I Choose The Villain Duke

Days after Euphemia and Lucien's departure from Aderlan . . .

"Praise be, Light to the Empire's Departed Sun," Anthony said.

"The light shines upon you," Celestinia said dryly.

She didn't like the new greeting the people have been using ever since the king's funeral. They made it sound like she was a remnant of the past. That she was just something the king left behind.

"Did you bring it?" Celestinia asked impatiently.

"Yes, Your Highness," Anthony said.

The High Priest motioned the other priests behind him. Four priests scurried in front, carrying together a wooden box. They kneeled in front of Celestinia and presented to her the box.

"Open it," Celestinia said.

One of the priests carefully opened the box. Inside the box was a charcoal black rock bigger the size of a human's fist. Some parts of it had shards of gold peeking out of the black and it gave off a mystical shimmer.

"This does not look like anything I have told you to get. Are you trying to deceive me?" Celestinia said, her voice rising.

"No, Your Highness. This is truly the thing you have asked for. We have been searching at the land where the final battle took place but we were completely wrong. It wasn't there at all. Fortunately, we tried to look at the other areas nearby and it reacted to the mana we brought with us. It's definitely what we have been looking for. This is the he-" Anthony said.

"Shush! Someone may be listening. Do not even speak of what it is until we have confirmed it," Celestinia said. "Is it safe to touch?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Anthony said.

Celestinia picked up the rock-like thing carefully and turned it around in her hands. It just looked like a normal rock. Except for the flecks of gold peeking out of it.

"And how shall we awaken this?" Celestinia asked.

"Do you wish to see?" Anthony asked.

Celestinia nodded and handed him back the rock-like thing.

The priests brought in a wooden pail with a wooden lid. A priest opened the lid and dropped the rock-like thing inside the pail filled with dark red liquid.

Nothing happened at first but then the dark red liquid started gurgling and bubbles appeared on top as if something was breathing underneath.

Then the amount of dark red liquid in the pail started to go down . . . and down . . . until there was not a drop left. The high priest took the rock-like thing from the pail but it was no longer a rock-like thing.

On his hand, laid something red and pulsing with a gold light coming from its most inner core.

"Your Highness, I present to you . . . the heart of the Gold Dragon," Anthony said and knelt on the ground.

The other priests knelt on the ground too and bowed their heads.

Celestinia smiled in satisfaction.

"Good work. Now, let's feed that to the prince."

*

*

*

Glenn's eyes suddenly opened revealing his brilliant light green eyes with flickers of gold-like embers in his irises.

Curses.

His fists tightened. He was in a desolate land filled with rubble and ash in the air under a perpetually red sky. It was a far cry from Aderlan's colorful kingdom full of life. This land still reeked of death even after several hundreds of years. If he allowed himself, he could almost hear the clash of swords around him. Metal against metal. Blood against blood. The cries of rage. The cries of pain. The madness of it all.

This was the land where the final battle took place. The only battle that really mattered. The only battle that should have been remembered but was only written down as a legend. Passed down as a bedtime story. Forgetting the sacrifices made, the blood spilled, and the darkness that had once almost destroyed everything.

This was the land where everything almost ended.

The Land of the Red Sun.

He began moving fast, running with inhuman speed. He ran so fast, his legs looked like a blur. His light green eyes flared leaving a trail of light green light behind.

There was no use staying in this place of history. They had set him up. That queen must have known that he was always listening and he led her to a decoy. He underestimated her. His years of existence had led him to become too complacent.

Curses.

This wasn't where he was supposed to be. He was too late.

He was fast. Inhumanly fast but it wasn't enough. No. He didn't want to transform. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He should do that only when it was the last thing he could only do.

*

*

*

Meanwhile, back in the Imperial Palace . . .

Vincent was sleeping in his lush bed chamber unaware that his peaceful nights were to come to an end.

SLAM!

The door slammed open, banging loudly on the wall. The prince jolted awake. Intruders? Where was his sword? Argh. Right. He never had a sword by his side thinking that he would always be safe in the palace anyway. He would regret that.

"Vincent dear."

Oh. That voice.

"Mother?" Vincent asked tentatively, his eyes still trying to adjust in the darkness.

He was still so da*n sleepy.

"What are you doing here?" Vincent asked.

His mother came into view as she parted the curtains of his canopy bed. She was smiling. That wasn't usually a good sign.

"Vincent dear. Get up. I have something to show you," Celestinia said.

Vincent frowned. "Can it wait until tomorrow morning? Or is it dawn now? Please, let the sun rise first before waking me up," Vincent said.

Celestinia chuckled. That melodic chuckle of hers that made men weak in the knees and blind to the evil behind her loveliness.

"It cannot wait. It is very important. Are you going to make your mother beg, my dear son?" Celestinia asked sweetly.

He sensed that she was not going away no matter how stubborn he was going to be. With a sigh, he got up from his very soft bed. His frown deepened when he saw that they weren't alone. The High Priest was behind her and four other priests who he didn't know.

"What are they doing here?" Vincent asked.

"They are here to assist you. Vincent dear, do you still wish to be king? The rightful king of Aderlan?" Celestinia asked.

"Of course, Mother. I am simply waiting for you to allow my coronation," Vincent said irritably.

"The time has come for you to become the rightful king, Vincent," Celestinia said.

Vincent was now wide awake.

"Are you going to crown me king now, Mother?" Vincent asked eagerly.

"Not yet. You must have the power of the Gold Dragon first," Celestinia said.

"But doesn't the Duke have that? Can we steal it from him?" Vincent asked.

Celestinia smiled slyly.

"No, you don't need to. We have its heart," Celestinia said.

She beckoned the High Priest and he stepped forward. He was carrying a silver box decorated with colorful gems. Vincent looked at curiously. It didn't look ominous but for some reason, something felt wrong. He wasn't sure why.

Celestinia nodded and the High Priest opened the box.

"What the f-"

Vincent drew back, horrified at the sight of the pulsing heart. It was beating. Glowing. It was alive.

"G-get that thing away from me!" Vincent shouted in disgust.

Celestinia held him by his wrist.

"Vincent dear, that thing is the key to your throne. It's the heart of the Gold Dragon. Lucien may have the dragon's blessing but we have its heart! It can't possibly do anything but give you power, right? It won't have any other choice!" Celestinia said gripping his wrist tightly.

He shook her off. The look in his mother's icy blue eyes frightened him. He couldn't understand what she was saying. This was the Gold Dragon's heart? This beating monstrous thing pulsing inside that box is the Gold Dragon's heart and they were going to force it to give him power?

"Mother, slow down. Could you properly explain to me what you plan to do to this . . . thing? How are we going to force it to give me its power?" Vincent asked.

Celestinia tilted head and smiled.

"Vincent dear. Do you trust your mother?" Celestinia asked.

Vincent's skin crawled. He couldn't put his finger on it but something truly felt terribly wrong. He couldn't exactly say he didn't trust her. His mother was all that he had. He was certain that his mother only wanted the best for him.

"Of course, Mother. I trust you," Vincent said.

"You will be king after this," Celestinia said.

After what?

Celestinia turned to the High Priest and nodded.

"Now," Anthony said.

The four other priests suddenly went into motion and surrounded Vincent. They got out the long chain they have been hiding behind their backs and bounded him with it.

"Unhand me! Mother! Tell them!" Vincent shouted, struggling to get the chain off him but his arms had been tied tight with the chain.

They pulled him down to the ground and he was brought down to his knees.

"W-what are you d-"

Anthony took ahold of his jaw, forcing it open. Vincent's eyes widened.

"Long live the future Sun of the Empire," Anthony murmured.

He shoved down the pulsing heart inside the prince's mouth.