His Property

He stopped before her, pain flickering in his golden eyes.

“Seize her. Put her hands in chains and lock her away in the prison mine,” he demanded, gritting his teeth, he was barely masking the storm within him.

"No, please!" Her scream faded behind him as the soldiers dragged her away.

“Your Majesty, I know nothing about this. Please, you have to believe me!”

Rhydian was terribly devastated after Aidan's revelation of how he murdered his wife. He loathed himself for failing to protect her.

As he walked down the aisle, he thought of her beautiful smile, her kind words, and her unwavering warmth.

She had been his light in the darkness, the only person who saw beyond his cold exterior.

When he married her, she showed him what true love meant. She had always wanted the best for him, and it was his fault she was gone.

It was his fault for dying and leaving her at the mercy of his cruel brother.

His long legs quickened as he headed toward the council room, each step heavy with the weight of duty.

He knew he had to reclaim the throne, even though he didn’t want it. Vynsera would be exposed to enemies the moment Aidan’s death became known.

As he walked, maids and guards trembled. Some hid into the pillars, hands gripping their chests tightly as if fearing their hearts might give out.

Others turned and fled. Some murmured prayers, whispering his name as though invoking a spirit rather than a man.

“What is he?” People murmured.

“We saw his body burn... How can he still be so—”

“He looks as untouched as before, as if the flames never touched him...”

Their words didn’t bother him in that moment. His heart was dark and heavy with sadness. As he walked down the halls, it felt like he was treading a lonely path that led nowhere.

He had no answers to give them, nor did he owe them any. He hadn’t questioned what he had become, not yet.

Only one truth remained, whatever he was now, he was no longer mortal.

Raw and untamed, a great power coursed through his veins. He could sense life around him in ways he never had before.

He barely needed to turn his head to see the man hiding by the balcony; he could sense his presence.

He could manipulate him to step forward just by getting into his head. He knew he had unimaginable powers and abilities that no one knew about.

Rhydian thought that the last thing he would do was show what he could do to the people. He knew the next name they would call him. A monster.

He entered the council room, and silence fell like a blade.

The shift in the air was suffocating, the weight of uncertainty pressing on every man present.

“I will be the new king of Vynsera. But anyone who questions what I am is to be seized without mercy. Since the Vynsera needs a good leader, I will do the best I can for her people.”

"Done, your majesty." The chief soldier said boldly with a bow.

He made his announcement with finality and dismissed them before they could linger too long in his presence. 

•

Rhydian slowly walked into the chambers he had once shared with his wife.

The room had always been filled with her warmth, the lingering scent of jasmine she loved so much.

Now, it was cold—so cold it felt like knives piercing his skin. The silence was deafening, suffocating.

He let his gaze sweep over the room, his throat tightening at the sight of her belongings, still untouched.

A hairpin rested on the vanity, one he had once tucked into her hair. A shawl draped over the chair, as if waiting for her return.

No, he couldn’t stay here. He told himself.

He turned sharply, striding toward the hallway. He needed a new chamber, a new space where her thoughts couldn’t easily prey on his mind.

His thought drove to Aidan's wife, who was now his prisoner.

He remembered the look of her eyes, the way she stared at him with awe; there was something about her.

He noticed how she didn’t cry after she watched him behead her husband.

It was suspicious of her never to shed a tear after he beheaded him right in front of her. As if she felt nothing for him.

Rhydian scoffed slowly, the thought so amusing he wondered if she ever loved him. She must have married him because of his wealth, he thought. Women lately didn’t have to love a man before they married them, as long as he was rich, they would pretend to be in love.

She was even a gold digger. His fist hardened, hatred for her coursing through his veins.

He headed out to the hallway, going to the prison mine where he had requested she be locked in.

He hadn’t decided what to do with her just yet, but he knew his mercy would be far from her.

He signaled to the two guards in front of the prison gate to step aside. He walked in and found her lying down on the worn-out bed, her hands chained to the side of the wall.

Her eyes were swollen from tears, Rhydian could trace the line of her dried tears.

The moment he spoke, she flinched, her black hair completely messy over her shoulders, some strands stuck to her face.

Rhydian's eyes bore deep into her, enough intensity to strip her bare.

“Tomorrow, you will leave this prison; your new life will be that of a whore.” His words carried weight, his voice devoid of warmth as if announcing a sentence.

She flinched, shaking her head terribly as she cried. Her colorful eyes met his, dulled with sadness. Rhydian could hardly tear his glance from her eyes; they looked…. Somehow familiar.

“Am I really to be a whore now? A captive slave of yours?” Her voice cracked, like she could barely keep her breath intact. Rhydian saw her gaze so vulnerable and gentle.

Rhydian studied her. There was no anger in her voice, but sadness. She did not display any hatred in her gaze for him, and this kept him on edge.

He expected her to shed tears. Curse him, yell at him, say all sorts of hateful words to him, but yet she was calm, only the sadness of her being a whore troubled her.

That surprised him.

“Maybe both,” Rhydian said with authority, ignoring the sadness in her voice.

Violet eyes lowered, her hands trembling slightly. She was quiet for a moment, as if weighing his words.

Then, her lips parted, hesitant. “I… I didn’t know much about him before I married him.”

Rhydian’s gaze snapped at her. “You expect me to believe that? 

She nodded slowly. “I promise, I only knew the side of him he showed me before the wedding. I never knew he was a cruel brother to you… I never knew he murdered you and your wife… I wouldn’t have dared say yes to him.” Her voice was quiet, but there was honesty in it.

Rhydian frowned. He wasn’t sure why her words unsettled him.

He should not care. And yet, he found himself watching her, waiting for her to say more.

“I’m sorry about your wife. She truly didn’t deserve that,” she whispered. Her eyes remained downcast, her breath shaken, Rhysand could see her lips quivering slightly as if… she was cold or whimpering?

Rhydian stilled at her as he frowned. No one had said that to him before. Not a single person seemed to sympathize with him regarding his loss.

“I don’t care what you think. I do not need your sympathy.”

Violet didn’t mind the tension in his voice… she went on.

“I… I saw your pain. You did what you had to.” Something about her words made his chest tighten.

He exhaled sharply, the sound low and bitter, then turned his back on her.

“From henceforth, you will be mine… Not as a wife. But as property for trading.”

Her eyes widened with fear as she shook her head. But he continued, each word a nail sealing her fate.

“As the new king, I bring new law.” He turned to her slowly, his gaze dim and unreachable.

“You’ll be my property. A prized whore for kings and wealthy men. I’ll name the price for every filthy night they want in between your legs.” His voice dropped lower, colder.

“That will be your punishment." He paused, his golden eyes gleaming as he narrowed them at her. “For being the wife of a traitor.”