NOVEL WEB Chapter 440: A Mistake?
Nox's eyes narrowed as he stared at the newcomer, a trace of anger flashing through them when he recognized who it was.
It was Prince Ainsworth Vermilion.
Wendy had long told Nox about the relationship between her stepmother, who was Brandon's biological mother, and the royal family.
She said Brandon was particularly close to Prince Ainsworth.
From his reaction to Ainsworth's death, it seemed this was especially true.
"You killed him! Why! How dare you touch someone with royal bloodline!"
"You... if this is how irrational the royal family behaves, I think you guys are not deserving of the crown," Nox said casually. He lifted his head and stared down at Ainsworth as if he were an ant. "And this doesn't concern you. Stand back, if not, I'll have to cut you down as well."
"Cut me down?" Ainsworth burst into a fit of laughter as if he had heard the funniest thing in a long while. Then he pointed a finger at Nox and shouted at the top of his voice, spit flying about. "I'm royalty, you filthy fake noble! How dare you threaten me? Your father literally forced my grandfather to make you guys nobles.
"You think you're some big shot now... in my eyes, you are no different from the worthless commoners. Your entire family is a frau—"
Shiiing!
The sharp sound of a blade tearing through the air was heard, followed by a painful shriek.
"Did he attack a prince?"
"He really attacked him—oh my gawd, what does this mean? Isn't this no different from committing treason against the royal family?"
Everyone was startled. Right in front of their eyes was Ainsworth's outstretched arm.
Theo frowned when he saw this scene. Ainsworth was very annoying— even among their circles, no one really liked him— but they never made an attempt to attack him. The reason was that he was a member of the royal family.
And... it was no secret that the members of the royal family were treated like gods!
"He knew about this—I'm very sure of it—and yet he still went ahead and attacked," Theo mumbled to himself. "Isn't he afraid of the royal family's wrath? If the royal family were to attack the Cromwell Duchy because of this action, so many lives would be lost."
The king was not even meant to attack the Cromwell Duchy as it was still part of his kingdom, but Theo thought it was within the realm of possibility because King Aldric was known to be irrational.
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After witnessing how Ainsworth slaughtered those hundred-plus commoners at the coliseum, anything was sadly possible.
"The guts of the kid," Commander Luthair mumbled to himself as well. As an allied nation, he knew how the Vermilion Kingdom worked. Unlike the intelligent King Darius Tristan, King Aldric Vermilion was a man driven by pride—quick to anger and slow to forgive. His favoritism toward Ainsworth was well-known across kingdoms.
Luthair's eyes flickered with a hint of amusement. 'This boy... he doesn't know what storm he's inviting. Or perhaps... he knows and doesn't care.'
While everyone else seemed shocked, Nyx watched with a strange amusement flickering in her eyes. Despite knowing that her entire family could get into trouble, there was just something so exhilarating about watching this arrogant prince in pain.
A part of her even wished that she was the one inflicting the pain.
Ainsworth clutched his bleeding arm, his face twisted in pain and disbelief. "You... you dared...!" His voice cracked from both agony and fury. The onlookers fell silent, their gazes darting between Nox and the prince. The tension in the air thickened, heavy and suffocating.
Nox lowered his dagger, his expression cold, and in a soft, low voice, he said, "I warned you." His voice echoed. "I don't care for your title. Royalty or not, insult me or my family again... and I'll sever more than just your arm."
Theo felt a chill crawl up his spine. This wasn't arrogance—it was conviction. He truly intends to fight the royal family if it comes to that...
Ainsworth's eyes blazed with hatred. "You're finished! My father will wipe out your entire family—even your crazy grandfath—"
Shiiing!
"Oh no, don't tell me he did it again!"
"Damn it! He cut off another arm!"
"The royal family might've forgiven him for the first one—maybe killed only him—but now there's no saving him!"
Wendy frowned. She had to do something. She glanced at Nox. Those dark eyes were unreadable—they seemed to have lost the spark in them. Now, what could be seen was a cold-blooded murderer ready to slaughter anything that stood in his way.
'I have to do something.' Wendy couldn't afford to let Nox do something that would put him in danger and endanger the entire Duchy. She knew he really loved the people—especially the likes of her mother, Camila; Aina; Gordon; Hans; Elvin; and, most importantly, Grandpa Nathan.
Considering all this, she took a step forward. However, a hand held her back. She followed the slender fingers and saw that it was Nyx.
"I have to stop him!" she pleaded.
"No, let him be," Nyx said, a serious expression on her face. "Nox has grown a lot in the last years. As much as I don't want to admit it—because, in my eyes, he will always be that silly, reckless boy."
"What are you saying? You should be helping me here." Wendy felt Nyx had lost her mind.
"He has a plan. If he didn't trust me, he wouldn't attack the prince so blatantly like that."
Wendy paused.
Nyx continued, "You've been with him for a long time now, right? I heard you guys traveled once." Nyx paused and looked into Wendy's eyes. "What did you notice?"
Wendy didn't respond immediately, her thoughts drifting back to Snowhelm and all the events that happened there. "He always creates a miracle," she whispered. "Just like today. Sometimes I feel as if he's unkillable."
"That settles it, then. Let's trust him. My stupid brother loves his people a lot. He has a plan—trust me."
Meanwhile, Ainsworth stared at his remaining arm—which was now laying on the ground—with a speechless expression on his face.
Then he mustered the strength and shouted at the top of his voice, "You bastard..."
But he couldn't finish his words because—
Shiiing!
His head flew into the air.
A sharp arc of silver flashed, and a fountain of crimson followed. The arena descended into an abyss of silence.
Prince Ainsworth Vermilion was dead.