I alone am the Honoured One!

Looking at the man walking into the throne room, it made sense to Zhou Hanyue.

Why his Father was easily defeated...

Why did the protective barriers around the palace not activate during the attack.

It was all because of this man.

The traitor.

Zhou Hanyue's eyes trembled in utter shock looking at the man "Unc... le?"

Zhou Shan, the younger brother of the Jade Emperor stood there with a smile on his face as he looked at Zhou Hanyue.

"Yeah, this is your Uncle..."

Her emerald eyes burned with fury, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails drew blood from her palms. "Uncle? Why would you…?"

Her breath came in ragged bursts, and she took a single step forward, her entire body shaking with disbelief. "Why?"

Her voice grew louder. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!" as her shout echoed across the bloodstained hall.

Zhou Shan let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head as if she were a child throwing a tantrum.

"Why?" he mused, tilting his head.

"For the throne? Is that what you think?"

Zhou Hanyue gritted her teeth "You betrayed your own brother… for THIS?! Just for a SEAT?!!"

For the first time, Zhou Shan's smile faded.

He sighed softly, as if disappointed that she still didn't understand.

The Jade Empress flinched, the other princes and princesses cowered, and even some of the vampire elites seemed to instinctively brace themselves.

"Do you truly think I would do all this… for a mere throne?"

He raised his hand, gesturing toward the corpse of the Jade Emperor. "My brother sat on that throne for decades, ruling over a Dynasty."

"He was a fool," he let out a sigh.

"He clung to old traditions, refused to expand our reach, and let our dynasty grow weaker with each passing year."

His fingers curled slightly as if grasping something unseen.

"The world is changing, Hanyue."

"While the Jade Emperor sat here, content in his little kingdom, others have been growing stronger, smarter, more ruthless. This dynasty has been rotting from the inside out."

"So I made a deal," Zhou Shan finally admitted, his lips curling into a knowing smile.

"And now, the Jade Dynasty will no longer be ruled by weak men with old ideals."

Zhou Hanyue's fingernails dug into her palms, her entire body trembling with fury.

"A DEAL?!" she screamed.

"WITH MONSTERS?!!" She pointed at the vampires, her voice shaking with anger.

"You betrayed your own people... your own FAMILY... to work with THEM?! YOU LET THEM KILL MY FATHER!!"

Zhou Shan merely smiled "And yet… they haven't touched you, have they?"

Hearing this, Zhou Hanyue was confused "What..."

Zhou Shan leaned forward, bringing his face dangerously close to hers and she hurriedly took a step back.

With a chuckle, he muttered "Do you know why they haven't touched you?"

His voice was soft, almost affectionate, but it made her skin crawl.

As he spoke, he raised his hand to touch her hair and tuck it beneath her ear, but she took another step back.

She glared at him in disgust "What are you trying to do..."

Zhou Shan's smile deepened "They haven't touched you because I requested that."

"And you may ask, why would I do that..."

Zhou Hanyue's breath quickened and a terriblle, suffocating dread curled around her throat.

She could feel the weight of his gaze pressing into her, not as an uncle regarding his niece, but as a predator staring at his most prized possession.

Zhou Shan exhaled, as if savoring the moment "It's because... of course, I love you... as a woman."

H-Huh?

Gasps of disbelief rippled through the royal court.

The Jade Empress's face turned deathly pale, her trembling hands gripping the hem of her robes as if she might collapse.

The remaining princes and princesses looked as though their very blood had turned to ice.

Even the vampire elites cast wary glances at each other, unnerved by the twisted revelation.

Zhou Hanyue, however, could barely hear any of them.

Her vision blurred and her ears rang with the deafening sound of her own pulse.

Her lips parted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"...What are you..."

Lan Shuqin was absolutely disgusted by this and looked away.

Zhou Shan merely smiled, his eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of a man who had played his game well.

"That, is the true reason for this coup."

With a deep sigh, he spoke "I can't marry you when you are my Brother's daughter... but with this? No, I am king... who dares to defy me, Huh?"

He raised his voice and uttered "Who will question against me? I rule here."

Stretching his arms, he spoke "I was always attracted to you... You are such a beautiful woman, Hanyue."

Zhou Hanyue took a slow, unsteady step backward.

She wanted to scream, to run, but her body refused to obey.

He took another step forward and his eyes were glinting with possession

It was the look of a man who had been starving for years, now standing before a feast he had finally claimed as his own.

But before he could get any closer—

Shfff!

Lan Shuqin stepped in front of Zhou Hanyue spreading her arms wide in a protective stance.

"Lady Hanyue is already married."

Hearing this, Zhou Shan burst into laughter.

It started as a chuckle, then swelled into a maniacal fit of laughter that echoed through the throne room.

"Do you think that will stop me?" he asked, wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye.

"I just have to kill her Husband.. just like I did to her previous Husbands."

Lan Shuqin's eyes shrank in shock.

"W-What..." Zhou Hanyue's knees threatened to give up upon hearing this.

"What the hell are you saying?"

Zhou Shan shrugged casually "How can I let any other man touch you? So I had to do it... and to stop that idiot brother from marrying you off."

"I even killed your family and all of them close to create a rumor that you are cursed."

"But still some agreed to marry you... I had to kill them all."

His maniac laughter echoed through the hall as Zhou Hanyue stood there like a dead corpse with no emotions in her eyes. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

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I hope you guys liked this chapter!