Chapter 180: [180] Cleopatra

More knights filtered into the room, blocking both ends of the hall, effectively sealing them in.

Cleopatra wore a half helm just like him, so he could see the curvature of her lips as she unsheathed her sword with a metallic shrill.

"Sister..." Clyeretha finally spoke. "It is just as I thought, you commanded the army East, didn’t you?"

"Of course I did. I had the opportunity to hunt down my bitch of a sister, why wouldn’t I take it?"

Ark had no idea what happened between them, or why Sumo’s daughter was working for the enemy. But things like this were not really rare, especially when it came to royal families.

Clyeretha was quiet for a few seconds, and then, despite her better judgment, she took off her blindfold and met her sister’s eyes.

Ark expected her to falter at the harshness of her gaze, but Clyeretha was brimming with defiance.

"Why? Why did you betray our family?"

"..."

The room seemed to drop by a few degrees as cynical laughter tore through Cleopatra’s lips.

"Why? Why did I betray you?!" Her hand cut through the air in rage. "My own father sidelined his own daughter and picked the youngest as heir to his throne!"

"I was always the better warrior, I was always the strongest, I did everything to please him and yet he chose you!"

’Ummm... can we skip this scene?!’ Ark stared up at the timer, and then his heart folded with relief. It was paused.

Cleopatra took a step forward, the knights advancing with her. "I was destined to rule, the knights, the elders, everyone favoured you, why?!"

"Because you were not cut out to be a leader, Cleopatra. We all have our strengths," Clyeretha said calmly.

Cleopatra paused. "Ah, I see." She slowly shook her head, the hall drowning into silence.

"Is that why you took him too?"

Clyeretha seemed to freeze as the words slipped out of her sister’s mouth. Ark had no heart, but he could hear his heart beating in his chest.

’Wait, don’t tell me—’

Clyeretha’s grip on Ark’s arm tightened.

’Shit.’

"I loved him long before you met! We planned to marry..." Her voice trailed off. "But we knew it would never happen, he was a knight, and I was royalty."

"But you... you convinced Dad to have him betrothed to you. He told you he had someone, but you never cared—!"

"He never told me that person was my own sister!" Cleopathra screamed out in maddening rage.

She turned her gaze to him, their eyes met, and something trembled in hers. "All these years, I thought you had grown to love me, we planned a marriage, Ark, we were going to have many children..."

"But night after night, you sought out my sister." She shook her head, the pain in her eyes evident. "The day... I had our child... you could not be there, because you had urgent matters to attend to, right?"

"You left me. Rode for a day without rest, because of my sister’s cold, an illness that had passed by the time you arrived..."

"You stayed with her for weeks. While I worried that something had happened to you." Cleopatra let out a breath.

Ark opened his mouth involuntarily. "You were a psychopath, Cleo. You kept me against my will. You tied me up for a week once."

The voice was not his own. It was husky and had an accent.

Rage burned in Cleopathra’s eyes. "And so you left on the day of your child’s birth?!"

Ark was silent for a few seconds.

"It was the only time I could leave. I needed..." He held Clyeretha closely. "To see her."

Cleopatra’s eyes moved between them. "Y-you said you loved me." Her voice nearly broke.

"..."

Ark shook his head. "I never loved you."

Tears slipped down eyes that gleamed as fiercely as the sun, and Ark could see that in that moment, her world crumbled before her eyes.

A heavy pressure descended upon the room, and golden energy slipped out from beneath her skin, slowly swirling around her like violent currents.

"I see." Her voice was as calm as a still lake. "Then you will both die here. May your cursed love perish with you."

Ark had no idea what to think about what he had just heard. It was a truly pitiful story, two sisters torn apart because of a single man.

While Clyeretha and her knight had their side of the story to tell, Cleopatra’s story had also been pitiful.

Still, it did not matter if he was to play the role of a villain or bastard. The tower had given him a role... His daggers transformed into a long scythe, bearing a curved blade.

... and Ark intended to play that role as dutifully as he could.

"Make sure the knights do not interrupt us," Ark commanded his shadows, spinning his scythe around his body.

"Make sure the princess remains safe."

And with that, he began walking towards Cleopatra, each step heavy, each stride filled with a grief that was not his own.

Cleopatra’s steps were steady as she strode toward him as well. Then she stopped, and all of a sudden, her body blurred, and multiple clones appeared at both her sides.

"Anyone that lays a finger on him dies." All five women said, their voices blending into an eerie symphony. "He is mine."

’Illusions?’ Ark wondered as he stared at them. ’No, they aren’t...’

He could hear their individual steps, the sounds of their breathing... even more experienced illusionists would fail to replicate so much detail.

Cleopatra suddenly dashed forward, lashing out with her sword, her strike filled with festering hatred.

Clang!

Ark rotated his scythe, swinging upwards to meet her strike. A loud metallic shrill filled the air, and he felt a jolt rise through his arms.

He pushed against her attack, sending her back a few steps, then he spun the staff of his weapon around his body, lashing out with the blade.

Cleopatra slashed at the staff, blocking it, but Ark pulled the weapon forward, causing the staff to slide over her sword, while the blade came from behind her.

Swish!

She fell down to a split, the blade slicing over her head, before she popped back up.

Sckhhhh!

Their blades clashed, creating flashes of blinding light, both bodies moving faster than human comprehension.

She tried to thrust at his chest, but Ark knocked her blade to the side, then drove a foot into her stomach, sending her back.

She took a few steps backwards, and suddenly, her body was engulfed in light as she surged forward in a zigzag pattern.

?!

’A skill??’

She appeared at his side, her sword already flying at his face. Ark raised his arm just in time, and the sword screamed out as it scratched past his armour, sending sparks fizzling into the air.

Cleopatra sliced at his neck. Ark leaned underneath it, only for a foot to explode into his guard, sending him flying back.

Ark heard his armour groan from the impact, parts of the alloy caving inwards.

His momentum had not even ceased when two clones appeared by his sides. He had heard them, but—

Stab!

He was not fast enough to react...