Boris watched Alexander stride into the hall beside his cousin, the living reminder that even a maid could catch an emperor's eye. As the first son of his father, he was a stepbrother to Boris. The only problem was that Alexander's mother and father was never married, making him an illegitimate child…A bastard!
"Prince Boris," Pavel called out to Boris, then bowed. "I've delivered the message."
Boris gave a small nod. The "message" was a glass of water laced with far too much opium, enough to knock someone unconscious for hours, possibly days. If taken in excess, it could kill. And it was meant for Alexander. Boris would prefer death, but a period of suffering beforehand didn't trouble him.
Alexander walked past, fully aware of Boris's glare. He had lived in the palace for six months now and understood Boris's character all too well. Beside him, his cousin Kazmir—son of Duke Avdey—kept pace as they exchanged quiet conversation. Alexander had just returned from visiting his mother's grave.
"How is she?" Kazmir asked, meaning the condition of the grave.
"It's holding for now," Alexander answered. "I don't know what'll happen this year on her anniversary."
Every year on the date of her burial, heavy rain fell without fail, flooding the entire graveyard. People claimed it was because she had died on the same day the witches were burned, but only a few knew the truth. She had been a dragon blood warrior—one of a rare lineage with a strong bond and frightening strength, capable of killing supernatural creatures with their bare hands.
Alexander carried the same blood. And he knew that every dragon blood warrior who died, from the 1800s to now, had rains marking their anniversary, whether anyone kept track or not. Their enemies—the witches—had hunted them for centuries, and they found no rest, even in death.
"Any plans on finding the last witch?" Kazmir asked.
"There's a kingdom I want to search," Alexander said. "Its name is… unusual."
"What kingdom?"
"Koldunova. It's about seven to ten days on horseback. I looked into the meaning of the name. 'Koldunova' translates to 'a witch's coven.'"
Kazmir frowned. "That's practically announcing it's a witch kingdom. What language even has that meaning?"
"I'm not sure," Alexander said. "I read it in a torn book in the library. A child's story book …and the translation just came to me. Maybe it's another perk of dragon blood."
Kazmir gave him a puzzled look, though a small, amused smile tugged at his mouth. "We're going anyway. Sundown tomorrow, our usual meeting place—if you're free."
"I'm always at your service, little cousin. I'll meet you at the stables." Kazmir nodded and turned down another corridor.
Alexander nodded back and took the cup of water from the guard beside him, they were his personal guards assigned to him. He gulped down the water, he was thirsty. How did the guard even know? Come to think of it, the water tasted weird. He immediately spat it out but he had already gulped some. It didn't take a lot of time before his vision started blurring, he fought to keep his eyes open. Had he been drugged? He knew the taste of the water...it tasted like- Opium?
With an aching head and blurred visions, Alexander staggered toward his chamber.
Across the hall, Boris watched him sway and smiled at the guard who had delivered the drink. 'Taking down Alexander,' He scoffed within himself 'This is going to be a breeze'
--- Koldunova ---
[Flashback]
Adelheid was chained to two heavy sticks driven into the ground. With the way it was positioned, it looked like pillars towering over her. She was chained at the courtyard, open for everyone to see, spit on and mock. It was painful, tragically, but she held back her tears.
She heard footsteps and braced herself for the mocking. The footsteps stopped in front of her and then she heard a voice that made her blood boil.
"Adelheid, how are you?" Tatianka said, mockery evident in her tone.
Adelheid looked up and gave a small smile. She didn't want to give her the satisfaction of seeing her in her pain as she wanted. "What do you think?"
"I think you've finally discovered what it means to be mocked and to lose your dream all because of one person. I and Boris were supposed to be happily married by now. I was supposed to be the empress consort. But then you came, and in one day made me a laughing stock at dinner and stole my dream. Payback is sweet isn't it?"
"You made yourself a laughing stock that day. I wasn't the one that asked you to grab the ceremonial cup. Besides, I don't see why you should care about that. It was just a small matter …compared to what you did to me."
"Oh so you think this is a matter of care. You should have examine your life before you made that statement. That matter is more relevant than you and if someone cares for you why shouldn't I care for that 'small matter'"
"What's with that look? Was there anything wrong with what I said? Oh—right. No one cares about you. My mistake" Tatianka gave off a small laugh which annoyed Adelheid greatly.
"What do you want from me Tatianka?" Adelheid calmly asked.
"Well I came to mock you of course …and tell you the truth about everything. You see you were born lucky. A black devil like you being a princess, married to a prince, soon to be an empress consort. But what you forgot was that people like you are always below people like me. You were a mistake our ancestors created. You were not to be lucky, this is your destiny. To be my footstool while I rule. Everything that happened today was not all me. I can't take all the credit for that. Your husband contributed to this greatly. Boris was meant for me and fate found a way to bring us together. He planned everything. Me being the concubine, spoiling your name in public and even this cathedral arrangement,"
Adelheid had her head faced down, tears were already at the corner of her eyes as she recalled her early marriage with Boris. She had always known the truth but having someone say it to her was just like a hard slap in the face …it hurt badly.
"Before I forget, your stepmother had a part in this too. She was the mastermind of this. She's a witch and apparently needed your head for a potion. So really, no one was ever on your side."
Adelheid's breath hitched. Her ears rang.My stepmother is a witch?
"You're just a filthy rag in the midst of clean clothes. Have a lovely day and a peaceful death if I may add". And with that she walked away without waiting for a reply.
[End of flashback]
Adelheid sat on the bed, lost in thought. Her stepmother… a witch. Suddenly the suffocating aura she'd felt around her made sense. She remembered being a child and being asked to "bring a little blood" for strange rituals.
She shook her head, whispering, "Unbelievable."
A knock interrupted her.
"Your Highness," a maid said from behind the door. "The governess awaits you in the learning room."
"Right." Adelheid rang the bell, and her attendants hurried in to prepare her for her lessons.