Chapter 147: Motive
When Luna reached the castle gates, the first thing she saw was a broken woman kneeling there.
Her face was pale, her arm gone, her tears long dried. Blood no longer flowed from her wounds, and her empty eyes stared at nothing.
Nearby stood another woman—likely Averis’s maid.
Luna’s chest tightened when she looked at the wound. No healing magic could fix this.
She pulled out a small vial, crimson liquid swirling within—a mix of her own phoenix blood and herbs to mask its nature.
As Luna stepped closer, Averis flinched and finally lifted her head. Her gaze lingered on Luna only for a heartbeat before shifting to the man behind her.
Her heart, weak and fading moments ago, began to pound. Her eyes welled up, her dry voice trembling as she whispered, "M-My Lord..."
Hades’s face was cold and detached.
Luna uncorked the vial. But Averis recoiled, shaking her head. "What are you doing? My Lord has decided this fate upon—"
"And now your Lord wants you to have your arm back."
Her words made Averis freeze. Her wide eyes darted to Hades, desperate for confirmation.
He said nothing. His gaze didn’t waver.
Taking that silence as permission, Luna poured the glowing liquid over the severed stump.
The effect was immediate. Before their eyes, flesh knitted, muscles formed, bone sprouted, veins pulsed with new life. In moments, Averis knelt there—whole again.
Yet her eyes never left Hades.
All her life, she had searched for traces of him—for the being who had once lit her path, her faith, her existence. But when she finally found him, he rejected her.
He didn’t need her.
Luna sighed softly. "I want you to leave, Miss Averis."
Averis turned to her, and in that instant, she understood—this girl was his mate. Envy flared in her chest, quickly drowned by reluctant admiration.
"Your presence troubles him," Luna continued gently. "So please, go back."
Hades stiffened. Luna noticed.
It wasn’t Averis herself he worried for—it was the consequences. If the heiress of Emberclad died here, their already hostile position among the factions would worsen. He couldn’t add that weight to his mother’s burdens.
Luna smiled warmly at him and whispered through their bond, ’Don’t think I missed those uneasy gazes at the entrance.’
Hades’s shoulders slumped. ’So I got caught, huh...’
Averis, unaware of their exchange, clutched at her chest. "M-My Lord, please... give me another chance. I’ll endure any trial. Anything!"
Gone was the proud princess of Emberclad.
Before them knelt a desperate child, begging for approval.
Hades exhaled. "You admire who I was, Averis. Not who I am. You don’t know me, nor respect me as I am now—and I can’t blame you for that. But please, stop wasting your time. Go home."
Her nose reddened, her breath shaky. His words cut deeper than her wounds.
Unneeded.
She stumbled backward, meaning to leave quietly. But her starved body, drained of blood, gave out.
Thud.
Averis collapsed to the ground before her maid could catch her. Unconscious.
....
Hades let out a long sigh, his hands resting on his waist as he asked Luna, "Was it really necessary to save her?"
Peri answered for her, "Well, you couldn’t hide how much it bothered you, so someone had to act."
Hades pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he wondered if he needed to learn how to better suppress his emotions—because his mates always saw through him.
Since there was no medical facility nearby, they had no choice but to bring Averis into the castle.
She now lay in one of the rooms, surrounded by nurses. Her body temperature had dropped dangerously low—so low that an entire team was working frantically to stabilize her.
Peri, who hadn’t slept a wink, sat in the dining room with the other two.
Across from him, Luna reached out and gently held Hades’s hand. "I’m sorry, Hades. I know she insulted you, but I couldn’t let her die there... not in that place."
Hades exhaled and placed a hand on her head, brushing it softly. "I understand what you were thinking... Let’s just see how this turns out."
He sat beside her and waited.
Not long after, Ava entered, her face lined with worry. "Lady Averis was out in the rain for too long. The cold has reached her core."
Hades’s eyes shot wide. "What?!"
"Yes, son," came another voice. Kaelith stepped into the room, her tone grave. "When her body temperature dropped, her core tried to burn itself to keep her alive. In the process... it lost a fragment of its vitality."
A dragon’s core was still a mystery to Hades. He didn’t know much about them—certainly not that they could be damaged in such a way.
Luna’s voice broke the silence. "Is she going to survive?"
Kaelith gave a soft hum. "We’ve begun treatment... but it depends on whether she chooses to cooperate."
Hades’s brow furrowed. "And... she isn’t?"
Kaelith stayed quiet, and that silence was enough.
Hades rolled his eyes, frustration slipping into his voice. "Why is this woman so troublesome to deal with?"
"Because... she has devoted her life to you."
The words came from the corner of the room.
All eyes turned toward the short-haired woman standing there—Averis’s maid.
Her head was bowed as she spoke, her voice trembling. "Lady Averis spent her life changing how people spoke of you, searching for traces of you across the world, giving herself to your cause." She bit her lip, adding, "And now... knowing she has angered the very person she worships, she would rather die than live with that shame."
Peri frowned, his tone sharp. "Then why the hell provoke him in the first place? That insult would’ve made anyone hate her loud mouth."
"Because she believed she was helping him...helping him to awaken his core."
Hades’s eyes turned round in surprise as he glanced at his mother and her expression said she knew about it.
The maid further added, "My Lady detected it already that Lord Hades was the one she was searching for. After all, from the traces she had found, Lord Zerathos was the best warrior among his siblings. And Lord Hades proved why he was the Chaos Heir by landing that hit on her despite the difference between your age and experience. My lady was in awe, believe me...but she believed provoking you further might be the way to awaken your core."
Hades was really confused now.
However, before he could register everything, Avalin came rushing inside and informed, "My Queen, Lord Emberclad is here."
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A/N:- Well, what should be the harem size. I have five in mind. Thanks for reading.