Chapter 158: Death was her wage

Words : 1021 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Chapter 158: Death was her wage The room was thick with murderous intent that overshadowed the rising water vapour. "Please, I can’t breathe." The maid begged struggling in Cedric’s grip. "In your next life, you will learn to follow instructions." Those were the last words she heard before she took her last breath and her body went limp in his hand. Cedric effortlessly snapped her neck. She had pissed him off on the wrong day. Cedric also had a handful of complaints to Evelyn who was lucky that she was currently indisposable; why did the maid she sent over had drugged his wine? It wasn’t an aphrodisiac but something others would describe as a love potion. He released her neck and her body fell on the wet floor. Glancing at the dead body that still had some warmth on her skin. His eyes held no emotion in them and had finally turned gold, his blood lust reducing. Clicking his tongue in disgust, he walked past the body to a corner of the bathhouse where towels and bathrobes were kept. He reached out for one of the robes he draped around himself and then secured the robe. Cedric left the bathhouse walking to the main entrance of his chambers where a knight was waiting. "Good evening, your Highness," the guard paid his respects immediately. His attention was drawn to the open door. He bowed slightly. "Get Evelyn here immediately," Cedric instructed, then shut the door. It was apparent he was in a bad mood. The Knight quickly went ahead to do as instructed, lest he offend the prince. ********* It was almost day break, so Cedric decided to handle some impending work. There was a light knock on the door that drew his attention from the reports he was going through about some of his shops located in the capital. Sales have been declining because his stepmother thought it was amusing to spread rumours about him. Eleanor was a pain he couldn’t get rid of at least while Kaiden was still alive. It was Evelyn who was at the door; she asked for Cedric’s permission to enter his study, which he granted. Evelyn gently closed the door behind her and then glanced at Cedric’s directions. He seemed immersed in his work, not ready to take his eyes off it for a second. "Have you taken care of it?" Cedric asked not sparing her a glance as he continued what he was doing. "Yes, she has been taken care of. Her body would be sent off to her family in the morning." Evelyn replied, she was a bit nervous to face him despite having a calm exterior and a stoic expression Her hands that were crossed in front of her were secretly shaking. "And?" Cedric mentioned finally looking in her direction. His gaze was calm. It didn’t mean he wasn’t pissed off. A lump formed in Evelyn’s throat as she struggled to swallow before her lips slowly parted. "I apologize for what happened, I promise it will never happen again." She blurted, finally being able to form the words in her mouth. "That was the same thing you said the last time." Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat, remembering the last time a maid was killed for disobeying a rule. The maids must have grown balls because Cedric has been pretty calm, more like he was hiding his true self from the princess. Although no one said it, the prince has been acting more similar to a human than the bloodthirsty tyrant he was. "I am deeply sorry the maid seemed to have forgotten because you have been relatively calm, but I promise to make sure the rules are drilled into their brains," Evelyn said with a firm voice, trying to salvage the situation. "So I need to act like a psychopath to remind everyone of simple rules they all agreed to before taking their jobs." Cedric sneered and Evelyn was forced to swallow back her words. "I don’t mean it that way." I immediately corrected myself. He was still in a bad mood. "It’s fine; next time, I won’t hear any excuses. What if it was poison that was in the wine instead of a flimsy potion?" Cedric asked her and Evelyn was forced to shut up. She has no idea the maid had the guts to compromise Cedric’s drink. "I am so sorry I will make sure the head maid is more firm in her duty." Evelyn apologized, going on her knees. She was genuinely sorry about what happened. She understood why Cedric reacted the way he did; growing up to the main palace, he had been a victim of multiple poisoning attempts, which made him immune to a lot of toxins. Rumours had it his mother was the king’s favourite and the other wives were wary of Cedric’s presence afraid he might have the same favour as his mother. Unfortunately for Cedric, he turned out to be his father’s least-like child due to the reason his birth killed his mother. "You can leave," Cedric turned away from her. Evelyn slowly got on her feet dusting off the dust on her dress. "Thank you, your Highness." She said before leaving the study. She stole a glance at Cedric whose face was still covered with a mask. She was curious about what he looked like under the mask he always had on. ******** The castle was busy preparing for a trip. Just the thought of staying in a carriage for a long time made Abrielle feel like crying. The past few days, she had been training with Zoltana in the attic on minor spells, including her concealment spell, which was working because no one seemed to be suspicious of her. She and Cedric would be travelling to the mountains for the winter prayers, it was a tradition of the royal family. It will be a long bumpy ride up the mountains. Abrielle was dressed in very thick clothes due to her low tolerance for the cold. The winter prayer was another major event in the book and the thought of it made her nervous.

Chapter 158: Death was her wage

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