Married To Darkness-Chapter 347: The Weight Of A Prince

The office felt colder now — a suffocating silence settling in the corners like a dark fog.

The echo of Genevieve’s anger still clung to the walls, the rawness of her words leaving an unseen wound across Alaric’s chest.

He closed his eyes briefly, dragging a hand down his face before sinking into his chair. The leather creaked beneath him, a sound so small yet deafening in the heavy quiet.

His chest felt like stone — heavy, immovable.

What could he do?

What would he do?

The answer was simple: nothing.

There was no saving Genevieve from the fate set before her. No clever scheme or whispered threat that would unravel the delicate threads of peace between Wyfn-Garde and Tackeros.

She had a duty, just as he did — a duty neither of them could escape.

And yet, the ache in his ribs wasn’t only for Genevieve.

It was for himself.

Because somehow, amidst the chaos — Salviana’s kidnapping, the bloodied fists he’d buried in Jaron’s face, the constant politics of the court — he had almost forgotten his real mission.

His roots.

His past.

Why was he born with the blood of demons? Why was he called the Demon Prince when even the king himself couldn’t answer that question?

His history was a tangle of unanswered questions, and he had let it slip further and further away with every new disaster that crashed into his life.

Another knock.

Sharp. Decisive.

Alaric lifted his head, his jaw tight. "Enter."

The door opened, and Lucius stepped in — the ever-loyal Umbrella Man.

His dark cloak trailed behind him like a storm cloud, and the faint scent of rain clung to him, though the sky had long since dried.

Without a word, Lucius crossed the room and sank into the chair opposite Alaric.

He didn’t speak at first — just released a long sigh, as though the weight of the entire kingdom pressed against his shoulders.

"It’s been hectic," Lucius finally muttered, his voice rough but steady.

Alaric leaned back, his gaze fixed on the dancing shadows cast by the single candle on his desk. "Yes."

No further explanation needed.

Lucius tapped his fingers against his knee, a habit of his when deep in thought.

His dark hair fell across his forehead, and his sharp eyes flickered to Alaric’s bloodstained knuckles — remnants of his earlier "conversation" with Jaron.

"I’ve been meaning to tell you," Lucius began, his voice quieter now, "I found something."

Alaric’s gaze sharpened instantly. "Where?"

"The castle basement." Lucius shifted forward, his tone laced with a quiet urgency. "I wasn’t looking for anything in particular — just following a trail, a feeling — but I came across something hidden behind the old stone wall."

Alaric’s fingers curled into his palm. "What was it?"

"A lockbox," Lucius said simply. "Ancient. Older than the castle itself."

Alaric’s heart gave a slow, steady thud.

Lucius went on. "The symbols carved into it — they weren’t royal crests or familiar sigils. They were... darker. More primal."

"Demon marks?"

Lucius nodded. "Possibly."

Alaric stared at the flickering candle, his mind churning. His roots — his bloodline — the truth of his existence... Could this lockbox hold a piece of that puzzle?

Lucius leaned forward. "We need to open it, Alaric. We need answers."

Alaric’s jaw tightened. "And what if those answers bring more chaos?"

Lucius’s lips curved into a dry, humorless smile. "When has your life ever been without chaos?"

Silence.

Then Alaric exhaled through his nose, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

Lucius tilted his head. "We may need the princess."

Alaric’s head snapped up. "What?"

"Salviana," Lucius said calmly. "Her knowledge — her visions — her connection to the future. She may sense something from the lockbox that we can’t."

Alaric’s heart lurched at the thought of dragging Salviana into yet another dangerous thread of his life.

She had just been taken — tortured — because of him. Because of his name. Because of the blood he didn’t fully understand.

And now Lucius wanted her to look into the heart of that bloodline.

"No," Alaric said firmly. "She’s barely recovered."

Lucius arched a brow. "She’s stronger than you give her credit for."

"She needs rest," Alaric snapped, his voice sharper than intended.

Lucius didn’t flinch. "She also needs to be involved, Alaric. She’s not just your wife — she’s a princess. A seer. Her fate is tied to yours as an equal, whether you like it or not."

Alaric’s nostrils flared. He wanted to argue — to roar — but the truth hung between them like a blade.

Salviana wasn’t a delicate flower to be hidden away.

She was fire itself.

And fire never cowered.

Alaric raked a hand through his hair. "...She’s still my wife," he muttered, the words rougher than intended. "And I’ll be damned if I let my bloodline—my curse—drag her into more danger."

Lucius’s expression remained neutral, though his sharp gaze flickered with something—understanding, perhaps. But not agreement. "She’s already in it, Alaric. You can’t shield her from the storm when she’s standing in the eye of it."

Alaric’s jaw clenched. He hated it—the truth Lucius always spoke with such brutal clarity.

Salviana wasn’t just caught in his world; she was bound to it, sealed by marriage vows and something far more primal—something that stirred within him every time he so much as looked at her.

The lockbox. The symbols. His roots.

It wasn’t just his fight anymore. It was hers, too.

But still...

"She was locked up, Lucius," Alaric growled, voice low and lethal. "Kidnapped. Starved. Hurt." His fists curled against the desk, the memory of Jaron’s blood still ghosting his knuckles. "And now you want me to ask her to peer into the dark corners of my past?"

Lucius’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t back down. "And if those dark corners threaten her future?" freeweɓnovel.cøm

Silence.

The words hit their mark, a direct blow to Alaric’s already crumbling resolve.

Lucius leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "You can’t pretend your bloodline won’t touch her, Alaric. It already has. The sooner we uncover the truth, the sooner we can protect her."

Alaric shut his eyes for a long, agonizing moment.