CHAPTER 476: CHAPTER 387: WHOSE THRONE IS IT_1

Griffin was dead. On the most splendid day of his life, he died wearing the crown, killed by his former wife.

The details of the assassination were very clear.

Elina used her familiarity with the palace to have a group of assassins disguise themselves as royal guards. The unsuspecting King of Silvermane was attacked while drunk. He was first subdued by Magic, then stabbed in a vital spot with a dagger coated in deadly poison.

The King of Silvermane died in the arms of Queen Karol, who had rushed to his side.

Elina condemned Griffin for his heartlessness and faithlessness towards her, taking all the blame upon herself before ending her life with a dagger in a supposed "suicide for love."

Dawnspirit City was shaken.

Those still reveling in the establishment of the kingdom had not expected such devastating news to arrive so swiftly.

Their new king was dead. Who would take the throne?

Then, the nobles and ministers realized the choice did not seem to lie with those within the Silver Mane Palace, but rather depended on the stance of the Eternal Domain.

Would Lord Yan Xing, due to his relationship with Queen Karol, support her bid to become queen?

But Queen Karol had not borne the former king any children.

Moreover, there was a more suitable candidate for the Kingdom of Silvermane: Prince Kaiya.

However, Yan Xing had not yet stated his position on the matter. Instead, he was very diligently helping Queen Karol arrange the former king’s funeral.

Prince Kaiya claimed to have shut himself away due to overwhelming grief, yet he was continuously meeting with visiting nobles and ministers.

Then, a rumor began to spread among the nobility: Lord Yan Xing was supposedly smitten with Queen Karol.

Now that the former king had been assassinated, Queen Karol was still in the prime of her life.

If Queen Karol were to marry Lord Yan Xing, it would undoubtedly strengthen the ties between the Kingdom of Silvermane and the Eternal Domain.

The rumors spread further, suggesting Queen Karol would soon marry into the Eternal Domain.

Yet, Yan Xing made no response to the gossip, seemingly acknowledging its truth by his silence.

「Karol sought out Yan Xing.」

The words Yan Xing had spoken to her when the King of Silvermane was assassinated had been echoing in her ears for days.

"I need to know what exactly happened! How could you have known Elina was going to assassinate Griffin?"

At that moment, Yan Xing was feeding birds outside the window. He evenly scattered breadcrumbs on the outer windowsill, watching the birds hop about and peck at them.

"Kaiya came to me... I told him that I was very fond of you, but you loved his father. I explained that I chose to become like a brother to you because I couldn’t have you. With your intelligence, and considering the recent rumors... you should be able to figure out the rest, shouldn’t you?"

Prompted by Yan Xing, Karol quickly understood the critical connections.

Elina hadn’t assassinated Griffin because she was spurned, but for her son, Kaiya.

Griffin dies, and I marry Yan Xing...

Then the new king of the Kingdom of Silvermane would be Kaiya.

"I can’t believe it... Griffin was his father, and Elina is his mother! How could he... how could he do such a thing!"

Yan Xing scattered the remaining crumbs, brushed the bits off his hands, then turned to Karol and said, "How would I know what Kaiya was thinking? I merely provided him with an incentive; the decision was his. Would he be content as a Duke, far removed from the politics of the Kingdom of Silvermane, or would he stop at nothing to seize the throne? Kaiya acting so decisively surprised even me."

Karol took a towel from a nearby alchemical automaton servant and handed it to Yan Xing. "I’m deeply resentful that I couldn’t kill Griffin with my own hands," she said. "He died too easily. It’s nowhere near enough to make up for the trauma he inflicted on me."

Yan Xing dried his hands, then looked at Karol and replied, "I think this is the best punishment for Griffin: to be killed on the very day he became king, by someone he once held dearest. I wonder what went through his mind when the dagger pierced his chest. He must have been incredibly unwilling to die..."

Imagining Griffin’s thoughts as he died made Karol feel slightly better.

"Yes," she agreed, "there could be no crueler punishment than dying at that precise moment. His eyes were open, and he clutched my hand tightly. I could feel how desperately he clung to life, how unwilling he was to die. Yet his death has left my heart unmoored... For these past years, I’ve lived a lie, all for revenge. I’ve almost forgotten who I truly am. I feel so incredibly tired... I don’t know if anything I’ve done was worth it."

As she spoke, tears welled up and streamed from Karol’s eyes.

Then she threw herself onto Yan Xing’s shoulder and began to sob bitterly.

Revenge had been the conviction that kept her alive. For its sake, she had completely transformed herself. But now, looking back at the person she once was, she realized just how much she had lost on her path of vengeance.

Yan Xing stood still, letting Karol cry. He couldn’t truly empathize with her feelings, but he could sense her profound sorrow and helplessness.

Once Karol’s emotions had subsided somewhat, Yan Xing patted her shoulder and said, "It’s all over now. From this day forward, you can decide for yourself who you want to be. If you’re unhappy here, I can take you back to the Eternal Domain..."

Karol took a step back, looked at Yan Xing, and asked, "Don’t you need me to rule the Kingdom of Silvermane for you? That was our agreement."

Yan Xing handed the towel to Karol, smiling. "I didn’t anticipate back then that things would develop so quickly. If you don’t want that throne, let Kaiya take it. If he’s disobedient, I’ll simply find a new king. I believe Kaiya understands this. He’ll be even more reliant on me than his father ever was."