Chapter 409


    Jonathan deliberately dragged out his words all of a sudden. “Or perhaps... none of you actually


    acknowledge my existence?”


    The four archdukes and thirty-six viscounts were dumbstruck.


    He added authoritatively, “Our revered ancestor appointed me as King, so I am your legitimate ruler. I


    can''t allow my subjects to show loyalty to another individual. If anyone dares to beg mercy for Titus


    again, they''ll be exiled immediately and never be allowed to return to the vampire race!”


    The crowd could see that the young king was truly enraged.


    Concurrently, Solorel peered at Jonathan approvingly.


    He hadn''t nned to kill Titus at first. However, Titus was simply too insolent, and that really got on


    Solorel''s nerves. Initially, the prince was worried Jonathan would request him to spare Titus. If that had


    happened, he wouldn''t be able to object. Now that Jonathan had made his intentions clear, Solorel felt


    a weight lift off his chest.


    Next, he stepped forward and uttered, “You all heard what His Majesty said, right? Who else dares to


    oppose His Majesty and demand Titus'' release?”


    Needless to say, not a single soul had the nerve to speak for Titus again.


    Jonathan then descended the stage and arrived before Titus. Thetter red at the king. “I dare you,


    you little b*stard!”


    Smack! Without hesitation, Jonathan pped Titus fiercely and eximed, “There''s nothing I won''t


    dare to do!”


    That rendered the crowd speechless. None of them had expected Jonathan toy a hand on Titus in


    public.


    Fuming, Titus growled, “You have some nerve to—”


    Jonathan snickered. “You''re doomed today, Titus Langston. Do you know why? It''s because you''re as


    dumb as a pile of rocks. If you''d acted a little more wisely, you would''ve been pardoned today. Do you


    genuinely believe they''re pleading for leniency on your behalf because you''re a prestigious and favored


    figure? What a joke. They''re merely doing this because they''re afraid of your son, Anakin. If you think


    I''m scared of him as well, then you''re sorely mistaken. You should''ve thought about this more carefully.


    Even if I don''t kill you today and treat you with esteem, you''ll still cause trouble with your son in the


    future. In that case, I might as well give your son an excuse to wage war today! Bring me the spike,


    Walrion!”


    Hesitantly, Walrion glimpsed at Solorel.


    The prince nodded in response. Then, without dy, Walrion delivered the spike to Jonathan. Upon


    receiving the weapon, Jonathan grabbed Titus'' head and stabbed the spike into thetter''s throat


    ruthlessly.


    In that instant, Jonathan''s countenance was ferocious as blood poured out of Titus'' wound like a


    fountain.


    Titus wished to speak, but he couldn''t make any recognizable sounds.


    With that, Jonathan hurled the spike to the ground and left.


    “You''re dismissed, everyone.” After addressing the crowd, Solorel turned to Walrion. “Watch Titus until


    he''s bled dry before cremating him. Afterward, have someone deliver his ashes to Anakin''s fief,


    Soblonaro.”


    “Yes, Your Highness!” replied Walrion.


    Jonathan''s rage had been quelled after he returned to the pce.


    Upon spotting him, Beatrix queried, “How did things go?”


    The man plopped down on the couch. “I killed Titus with my own hands.”


    While Yeverie served coffee, Mabel and Beatrix were astonished by Jonathan''s words. “Titus is an


    elder in the vampire race. Killing him at this point in time will only discourage the others,” Mabel


    commented.


    Beatrix remained silent because Mabel had already pointed out what was on her mind. Hence, all she


    needed to do was listen.


    “It doesn''t matter. I can tell that those dukes and viscounts are opportunists. Even if I lick their boots,


    they won''t submit to me or help me either. If anything happens, they''ll absolutely switch sides without


    hesitation. Thus, the best way to intimidate them is through true strength. They''ll remain loyal to me so


    long as I''m capable enough.”


    “You''re correct, Your Majesty.” Solorel sauntered into the room and greeted, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”


    “Take a seat, Prince Solorel,” invited Jonathan.


    Without dy, Solorel sat down.


    Yeverie just so happened to return with freshly prepared coffee at this moment. “Here. Have a cup of


    coffee,” offered Jonathan.


    “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Solorel epted the drink.


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    They proceeded to sip their coffee before Jonathan lowered his cup and said, “This time, we''ve truly


    burned our bridges with Anakin. We must prepare for his retaliation.”


    “I wonder how powerful Anakin will have grown when he returns.” Solorel paused before continuing, “I''ll


    be gone for the next few days to visit the other princes and ask them to pledge their support to you.


    With their aid, you won''t need to worry about Anakin.”


    “Aren''t they supposed to be visiting instead?”


    “They''re observing the situation. News of Titus'' execution by your hand will soon spread. Additionally,


    everyone has learned of our revered ancestor''s departure, so they''re just waiting to see whose side


    they should pick. As a result, the princes won''t being here anytime soon.”


    “Will they really not attend the coronation ceremony next month?”


    “No, they will. Everyone will be there.” Apse of silence ensued before Solorel resumed, “I fear Anakin


    may have already returned. Otherwise, Titus wouldn''t have acted that conceitedly. It is why I must go


    on this trip.”


    Jonathan deepened his voice. “I don''t believe it''s a good idea for you to leave. Something''s amiss


    about all of this. If Anakin has returned, why hasn''t he shown up yet? Maybe he''s waiting for an


    opportunity like his father''s execution to make you feel pressured. Then, once you depart to visit all the


    princes personally, he''ll ambush you.


    “You have the advantage if you stay in our territory. We stand a better chance at victory like this since


    the marquises are here.”


    ncing at Jonathan, Solorel thought that the former was genuinely perceptive.


    “But what if Anakin contacts the other princes first?” he questioned.


    Jonathan was taken aback.


    In reality, Anakin shouldn''t be returning so soon after disappearing for such a prolonged period.


    However, Jonathan and Solorel had detected a danger that was yet visible to them due to their


    sharpness.


    The former believed in his instincts and that Anakin hade back. In this case, it doesn''t matter if we


    guard the castle or form alliances proactively. Neither will be easy to aplish.


    Mabel had been listening to the conversation all along. As such, she proposed, “How about we all


    move out? If we don''t stay here, then this ce is nothing but an empty castle. Wherever we go, the


    n follows.”


    “No!” rejected Solorel. “How can His Majesty abandon his base so readily?”


    He then sighed. “Fine. We''ll see what fate has in store for us. Those princes aren''t easy to deal with


    either. They''ll happily stand at the sideline and watch one side triumph before supporting the victor.”


    With that, his idea of visiting the princes was dismissed.


    “It''s a shame Wretched isn''t here.” Jonathan rubbed his temple. “Otherwise, we won''t need to be afraid


    of Anakin at all.”


    A bitter smile formed on Solorel''s face. He was fearful of Wretched in the past, but things had taken an


    opposite turn. Now, he was dying for Wretched to show up instead.


    In the end, their discussion wasn''t fruitful, so Solorel soon took his leave.


    Jonathan turned to Beatrix and Mabel. “Both of you should leave soon. Neither of you are vampires, so


    there''s no need for you to be involved in this.”


    He was concerned that he wouldn''t be able to protect them if the situation spiraled out of control.


    The women exchanged a resolute nce.


    Had they been unaware of Jonathan''s precarious circumstances, they could just leave without


    hesitation. However, now that they knew, there was no way they would leave him behind.


    Mabel asserted, “Don''t try to persuade us. We''ll live and die together.”


    “That''s right.” Beatrix nodded.


    Upon witnessing their determined gaze, Jonathan understood there was no talking them out of it.


    He was touched by their decision.


    With a faint smile, Beatrix added, “Don''t worry. I don''t think anything bad''s going to happen. You''re a


    lucky guy, after all.”


    “I''m indeed not too concerned about my safety. At most, I''ll face some hardships, but my life won''t be in


    danger. What I fear is that something will happen to you two!”


    “We aren''t afraid!” replied the women jointly.


    Jonathan smiled wryly.


    Meanwhile, Leyrudon was more deserving of the name Fog City.


    It was the second half of May, which meant the city was experiencing the best season of the year.


    White clouds peppered the blue sky as warm sunlight painted thend, yet the temperature remained


    cool and breezy.


    Leyrudon was a lively city with many buildings dating back to the eighteenth century. The tallest


    building in the city was the postal telmunication tower, which sat at a hundred and eighty-nine


    meters. There were also other notable buildings in the area, such as the University of Leyrudon, the


    Royal Society, Ustranasion Museum, and Ustranasion Library—a library that housed seven million


    books.


    Upon arriving at Leyrudon, one could find the Tower of Leyrudon to the east. To the west was the


    entertainment district. The aforementioned Ustranasion Museum could be found in the north if one


    wished to marvel at humankind''s cultural heritage. Lastly, in the south, one could hear the chimes of


    the famed clock tower and take a photo of Golden Pce. Ever since the people of Radford settled in


    thend, bridges were built on River Thomas. As a result, twenty-eight bridges of different styles


    connected thends separated by the waterway. One of the bridges was named Walterian Bridge by


    Ustranasions tomemorate the battle in which one of their generals defeated a historically famous


    dictator from Ferropene. The most beautiful bridge in the city was the humongous Leyrudon Bridge. It


    had a unique style as it was connected to two five-story towers built on two gigantic piers. The bridge


    itself could be lifted whenever a boat taller than the bridge wished to pass through the structure.


    Connecting the top of the two towers was a one-hundred-and forty-meters long pedestrian bridge. One


    could stand at the top to admire the gorgeous scenery nearby. An interesting fact about Leyrudon was


    that it had gradually developed around the City of Leyrudon.


    At this moment, there was a lovely white castle beyond a meadow on the outskirts of Leyrudon.


    The construction was a sight to behold.


    In the castle''s living room, Ocantine, a vampire prince, was currently drinking coffee with a handsome


    man.