Master Valentine froze at Prince Billard's words. He had certainly found out about the schemes of Zenith but he was planning to confront the princess personally without causing any ruckus. He didn't want Prince Billard to know that his wife was scheming to kill his brother and his wife. He knew Billard loved Zenith as much as he loved his brother but it would break him and Prince Billard might become a person that he never wished for.

"I... Pardon, Your Highness?"

"You did know that Zenith had been planning to kill my brother and Seraphina. She even contacted wizards."

"No your Highness... You are mis-"

"You have pledged your loyalty to our family, Master Valentine. Don't lie to me." Billard's voice became so deep and harsh that even Master Valentine felt the wrath in them.

He looked down. "It is true that she had been scheming to kill them but she didn't know that her men would be killed instead and the wizards would get through the castle."

Billard nodded, a dry smile playing on his lips as he muttered, "But it is true that she was trying to kill my brother."

The old advisor didn't say anything. He didn't know what to do at this moment. He had a hunch that the Crown Prince had his own men inside the castle but didn't know he would find out everything so quickly. He certainly wasn't a foolish or a naive Prince he thought.

Billard laughed. A villainous laugh echoed throughout the vicinity as he said, "My own wife is trying to kill my brother. How great of a life partner I have gotten myself."

Master Valentine only watched as the Crown Prince's demeanor changed into a completely different individual. And he wanted to avoid that.

Billard looked at him, his Highness's eyes were cold and murderous as he asked, "What is the punishment if anyone schems to kill a royal, Master Valentine?"

Master Valentine's graying brows knotted on his forehead. He wasn't planning to do that to his wife, would he?

"Death sentence." He answered.

Billard's lips curled up but it wasn't a gentle smile he used to have. It was the smile of a cruel person. He nodded, "Yes, death sentence."

"Ar- Your Highness, you aren't thinking of giving her death sentence, are you?"

Billard shook his head and said, "That would be too easy for her."

"What do you mean?"

"I just want to kill her whole family in front of her eyes." He hissed, "That would be the perfect punishment for her."

The old advisor's eyes popped out of their sockets as he tried to resonate, "Please don't do that. Besides, what does her family have to do with it?"

"The troops she had contacted were her father's men. It was unfortunate that they were killed by the wizards but let's not forget the men were his father's."

Master Valentine didn't know if he had to praise the crown prince for knowing that much in just a few days. Indeed the men she had hired were from her hometown but it was still undetermined if her father was involved in this too.

"Let's reconsider this fact, Your Highness. The men could not even reach their goal and even though Princess Zenith had schemed, the wizards had taken advantage of that." Master Valentine knew if the Salamander family killed her family who had a great influence on the west, it would be hard to maintain the peace with them and not to mention, Salamanders needed their trained soldiers as well. The dragon guards weren't enough to rule all over the dragon nation. If in future, there was war, the Salamanders needed enough man power to win.

"What if she managed to kill my brother and my sister in law?"

"But she didn't."

Billard ran his hand through his hair and said, "You know the irony of all of these? I got married to a Dragonborn who is trying to kill her own kind and Demian. He married a wizard, a whole different race, our mortal enemy yet that wizard doesn't even try to harm any of us, instead she wants to save our race."

Billard smiled dryly, "Sometimes I get so envious of my little brother that he could have gotten everything but doesn't want any of it and somehow he gets everything and, look at me, I have everything yet nothing..."

Master Valentine had no words to say further to console him and stood there helplessly. He had promised his old friend to look after his children, he had promised his mentor to always remain as a protective guard of the Salamander family yet today, he had failed at his task. The Salamander family was breaking bits by bits and he didn't know what to do.

Billard asked, "What's with everyone trying to make the bad version of myself which I have never wanted to be?"

Valentine was scared as the words left from Billard's mouth. Billard was always a great child but he had another secret that no one knew, only his father and Master Valentine himself.

"Prince Billard, please calm down and think it through. We need their family's reputation and power so giving the death sentence to Princess Zenith or her family would be a foolish move."

"I know that very well. That is why I am not going to kill any of them." Billard said but it still didn't relieve the old advisor as Billard was never the one who would forgive and forget. He was just like Demian. Both of the brothers bore the same traits although Billard was good at handling people Demian would avoid them.

"Then what will you do, Your Highness?" He asked warily, scrutinizing the Crown Prince.

"I will make sure to let Zenith witness the side of me she had never dreamt of." Price Billard said before leaving for Zenith's chamber.

The old advisor stood there and only watched the prince until he vanished from his sight. He huffed, tension wrinkled his graying skin on his face as he knew the crown prince was losing his composure and now that it was happening, the cruel side of him would slowly take over.

Because Demian wasn't the only one with the cursed fate. Billard bore the same fate as him as he had two dragons inside of him. One was the white dragon and the other one was the black who represented death and calamity.

*****

Zenith felt nausea hovering over her and after the abduction of Prince Demian, she felt a little relaxed. However, wizards infiltrating their castle made her a little worried. Their security was tight yet the wizards entered. She had been meaning to talk about this with Billard.

Was there any chance that Seraphina was behind it?

In all of these, one good thing happened was that the cursed prince was captured but it still didn't ease her. She should have been happy but now the whole intruding of wizards made her worried.

There was a knock as she said, "Come in."

Her maids had come with the royal physician. As the old man entered two of the maids stood beside her as Princess Zenith had been feeling ill. And the other day when returning from the old castle, she was about to fall from the stairs. She was scared if she had gotten any disease so she asked for the physician.

It seemed Prince Billard had informed the physician already. She felt happy that her husband was very considerate toward her.

The old physician checked her for some time and asked her all sort of questions and as he finished his inspections, a smile crawled up on his face.

Zenith felt a little angry as to what caused the physician to smile at her disease. "What is it?" She asked.

The physician was about to answer when her doors barged open and there stood her dear husband. She smiled at him and she was happy that her husband was very caring to come all this way even when he was busy with his work. He must be worried.

But somehow she felt there was a miasma surrounding him and his face held no emotions.

The physician bowed his respect as he smiled and said, "A very good news to His Highness and Her Highness."

Zenith's brows raised but Billard portrayed nothing. His eyes stayed on the old man with glasses as he said, "We are expecting our future heir to the Dragon Land."

For a moment, Zenith seemed unable to register his words but as soon as she did, she cried with joy, "Oh, the goddess has finally blessed us."

She looked at her dear husband expecting the same joy instead she met with a pair of stone cold eyes on her and it was evident, his face had darkened. Was he not happy with the news?

Zenith's smile evaporated at the thought. Why wasn't he happy about getting a child? Did he not want any heir for their throne? But he would be a future king, why would he not want any children?

The general physician was perplexed at the expression on the crown Prince's face as well because he expected him to be happy about it.

A moment passed by as Billard looked at the royal physician and said, "You may leave us."

The old man didn't take long to exit as Billard's golden eyes were deadly cold. He got up, bowed his final respect to both of them and left immediately.

As the door got closed behind the physician, Zenith asked, "What is it? Are you not happy about the news?"

She got up slowly and went near him as Billard smiled but Zenith could see it wasn't from his heart and nor was it the same smile he used to give her.

"Of course, I am."

Zenith watched him for a moment. There was something odd in him which she failed to decipher. She asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No." He said and came near her as he placed his large palms on her slender shoulders, "What would be wrong?"

She tried to read his face but Billard wasn't easy to read. For two years, she had been with him and never once she could read him like an open book. He was always like a person who liked to keep everything to himself. He used to be very distant from her. It sometimes hurt her that as a wife she could never make him open to her.

She still remembered the first night after their wedding was the one time he came and claimed her and then she didn't see him for a few months. It was the day when she got scared of him because of his cold golden eyes boring her all the time but she liked it as well. He never once expressed his emotions that night but he was gentle. However, after that he never came.

Whenever she went to the hall for breakfast, he would be absent and she felt like he didn't like her. She used to make herself everyday yet he wouldn't come and she thought maybe he didn't want her. She had heard the rumors that Billard didn't want to marry her. It made her feel unwanted.

But from the last few months, he was coming to her chamber regularly, spending time and talking with her more often.

Billard pushed her slowly on the bed as her eyes went wide and cheeks grew red. Her mind filled with the thoughts of him and herself and she shyly looked at the ground expecting his lips. However, it never came.

She looked up and a shiver ran down on her as her flustered self replaced it with a frown. Billard was standing before her and giving her the same look he gave her on their wedding night. Dark, cold look. No emotions. Her insides howled with fear and unsettling feelings stirred in them. She could feel something was off.

"I-is something h-happened?" She stuttered.

"No." He said, "Nothing happened." He added, "Unless you count the men whom you had sent to kill Demian."