CASSANDRA: The Unfavored Princess-Chapter 175: Living Dead

All the dukes looked at each other. They were confused.

Duke Crawford looked at the secret passage they had just found. The voice came from there but also from the room where the Emperor stayed to keep away his boredom.

"Do you think .." Duke Crawford was yet to finish his words when a loud scream came again.

"AHHH AAHHH ..." The voice was getting louder. One could feel the pain the other person was in.

The Dukes did not waste any time as they ran towards the source. Their eyes contained an unknown emotion of fear and anxiety. They did not want to keep waiting any longer. They moved at a fast speed towards the room.

All of the three Dukes knew who the man was. It was the voice of the Emperor. The passage was closed as they moved following the voice. They wanted to know what was happening. Was it related to the weird feeling they were getting? Was it something to do with the elements?

When they reached the place, they saw everything was destroyed. The Emperor was on the ground surrounded by the guards who looked like they did not know what to do.

Was it a heart attack? Or was it something else? Why was the Emperor behaving like this? So many questions rotated in everyone’s mind but with no answer. Confusion lingered in their mind as the guards looked at the Dukes coming.

Duke Bentham moved forward but a layer was stopping him from touching the Emperor. His eyes widened. Duke Bentham looked back as he shook his head.

Duke Garfield and Duke Crawford took a step forward. Their faces were tinted with worry. Although they did not want Princess Valeria to rule, they were happy with the current Emperor. He was a kind man who cared about his people. Although he had many children, he was still a good leader.

Duke Garfield and Duke Crawford tried to touch but a strong force was stopping them.

"It’s like magic." Duke Garfield murmured. His eyes were focused on the Emperor who was struggling. It was as if something was poking him from within.

The Emperor was trying to push something away from his body. His hands waved as if trying to erase it from within his system. It was not a good thing to watch.

The Emperor’s eyes were filled with horror. The fright of the unknown was making him unable to breathe. The Emperor knew that he was on the ground like a fish trying to search for water, but he did not care. All of his minds were fixed on survival.

When Duke Garfield said the word ’magic’ Duke Bentham’s eyes widened. His gaze shook when he thought of the person who would have done that.

If Duke Bentham’s mind was on the right track, the witch should have been woken up. But why would she do something like this? Wasn’t she on good terms with the rest? They had even named their Empire after the witch, Elvira.

Duke Bentham pushed the possibility away from his mind. His eyes were now focused on the Emperor who was helpless. Duke Bentham felt bad as he told the guards, "Don’t cluster here. Give the Emperor some space to breathe."

Duke Bentham could see his eyes turning red, as the Emperor took deep breaths in. There was only one possibility now, the Emperor was not going to make it.

Duke Bentham looked back as he saw the guards following his order. His gaze collided with Duke Crawford and Duke Garfield. Duke Bentham shook his head as sadness filled his eyes. They all knew that it was the end and maybe they could only stand aside and watch the Emperor die slowly and painfully.

The Emperor’s eyes were tinted red. Maybe it was the blood accumulated or it might be due to dryness, he didn’t know. But it was painful. The Emperor could feel that his body was suffering. A sharp thing was pinning his body. Something was cutting through.

The Emperor coughed hard as blood came out of his mouth. Red and blank tinted the ground. The Emperor looked at it but he could not process it anymore. And soon the accumulation of power increased within him. Something was pulling his elements inside. He could feel it.

The Emperor felt powerless. He did not know what to do anymore. The energy was like a parasite killing him from within, but the worst part was he was well aware of it all. He could feel it as if God was giving him some punishment. More than anything the emperor was afraid.

Soon the Emperor moved fast. The thing that was within him wanted to come out of his body. He wanted to move but he could not. His strength was lost. The Emperor felt like he was a living dead on the ground. He wanted to ask the Dukes for help but he could see that something was stopping them. As if he did not want anything to get near him.

But before he could understand anything a huge wave of power ran through them. An explosion occurred and all of their bodies were pushed back. The dukes tried to use their elements to stabilize themselves but the blast was beyond their expectations. No matter how hard they tried they were not able to balance themselves.

Everything was covered in dust. The Emperor’s room was destroyed. Only a few guards survived as others lay on the ground dead. There was panic. All the guards in the palace came running. The blast was massive, capturing everyone’s attention.

Duke Garfield was the youngest of the three Duke. He got up as he helped Duke Crawford before going towards Duke Bentham. Once they were on the ground their eyes focused on the place where the blast occurred. It was still covered in dust. Nothing was clear.

Once the Dust settled, everything around them started coming to light. They could now see what was there. There were wooden pieces on the ground as well as some rocks. A huge pile of unwanted and damaged things was lying on the ground.

"The Emperor." Duke Crawford said in a small voice which brought back everyone into reality. The guards moved forward as they started to dig the pile. The Emperor was there initially, no one wanted their ruler to die such a death. Death by suffocation.

The new guards that had entered the room due to hearing the noise did not know why the Emperor was not getting out himself. He was the most powerful and coming out of something like this was very easy for him. But for the guards who had seen the situation of their ruler, they were very worried.

What if something happened to the Emperor? What if a huge rock hit his head and the Emperor could not defend himself?

The worried guards moved their hands faster. They did not know what to expect? Maybe the Emperor was alright and nothing happened to him or maybe they would see his dead body lying on the ground.

Duke Crawford was getting irritated. He moved his hand and a huge wave of wind blew making all the piles move up in the air. No one knew what to expect. There was no one there.

Duke Garfield moved beneath the pile as he looked up. Maybe the Emperor’s body also moved up with the pile but to his surprise, he could not see anything. There was no one there.

Duke Garfield narrowed his gaze as he took a few more steps just to be positive but yet he could not see anything out of the ordinary.

"The Emperor is not here." The words left Duke Garfield’s mouth. He looked around in shock as he said to them all. Duke Bentham did not believe it. The Emperor was still there a few minutes ago. How can a body vanish in such a short time? It was an impossible thing. Something that could not happen in regular life.

"It has disappeared." Duke Bentham added as he looked at the area. But something caught his eyes. It was a small piece of gold. Duke Bentham picked it up as he observed it. There was a leaf-like pattern in it. Although it was not complete, Duke Bentham knew it very well. It was the ring that the Emperor used to wear. Something that was passed down from generation to generation.

A thought passed Duke Bentham’s mind but he did not want to think in that direction. He was afraid to entertain the thought. Duke Garfield walked as he stood beside Duke Bentham looking at his hand. Soon Duke Crawford followed after the pile that was in the air was put at the corner.

They all saw what was there. The thing they feared the most. The gold was not something that could be broken so easily. It was mixed with the elemental power but now ...

There was a possibility that the Emperor was no more. Maybe in the implosion, The Emperor had ... They did not want to think that. They wanted to have a last string of hope. But soon A light flash made them look in the middle. Maybe it was the Emperor. But to the Duke’s surprise, the people who should have been in the Vivere Kingdom were standing there.