"Why?" Azrael asked. "I’m finally becoming the king council wants to be. So what’s the problem?"
"The council wants you to be strong." Sienna replied. "But I know this isn’t strength. The pain is driving you towards cruelty. I know you’re angry with her for leaving, for not coming back."
"I’m not angry. I’m just..." He couldn’t finish.
"It’s okay to be angry." Sienna said. "She hurt you by leaving. Even if she had reasons, she still hurt you."
"You know what? You’ll never be able to understand my relationship with Lyanna. So stop interfering in my marriage and give your advice on Crimson Cross matters only. And please, stay away from ." Azrael snapped at her and left.
The next morning, Azrael reviewed cases that required his judgent. Normally he’d handle these in open court, but he had been avoiding public audiences. People had started looking at him with pity and judgent.
The bread thief had served his punishnt. But there was a report that he had been caught stealing the bread again the very next day.
"Bring the thief to ." He told the guard.
The man was brought in ten minutes later, his back still swollen from the lashes. He fell to his knees imdiately.
"Your Majesty, I know I broke the law again, but my children..."
"How many children do you have?" Azrael asked.
"Three, Your Majesty. All under eight years old. Their mother died last year, and I can’t work enough to feed them."
"You’re a repeat offender. Twenty lashes clearly weren’t enough to stop you from stealing."
"I had to!" The man sobbed. "They were crying from hunger. I couldn’t just let them starve. I know it’s wrong. I know I broke the law, but..."
"Execution." Azrael announced. "Tomorrow at dawn."
The council chamber fell silent. Even the guards were shocked.
"Your Majesty, that’s extre for bread theft, even for a repeat offense..." Lord Cassius said.
"I’m following the law. Theft is punishable by death at the king’s discretion. He knew the punishnt and chose to steal anyway."
"But his children..."
"Will be sent to an orphanage. And that is actually better than being raised by a thief. They’ll have a proper ho, will be fed, and be taught respect for the law."
"Please, Your Majesty, please...they need their father..."
"You should have thought of that before you broke the law twice." Azrael said. "Guards, take him to the prison."
As the man was dragged away, everyone looked uncomfortable. But Azrael felt no guilt or sha. To him, it was just a problem he had solved.
"Your Majesty, executing a man for stealing bread to feed his children is cruelty." Victor said.
"Then I’m cruel." Azrael replied. "Does the council have other business?"
The council mbers looked at each other uneasily. This was what they had wanted but
apparently, now that they were witnessing it, so of them were having second thoughts.
That night, Adrian entered Azrael’s study without knocking.
"You need to cancel the execution."
"No," Azrael said, not looking up from his docunts.
"Then at least delay it." Adrian said. "Give yourself ti to reconsider, to think about the consequences."
"What consequences? A man broke the law twice and is being punished. That’s what justice is."
"That’s what cruelty is." Adrian replied. "Justice would be looking into why he broke the law and helping him find a way to feed his children legally. You are being cruel intentionally."
"Maybe it is who I am."
"You keep saying that but I don’t believe that. I’ve known you for decades, Your Majesty. I’ve seen you be cruel. But I’ve also seen you be genuinely kind.
Moreover, the council is already divided. The nobles are uncomfortable. The common people are starting to fear you. If you execute that man tomorrow, you’ll lose your goodwill. You’ll beco the monster that everyone fears."
"Excellent." Azrael replied. "Let them fear . Fear is more reliable than love anyway."
"Is that really what you want? To be feared instead of respected?"
"I want to stop caring. I want to stop feeling guilty every ti I make a cruel decision. I just want to be who I am without constantly fighting against it."
"Then you’ve given up, not just on your marriage, but on yourself."
"I’ve just accepted reality."
"Reality? You’re choosing to beco worse just to prove Her Majesty was right to leave."
"Get out."
"Your Majesty..."
"I said get out!" Azrael shouted. "I don’t need your opinion or your lecture about being better. My decision is final."
Adrian left without another word, but the disappointnt in his eyes was evident.
Azrael didn’t sleep that night. He sat in his study staring at the execution order on his desk. He thought about the three children who would watch their father die at dawn.
They would hate him. They’ll grow up rembering the vampire king who executed their father for trying to feed them. Maybe they would join the Crimson Cross soday, seeking revenge.
Or maybe they would grow up in an orphanage, learning respect for the law.
He didn’t know whether executing their father was the cruelest thing he could do or sohow it was a rcy that would save his children from him.
But he knew that Lyanna would have found a third option. She would have investigated why the man couldn’t feed his family and would have found a solution that didn’t involve either letting cri go unpunished or executing a desperate father.
But she was gone. And Azrael couldn’t compete with her compassion, or her ability to see solutions that didn’t require choosing between cruelty and chaos.
Dawn ca. Azrael hadn’t changed his mind.
He stood up from his desk and decided to watch the execution from his study window when a ssenger arrived.
"Your Majesty, urgent news from Valdris."
Azrael’s heart stopped.
"Is it about the queen?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Her Majesty has begun working as an independent cooperation consultant. She has been travelling to different territories to help them establish vampire-human integration fraworks. She’s building a career separate from Thornfield."
Azrael stared at the ssenger, processing his words.
And he realized, Lyanna wasn’t coming back. She wasn’t waiting to see if he changed. She was moving on, building a life without him, creating an independent identity.
And here he was about to execute a man for stealing bread.
The contrast hit him hard. She was out there helping people, trying to make the world better. And he was here ordering executions, ruling through fear, and becoming the monster.
He had now a choice to make. Either beco the monster completely or cancel the execution and try to be better.
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