Pherenike - Chapter 45

The horrendous false accusations once pinned on Deucalion by his father remain unchanged.

The only thing that has changed was her position; now, she is by Actor Nikandros’ side. Superficially, this saved Deucalion, but ultimately, it may lead to Actor’s demise. The roles of murderer and victim are set to reverse.

“If you want to kill me, marry me instead. You know the way.”

Pherenike’s slender and frail hand gently caressed her slightly swollen belly. It was an emotionless affirmation. If this child really is a son, maybe.

Her love, by chance, shifted to her room. Searching the sky as if looking for the sun. Beneath his brilliant silver hair, Deucalion’s olive green eyes, akin to the pale greenery of a summer noon, swiftly found hers.

Actor too followed Deucalion’s gaze, slowly turning his head towards her. The facade of a soft-hearted man who tried to make her smile vanished, leaving behind an impassive face under the sun. Pherenike’s gaze moved past him, back to Deucalion.

Beyond his brother, Deucalion’s lofty lips curved into a shallow, polite smile. It was a smile she had never seen before.

He then respectfully bowed his head towards the queen, maintaining a perfect distance.

Pherenike, with an expressionless face, mirrored the gesture to Deucalion. He turned away, while Actor’s gaze remained fixed on her.

[“Only the son of Pelagon can kill the son of Pelagon.”]

She glanced one last time at the place where Deucalion had died. The discomfort and ominous premonition that fluttered when she saw Actor in that forest finally suffocated her.

The child inside her showed no objection to this.

The gift from the king’s brother who was once the queen’s lover arrived neither too early nor too late. Like other regional lords, he prepared a grand gift, and like them, personally arrived at the Lykke palace with his lavish carriage.

Kneeling on one knee, he paid his respects to the husband of the woman he once loved, and saluted not as a brother but as a subject.

Was Deucalion’s personal delivery of the carriage to Lykke a true gesture of humility? Perhaps it was a semblance of affection between brothers. As of showing no resentment or longing towards his brother and his wife.

Deucalion appeared to have accepted everything. Though he was proven innocent unlike his mother, he was still the son of Axiothea. As such, he had not set foot in Lykke for years, effectively confined to anywhere but there. Despite no one explicitly barring him.

That was what publicly known facts and reports from Actor’s spies hidden in Paetusa suggested. That the prince never left Paetusa.

Being associated with treason, true or not, was fatal for a prince who never ascended to the throne. Deucalion naturally isolated himself beyond the mountains. A move accepted by the king. He never called his half-brother back to Lykke.

Years passed, and only after the queen’s pregnancy did the king invite his half brother to Lykke, under the pretense of needing someone to officiate the ancestral rites at Pelagon’s tomb.

The ritual for the Wolf King was always at the end of autumn, traditionally led by the king’s sons. Actor had been conducting the wolves’ rituals alone for several years.

Deucalion politely declined the invitation, which was not widely criticized as rude.

The second prince coming to the royal capital would have been like opening the gates. He had been chained and confined narrowly, but now he had the potential to break free.

If he had eagerly accepted the invitation, it would have attracted ominous attention. So, Deucalion waited for an appropriate time before coming to Lykke with a procession full of gifts. He had the legitimate right to come to Lykke anytime after being cleared of the false charges, and now the king had officially called for him.

Pherenike watched quietly as the guards meticulously searched the gifts from Paetusa, just as they had done with the gifts from Argo.

“Your Majesty, please step back. It’s dangerous to be so close to unfamiliar objects.”.

They were looking for any excuse to criticize. Among them were people and dogs trained to detect poison.

Pherenike gently smiled at the captain of the guards, and shook her head signaling it was okay. But Actor’s men surrounded her protectively, some of whom had once insulted her and called her a w***e.

Now Actor’s people believed Deucalion might harm their queen. They suspected either resentment towards his former lover who was carrying his brother’s child or a need to eliminate the unborn child of his brother early on.

If he wanted to kill me, he would have rather strangled me in bed during our first night.

On that day, Pherenike had forced herself on Deucalion and told him she would leave for another man. He had called it all madness.

That day, Deucalion probably wanted to kill her the most.