498 Burned His Wife's Only Portrait
Meanwhile, inside the King’s office.
After dismissing his aides, Theron put the report in his hand aside, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. There were a number of issues his mother, the acting Regent, had put aside that required his immediate attention. He had returned to fulfil his royal duties as King, but not even work could numb the pain he was feeling.
Everyone could see Theron’s face was visibly thinner, his eyes sunken and his chin covered with stubble. Many of his subjects were worried about his health, but they were also careful with their words, not willing to incur the wrath of the King who was obviously not in a good mental state. That was also why the morning court session today finished quicker than normal and he was able to return early to his office—nobody wanted to make the King more upset than he already is.
After a while, he opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out one parchment scroll. Inside it was a portrait of a smiling woman drawn in the vivid likeness of its subject.
It was Esther.
Theron blankly stared at the portrait of his wife’s lovely face, the one and only portrait of Queen Esther Ivanov in existence.
He didn’t know why she never allowed herself to be drawn. Every king and queen always had their portraits painted and hung in the royal palace, but Esther didn’t allow hers to be made. Even back when Theron commissioned the royal painter to draw his family, Esther made an excuse, causing Theron to simply have one made with him and his two sons, because it didn’t feel right to have his other wives in the family painting when the Queen herself was missing.
Though she never allowed one to be made, once he personally made a request of her, she finally agreed.
This parchment scroll in his hand held precious memories between him and Esther as he himself was the one to draw this portrait after convincing Esther for months and months. In the end, she gave in after he literally begged her on his knees.
Such a precious portrait of his beloved, he kept it afterwards in his office where he spends his time the most.
‘Esther, where are you?’
His dark eyes were filled with deep exhaustion as his heart continued to ache.
While he was drowning in his thoughts, he suddenly felt the glass chandelier above him make strange tinkling sounds. This was followed by a stronger vibration, causing him to be unable to find a stable foothold and he had to balance himself by grabbing his desk. He stood up at the sound of glass windows breaking due to the earthquake. The shaking was so strong, that the shelves inside his office started falling over and the small fragile items like vases and wall decors had long toppled over.
The door suddenly slammed open as Sir Galien entered in alarm, and smoke entered the King’s office along with him.
“Your Majesty, are you alright? Please leave the building! I will lead the way—”
The hallway outside was already covered in high flames. It didn’t make sense, but the moment his guardian knight entered, sparks seemingly appeared out of thin air and the insides of his office also caught fire. The wild flames spread in a blink of an eye since many items inside the office were flammable.
The carpet, the fallen books, the papers on his desk…and the parchment scroll in his hands.
“No!”
Theron used his bare hands to put off the fire and stop the portrait from burning. But it was of no use. The moment he successfully put the fire out, part of the portrait had turned to ashes. The face of the smiling blonde was scorched black, leaving only the edges at the bottom part of the scroll unharmed.
Theron felt like he had lost his wife all over again.
In his shock, he didn’t even realize how badly his hands were burned, still clutching at the remnant of Esther’s portrait, as he stepped out of his office under his knight’s escort. When Theron came out to the hallway, he saw Drayce standing outside, glaring at a group of men, and something dawned on him.
‘It’s you! You caused this!’
Theron was full of rage, and it was as if his head was about to explode. That boy burned the precious portrait of his mother, the only one portrait he had to remember her by.
Many angry thoughts ran into his mind as he glared at the little red-eyed child who he considered as his own son.
‘This Devil’s spawn! Everything is ruined because of you and your father! You should have not been born! Is it because that Devil wanted my kingdom that he wanted to put his son on the throne? Why did he even ask for my wife to bear his child? That Devil should have asked for my life to be sacrificed in exchange for lifting the curse! That would have been better!
‘If not for that curse, Esther would not have broken her promises and she had no need to sacrifice herself. Everything is because of that curse and his evil father! If not for that Devil, Esther would have remained by my side. Why did this father and son have to come into our lives? Why did they have to take everything away from us? His father is nothing but an evil monster and his son is the same.’
“Guards!” the King shouted loudly in anger. Galien, who was escorting him, was shocked to see the anger distorting the King’s face.
His voice caught Drayce’s attention, and the earthquake and fire stopped as if they didn’t happen in the first place. If it weren’t for the damaged palace and the panicking people, people would have thought everything was an illusion.
“Father…” Tears rolled down the little prince’s eyes as he hurried to go to his father, wanting to seek comfort from the ugly words he overheard. “Those bad men, they called the mother—”
“Lock him up and don’t let him out,” the King ordered with a solemn tone, and the royal guards snapped to attention, obeying his orders as if they were facing a great enemy.
Only Sir Galien tried to speak up for the prince, “Your Majesty…”
“Lock that monster immediately!” the King ordered again, his roar loud enough to echo in the hallway.
The guards dutifully executed the King’s order and went to the little prince who was staring at his father in utter disbelief.
It hurt…it hurt when his father called him a monster.
Still, Drayce tried to speak while wiping his tears which would not stop flowing. “F-Father..they…mother…they called her…” His words could not come out clearly as the sobs increased.
“Your Highness, please come with us to the…” The royal guard trailed off as he looked back at the King and the King’s guardian knight because they didn’t know where to lock the prince.
The king turned his back and stormed away, leaving Sir Galien to respond to his unspoken question. “Bring the Second Prince to the waiting room next to His Majesty’s office.”
Sir Galien guessed that once the King’s anger abated, he would like to see his son. The royal guards saluted and followed his instruction.
Sir Galien went to Drayce. “Your Highness, please follow the guards for now. Once His Majesty is calmer, you will be summoned.”
Controlling himself from showing distress, the little prince nodded and followed the guards. With each step he took, he would look over his shoulder to stare at the retreating back of his father who didn’t turn to look at him even once.
The Grand Palace was in a state of disaster. It was the central building in the royal palace, the most important place where the ministers, palace officials, members of the royal court, and other notable figures of high status stayed, and also dignitaries and guests of the King were summoned for an audience with the King of Megaris.
Though there were no casualties aside from those men with the nasty mouths who got burns and bruises as a punishment from Drayce, the work in the entire palace was disturbed. Many documents were burned due to the fire and countless things were broken and shattered due to the earthquake. Fortunately, the main building and the annexes themselves did not suffer serious damages, and it was estimated only light repair work would be needed on the pillars near the source of the incident.
Knowing that Drayce was the cause of the chilling incident, the guards hurried to bring him to the waiting room and closed the door without letting anyone else in, as the King had ordered to lock him up. Tens of guards stood outside of the door with their bodies covered in a cold sweat.
Sir Galien entered the King’s office after the royal physician finished treating the King’s burned hands. The knight found Theron looking at the leftover traces of his wife’s portrait, touching it with his bandaged fingers.
“Your Majesty, about the Second Prince…”
Hearing him speak in that chiding tone, the still furious king could not hold himself back.
“Keep that monster locked. Don’t let him out. Don’t even give him water or food. No one should be let in to see him.” Theron moved to leave his office. “Let him die there.”
“Your Majesty…” Sir Galien felt speechless, his conscience trembling at those cruel words. That was not the King he knew, the righteous and wise King he swore to serve.
It was as if…he was a different man.
Drayce, who was in the next room, could hear his father’s voice clearly. He started crying once more while sitting in one corner of the room with his knees folded in front of him and his face buried in the circle of his arms.
“Mother…”