All Chapters of REVENGE AFTER REBIRTH-THE LORD'S FORSAKEN BRIBE: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

The council chamber was still echoing long after Serina had been led away. The murmurs had faded. The nobles had scattered. But Damien stayed. He stood near the same chair he hadn’t used, staring at the space where she’d stood the silence she left behind pressing harder than the accusations. He hadn’t spoken. He hadn’t moved. And that was what broke him the most. When the heavy door creaked open, Aria stepped back inside. The light from the corridor haloed her in faint gold, softening the sharpness in her eyes. “They’ve taken her,” she said quietly. Damien didn’t answer. “You did the right thing,” she added. His jaw flexed. “Did I?” Aria’s steps were soft against the marble as she approached. “You stayed silent when you could have defended her. That was the right choice.” Damien’s gaze lifted, raw and tired. “Silence isn’t loyalty.” “No,” Aria said gently, “it’s wisdom.” He looked away. She stopped a few feet from him not touching, but close enough that he could feel t

The tower that held Serina was old stone cold, heavy, the kind that remembered the screams of past prisoners. She had been there three days. Long enough for the world outside to decide what it believed. Long enough for the serpents to think they’d won. Cassian stood by the door, arms crossed, listening to the echo of footsteps below. “They’re coming,” he said. Serina didn’t move from where she sat by the narrow slit of a window. “I know.” He turned to her, jaw tight. “Are you certain this will work?” She smiled faintly. “Truth always does. Eventually.” The door opened. Two guards entered, followed by the Prime Minister. His face was drawn, lined with exhaustion and something else shame. “Lady Serina,” he began, voice cautious. “His Majesty’s council requests your presence. There have been… developments.” Cassian’s hand went instinctively to his sword, but Serina’s calm hand stopped him. She stood, smoothing her dress with measured grace. “Let’s not keep them waiting.” T

Morning came too still. The palace courtyards, usually humming with soldiers and servants, felt half-asleep; even the fountains seemed to hold their breath. From her window Serina watched a thin mist creep over the gardens. It should have been a day of peace her name cleared, her seat in council restored yet something in the silence pressed against her ribs. Cassian knocked once and stepped in without waiting for an answer. “You’re awake early,” he said, setting a rolled map on her desk. His smile tried to lift the air between them, but she caught the faint tremor in his hands. “I couldn’t sleep,” she replied. “The walls whisper when the city’s too quiet.” He chuckled softly. “You’ve been fighting ghosts too long. The council plans a small dinner tonight. No speeches, no politics. You’ll rest for one evening, if I have to stand guard outside the door.” “You always do,” she said, half-smiling. “But tell me, does peace ever sit easily with a soldier?” “Only when the person h

The palace trembled with noise. Not from an attack. Not from weapons. But from the raw, pulsing panic of thousands of people yelling at once fear, grief, anger, all crashing together like waves against stone. Serina reached the base of the central staircase, the air thick with the metallic sting of smoke drifting in through the hall windows. People ran in every direction servants carrying water buckets, guards shouting orders that no one listened to, ministers arguing under their breath. All of it washed past her. She had left Cassian only minutes ago, his breath shallow but steady under the healers’ care. “Don’t die,” she had whispered, brushing hair from his forehead. “Not tonight. Not when they still need you.” But the city needed her too and it needed her now. “Your Majesty, you can’t go out there.” The Prime Minister hurried beside her, robes swaying like frightened wings. “It’s too dangerous. They’re blaming everyone. Some say you brought this curse.” Serina didn’t

The palace was still shaking from the riots when Cassian forced himself upright. He shouldn’t have been able to move. His muscles trembled like loose wires, his bones felt too light, too hollow. The venom still slept beneath his skin a cold echo that tugged at the edges of his heartbeat. But he didn’t care. He had been unconscious while the city nearly tore itself apart. He had been sleeping while Serina stood on a burning balcony, defying an army of terrified citizens alone. He had been helpless while the serpents slithered deeper into the kingdom’s heart. Not anymore. Cassian swung his legs over the side of the cot. The movement sent a flash of pain up his spine, but he bit it down. A healer rushed toward him. “Commander, stop…you can’t stand yet…” “I’m already standing.” His voice cracked like dry stone, but it held. He took one step. Unsteady. The floor tilted. He grabbed the pillar beside the bed to anchor himself. “You are still poisoned,” the healer insisted. “Ano