Chapter 33

The croaky chuckle of the old king was not the response that Livia expected after her bold statement.

She raises an eyebrow, scowling, “Is something funny?”

The low laugh comes to a slow stop before King Grail raises his eyes, dark amusements swimming in them.

“I will give you credit where it is due, Lady Livia. You are daring, ambitious, and willing to do whatever it takes in the heat of your hatred for my sons...but in the end, it amounted to this; complete and utter lunacy.”

King Grail shakes his head at her, looking upon Livia like one would a person neck-deep in their own delusions.

“No matter what trick you had saved up your sleeve there is no force on this planet that would pressure me to turn against my own children, no matter how flawed and foolish they had become. My sons made a mistake. I will punish them accordingly for it. In fact, I already have. Beyond that, I will not move. I will not be pushed into abiding by your childish revenge scheme. Forget this nonsense and end it now before you make things worse than they already are,” King Grail asserts with a commanding voice, raising his chin.

Livia covers her mouth to muffle her maniac giggles.

“Oh...that was...that was adorable,” She says with wide, teary eyes. Livia tries to get her laughter under control, but it’s a compulsion that does not back down.

As she chortles like a child that just heard their first dirty word, King Grail fumes.

“You will not harm my sons. And you will not use my person to do it!” He snaps angrily at her. Livia pretends to not notice how he moved forward when he spoke, how her command over his movements was slowly fading. She stands within arm's reach and continues to indulge herself in her laughter, waiting.

A minute pass and Livia finally manage to get her giggles back under control. She is just straightening up when the King Grail makes his move.

For an elderly man made up of more fat than actual muscle, he moves surprisingly fast.

He vaults over his desk, pulls out his sword, and has it at her neck in a split second of blurry movement.

Livia tilts up her head to avoid being cut and makes direct eye contact with King Grail. Her eyes are around, her mouth falls open in stupefied shock, and she holds the expression as King Grail speaks.

“Your magic is weak,” He asserts furiously as he easily towers over her, casting a dark shadow, “You may know of the dark workings of magic, but it does you know good if you do not have the power to back it. That artifact, relic, or whatever you had called it must have lost any magic it had over time. It’s useless. Your worthless plan failed and now you will be sent back to the hole you crawled out of.”

“Guards! Arrest this woman!” He turns away from the door after shouting and waits while he stares down his nose at Livia, gazing at her like she was a bug not even worth stepping on.

Livia's eyes nervously shift to the door, her small body trembling in fear.

A second goes by, but that’s all it takes to realize something was wrong.

The office door remains closed. No royal guards burst through the room instantly upon the command of their king.

King Grail's disdainful stare down on Livia lifts as he turns it to the door.

“Guards!” He bellows, “Arrest this girl! Now!” He grabs roughly at Livia’s arm, hosting her forward as he keeps his sword at her throat.

Livia stares at the door with King Grail, as if she too was expecting a certain response.

Another few seconds tick onward in silence.

Livia turns to King Grail, “I don’t think they are coming,” She tells him, her eyebrows drawn up as if this actually concerned her.

King Grail only growls, and stomps forward, dragging her along to open the door himself.

Livia lets herself be manhandled and says nothing when the king fist closes around the doorknob and he tries to yank the door open, only to no avail. It does not stop him from trying to break down the door with his bare hand. He gives it a huge haul of force, but it does not budge even a centimeter.

When he turns around, face red with fury, Livia twists the thick wrist holding the sword to her neck, and spins out of the bruising grip King Grail had on her arm.

The weight of the sword was rather heavy causing her arm to strain as she lifts it up to King Grail’s neck. She would not be able to hold it for long. Not in an actual fight. But it was enough for a surprise attack.

Before King Grail can recover, she pulls away, swirls the sword around, and offers up the handle to him.

“You can have this back,” Livia tells him calmly as he stares at her in stunned silence.

When the king reaches out to it automatically, she moves the handle away further.

“On second thought. It’s probably best you don’t have a weapon for this next part,” She says and then drops the sword to the floor and kicks it away.

Before King Grail could open his mouth to protest, Livia puts a finger to her mouth and says, “Shh. I need complete silence for this next part. You will not say another word.”

King Grail's lips remained sealed even as his eyes practically budge out of his head and a thick vein pulses on his temples. He was trying to fight the compulsion and failing. Of course, he would. A brand-new order had been issued after the previous ones lifted. Livia, suppose she had at least three minutes before her new command expires. She would make it count.

Livia smiles, “That’s much better. Now, as entertaining as it has been to see you rag and rage, I will be putting an end to that shit show,” She gestures to his plush leather desk chair, “Sit, we still have a lot to discuss.”

King Grail does as he is told.

Livia ignores the eyes trying to set her on fire by sheer force of will as she takes her seat in front of the king.

“Now, back to the topic of you helping me. I know you have already started investigating into the matter of my kidnapping. How is that going?”

When King Grail only glares at her him silence, Livia rolls her eyes at herself, “Right. You can’t speak. Duh.”

“Speak only when spoken too,” She says, overriding her previous command. Two were currently in place. She only had one more she could issue. The blood curse had its limits. Or more accurately, Livia was unwilling to push the said limits beyond its set capabilities. Not unless she was willing to risk herself in the process, which she was not.

There was always a balance. A thin line Livia always walks on when she pulled from forces much stronger than herself. If she took too much or attempted to abuse the power, there would be dire consequences.

“The investigation. What have you discovered so far?” Livia asks.

“I won’t tell you anything,” King Grail sneers.

Stubborn bastard.

“Tell me everything,” Livia demands.

“The investigation has only just begun. The men I dismissed earlier, they are in charge of it. I had been waiting for Marquess Montcroix to return,” King Grail states between gritted teeth.

Livia's face twitches in irritation but otherwise remains bland, “This band of people you gathered. Are they competent? The best you could offer?”

“...Yes.”

“It seems you aren’t entirely incompetent and half-assed,” Livia comments snidely.

“These men, have they worked together before? Do they know the importance of this matter?”

“Of course, they do!” King Grail snaps, “As if I would let even a rumor of slave traders in my kingdom go by without having it looked into properly. The fact that the living, breathing truth of them had arrived on my doorstep instantly pushed me into action. Such a heinous crime will be addressed, and all involved will be dragged before me to face my wrath!”

Livia is almost impressed by the fiercely spoken words. If only she didn’t know it had little to do with the women, men, and children who were made victims and all to do with King Grail’s pride as a leader. He was righteous, but for all the wrong reasons.

“Wonderful,” She says flatly, “And how long do these types of investigations last?”

“Months maybe even a year or two,” King Grail answers instantly.

Livia stops petting her stomach.

“What!?” She snaps.

“If discovered to be true, the whole operation must be dismantled and removed from my kingdom. Not to mention such important figures in my kingdom needing to remain hidden and go underground in their investigation as not to alert the criminals. If the slave traders have gone so long without alerting me, they know how to work discreetly. It will not be an easy task.”

“Green-perch river, south bank,” Livia states, and begins to list off all the information she and Sen had gathered during their own investigation, “Send a single, capable person there. Any more, and they will know. About ten miles at the base of Mt. Peach, there is an entrance to an underground network of caves. Bribe the locals to get a map of them.”

“They do not ship the victims off at any known ports in the continent nor are they stupid enough to sell them here. I believe they lace the men, women, and children they take with a concoction that knocks them out for days at a time. When I had woken up, I was starving. Don’t bother investigating your own soldiers who had been directly involved. All of them had been drugged and replaced. They use old artifacts to change their appearance so you can’t trace them via their magical signature.

‘They are also known as The Silent Stealers. Apparently, this ring of slave traders has been prevalent for years. They mostly go take from rural or remote areas but they have gotten increasingly bold. The Silent Stealers don’t wear anything distinct. They do return to certain locations, but there seems to be no set schedule. They can be gone for long months at a time doing hells know what. So, start with the river and the mountain.”

When Livia is done and looks up, King Grail is staring at her with his mouth hanging open.

She continues on as if she hadn’t taken him by complete surprise...again.

“You do not have months and years to finish this operation. I am giving you exactly three months, or more accurately, until my child is born, to dismantle the trafficking operation, to capture all parties involved, and to bring them to me. Is that understood?”

King Grail splutters, “T-that is impossible! Even if what you told me is legitimate, it would take a small army to take on this organized operation! How many are there? Who are the sellers? When was the last time you interacted with them?”

Livia waves his questions off, “I’m sure you men will find out such things soon enough. With the intel I gave you, it should be more than enough to take them down in a timely manner. I was even nice enough to leave bread crumbs for your men to follow. If they are truly as competent as you said they are, that is.”

“Bu-”

“Onto the next matter,” Livia cuts in, “Regarding my engagement to your son...no. Just, no.”

King Grail's mouth presses into a thin line, his face looking a bit constipated, “It has already been written in stone. Your mother signed the documents for you. I will not go back on my word.”

Livia sneers, “Your word is worthless.”

“Nothing can be done,” King Grail reiterates, “Not unless your father cancels the engagement.”

To put it bluntly, he will not go back on his statement because it would bruise his pride as a kingly leader too much. To make matters worse, so many of his subjects directly below him are starting to question his actions like they have never before, making him more stubborn in his mindset.

“Which he will never do,” Livia states plainly, not the least bit fooled.

Because that would be going against the direct orders of his king, and why would he do that? Not when he once again holds the power that he lost. And especially not for the sake of his own daughter.

Though, if it had been Liliana, Livia drops the thought. It was useless, thinking that way. It was an endless cycle that got her nowhere.

“Then it shall stand as is...until I have you exiled and banished from this continent!” King Grail shouts before he stands to his feet, his hands glowing as a bit of his magic regenerated.

“Sit, speak when spoken to, and tell me everything,” Livia commands instantly, not even blinking when a stray blast of magic manages to clip her ear before her orders set in.

“It seems a lot of your loyal subjects don’t agree with your renewal of the engagement,” Livia says the words in conspiracy, leaning forward to ‘whisper’ it to King Grail.

“They will abide by their King orders!” the old king snaps angrily. He was tired. Could barely twitch his own nose against the compulsion over him, but he didn’t stop fighting it.

Livia was getting exhausted just by watching him. Should his efforts be applauded? He wasn’t giving up. But really, all he was doing was using up what precious little energy he had. Livia leans back and yawns loudly, blinking her eyes sleepily. She could go for an afternoon nap.

“At any rate, I will not be marrying your son. Though you refuse to give up your order over bruised pride, you also had no desire for me to be engaged to that fucker, Rodale. Mother twisted your arms and threaten to kneecap you, didn’t she?” Livia states baldly, her mouth twisting up in a mocking smirk.

“...Your mother brought up some irrefutable points, and I had simply taken reasonability for my sons' actions. Nothing more,” King Grail says with a raised chin but did not meet her unblinking stare.

“Right. Of course,” Livia says tauntingly, “The king was only doing the right thing. It has nothing to do with a dark, lurid past that you want to keep under wraps. A certain someone you wish to remain unknown until the end of your days.”

King Grail's eyes snap to her, and the fire in them chills and turns to ice.

“Did that woman tell you?” He asks her, eerily calm.

Livia offers him a sunny smile, “Which one?”

The king says nothing to this, but his eyes remained level on her, cold and detached, his face was entirely expressionless.

For the first time, Livia feels she is seeing the true nature of the King of Wisteria. Instead of being unsettled, she takes a strange sort of comfort in it. At least now she knows where Rodale and Orin get it from.

“We are drifting off-topic," She says after letting the silence hang in the room, “You do not wish for me to marry your son. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“However, you also do not wish to take back your word.”

“There will be no need. You will be hanged for your transgression against my royal person,” King Grail states sedately, relaxing under the compulsion.

Livia's eyes alight, “From banishment to outright murder. Lovely. I feel we are really starting to bond with each other.”

She blinks slowly at the old king and raises an eyebrow, “See what I did there? Bond?” She chuckles to herself, completely unamused. Poking at a sedated tiger.

“You will not live to see the next day,” King Grail promises her.

Livia's smile erodes. Her laughter cuts off abruptly.

“Which one will it be?” She asks him softly.

“...what?”

“Will it be Rodale or Orin? Choose.”

“I don’t know wha-”

“Because if I die, I will take one of your children with me. So, choose.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Did you already forget what I have told you? I put a blood curse on you. The curse uses you as its center point and webs out, flowing down your family lineage. I don’t just have you under my will, but your sons and daughter as well. Just as you are forced to heed my commands, so too will they be. Of course, this is just a byproduct of the actual curse,” Livia explains as she rises to her feet and slowly waddles to the window outlooking the courtyard. King Grail can only track her with his eyes, unable to move his body glued to the seat.

The coldness melts away as his face pales.

“This, this is only a byproduct?!” He asks, his voice almost a croak.

Livia turns in the stream of sunlight, her purple eyes aglow with an unnatural light.

“Of course,” She says with a serene smile.

“The actual workings of the curse are to ensure that I walk out of this encounter, and any future encounter, with my life. To hold your family accountable for what your bloodline did to me, to make sure that my revenge is not a possibility, but a guaranteed.”

“What have you done to my children!? To me!?!” King Grail thunders, his head turning a bit as his eyes blaze.

“Now, why would I go and reveal all the pretty little details?” Livia asks with a low chuckle.

“I will kill you myself! I will not let such a dark blight who threatens the Royal House of Silvan to live another second!” King Grail roars as he rocks violently in his seat, breaking the order he is under much faster than normal.

“Your right. Why even bother with my petty revenge?” Livia asks lightly, then she pulls out a dagger and raises it to the delicate skin of her neck, “I guess it’s best I off myself right now. Save us all the trouble, right?”

“Die you heathen! If you do not do so I will smite you, where you stand!” King Grail snarls, spit flying from his mouth as his eye frantically searching for his sword.

Livia nods placidly, pressing the knife into her skin until it draws blood, “I will do as you ordered.”

“And instead of taking one of your children, I will now take all of them,” She continues.

“You lie! You cannot-” King Grail gets to his feet.

“Sit down and choke yourself with your own hands,” Livia commands softly.

King Grails' ass slammed back into the seat at his hands come around his own neck and squeezed.

Livia removes the dagger from her throat and slashes it across the back of her hand, before putting the dagger back into the hidden pocket of her dress.

She shows off the newly formed wound to the old king and points to her neck, “Watch closely you old, violent fool.”

King Grail's eyes snap to her wound without his permission as he struggles for breath. He desperately tries to command his own hand to release his neck, but they continue to force pressure, stealing his breath and depriving his body of oxygen.

“My wounds will heal. Not because I am healing them, you as well as I know that particular skill is almost impossible to hone, but because I am leeching off from your children and you.”

Livia could also control the when and how as well, but of course, she said nothing of this. Let the old king think it was limited to simple healing. He will only know the true nature of the curse when Livia needed certain aspects of it to be used.

As his eyes water, and his face starts to turn blue, he watches as her wounds heal right before his eyes without even a glimmer of magic to be seen. In a matter of seconds, Livia was completely unscathed.

She dabs away the blood on her hand and neck before setting it on fire so only ashes floated to the ground. Once again, the king did not see even a spark of magic.

“Now, look at your own hand, feel the sting on your own neck.”

King Grail's eyes rolled to do as commanded and suddenly, he saw red at the back of his hand but didn’t feel pain even as the thin wound oozed blood. He was sure the only reason he didn’t was that his body was focused on trying not to die of asphyxiation.

His vision was blackening at the edges, and he realizes, that compulsion could be overwritten. And once it does, the timer starts back up again. But somehow, he couldn’t break this one. It felt much longer than one minute.

How.

It was the last thought he had before everything faded to black.

When he wakes up again, he can tell he was once again under the compulsion, with Livia, the witch, sitting calmly in front of him. His body is completely intact. No wounds are choke marks around his neck. As if it all never had happened.

“Are you done with your outburst?” She asks him like a mother who had to put up with a misbehaving child.

“...”

“Good. Now that you are aware that this is all very real, you will heed my demands. And in case you are still unsure of the situation you are in, let me be blunt; I am extorting you. Instead of money, I want your complete compliance. Instead of some horrid little secret, it is your children's life that is on the line.”

Livia leans forward to look him dead in the eye with not even a hint of hesitance. Her resolve was as steely as her unwavering stare.

“If you do not do as I say, I will kill them.”

And for a moment, he is staring at the shadowed face of a beast about to descend on prey.

There wasn’t a shred of humanity in her gaze.

It was utterly savage.

“Have we come to an understanding, King Grail?”

Suddenly, all the compulsions lifted from him, but even so, he did not move a single inch.

“Yes...”

Livia smiles and the shadow is gone.

“Good. You will expedite your investigation and reinstate the Crown Princess Candidates by the end of the day. I am aware that you had a lovely ball planned for tonight in honor of the princess. Do not cancel it. You will make your announcement then.”

“...”

“What? Did you have a question?”

“..no. I will do as you asked.”

‘Asked’. How pathetic. Even as he is trembling in fear, he still wants to pretend to have the upper ground, Livia thinks in dark amusement.

Livia's eyes crease as she puts on another blinding smile and she stands up, “Wonderful. I suppose this shouldn’t need saying, but I will go ahead and warn you anyway. You cannot tell others over our little arrangement. If you do, your airways will close up.”

She turns to leave after tacking down her privacy spell and opens the door without any trouble. Outside, the royal guards remain passive and completely obvious to what had transpired inside as they stare straight ahead.

Livia turns in the doorway and offers a sage half-smile to the king, “Thank you for taking the time out of your daily schedule to see me, your highness. I’m glad we both have come to an understanding.”

Then she bows respectfully and leaves.