Chapter 50: Chapter 50

Damon and Mr. Theron entered the library, wearing smiles as they greeted each other.

"You seem quite happy, Prince Damon," Mr. Theron remarked, and Damon chuckled.

"Well, who wouldn't be? I never thought my father would come to accept my relationship with Belinda. It's a relief that he finally understands that she's the only woman for me," Damon replied, and Mr. Theron nodded with a faint smile.

"Please, have a seat, Damon," Mr. Theron gestured towards the chair in front of him.

"Thank you. But why did you assist me in talking to my father, Mr. Theron?" Damon inquired, smiling in return.

"Because I know how deeply you love her, and I also recognize the value Belinda can bring to our cause, Damon. I simply wanted your father to see the positive aspects rather than the negative. Fortunately, the positives far outweigh the negatives," he responded, and Damon chuckled in agreement.

"Thank you, Mr. Theron. I'm truly overjoyed."

"And that's precisely why I've brought wine! For both of us!" Theron exclaimed, opening the drawer located in the right corner near Damon.

"Wine? You drink wine?!" Damon exclaimed in surprise.

"Shh! It's my little secret. Of course, I enjoy wine, but discreetly," Theron replied, and Damon burst into laughter.

"Wow. I can't wait to see my father's reaction when he discovers that you also indulge in drinking. He's always seen you as a saint, the epitome of perfection."

"Oh, please... I'm far from perfect," Theron retorted, grabbing two glasses and pouring wine into them. He positioned himself in front of the drawer, concealing his actions.

Unknown to Damon, beneath the right sleeve of Theron's robe, there was a folded paper containing a white substance. He discreetly added some of the substance into one of the glasses and shook it, ensuring it was completely concealed.

"Now, I'll just return this bottle to the drawer for another occasion. One glass should be sufficient, don't you think?" Theron asked Damon, who had become engrossed in the scrolls on the table before him.

"Indeed," Damon muttered, his attention fully absorbed by his reading material.

"What are you reading?" Mr. Theron asked, returning to the table with the glasses of wine in his hands.

"This scroll of magic. It has quite a dark tone, wouldn't you say?" Damon further inquired, and Mr. Theron smiled.

"And that's precisely why you shouldn't be reading it," Mr. Theron replied, carefully taking the scroll from Damon to prevent any damage.

"But why do you have it, then?" Damon asked, taking a sip from his drink.

"It's a library, Prince Damon. Every book and historical record should be preserved here, regardless of their darkness," Mr. Theron explained, prompting a nod from Damon.

"True," he acknowledged, taking another sip.

As Mr. Theron observed Damon consume the drink, the smile on his face gradually faded. He felt remorseful for what he was about to do, but his loyalty to the king took precedence over his concern for the prince.

"I must obey the king. His interests come before his son's. I hope that one day you can forgive me, Prince Damon," Theron thought, gazing at Damon, waiting for the effects of the wolfsbane in the drink to take hold.

"So, you mentioned wanting to discuss fatherhood with me. Well..." Damon abruptly paused, his smile vanishing slowly from his face as he reached for his throat, displaying discomfort.

"Prince Damon, are you alright?" Mr. Theron asked, rising from his seat and moving closer to him.

"What... I..." Damon stammered, scratching his neck and chest as if he wanted to tear them open.

"Make it stop!" King Talos shouted, emerging from his hiding place. He had been in the room since the beginning of their conversation.

Mr. Theron hurried to the same drawer and retrieved a small bowl, containing a whitish liquid. He carried it carefully as he approached Prince Damon, who was almost falling off his chair in agony.

King Talos quickly reached out to support Damon, pulling him upright and tilting his head so that he could drink the concoction Mr. Theron had prepared.

Damon's face had turned crimson, and his neck bore deep gashes from his frantic self-inflicted wounds with his fingernails.

"Open your mouth, Prince Damon," Mr. Theron urged, and Damon complied eagerly, hoping that the drink would bring an end to the excruciating torment he was enduring.

Seizing the bowl from Mr. Theron, he guzzled down the entire contents in a violent manner, accidentally dropping the bowl to the floor, where it shattered into pieces.

As the liquid coursed through Damon's system, he experienced immense relief. It felt like cool water quenching the fiery agony raging within him.

Gradually, he sensed his wounds starting to heal from the inside, but he remained weak, struggling to keep his eyes open. At this point, he realized that something had transpired.

Mr. Theron had betrayed him.

Desiring to convey his emotions about the betrayal, Damon opened his mouth, but no words emerged. With half-closed eyes, he fixed a gaze upon Mr. Theron.

"Let us proceed swiftly. Resume the rituals," Mr. Theron ordered.

"I require an item that belongs to Belinda to complete the preparations," he added.

Just as Mr. Theron finished speaking, the sound of the library door opening reached their ears.

"I have her hair, Mr. Theron," the head maid assigned to attend to Belinda announced, approaching them with a comb adorned with strands of hair.

Mr. Theron accepted the comb from her, and the king instructed her to leave. He then tossed the hair into a small mortar, where it joined a mixture of other dark substances.

Grinding the concoction together using a small pestle, Mr. Theron collected some of the mixture in his hand and gently rubbed it onto Damon's forehead.

Once he finished this task, Mr. Theron positioned himself in front of Damon and began to speak.

"Open your eyes, Damon," he commanded, and Damon's eyes fluttered open. His dark, pain-filled gaze pierced Theron's soul as they locked gazes.

"Repeat after me. I hate Belinda Bartling," Mr. Theron uttered.

Although Damon's inner self resisted, he found himself powerless. He had lost control over his own body and thoughts.

"I hate Belinda Bartling," Damon weakly responded.

"She is not my mate. She isn't meant for me," Theron added.

"She is not my mate. She isn't meant for me," Damon echoed.

"I reject her as my mate."

"I reject..."

"Say it, Damon! I reject her as my mate!"

"I reject her as my mate!"

"I reject her as my mate!" Mr. Theron repeated the phrase three times, and Damon dutifully responded, parroting everything Mr. Theron had said.

Immediately following the rejection, Damon's head fell backward as he lost consciousness. Simultaneously, a loud cry resonated from beyond the library walls, causing Theron and King Talos to exchange glances.

"Belinda," Mr. Theron muttered, a satisfied smile illuminating King Talos' face.

"It is done!"