To His Hell and Back-Chapter 146: Ghost Throne

Helena’s eyes were fixed on Cassius as she asked for his opinion. Subtly, she hadn’t addressed the King as His Majesty, but Cassius because in her eyes, it was only a matter of time before he took the throne. She studied his serene expression, but reading the Crown Prince was like trying to decipher a statue carved from marble. Even the King was easier to read. Cassius had been crafted from a young age to hide his thoughts behind that wicked, unreadable smile.

Cassius, on the other hand, had heard Lady Helena’s words loud and clear. His silence wasn’t because he hadn’t made up his mind, it was quite the opposite.

From where he sat, he listened to the ministers bicker back and forth. The vampires pushed for stricter laws, hoping they would sleep easier if the humans were tightly bound under new constraints. But the human ministers argued the laws were too oppressive. Yes, some humans may have stolen the potion, but punishing them all? That was injustice, plain and simple.

They brought up the families of humans who had married vampires, questioning how it would be fair for them. What about their children? Would they be punished for something they didn’t even choose?

Still, the vampires stood firm. They had always been the predators, now suddenly cast as prey. None of them would accept it. Their grudges against humans were old, deep, and not yet healed. freēnovelkiss.com

"What do you have in mind, Cassius?"

The King’s voice cut through the noise like a blade, and the hall fell silent.

All eyes turned to the Crown Prince. He hadn’t spoken a word since the discussion began, and now everyone looked at him, some worried, some hopeful. Vampires and humans alike. Whatever he was about to say would tip the scale and even start a bloody war.

The King knew it too and he had left the decision to Cassius on purpose.

"I wonder," Cassius murmured, leaning back in his seat. "It’s a foolish idea, after all."

A wave of confusion rippled through the hall. Heads turned, expressions questioning. Who was foolish?

Cassius let his gaze drift for a moment. All he could think of was Arabella, waiting alone, the promise he had made to her echoing in his mind, to think about changing.

He sighed, crimson eyes glinting as his usual malicious smile curled onto his lips. He finally turned toward the vampires seated before him.

"We are being used," he said smoothly, his eyes crinkling with a sense of mirth as though watching someone who had been far too foolish for him to reprimand. "And foolishly, you’re all walking straight into the trap our enemies have laid out. Honestly, watching how well it’s working... it makes me laugh a little."

Rahael’s eyebrows twitched but she knew this was a way for her to try and trap Cassius into making a flaw.

The old woman spoke, her voice laced with skepticism, "Your Highness, what trap do you believe the humans have laid that we’ve failed to see? If we’re truly walking into it, perhaps we should hurry with the law Lady Helena proposed before it’s too late."

Minister Rueben let out a sharp laugh. "Better yet, let’s add a curfew. Anyone not home by the hour can be flogged or executed. That should keep the pests in line."

Cassius exhaled deliberately, the sound theatrical, almost condescending— ike a teacher forced to explain arithmetic to fools and Rahael’s face soured noticing this.

Then he turned to his father, unbothered by the tense atmosphere thickening around him. "Our enemies are not the humans," he said flatly. "If only they were. That would be simple. But as we all know... humans lack the skill to craft such a potion."

Rahael leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "But it was the humans who bought it. Are you suggesting they’re blameless?"

Cassius’s gaze flicked to her, bored but cutting. "Did I say they were blameless?" He smiled as her mouth opened, only to fall silent again. The old woman was always so desperate to find fault in him that she was blind to her own. "Listen. The potions were crafted by sorcerers. Their intent is not to side with humans, nor to harm vampires alone but to spark chaos until both sides destroy each other."

He turned back to the court. "The real enemy is neither vampire nor human. It’s those who profit from our blood."

A ripple of unease passed through the chamber. Minister Charles stiffened, his brows drawn tight. "But the potions were never offered to vampires. Why would sorcerers target humans if they only sold to them?"

Cassius’s crimson eyes gleamed. "Because killing a human doesn’t require a potion. All it takes is a blade. A riot. A little fear. The sorcerers didn’t exclude vampires they just didn’t need to include them." He gestured toward the flask on the table. "Do any of you even know what it takes to make this potion?"

Juan and Paolo exchanged a glance. One of them whispered, "It must require something... something powerful in return."

The King’s voice broke through. "Have you learned what that is?"

Cassius nodded slowly. "Wilhelm has uncovered a few things. Not enough for certainty but enough for concern. We believe the potion is forged using life itself. Human lives, most likely. Fed into the magic to give it strength."

A silence fell. Thick. Heavy.

"To put it plainly," Cassius said, voice low but clear, "the sorcerers intend to wipe out both races humans and vampires alike. Their goal is a Versailles with no throne, no fangs, no bloodlines. Just ashes. And if we keep playing their game sowing distrust, passing laws to crush the humans we will be handing them victory. Like lamb to slaughter."

Helena blinked, the realization dawning on her features like frost spreading across glass. "Then if we pass that law... we won’t just be angering the humans. We’ll be pushing them further into the hands of the sorcerers. More potions. More bodies. More fuel."

"Exactly," Cassius said. "And you’re all dancing the steps they choreographed. Every law, every punishment... every drop of blood spilled, it’s exactly what they want."

A shiver passed through the council chamber. The tension hung so thick it could be carved with a blade. Vampires and humans alike sat in stunned silence, the truth unraveling around them unwelcome and undeniable.

For a moment, all eyes turned to the King. But it was not his voice that ruled the chamber now.

He looked to his son, pride glinting behind his eyes. The late Queen had been vain and sharp-tongued, but she’d left behind something flawless.

A perfect heir.

"Then what plan do you have in mind Cassius?"

In turn Cassius smiled.

What a lazy king he is. Always seated, always watching, always waiting like a stupid statue with a crown too heavy for his hollow head. It should be soon that he bites the dust, shouldn’t it? No one would miss his silence, least of all Cassius. There was never any filial love between them to begin with. Whatever bond might’ve existed had long since turned to dust, buried beneath years of passive rule and quiet sabotage.

The old man had always stayed just close enough to take credit, just far enough to avoid blame. Let Cassius do the dirty work. Let Cassius face the court, the rebellion, the blood. And when the time comes? He’d smile like he’d been the one pulling the strings all along.

He hadn’t. All he’s done is get in the way.

And now, as the kingdom teeters, he still chooses to lay back and play wise, offering nothing but smiles and silence while the real game unfolds. Cassius had let him live this long out of some fragile sense of timing. But perhaps it was time to reconsider that.

It would be cleaner without him.

Easier, too.

After all, a throne is much lighter when it doesn’t have to carry a ghost.