[Disclaimer: This chapter includes violence and sexual assault that some viewers may find uncomfortable. -blech-]

Wait. Little brother?!

Simon's father is definitely the Sanki King.

Dante's father is definitely William's father.

So in order for them to be brothers that would mean...

They share the same mother?

Simon chuckled as he watched my face try to painfully figure it out. He whispered in a low voice, "We have the same mother, but different fathers."

Then that must mean…

"The Sanki Queen?"

But... Where is the Queen? Truthfully, I haven't heard much about her. Plus, the letter Dante had given to Queen Luna when he was a child mentioned that his mother was most likely dead.

He explained, "Yes, the Queen. But before that, she was the Sanki Kingdom's Holy Empress."

"Holy Empress?"

"The Sanki Kingdom may follow Kings, but there is one who reigns supreme even above them. The Holy Empress. From birth, the church finds a baby girl who is born the same day as the previous Holy Empress's death. She is brought up in the church with no outside influence. Only holy maids are allowed to serve her, but no one can speak to her. The Holy Empress must be completely untouched by the world. As such, the citizens all believe the Holy Empress to be a living deity. They praise her and follow the church's teachings without question."

He continued, "You see, my father wanted to be King. However, much like me, he was the fourth in line for the throne. The only possible way he could ascend as King is if he took the throne by force. He could kill his brothers and father, however that didn't mean the citizens would follow him. So, he came up with a plan. If he killed his brothers and father, then forced the Holy Empress to marry him, he could obtain all her supporters since they followed her without question. He could get the throne without opposition. So, he did just that."

Okay, Holy Empress aside, it still doesn't make sense as to why he would want to kill Dante.

I asked, "But why kill Dante? He's even younger than you. Plus, he's not even technically a citizen of the Sanki Kingdom. What could you possibly gain from his death?"

Simon's grip tightened causing me to wince. Even though the poison had dulled my sense of pain, I could feel the overwhelming pressure from his grip. He is definitely going to leave bruises on my wrists.

He spoke in a low voice, "Because that whore of a mother just had to sleep with the Imperial Kingdom's King and get pregnant. While everyone followed my father, they didn't do so willingly. If they heard that she was pregnant with a neighboring King's child, his existence would be much more valued than me or my brothers. The citizens and nobles would want Dante as King so that the Imperial King would be forced to form an alliance with the Sanki Kingdom. After all, we know that even though the Imperial King isn't involved with his bastard children, he is still willing to give them everything he can."

So the reason is because the citizens would want Dante as King. That's why the King and his sons want Dante dead. He poses a threat to their throne.

"My whore of a mother actually dared to threaten the balance of power by bringing Dante into this world." A wicked grin spread across Simon's face, "That's why I had to kill her."

He did what?!

My eyes widened in horror, "You...? You killed her?! But at that age you were only a young child!?"

I was suddenly reminded about the truth I uncovered about Simon a while back. He had killed that family and hid their bodies when he was not even a teenager... Could it be connected somehow?

"You don't know? In the Sanki Kingdom, male children are required to become child soldiers as soon as they can walk."

"…What?"

Simon looked proud as he explained, "We are raised in inhuman conditions to be strong and fearless. We are trained to be emotionless killing machines. Even now, our child soldiers are on the front line fighting the Imperial army. People tend to have a harder time killing children after all."

"What a horrifying practice..."

I can't believe what I am hearing. This is actually a thing?! They actually put children in the army to fight!? I can only imagine how traumatizing it must be for our army members to be forced to kill children. Although no one would ever want to do such a thing, self-preservation comes first.

He shrugged, "It works. It also makes us stronger if we manage to live through childhood."

No wonder these men are all twisted a**holes! No child should ever have to go through such a thing.

They really need some child labor laws in this world.

He continued, "After my father learned my mother was pregnant and disappeared overnight, he sent me to the Imperial City to hunt her down since I was considered the best. He gave me three objectives. The first was to kill my mother. The second to kill Dante. And third, to kill the Imperial King. His reasoning was because they dared tried to dethrone him."

Simon broke off into crazed laughter, "The only one I haven't succeeded in was the second." He stopped laughing and stared into my eyes coldly, "But that's different now. Now I have him in the dungeon. After I take you as my wife, I will kill him."

He lowered himself closer to me and whispered into my ear, "Right. In. Front. Of. You."

My eyes shrank back in horror, "You sick f*ck."

He kissed my cheek and I flinched away in disgust. He laughed, "Perhaps I am. But I can't help it. I never felt a single thing until I saw that look in your eyes. It was so thrilling! I had to see the look in your eyes as I stole everything from you. I need to know just how long that fearsome look lasts."

And the original Seri thought Millie was bad. Now I understand why these two were such a great match! They are both f*cking crazy!

I felt him press down onto my body pulling me out of my thoughts. As he leered at me, I felt my heart rate increase. My instincts screamed at me to run.

I spoke through clenched teeth, "Get off."

His hand teased my body over my clothes, "Did you know that the Sanki traditional clothing is much easier to get off than those horrid dresses in the Imperial Kingdom?"

Not good.

I glared at him as I repeated myself more firmly, "Get off."

"I don't think so."

My heart began to race in a panic as I forced myself to remain calm. I repeated myself once more as I held back my panic, "I said get off of me."

His chuckles echoed in my ears, "Why would I get off? The fun is just about to begin."

I felt his hand loosen on one of my wrists. I took advantage of this and immediately slipped my hand out of his grip to hit him with all my strength. However, my punches were nothing to him. It only seemed to excite him more as he grabbed my hand and pinned it back down.

I was shocked by just how strong he was compared to me. No matter how much I thrashed and tried to get out from under him, he could hold me down so easily. My heart began to pound more as I realized the dire situation I was in.

I have to get out.

His face pulled closer to mine, "Yes. That is the look I want to see in your eyes. I want to watch as you realize you are powerless against me. I want to see you finally look at me with fear in your eyes!"

I glared at him as I barked out, "Fear in my eyes?! Like hell I will give you the satisfaction!"

His laughter echoed in my ears as I refused to show the fear I felt crawling up my throat. I could feel his free hand move down my body slowly as it taunted me. I began to try to squirm out of his grip once more, but I couldn't go anywhere. I was completely pinned. I ignored the painful throbbing on my back as I frantically tried to think of a way to get out.

I felt his lips forcibly on mine.

No. I don't want this.

I bit down on his lip with all my strength and felt something splash into my mouth. He pulled back with a surprised gasp from the pain. The metallic taste of blood dripped into my mouth as I stared at his swollen lip.

He gave a throaty laugh, "You're putting up a fight. Good! This is why I like you. You're not boring."

"GO TO HELL!"

He bit down on my neck equally as hard, causing me to shriek and kick from the pain. I heard his taunting voice in my ear, "Be a good girl and you will find it quite enjoyable. Or, if you would rather I be rough, I can do that as well."