana or him. Rather it’s because he didn’t see the need to.

He was someone efficient after all. Thus if someone in this room decided that they wouldn’t want to call him the King, he won’t force them. They’ll simply meet their maker if they refuses to give up their position.

He had been taught that way, after all.

"My Crown Prince," called the King, a smile on his lips that would usually became stoic. He seemed to be on the good mood which wasn’t a question to be asked as he had successfully given the potion made by those sorcerers after all, and the King was only happy whenever he succeeded in his mission. "It hasn’t been long since you have withdrawn yourself from the battlefield and truth to be said I had been worried that due to it you have became an unsharpened dull blade. Everyone who has a taste of peace wouldn’t know how to rule a kingdom any longer and I wouldn’t want that you have instead dipped yourself into the security of peace and had forgotten your footing."

"That would never happen, Your Majesty," Cassius answered with a slight bow. He had been taught that before being his father, the king is the King, "I had been forged in the battlefield as a weapon and a weapon would never forget the taste of blood and the triumph of death."

At this a sound of applause rang from the side of the room and it had came from Lady Helena who had smiled as she showed her admiration to Cassius’s words, prompting for Juan and then Paolo to do the same and a few others of the humans Lords.

"Indeed no one else has succeeded the legacy of the kingdom better than you, Your Highness. I, Helena, have never been failed to be impressed by your achievements. While everyone else has either failed or turned into remnant you have once again succeeded in bringing the potion to our hands."

Juan who was on the side let out a hum, "Indeed. Considering how power these group of sorcerers are and how many of ours who had been known in the battlefield as generals only to be turned to such horrific monsters had worried me of your safety," he then smiled. "Now I know I shouldn’t have to worry and should have put all my trust in you instead."

Cassius chuckled faintly at the praises, "They are troublesome but not all so frightening. Those who had fallen was due to their lack of knowledge of the potion but now that they do know we should be able to minimize the damage."

"But this is quite frightening," said Paolo at the side, "Humans have been selling these potions to one another. Some sold it as even a household good to keep vampires away. But there are also other humans who had instead opted to use those potion and secretly work in households to turn their masters into remnant out of a sense for revenge or rebellion."

"I did hear that there had been a horrible killing in Verhan Household."

"The Verhan family," said another who had pitched in, "That’s too concerning. I recall the young master at hand have taken a maid at custody for being the perpetrator behind it. But to lose his family at such a young age..."

"How old was he again?"

"Fifteen isn’t he?" Someone sighed, "And to think his family had just given chance to having humans to work in their household. I even heard that he was schooled in the new school which consists of humans and vampires alike but after this incident I doubt he would ever want to step into a place with humans any longer."

Rahael let out a hum from the side, her fingers curling on her arms as she held to her forearms in a long withdrawn hum, "The infestation must be burned out before it festers and we can’t have... vermin thinking they deserve rights."

A sudden silence entered the room as everyone’s eyes shifted to Rahael who had spoken. It was clear what everyone had feared as there are also humans located in the place as the ministers who rule the land.

If one of them began to propose the idea that they would enact a new punishment or law to constrict humans, what would make the human ministers any difference? Wouldn’t that simply mean that they would have even less credibility and perhaps even removed from their position?

This was enough to set them on edge and Juan who had been quite cut through the conversation, "It isn’t right to punish a set of group because of a few examples."

"A few examples?"

The words were spat like venom, sharp and scornful—and they came, of course, from none other than Minister Rueben, his voice thick with disdain, his hatred for humans burning through every syllable.

"They’ve taken a potion—one designed to kill us, no, worse—designed to turn us into vampires, and turned it into a household item. Something they keep under their beds, beside their teacups, ready to use the moment they lay eyes on us. And you call that not dangerous?"

His eyes swept the room like a blade.

"Our children—our children—walk with death above their heads because of them. The moment a human sees us as a threat, they do not pause to ask names or question guilt. They strike."

A hush fell. Rueben’s voice lowered, dark and solemn.

"Humans do not discriminate once they’ve named you their enemy. They do not show mercy. And why should we?"

He stepped forward.

"Mercy is for men. We are gods among fleas. Let us remind them."