Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 191  King Latrel Silversin

Inside the throne room of Aritreia, Latrel Silversin, now self-proclaimed King of Aritreia, sat on the throne with a sword in one hand and a cup of beer in the other. His eyes were full of anger and frustration, creating a heavy tension in the air. Beside him stood a golden-haired woman, the rightful queen of Aritreia, now reduced to a mere servant. She carried a silver tray, her face bruised and swollen, with purple marks and red eyes that betrayed a hard beating.

"Have you still not found them?" - Latrel demanded furiously, glaring at the soldier standing before him, the captain of the capital's patrol team.

"No, Your Majes—" - The soldier began, catching himself as he almost addressed him by his former title. His eyes flicked briefly toward the golden-haired woman, a sorrowful glance, before correcting himself - "King Latrel." "You worthless scum!" - Latrel roared, throwing the cup at the soldier's face. The metal hit with a sickening thud, sending the soldier stumbling backward, blood flowing from a gash on his forehead. He lowered his head, staying silent even as blood dripped onto the floor. "They can't have just vanished into thin air!" - Latrel hissed, his grip tightening on his sword as his rage inflated even more as desperation mixed within him.

He pointed the sword threateningly at the captain - "Expand the search area! If you don't bring me news by the end of the day, I'll have your head impaled in the middle of the capital. And your wife and children, well, they'll make perfect new slaves for this throne. We are in need of new…hands anyway."

The soldier's heart trembled at those words - "I will find them, King Latrel!" - He said, his voice shaking as he dropped to the ground, his blood dripping onto the stone floor. Then, he quickly got to his feet and hurried from the throne room, leaving a trail of blood behind, afraid to cast another behind him.

Latrel sat back in his throne, watching the door close with a mix of rage and frustration - "What are you looking at, you useless bitch?" - he spat, turning his gaze to the woman beside him. "I've already taken your tongue, do you want to lose your eyes as well?" The woman flinched at his words, but her eyes stayed blank,staring ahead as if he weren't there. Despite her broken and bruised appearance, there was a flicker of defiance in her eyes, a small spark of the pride she once held as a queen. She stood there like a soulless doll, carrying her new duties without question, bowing and serving the person she once scorned.

Her silence and blank stare seemed to strike a nerve in the self-proclaimed king. With a snarl, he stood up and grabbed her chin roughly, forcing her to look at him. His fingers dug into her cheeks as he leaned close, eyes burning with cruel satisfaction - "Where's your haughty look now?"- he sneered, tightening his grip - "Shall I pay a visit to that little son and daughter of yours? I've missed hearing their cries. One already lost his legs, should I take the other's arms?" At those words, the woman's eyes widened in horror. The tray slipped from her shaking hands, crashing to the floor as tears rolled down her cheeks, no traces of her defiance left as fear and pain overwhelmed her. The image of her son and daughter crossing through her mind. Before being a queen, she was a mother.

"Tch, pathetic" - Latrel muttered, pushing her away as she fell to the floor. His interest in her fading away. He had enjoyed breaking her when he first took control of the throne, but now, his mind was focused on the growing danger outside the palace walls. He knew that Henry, the King of Stahl, was coming for him, and his army was not large enough to defend the capital. He had to make a plan.

"The path to the capital is steep, and the roads are narrow" - Latrel muttered to himself, sinking back into the throne that now felt cold and heavy, like a boulder weighing him down - "They won't be able to bring their entire army up here easily"

The queen scrambled to her feet and hurried out of the room, her steps quick and silent, not daring to look back. Latrel's thoughts swirled as he muttered to himself - "I just need to hold on until Luak sends reinforcements. Then, I'll crush them." Latrel was sure that, although it seemed Henry's forces had disappeared, no army could ascend the mountain without sustaining great losses. The paths were lined with traps, hidden dangers ready to weaken any attackers. With the right reinforcements, he believed he could hold out and push back the invaders.

"I'll conquer these lands and make them kneel before me" - He whispered to himself, a glow of greed flickering in his eyes. The image of ruling the entire northern region stirred something dark and ambitious within him, pushing aside his fear.

But just as the vision of victory filled his mind, a sudden, deafening explosion shook the palace. The ground trembled beneath his feet, and the walls seemed to shake violently as if the mountains themselves were roaring in anger. Dust and bits of stone fell from the ceiling as Latrel gripped the armrests of his throne, his face pale with fear.

"What's happening? Guards! Guards!" - He screamed. But no answer came. For long, agonizing minutes, the palace shook as if it would collapse. When the tremors finally stopped, Latrel let out a shaky breath, his knuckles white as he pried his hands from the throne and gripped his sword.

He rushed to the door, ready to punish the guards for not responding him. But when he opened the doors, the sounds of distant, desperate screams echoed through the palace halls. The guards who had once stood outside his throne room were nowhere to be seen. "Something is wrong." - Latrel thought, his sharp mind realizing that something terrible was happening outside of the walls. Maybe, Stahl was already attacking them - "Damn it!"- he cursed, slamming the door shut behind him as he desperately searched the room for a way out. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

-x-

Outside, after breaching the capital's walls with the explosion, Henry led his army through the streets of Aritreia.

"Kill all who resist" - This was his only command.