To His Hell and Back-Chapter 145: The Cruel Law

The silence that echoed through the room showed how everyone had began to have their own opinion, one that disagree with the person standing beside them due to their different nature and interest. They warily stared at the vampires while the vampires looked at the humans with a sense of pride as they wouldn’t want to become a human’s prey.

Minister Rueben and his hatred towards humans had always been well known and now even more so as he spoke toward the court and proposed the idea of putting a reign to all humans at once which set up a new worry for all the humans around them.

"It wouldn’t be fair," said someone and it was a human man who had interject, "The humans had done this due to the provocations made by those sorcerers. But if we manage to put trust and bond between humans and vampires that would allow them to be less distrusting toward vampires and forgo the idea of harming them. Right now humans don’t know what vampires truly are and to them they are nothing but a wild beast but once taught they would understand that there is no big difference between humans and vampires."

Helena raised her eyebrows, "Wild beast? A fun nickname I see. But they have always feared that we are far too strong against them so now them having a potion that could kill us being a norm and we seeing this as a dangerous case isn’t fair? How is that truly fair?"

It hadn’t mattered that the words against humans were made by Rueben before and that is because everyone was always aware of how he despise humans and would do anything to put them through suffering but it had hit different when it came from Helena. Though a vampiress and a pureblood who controls the strongest armies in Versailles, she had always been quiet about human had finally expressed her discomfort with them. This had changed the dynamic within the court at once as now the human ministers didn’t only have to worry about Rueben and Rahael but also Helena.

They didn’t have to ask which side the King and Crown Prince would take as the two would always choose their kins and protect their kinds instead of humans who had prompted to become a dagger that could kill them at any time.

Considering how vampires had always been the predator and yet now preyed, it made sense that they had became warier and would even do the things that they hadn’t to put a stop to the humans’ rebellion.

The humans had armed themselves out of fear, yes but fear was no longer seen as a justification for them. Not now and especially not in this room where vampires were the one mostly controlling the court.

The human ministers stiffened, their once vocal defiance shrinking beneath Helena’s sudden turn. If even she the ever collected Lady of the North who had always been known by people for her restraint against harming humans or agreeing to laws that would be considered unfair for them was beginning to crack, what hope did they have in negotiating peace?

Whispers stirred among the vampires who had turned against the humans. They see taking the root of the problem and putting a halt on all humans’ actions as the first action needed to do to control the current situation.

Minister Rahael, who had remained silent thus far, leaned back in her seat with the shadow of a grin curling at the corner of her mouth. She had always been Rueben’s ally in the council, but Helena’s subtle shift gave their side far more weight. Considering how Helena was not known for speaking recklessly yet had finally chosen to speak, it meant she had also chosen a side.

The human delegate who had spoken tried to find his voice again. "But we are not your enemies," he said, more quietly this time, "Not all of us. This court exists because there are those among us who believe in coexistence. If we let paranoia and pride dictate our decisions, then we will become the monsters they already believe us to be."

"Paranoia is what your kind have started," Minister Rueben admonished, "To begin if we look at the history even if it was just for a glance who is truly the one at fault? Wasn’t it the humans who had defanged and starved us then kill us because as you have said we are nothing but a pack of wild beast? Then you should know how wild beasts cannot be controlled and how we are hungry for blood and even more blood once you have harmed us. Like now it is your kind that had started it yet again, ready to start but scared to end it."

"We shall not indulge in such territory, the past is the past," Helena cut through as she slowly moved her eyes from the ministers toward the King and then swept it over the Crown Prince.

To others it is the King who had final to say but Helena knows that it had been long since the King had ever been their ruler. Cassius always had the authority to move the entire country forward and it has always abide by all his wishes to achieve his goal. So the person she should pay attention before altering her choices was the Crown Prince.

And the said Crown Prince was currently quiet, deep in his thoughts as if he was pondering if the choices he could make. Whatever it is, it would either be the hope for humans or a death sentence.

Helena started, "But for them to own potions deadly as that is simply far too dangerous. We don’t know the effect and the extend of it and considering how easy it is to obtain the said potion, those who would want to use it for ill intent would eventually have a hand on it which could bring an end to the kingdom."

"I concur with you in that," Rahael smirked, happy that for once she and Helena has an aligned view. "So what kind of law do you have mind telling us, Lady Helena?"

Ignoring the deliberate sarcasm, Helena was still looking at Cassius as she answered, "First we have to look through all markets and all human households for the potion. Apprehend those with it and interrogate their families to locate the source but I have already heard how this was already proposed by the Crown Prince. Therefore I will choose a more certain method to control this situation."

Cassius’s crimson eyes stopped at Helena who had always been close with his mother. The lady dressed in crimson with deep blue painted nails then continued, "First we shall call all human nobles with children. One of their offspring must be surrendered in the palace as a guest to keep an eye in case of rebellion would ever happen."

At this the ministers panicked as that would mean their own children as well, "No! That’s simply such a preposterous law!"

"What better guarantee of loyalty than love?" Helena inquired, "Their punishment must be as heavy as the lives they have took. "Second we shall not kill those who possess or have used the potion. We shall cut their hands and take their family member to be executed before their eyes in front of the palace’s gate so they should learn what shall happen to them if they ever resort to such an act."

Quietly she ignored the human ministers who had gotten into a loud fight, insisting they’re adamant to such cruel laws. Her eyes fell on Cassius as she spoke, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"