Chained Hearts: From Slavery to Sovereignty-Chapter 173: Amara

The stone beneath her knee was cold, though she did not feel it. Amara had long since forgotten the distinction between cold and warmth, between the living and the dead. She knelt without expression, her body still as carved marble.

"My king," she said at last. Her voice was flat, uncolored, the voice of one who had burned away every string that once bound her to the world. "What is your command?"

Morvain’s laughter broke the silence, sharp and cruel, filling the throne room like a whip crack. His golden eyes gleamed with a hungry pride as he leaned forward.

"Come, my dear," he murmured, voice low and heavy. "You are the only hope left to me... my dear Amara."

The name rang through the chamber, but she did not flinch. Names meant nothing to her. They were anchors for the weak, chains for those foolish enough to cling to them. Amara had severed hers long ago.

She rose and moved forward. Each step was measured, deliberate, precise, stripped of hesitation and stripped of humanity. Golden strands of hair fell loose across her pale face, framing eyes that no longer held light.

She looked young—sixteen, perhaps seventeen—but the years that weighed on her soul were not ones that could be counted. Innocence had been cut from her with a blade and replaced with silence.

The knights stationed along the edge of the hall stirred uneasily. She heard the faint scrape of their armor, saw the shift of their stances. They whispered to one another, but it was not her youth they saw. It was the aura that surrounded her, the suffocating pressure of death itself.

The weight of blood clung to her like a second shadow—thick, metallic, unwashed. She had killed more than any commander sent to war, not for glory, not for hatred, but because orders were given, and she obeyed.

Obedience was all that remained.

Morvain’s gaze lingered on her, heavy with pride, as though he were admiring a weapon he had forged with his own hands. To her, it was nothing more than another chain. His voice broke the silence again, trembling with rage and hunger.

"You are the only one who has not failed me. The others rot in fear, but you... you were forged for this. A task waits for you, Amara. A task that will shift the course of this world."

She tilted her head, her eyes hollow, her voice calm. "Tell me."

His laughter rumbled like a storm breaking over mountains.

"You will bring the heart of the second demon back to me."

The torches flickered as if the very stones held their breath.

Amara stood without expression. No surprise, no rebellion, no hesitation crossed her face. Her gaze held his, empty and unyielding, until at last she bowed her head.

"As you wish, my king."

~~~

On the other side in the demon realm, a week has passed from the day Cassian had met Princess Aurelia. After that day he had never encountered anything strange.

Everything is going peaceful, even his etiquette classes to which was even unbelievable for him.

From the day the instructor had behaved like that incident... afterwards she had started to take notice of him too much. To the point that she was patiently teaching him everything. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He would have seen disdain in her before if someone did not even know fundamentals but now she was willing to teach him. Even offering he was always welcome to come to her if he wanted to ask anything.

And Cassian was more than happy, who would have declined such an offer maybe Veyce would have done it because he found studying worthless.

But not him who aspired to become good in everything so he could challenge to become the consort of the Supreme Lord.

In many days, he had already found most of the details he must know about the demon realm and the Supreme Lord.

There were almost thousands of people in the concubine hall but not one of them had become consort. Is it not because they are afraid to challenge the position of consort but because they are afraid that if they lost, the only outcome for them would to leave the concubine hall for forever.

And almost all of the people in the concubine hall are cravers for power they simply do not want to lose those powers when they already knew they would never win the consort place.

Because the consort place is not only won by the wits and abundant knowledge in everything but only if the Supreme Lord wants you to win.

Cassian knew the latter one was not hard for him, ahem because he believed the Supreme Lord wanted him as his consort even more so than him. He could have already guessed so much with his pieces of past memories. And let’s not forget that dream that was still imprinted on his mind.

Cassian found a blush creeping to his cheeks, thank God he had not seen the Supreme Lord after that dream or he was not sure how he would have faced him. And that demon would have definitely found that something was wrong with him.

But he was also sad that it had been so many days and he could not see him, he was missing him a tiny bit. It’s not like he did not try to approach him but the Supreme Lord was not even in the demon realm in the first place.

"Huh!" Cassian sighed heavily. He suddenly felt so lonely here.

Even Veyce had gone back to his house for two days, the demon was annoying but he was at least a good person and Cassian never felt the days were so long with him.

"Ahh! Someone help me..... Cassian..help me"

Suddenly Cassian lost in his thoughts found someone screaming for his help just outside his chamber.

He suddenly got up to find a beautiful girl with soft features and looking pale running towards him..

"You...who are you?" Cassian found himself asking. He had never seen her then how did she know his name.

"Boo! Cassian I am your Lyra...did you forget me again in just two days."