Conquering His Cold Heart

Zenon’s curious eyes were staring at the King without even blinking, waiting for the King to finish reading the letter and let everyone know what the newly appointed King of Xanmar had written.

At one point, the royal advisor got so curious that the thought of walking closer to the throne and taking a peak at the letter fleeted through his mind.

‘I hope we don’t have to start preparing for war,’ Zenon clutched his fists and thought to himself as he pushed the urge to step closer to the King aside.

“Hmm…” King Caspian narrowed his eyes and groaned while clutching his jaw to show a subtle hint of disbelief upon finishing reading the letter.

“What does the letter say, Your Majesty?” Zenon finally asked, unable to hide his curiosity any longer.

Caspian brought his brows together and glared at the letter. “He is claiming that he is innocent. That werewolf.” He let out a subtle scoff and further said with a sarcastic tone, “And he is even apologizing on behalf of the ‘real culprit’ who he has apparently already punished!”

“Ah! Is that so?” Zenon’s brows curled together to make a frown. He looked down at the hall full of ministers, all silent but waiting for the King to declare his decision regarding that werewolf matter.

Caspian slowly shifted his deep glare at his advisor, handed over the letter, and then asked, “What do you think of it? Do you think he is speaking the truth, or is he simply asking a fake apology because he finally realized that he cannot afford to go to war?”

.....

Zenon took the letter and then took some time to skim-read it while Caspian patiently waited for him to finish reading.

After reading the letter, he met Caspian’s gaze and answered, “For now, why don’t we see this letter as proof that the King of Xanmar desires peace and not war? As the saying goes, innocent until proven guilty. The men that I had sent to Xanmar should return soon with the news. Then we can decide what to think of this letter. But for now, I think it is in our favor to believe King Everard.”

One of the ministers who had been listening to the conversation between the King and the Advisor decided to speak on the same matter. “I think we should do as Lord Zenon has suggested. If the King of Xanmar is saying that he had no involvement in the attack, has punished the culprit, and has also apologized to us on their behalf, then I believe we should not actively seek revenge.”

Caspian looked into that minister’s eyes for quite a few seconds.

That simple eye contact was enough to make that minister nervous. He broke eye contact with the King and lowered his gaze. And he immediately stuttered, thinking that the King was about to explode, “It was simply my suggestion, Your Majesty. The final decision rests with you.”

Caspian narrowed his gaze at that minister and fumed, “If I was actively seeking revenge then I would have returned to the castle that same night and slayed that wolf in his sleep, Lord Francis.”

The King rested his back on his throne and grumbled while still glaring at the minister who was unable to meet the King’s eyes, “I know the risks. That’s why I am staying quiet even when my wife was humiliated in front of the crowd. That’s why I chose not to take any immediate action even when I had to carry my sick wife and flee in the darkness of the night because those animals thought it was wise to attack us.”

“We understand your frustration, Your Majesty,” Zenon stepped in front of the King and tried to divert Caspian’s attention to himself. “Just give me some time and we will find out whether this letter states the truth or not.”

“If whatever was stated in the letter was false then…” Caspian looked at Zenon through his brows and slowly uttered in a terrifying tone, “I am going to have him assassinated and make it look like someone from some other clan did it.”

“Umm…” Zenon held out his hand as if to nudge the King and say that it was a terrible idea to do so.

However, Caspian gave an icy glare to his advisor and groaned in a low yet deep voice, “That way, you don’t have to worry about a war breaking out, Zenon. Isn’t that what you are afraid of? The war?”

Zenon gave a subtle yet visibly uncomfortable smile and answered, “Of course, I am afraid of the war. But I am also afraid that our King, who values justice, will give punishment to the one who doesn’t actually deserve it.”

“Are you saying that what he did to my wife alone doesn’t qualify him for his death?” Caspian abruptly snarled at the poor man who was simply wishing that the King wouldn’t spark an unnecessary fight between the two Kingdoms.

Zenon slightly bowed his head and politely replied, “I am not saying that he doesn’t qualify for the punishment that you wish upon him. I am simply stating that we should wait for a few more days until our men find out what really happened.”

Caspian looked down at all the ministers who were avoiding making eye contact with him. He recalled a recent report made by Zenon about Lord Bartholomew’s growing supporters. They were starting to say that Caspian was a dictator who barely thought about the overall betterment of the vampires.

So as not to lose the support of his current ministers, Caspian suppressed his anger towards Everard and asked for their opinion as he slowly exhaled, “What do you all think that we should do? Should we wait for a few more days or should we start preparing for war with our mortal enemies?”