Chapter 103. The Duke’s Grudge I

Dragon King's Harem Chapter 103. The Duke's Grudge I

Just like the Whitevalley Inn, there was nothing in this village Inn either, only a boring lobby and boring guest room. The only difference was that there were no arrogant nobles or other guests besides us so we could spend the night in peace. Although the food was a bit better than the previous Inn, the Inn owner was a money-grubber. He did not hesitate to ask for extra money for each of our requests, no matter how simple it was.

Unlike the previous night, Evelina and Jyne's energy was drained on the journey so as soon as they lay their bodies on the bed, they fell asleep immediately. Whereas I fell asleep for a different reason.

Another night had passed. Like yesterday, we woke up early in the morning and ate our breakfast quickly before we continued our journey. This was the fourth day and tomorrow was the last day, so I was kinda excited to finish this trip and return to my Palace. Several plans were already running through my head and I couldn't wait to do it, especially taking my first Legendary Beast. Not only that, but I was also a little worried about the border situation and quite curious about the Spy Worms report.

The two suns in Igixar's sky were getting higher. The cracking sounds from the crisp refrozen thin slushy snow followed every step of our Yegauns. Our eyes looked at the same dull white scene as yesterday. Yeah... As always there was nothing here but monsters with similar white fur. We finished our lunch two hours ago so we should be arriving at the Ice Needle Forest soon.

As my eyes swept around me and made sure we were safe from monsters, my mind was deep in what the Snow Elf Queen told me last night.

Maria Theria Icerid. That was her name. She was the fifteenth queen of the snow elf tribe. Married to the son of the Duke of Eluard for political reasons. Especially since the Eluard family had a great influence and military power. Although this problem looked as simple as a love triangle. Its roots actually came from the duke's sons legitimacy and their family affair. It was a personal grudge which eventually grew into a bigger problem.

It all started when the duke's first son, Curtis, was born. His mother wasn't the duke's legitimate wife but the duke's maid. The Duke was overjoyed since a son meant he already had an heir to the family. He gave the maid and the newborn many gifts but his pregnant legitimate wife, Nova, was not happy with this. Even though she was pregnant, she didn't know if her child was a boy or a girl. So to keep the duke's attention on her, she decided to assassinate the maid. Since she came from a noble family, it was an easy thing for her. The assassin was caught shortly after, but he committed suicide before they interrogated him.

Without a mother, Curtis was automatically taken by Nova. At first, she was happy to treat Curtis as her own child. But everything changed after Nova gave birth to her son, Evrat. It was a boy, so Nova didn't need Curtis anymore. Since then her behaviour had changed. Nova didn't pay attention to Curtis anymore but only Evrat. She didn't hesitate to punish Curtis for petty things with the excuse of disciplining him. The duke didn't like this at first, but with his busy schedule, Nova used the servants and the people around them to say bad things about Curtis. That he was a bad boy, undisciplined and stupid. As time went by, the duke started to believe her and finally let Nova discipline him.

As the two duke sons grew older, the difference between the two grew bigger. The Duke often sent Curtis to the battlefield and rural areas. Yes, they treated him like a soldier rather than their own son. While Evrat spent most of his time in the capital, honing his fighting skills with friendly battles between nobles and got the best teacher.

Unfortunately, despite Curtis' hard work, all that he got was a bad name and reputation since Nova continued to spread bad rumours about him. That he was a drunk, liked torturing women and liked to play with prostitutes during his duties. Which finally made The Duke decide to recommend Evrat as Maria's future husband even though it was Curtis who saved her before the wedding.

It was an accidental meeting. Curtis was on a mission to wipe off a group of high-level bandits when he saw Maria's convoy being attacked. A mission meant to lead Curtis to his death since The Duke only gave him a few soldiers and all of them were new recruits. With the high difference in numbers and levels, Curtis fought the bandits desperately to protect Maria. And he made it. It was that incident that made him fall in love with Maria.

Curtis came home with the victory and Maria. It was welcomed by the nobles and the royal family. Unfortunately not with Nova. Since The Late Queen liked Curtis' courage, she decided to marry Maria to Curtis. Unfortunately, Nova drugged Curtis with an aphrodisiac and invited some prostitutes to his room just as Maria and The late Queen visited their house.

Disappointed with Curtis, The Duke recommended Evrat as a replacement for Curtis since the Queen had given her statement about Maria's marriage. With that, Evrat got what Curtis deserved even though he never thought of taking anything from his brother. As for Curtis, it was the last straw for him, especially after he learned the truth that it was Nova who killed his real mother. It changed Curtis' heart and made him decide to take his revenge.

The rest... It was predictable. He killed his mother and father by poisoning them. The poison killed them slowly and undetected. The investigators had also investigated this but they couldn't find any evidence since Curtis had carefully executed his plans. After they died and Curtis became the duke of Eluard, it was Evrat's turn. The method? Of course by using his forbidden spell on his son. Just like that Evrat was willing to give his life to Curtis and die at his hands.

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