CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 79 – SHADOWS IN THE QUEEN’S CHAMBER

The Queen’s chamber was a cathedral of silk and shadow. Velvet curtains the color of crushed wine hung from the vaulted ceiling, and the chandelier above burned with a hundred trembling candles. Mirrors, tall as men, lined the walls — their polished glass reflecting warped fragments of the room.

Kai had never liked this place. It was a theater dressed as a throne, a cage disguised as luxury. Every shimmer of light seemed designed to reveal and conceal at once, the way the Queen herself did.

But what chilled him now wasn’t the chamber. It was the figure stepping from the corner where shadow clung deepest.

The intruder.

He wasn’t cloaked like an assassin or masked like a thief. No. He walked forward with the poise of a man who believed he belonged here, firelight licking across sharp cheekbones and hollowed eyes. His hair, once black, was streaked with silver — but the grin, that cruel, jagged grin, was unmistakable.

Kai’s blood turned to ice. "No... It can’t be."

The man’s smile widened, his voice hoarse but brimming with cruel mirth.

"You always were too eager to believe in what can’t be. Still the same boy, Kai. Still pretending the dead stay dead."

Velis reacted first. His blade hissed free, silver glinting. He stepped in front of Kai, shoulders squared. "Name yourself."

The intruder tilted his head, eyes glittering with wicked amusement. "Ah, the knight. Ever so protective. Tell me, do you guard his life... or his weakness?"

Velis’ jaw flexed, but he didn’t move. Astra slid a step to the side, her hand resting lightly on her rapier’s grip, her expression unreadable except for the faint curl of her lips. She always smiled when she was calculating.

Only Lyra looked stricken. She stared at the man as though seeing a ghost. Her fingers trembled against her sword hilt, her breath caught in her chest.

"Who is he?" she whispered, almost to herself.

The Queen leaned forward in her throne, her lips curved in a blade-sharp smile. She didn’t look surprised — of course she didn’t. "Oh, what a delightful turn. A corpse come to dance again. Tell me, Kai, did you not tell your little harem about him?"

Kai’s throat was dry. His voice came out low, ragged. "He’s... someone I killed. Someone who should’ve stayed in the ground."

The man’s grin sharpened. "Killed?" He stepped closer, dragging a serrated blade from his hip. Its jagged edge gleamed hungrily in the candlelight. "No, Kai. You failed. And tonight, I’m going to show them all just how weak you really are."

He lunged.

Steel shrieked as Velis met the strike head-on, sparks bursting as their swords locked. The impact drove the knight back a step, boots grinding against polished marble. Astra darted in from the side, her rapier flashing like a needle of silver light, aiming straight for his throat.

The intruder twisted with inhuman speed, parrying Velis and swatting Astra’s thrust aside in one savage motion. His laugh grated through the chamber. "Two against one, and still you stumble."

Lyra screamed and surged forward, blade raised high. Her strike was wild, desperate, but fueled by raw emotion. He caught her sword mid-swing, steel clanging against serrated teeth. Their faces were inches apart, and he sneered into her eyes. "Still slower than I remember."

Kai’s dagger flashed, stabbing low toward the ribs. For a heartbeat, he thought he’d landed the killing blow — but the man’s boot lashed out, slamming into his chest. Kai hit the wall hard, air exploding from his lungs.

The Queen clapped once, slowly, deliberately. "Exquisite. Already the blood sings in the air."

Velis pressed again, his blade strokes furious now — a storm of silver arcs. Each swing carried knightly precision, the rhythm of a man trained for war. The intruder matched him with brutal efficiency, his serrated blade snarling like an animal against Velis’ steel.

Astra slid back into the fray, moving with surgical precision. Her rapier darted in slender thrusts, not wasting a single movement. "Hold him steady, knight," she murmured, her tone almost playful.

But the intruder only laughed louder. With a vicious sweep, he forced Velis’ guard open and batted Astra’s blade away. His elbow cracked against her jaw — she gasped and stumbled, blood blooming on her lip.

"NO!" Lyra cried. She threw herself at him again, reckless and raw. Their swords clashed, but his strength dwarfed hers. He shoved her back like she weighed nothing.

Kai pushed off the wall, chest burning, vision swimming. His dagger trembled in his grip. He saw Velis forced down to one knee, Astra reeling, Lyra struggling to rise again.

His women. His allies. His harem.

His rage ignited.

He lunged. Fast. Brutal. A dagger fighter’s strike — low, ugly, effective. His blade sank shallow into the intruder’s side, drawing a hiss of pain.

The intruder shoved Lyra away and staggered a step, blood seeping between his fingers. But instead of retreating, he laughed. The sound was raw, jagged, triumphant.

"Better," he growled. His eyes burned into Kai’s. "But still not enough. Do you even remember what you took from me? What she promised us both?" His gaze flicked toward the Queen.

The Queen rose slowly, silks whispering as she stood. Her smile gleamed. "Oh, magnificent. A past reborn, a present unraveling, and a choice yet unmade. How thrilling."

She extended a hand toward Kai. "Will you take it now? Or will you watch them bleed for your hesitation?"

Velis staggered back to his feet, teeth gritted, sword raised. Astra spat blood and steadied her rapier. Lyra stood trembling, her eyes never leaving Kai.

The intruder’s grin only widened, blood running down his side. His serrated blade rose again.

And the chamber filled with the sound of steel about to clash once more.

Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 80: The Broken Mask

The intruder’s blade drips blood, and the Queen’s chamber quakes with the echo of steel.

Kai’s harem stands battered but unyielding — Velis’ armor cracked, Astra’s lip bloodied, Lyra trembling with rage.

But their enemy doesn’t fight to kill.

He fights to expose.

Every clash peels back a layer of Kai’s past, every mocking word digging claws into secrets he thought buried. And when the Queen laughs, the truth cuts deeper than any blade:

the intruder was once more than an enemy. He was a brother-in-arms... and a rival for the Queen’s favor.

Now, surrounded by mirrors and shadows, Kai must decide whether to end him once and for all — or admit what really binds them.

CTA:

The knives are out, and this fight will leave more than blood on the floor — it will tear open the truths Kai has hidden, even from his harem. Step into Chapter 80, where every strike is a confession, and the Queen is the only one smiling.