Pherenike - Chapter 71

During those times as well, King Epicydes was still alive. In those days, Actor wielded more power than he does now as king, even as he lingered by his dying father’s side. Whether he desired that power is uncertain.

Epicydes clung to life barely, like a ghost unable to live or die, diligently soiling his decaying hands to bestow much upon his beloved son before his breath finally failed him.

Such as appointing his son as the regent, a role filled with actions he himself would never undertake.

Terrifying and despicable deeds.

The emerging forces of the Assembly, standing in opposition to the traditional elite of the Senate, were the fruits of King Epicydes’s labor throughout his reign. Yet, he showed no mercy in oppressing those he had nurtured himself.

The king in his later years trusted no one— not even his ministers or his supporters.

Not even his dearly beloved son, Actor.

In the long term, fear was the seed of disaster. But in the short term, it’s the best tool for ‘persuasion’. It enabled compulsion without the need for overt force. It made them prostrate before a word was even spoken. Disposing of his allies carelessly served as a fine example to his adversaries.

The dying king had little time, and this was deemed very efficient.

A precedent. Everything had to set a precedent. For his son.

Framing the second prince was just a part of it.

Committing all those heinous acts on another son, taking his mother and lover as hostages to force him to admit to crimes he hadn’t committed, branding him as a criminal, and exiling him like a slave, all served as a grand precedent to the world.

Both enemies and allies were appalled by the king’s ruthlessness. Pherenike remembered the darkness that had enveloped Evdokia until she left, covering the entirety of Lykke.

Deucalion’s admission of ‘guilt’ thus served as a pretext to oppress Lord Thasos and his forces for years.

Yes, everything was exceedingly tilted at that time.

After Deucalion lost everything and was exiled to foreign lands, his followers scattered across the borders of the kingdom and disintegrated. They were in positions from which they could not return alive.

Indeed, the prince ensured the lives of his men were guaranteed by the king as he left the kingdom.

Although it was not an oath sworn before the goddess, it was not just something to swear by.

The followers, having lost their core in the Second Prince, had nothing left to do upon leaving Paetusa. Deucalion had pleaded for rightful mercy from his father, and Epicydes had readily promised it.

Yet, he fulfilled his promise not by killing Deucalion’s soldiers himself but by sending them to places where time and environment would do the deed, ensuring they could never regroup.

They were essentially sent to die.

The sacrifices made by those who sought to return to the Second Prince were immeasurable. Among those executed on the spot for deserting from the harsh barracks on the frontier were close friends of the prince.

Thus, they were at a disadvantage until the very end. If they didn’t fight, they would just quietly perish. The civil war started from that point.

To not vanish. To fight, even if they vanished.

She did not know the fate her father met at that time. She died before knowing it.

Did Peleus and his army enter the city where his daughter and son-in-law died? Did he finally overturn the disadvantage and exact revenge on Actor? If her father was alive, he would have sought vengeance to the end.

But even if their goddess momentarily lifted Peleus’s hand, would that end be complete?

Since Deucalion died, Peleus’s cause and banner seemingly vanished. Because Deucalion was killed, Actor could live despite losing everything.

Then, there should be no need for regret now.

Everything was different from then. Deucalion was still the ruler of Paetusa, Axiothea was alive, and the land’s soldiers were intact, not dispersed at all. Lord Thasos was slowly dividing the king and Lykke.

Now, the balance tilted neither way. The unseen tilt was up to her. Her father didn’t need to jump into an unwinnable fight for her.

She didn’t have to lose all that was precious in her life. Even if all those precious things despised her.

She could kill Actor. Just that would be enough.

That was a sufficient story. Pherenike slowly wiped her face. There was no need to remember the man who looked at her with tender eyes at dawn.

“…Not being able to leave you is probably the same for him as well. Thus, dying might be better than living but barely able to breathe.”

“You must find the child and me repulsive.”

“It was I who left you in the prince’s cradle and walked away. It was then that you etched Deucalion into your soul.”

“…”

“I thought Axiothea’s attention was good for you, who were without a mother. Then Axiothea grew to adore you so much that she thought of ways to keep you by her side forever.”

“…”

“She said she didn’t want to lose you in any form for the rest of her life, having already lost Pyrrha. I casually agreed to that, thinking it was for the best for you.”