Chapter 122


    One week passed in a giffy, and finally it was the day of the public execution of the traitor who


    betrayed his kingdom and harmed his king. People flocked to the gallows to witness the fate of the


    family of an elder who had also served as the royal beta of the former king.


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    It had been tens of years since someonemitted a crime as abysmal as treason, but it wasn’t


    what left the civilians of the capital city surprised but the high rank of the culprit thatmitted this


    crime.


    People who were supposed to protect them turned their backs and tried to harm them in the name


    of power struggle and this made all of them spat at the culprit as the guards dragged him to the


    execution pole.


    “But why is he alone? Where is his family?” Someone from the crowd couldn’t help but notice this,


    which soon turned into full blown but whispered conversations among the spectators.


    Yes, Leon was all alone, and almost half of the man he used to be, probably because of the special


    treatment he received during his stay in the dungeon, while his family was nowhere to be seen.


    The guards focused on their job, though and just like that they watched the traitor being whipped by


    a spiked cane until every drop of his blood was drained from his body, before he was beheaded.


    They didn’t dy or hesitate to deliver the punishment, even though the man they were torturing in


    front of the crowd had been still someone revered highly by them all until a few days ago, and this


    made the people there feel both admiration and fear for the king.


    Admiration because King Micah didn’t sumb to any invisible pressure and punished the wrong


    justly, but terror because the punishment for the traitors was so unmerciful it really served as an


    example for people out there as a reminder why they shouldn’t try to mess with the king.


    **************************


    Word spread in the capital city that Leon’s family rank had been reduced and they were no more


    than omegas that served in the royal kitchen of the pce.


    After a little reconsideration, Micah finally agreed to spare the lives of the mother and daughter, but


    now they fell to the lowest rank among the shifters, in fact, they were even lower than omegas,


    because they weren’t allowed to go anywhere near the pce gates, let alone serve as servants in


    the pce.


    “It would be impossible for them to enter the pce as they pleased now,” Alyssa reiterated to Abby


    as she helped her take a bath this morning.


    Abby decided against going and watching the public execution so it was only Alyssa who went


    there, as Reyna stayed behind to keep her masterpany.


    And now she was listening to her as she washed her hair, while Reyna went away to oversee her


    brunch preparations.


    Because of the execution, Abby couldn’t sleep peacefully, as the thoughts of what Micah would


    decide for Ruby and her mother’s fates kept guing her mind. Micah didn’t give her any indication


    that he was going to revoke their punishment, and it made her restless a little.


    Even though she told Ezgar that she couldn’t be of any help in saving Ruby, she still couldn’t help


    but feel bad for the man. After all, he would have to watch his entire family breathing theirst


    without being able to stop it and Abby felt it was a little unfair.


    Such a good person he was, always smiling brightly and cheering everyone up but he had to go


    through something so devastating like this.


    Abby wondered how many years it would take for him toe out of it, because she still couldn’t


    help but long for her father, even though she wasn’t brave enough to admit it to anyone. No matter


    what, it was her father…


    From their few interactions, Abby could tell that Ezgar seemed to love his family very much, so


    when she finally heard that Ruby and their mother were spared, she felt happy for him.


    However, she didn’t expect there was more to the revokement of their punishment until her other


    maid returned from the royal kitchen.


    “My Queen!” Reyna rushed into the room as she shouted for her master.


    Alyssa was brushing Abby’s hair, after she towel dried it for her as their queen sat in front of the


    mirror in the bedroom.


    “Easy, Reyna! Why are you in a rush?” Alyssa chided her fellow maid, because she was being too


    casual for a maid serving the queen.


    “It’s a big matter, they say Chief Ezgar was stripped off of his rank as well,” Reyna revealed, but


    there was no reaction from either Abby or Alyssa.


    “Yeah, they were now omegas, and I already told Queen Abby about it,” Alyssa brushed her off.


    “No, he has now been reduced to serving as a pce guard,” Reyna hurriedly exined, because


    she couldn’t understand why Ezgar was implicated all of a sudden.


    He wasn’t even reprimanded when they first discovered who the traitor was, but all of a sudden he


    was ordered to step down from his position as one of the chiefs of the elite guards and it was


    definitely going to cause quite a stir.


    On the other hand, Abby was dumbfounded to learn this turn of events, howe he got implicated


    all of a sudden?


    It weighed on her mind all day, and she couldn’t help but ask Micah, what led him to make such a


    decision the moment they finished dinnerter that night.


    “Wasn’t it proved that he didn’t have any part in his father’s ns? So why was he punished


    anyway?” Abby was genuinely confused, because she believed Ezgar wouldn’t have done anything


    to deserve such a harsh penalty.


    On the other hand, Micah didn’t answer her immediately but stared at her with this unreadable look


    in his eyes.


    “What? Why aren’t you saying anything?” Abby asked her mate, as she sat straight in her chair,


    which was across from his, at the table, where they just had their dinner.


    “Were you distracted while eating because of this?” Micah asked her a momentter. His tone was


    too steady, Abby didn’t sense anything wrong with it.


    “I was?” Abby asked, because she didn’t know she was being obvious about her concern for a man


    she saw as an older brother she never had. But then she really couldn’t hide anything from her ever


    observant mate, even if she tried.


    “Yes, little one. As for your question, did he really not do anything wrong?” Micah asked her back,


    confusing her even more.


    “What did he do?” She asked, not being aware of the small frown on her forehead, which didn’t go


    unnoticed by the king.


    “He crossed a line and tried to manipte you, by guilt tripping you, his queen.” Micah listed out


    one by one and Abby didn’t know whether she should agree with him or defend Ezgar.


    Ezgar had been nothing but pitiful when he came to ask for her help, and she also felt there was


    truth to his argument, but then she did feel ufortable when he phrased his words in a certain


    way, but since he was worried about his family, she brushed it off as herself overthinking things.


    But now hearing Micah exin it from his point of view, she felt like he was right.


    Moreover, the man knew the decisiony in Micah’s hands, so what was the meaning when he


    came to beg Abby, Micah’s mate, to persuade to change his decision?


    “He forgot his boundaries and had the audacity to demand something from his queen,” Micah said,


    his tone was still neither servile nor overbearing. “So I punished him to make him realize his ce.”


    “But isn’t it a little harsh?” Abby asked in a small voice.


    “Harsh you say.” Micah brought his hands onto the table where he intertwined his fingers. “Let me


    put it this way, little one. No matter who it is, you don’t deserve any disrespect and what he did was


    trying to walk all over you…


    “Even if he had several valid reasons to plead mercy for his family, he should havee to me, but


    he made an effort to find you alone, and exploit your kindness, because he knows you are


    softhearted…”


    Micah’s tone took a hard edge, going up from his even tone as he exined why Ezgar deserved


    the punishment.


    “If you let people walk all over you once, they will do it a second time, then a third time, until they


    forget who needs whose grace. So never ept any kind of disrespect from anyone, or forget to


    put them in their ce the first time they crossed a line they shouldn’t.”


    On the other hand, the more Abby listened, the more inclined she felt toward the possibility of Ezgar


    actually exploiting and manipting her, but then there was this nagging feeling that he did


    whatever he could to save his family.


    It was quite conflicting, but her soft heart finally leaned toward how scared he must be at the


    thought of losing his entire family for one person’s mistake, and felt bad that he had to go through


    this punishment for fighting for his family.


    Meanwhile, there was another reason for the king to punish Ezgar so harshly, which he didn’t want


    to dwell on so much, because the very thought of someone getting too close to his mate until they


    could manipte her to take their side didn’t sit well with him at all.


    Ezgar should be d that he didn’t w his face and whip him a hundred times, so that he would


    think twice before ever trying to approach his mate!