Chapter 417: The Forgotten Past - XI

[Music recommendation: Fate of the Kingdoms - Ramin Djawadi | WaterTower]

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White light erupted from her body, her power surging outwards in a devastating wave. The force struck Belial and Malakov, who stood closest to her, hurling both princes backwards.

The royal guards froze mid-attack. One after another, their knees struck the ground, and their heads turned towards Hera in utter disbelief.

At the same time, Ceri landed directly in front of his mistress, as though answering to her desperate cry. The colossal serpent, too, fell eerily still, its enormous jaws closing as its glowing yellow eyes turned towards the young woman.

Nobody understood what had just happened.

All they could do was stare at Hera, whose body continued to radiate an extraordinary white light.

Oblivious to the stunned faces surrounding her, Hera rushed towards Ceri and threw her arms around his massive neck. "Oh, thank the stars you’re safe!"

Ceri nuzzled her gently, a deep rumble vibrating in his chest.

Just then, one of the shocked guests whispered, "Did she just command the beasts?"

"No, she commanded everyone else!"

"She struck the princes!" another gasped.

"That is a capital crime!" someone else whispered in horror.

Meanwhile, the very thing Hera’s parents had feared had come to pass.

Not only had their daughter’s secret been exposed, but she had unknowingly attacked two princes of the royal family, making her situation far more grave to defend.

Queen Lilith remained silent. She was too stunned to speak as she watched the young noblewoman embrace a legendary nine-tailed wolf as though he were nothing more than a beloved pet.

Jealous noblewomen seized the moment, their voices dripping with venom.

"This is treachery!"

"She laid hands on royal princes! She must be executed!"

Hera, whose entire universe had narrowed to keeping Ceri safe, felt a sudden jolt detonate violently inside her chest.

Ba-dum!

Her heart began racing at a frightening pace, and her powers pulsed uncontrollably from within her.

Noticing the sudden surge, the paralysed guards snapped out of their stupor, their commander shouting in panic, "Weapons up! Protect the royal family!"

Belial and Malakov, who had been too stunned to move after being struck by Hera’s power, finally regained their senses. Seeing the guards turn their weapons towards her, both princes scrambled to their feet.

But before either could reach her, the colossal serpent let out a menacing roar. Its enormous head swung towards the guards, and its jaws parted as it prepared to unleash another attack upon those threatening Hera.

"She’s controlling the beast!"

"She means to slaughter us all!"

Accusations rained down upon her like stone, but Hera could neither speak nor defend herself. Her body buckled under the searing intensity of her own spiralling power, her breath coming in ragged gasps while Ceri stood over her, his fierce growls echoing through the courtyard against the rising hostility.

At that moment, magic erupted from the guards’ staff, hurtling directly toward the panting, defenceless Hera.

"No!" Lilith, Arabella, and Viktor yelled in horror, but they were already too late.

The magic collided, creating a mini blast where Hera knelt and causing a thick cloud of dust to rise into the air.

At the exact same time, the serpent opened its jaws to strike as well.

Just then, the skies distorted violently, bleeding an unnatural, blood-red hue across the night sky.

A crushing blanket of dark magic descended upon the courtyard, its suffocating presence forcing every soul present to snap their gaze upwards.

Like a bolt of obsidian lightning, a dark shadow plunged straight from the clouds.

Before anyone could even draw a single breath, the colossal serpent was sliced cleanly in half midair. Crimson blood rained over the courtyard as its massive, severed halves crashed onto the ground, shaking the ground with a thunderous thud.

Dead silence fell over the estate. Every eye dropped to the centre of the crater.

Just as the dust settled, a tall, commanding figure dressed in his black regal attire came into view. His entire body was brimming with red aura, matching the glowing red of his eyes as he stood before a black dome-like barrier that had surrounded Hera and Ceri.

Slowly, the barrier moved, revealing a massive, seven-headed black dragon rising from within. Its enormous heads snarled menacingly, their crimson eyes sweeping across the gathering in a silent warning to anyone who dared approach.

Queen Lilith pressed a trembling hand to her lips, whispering softly, "Riel?" as she gazed at Bellarios and realised what was happening.

Meanwhile, every other person stood in utter shock at the sight of the Crown Prince’s legendary beast, the surrounding guards instantly dropped to their knees and bowed their heads in deep respect and fear. "Your Highness."

But Gavriel could not hear anyone or anything.

He simply turned around, his glowing crimson eyes falling on one woman kneeling on the ground, her body still softly pulsing with white light

Slowly, he walked toward her until he stopped right in front of her.

Hera saw the dark boots before her and slowly raised her gaze. Little by little her eyes widened in complete disbelief as she gazed into the face of the man who had consumed her thoughts for days.

Her trembling lips parted into a fragile whisper. "Gav...riel..."

The dangerous look in Gavriel’s eyes melted into a soft tenderness he had never shown to anyone before. Dropping to his knees in front of her, he reached out and gently cupped her cheeks with both hands.

Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead against hers, taking a deep inhale of her intoxicating scent. The wild frenzy raging in his demonic blood instantly stilled into absolute calm.

Closing his eyes, he whispered against her lips, "I have come for you, my Hera... my only mate."

Hera’s eyes widened as she felt his breath fan against her lips. And yet, deep within her soul, she knew this man was the one. He had been the one ever since the moment they first met.

Under his tender touch and soothing scent, her wild powers slowly ebbed away.

Feeling exhausted from the earlier distress, she surrendered herself to the safety of his embrace.

A soft, relieved smile touched her lips as she lifted her hands, placing them gently over his warm hands resting on her cheeks. Closing her eyes, she leaned into him and whispered with quiet certainty and yearning, "My mate... I’m so glad that... it’s you... Gavriel."