“So, lionheart finally have a successor”

The man talking was Alex. He was a priest of the holy kingdom. Alex was riding to the lionheart duchy in a rose white carriage pulled by six horses. He was sharing the carriage with a dim-witted priest in training ‘Charles’. Both were dressed in priests’ attire and the emblem of church on a slash worn around the neck. Alex had a brooch in holy kingdoms emblem designed and wore it right before his heart signifying his status as a priest.

“I heard he has starry, mesmerizing eyes and black hair” the priest Alex said admiringly.

“Wait, why would he have black hair” Charles said being confused. “You don’t think” Charles had caught onto Alex’s suggestion.

“They were barren 10 years, now suddenly lady beretta’s became a mother, god sure is gracious” while, saying sweet meaning things on face, it was clear through Alex’s suggestion that they doubted lady beretta’s chastity.

“What would happen if ‘you’ reveal her adultery during this crowning celebration?” Charles inquired while joyful about seeing something entertaining to look forward to after such a long ride.

“Mind your curiosity Charles, lionheart has no-one that acknowledges the church and thus our status there is that of mere commoners” Alex said while having a faint smile on his face looking at the scenery outside, they had finally touched the lionheart duchy’s boundary.

No noble in Frontera had black hair in fact lady beretta’s hair were red, the duke’s blonde the matter about the eyes had raised suspicion among many. Not to forget them being barren for almost 10 years.

“If I say, nothing will happen but if you inquire you would get a direct promotion to priest” said priest Alex.

If the envoys of the church were to reveal a matter of adultery of a wife of a noble, she would definitely lose her status, not to forget ‘hanged’ for the crime. In Frontera men were allowed to commit an affair and brush it off, it was seen as them just taking another wife but the same privilege did not extent to women. They had to commit to one man as long as he lived or till, he divorced her, mutually or one-sided, a woman was only allowed to embrace another man when she currently had no longer one bound to her. If the church were to prove beretta’s adultery they would be seen as wise men who saved duke from a cheating wife but if they were wrong; the priest were going to lionheart as commoners as that duchy did not follow the church thus, by proving beretta’s betrayal the priest were hoping to finally have a solid ground in lionheart duchy. A unrecognized church priest becomes a commoner in that region but if the region head recognizes the church, they gain their status as priest and the privileges of the same. The priests were nothing but missionaries spreading holy kingdom’s beliefs throughout the continent. The priests had finally arrived at castle lionheart.

In the duchy, everyone was preparing a welcome ceremony for the duke’s son who was named ‘hades’ by lionheart, by the request of the dark spirit that had visited the duke. Hades’ mother was fully prepared with a light blue dress, her red hair tied back but her breast were out for some reason.

“Beretta, cover yourself, guests are coming to see us” the duke said to her wife while being shocked. The duke was thinking to himself white outwardly smirking ‘thank-you hades, beretta’s boobs were solid before but now she is even more voluptuous, drink up kid, you take the right daddy shall take left’ the duke was almost drooling.

“I don’t like this dress” the lady said awkwardly. The duke was astonished to hear, he personally picked it. After all duchess was only focused on hades since he was born.

“what’s wrong with it, it suits you a lot, should I bring another one” the duke said while panicked.

“No, it’s just that I have to open the zipper fully and drop down the chest part and abdomen part which reveals both my breasts and stomach, its shameful” the lady said shyly.

“Why you want to drop those down?”

“How am I supposed to feed him if I can’t” the lady shouted and turn towards the duke.

“My lady, I can feed lord hades in your stead today” said ariel who was standing beside with her own child in arms.

“whaaaaat!!!” the lady said, surprised while touching her breast “but these are the only ones for him”

The duke then unable to control his jealousy towards his own son who had monopolized the brand-new milking breasts of his wife interjected “while he feeds on the right one, I will suck the left so no will see them my dear wife” the duchess was embarrassed while the duke all the way had a wide smile on his face and trace amount of blood flowing through his nose. The maid ariel was completely red and retorted back to a corner. Even hades turn his eyes towards his dad and placed a hand on her left breast while suckling on the right.

“You are a father now, act like one, geez!”

With that statement the duke was thrown out of the room, the duke may only be 29 years old but he still was acting like his 19-year-old self when he married the beautiful beretta. The duke’s and duchess’ marriage was arranged one but had great love in between so much so that duke hadn’t look towards other women even when advised for the sake of duchy. Beretta took hades in her arms and started walking towards the ballroom. The room was not filled completely there were not more than 40 people as many had passed up the invitation to come to the duchy as they deemed this region useless. The duke and duchess along with hades’ in beretta’s arm debuted in the ballroom and took seat on a small pedestal with royal chairs. The room was filled with chatter from different regions and their issues, the women however were mesmerized by the eyes of young hades twinkling like the night. The peace was however broken when priest-in-training Charles spoke.

“Such beautiful eyes, mind me but duke……... he looks nothing like you” Charles had bought a deep silence on the ballroom. The duke who was talking to the advisors suddenly turned to look towards his wife who was shocked and looking down to hades. While the remark sounded normal, it was meant to bought the silenced rumour to fruition that ‘hades wasn’t duke’s and beretta’s son’

“Whaaaat dddo you mmmmemmea…” the duchess stood up while finding it hard to make sentences.

“Mind your tongue clergy, a unprovoked insult to her is a insult to this house” the one who defended beretta was Berta, the head maid. She was stern in her voice. She knew beretta didn’t bed any other man, not because she believed her but because she had always been around her. The duke and duchess always everyday slept together, a very commoner like practice and beretta had never left the castle ever since she found out that as a couple it was difficult for them to conceive. To Berta it was an insult to duke’s love and by extension the duke himself.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Oh, I was only joking, but is there some basis to it seeing your reaction” Charles doubtful gaze turned to beretta who saw everyone’s gazes the same as Charles and dropped back on seat. The sudden jerk made hades cry out but beretta was too much in shock, she was unable to see anything even with eyes open. His words made even beretta doubt hades, he was unequivocally her son but was he crom’s. she had never thought about such thing and why would she since she had only ever embraced the duke. she raised her hand and cried out in a silenced voice “crom”.

The duke rushed towards her and held her shoulders. The duchess opened her mouth “I didn’t”

“We know” said the head maid.

The duke turned but what Charles faced now was the beast of lionheart, ‘crom maxwell lionheart’. A cold sweat ran through Alex’s body. He and Charles were there as commoners and how would commoners be punished for insulting royalty? That’s what Alex was thinking.

“Bring it”

“huh” Charles was confused

“Seeing how you came here only to question my wife you must have bought the device right, bring it before me now” there was no emotion on duke’s face simply an aura of bloodlust surrounded him. Beretta had never felt like this even when she was told it was difficult to conceive. The duke in reality didn’t care for a child, but since having a child was his dear wife’s wish he had hoped for it. It wouldn’t be wrong to say crom loved beretta much more than hades. Charles started walking towards the door of ballroom, but his feet had never felt so heavy it was as if a starved beast was prying its eyes on a prey from behind. As he reached the door, he was joined by his senior Alex who was sighing and looking down the whole time, then in a angry voice walking through the corridor Alex said to Charles “that was pretty ballsy of you to insult her majesty in presence of all nobles Charles”

“What?” Charles was surprised by his senior’s expression. It was one of immense disapproval. Intense sweating had his glasses slipping, he placed his glasses on his face again and asked “wasn’t that the plan always”

“HMPH...” Alex sighed. Then he thought to himself ‘the plan was indeed to question the lady’s chastity, but in a closed room, in private, that’s why I was trying to convince the duke to meet us privately. When done alone he wouldn’t resort to violence, for many nobles had the same question, but now a commoner had questioned his wife’s honour in a public meeting, if the child does turn out to be duke’s the church would never be able to gain foot in lionheart.

If done alone and proven right the child’s legitimacy would be backed by the church, and silence the rumours and if proven wrong the church and its envoys would be hailed for bringing the truth in light. If this was done privately the priests would have won both ways but if done before so many people and proven Charles’ accusation to be false a immense punishment would await them.

The two priests made their way to the servants holding their bags, Alex pulled out a coin from his bag and passed it to Charles and said “pray to lord, that the child is not the duke’s Charles” Alex was furious, multiple folds on this forehead converging towards his eyes. Charles had lost his ability to speak and rushed back towards the ballroom while Alex walked quietly adoring the craftwork of castle, he had already given up on Charles, regardless of the matter.

The ballroom was immensely silent, one could only clearly hear the chandelier’s swinging against each other. Hades who was in beretta’s lap constantly fiddled with her dress but beretta wasn’t reacting at all. She was white as a ghost, and the duke was growing more furious by the second. He did not like his wife’s face dead like that, he took a breath kneeled down smiled like always but in a dimmed voice beretta said “duke I’d never” before she could finish the duke put his mouth near her ear and whispered “it will be over soon, don’t worry.” But his wife’s expression never changed.

Then the duke thought to himself “I knew they would question this but, in the ballroom, they sure look convinced” the duke wasn’t unaware of these suspicions, even Berta had privately questioned him but she made it clear that beretta’s loyalty was unquestionable and she had embraced no one other than the duke. The duke was explained by the spirit about hades before. The duke then recalled the conversation he had with the spirit that night.

“Would the child even be ours, if he is born to my wife?” the duke said to the spirit

“The child will have 4 biological parents, the first two bore the child’s soul while you and the duchess are going to bear the body, he will be just as much as your son as he is theirs”

“Is that even possible” the duke questioned surprised at the spirit’s revelation

“Think of it as loophole in law of the world” the spirit had no face but one could say he might be smirking.

The silence of the ballroom was broken by a sweating Alex who bought a large silver coin in his hand and approached duke “duke this is the coin of truth….” the duke intervened and said “used to confirm legitimacy of lost and illegitimate heirs I know, bring it”

The head maid took out a small knife and made a small cut on hades’ finger, seeing her child’s blood brought beretta back to the world. She clenched the cut finger to stop bleeding and started crying. The duke’s gaze became even more intense, he unsheathed his sword but not fully and cut his finger, Charles brought the coin before him and Berta placed the tip of the knife on the coin and hades’ blood trickled down onto the knife. The test was simple if both were the blood of true child and parent the blood would mix and not drop even a speck of it down however if that was not the case the coin would repel both samples off to the ground. The duke then placed his bleeding finger on top of the coin and three to four big drops of blood dropped on the coin, the blood then started to mix up and cover the coin and was then absorbed on to the rune that was made on the coin. That was unequivocal proof of the child being the duke’s and that also meant that a ‘commoner’ had question a royal’s chastity publicly.

Charles immensely in fear of his life said “with this duke, no one would question your child’s…” the duke had already fully unsheathed his sword and was ready to stab the perpetrator. Alex ran and pleaded the duke “your majesty even if he is a commoner, to kill a envoy of the ch…”

Before Alex could say church, the duke’s sword had went through Charles’ mouth into his neck, through his stomach and exited through his back. Charles was on his knee’s dead, the duke channelled magic through the sword and pulled on it horizontally, it came out, red hot splitting Charles through the jaw, chest, abdomen in half. The duke stepped back and dropped the sword, two servants came running with towels and big bowl of water in hand and washed the dukes’ hands stained with blood. While a corpse of Charles, charred in the middle was in the ballroom. The duke approached Alex and said “I don’t want to see your church anywhere in my region and if there is I will break it myself” he whispered in Alex’s ears. Alex’s hope of having all three duchies aligned with the church had failed. Now the royal family and one duchy forever remained out of church’s grasp.

The duke took lady beretta and his son away into the castle and all nobles who witnessed the scene served as a proof of hades’ standing as true successor of the lionheart.

In the room lady beretta had put hades to sleep and hugged the duke and said “thankyou for believing in me crom”

“I would never question your loyalty beretta” the duke said in a calm voice and kissed her on the lips. Touched by his husband’s devotion beretta dropped her dress and the duke clearly saw the new breasts his wife grew. they were all his son’s everyday but tonight with him sleeping in the cradle beretta had to take care of this other kid who had been eyeing to get his hands on her twin mounds. After satiating himself with beretta the duke woke up at night and found hades by the duchess side.

“She must have bought him here afterwards…., huh!”

He saw hades suckling at beretta, who had turned his back to him and was asleep embracing hades’ closely. The duke went to sleep while covering the other breast jealous of his own son and coming to terms with becoming number two in beretta’s list, nonetheless he still went to sleep with a slight smile on his face.