Chapter 7.1 – The Puppet and the Poisoned Crown

"In the halls of the White Snake Kingdom,

vows are spoken with venom on their tongues."

-Nest Of Serpests

by E.S.Mare

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There was a sword beside me.

Blood still trickled from its gleaming edge.

The first drop of treachery fell—silent, but echoing through the hall.

One drop.

Then another.

And then, silence.

For now.

After years soaked in blood, I had believed peace would finally arrive. Tonight was supposed to be that moment. Those who dared to believe the war was done now found themselves in death’s arms again, in this grand hall of lies. So lost were they in death’s cold embrace, they didn’t even flinch as blood blossomed across their silks.

One of them was the Black Snake Prince.

I could guess who the other was.

Every heartbeat stretched into an eternity. When my gaze found Queen Kalissia, the corner of her lips shifted ever so slightly. To others, it was just a twitch. To me—it was a smile. It reeked of her handiwork. I was certain of it. And in that moment, I knew exactly what kind of game I’d been thrown into.

My mother’s last words echoed in my mind.

You will be a magnificent queen.

I once thought it was just a dream. But if anyone knew the truth—it was me. My mother never dreamed.

I had seen her cruelty more clearly than anyone.

She had loved me most, or so I had believed—until that love shattered me.

The prince finding me so easily... it could only have been orchestrated.

And I was waiting. Waiting for the next move.

One that would shield me from the king’s wrath.

“Princess,” Adrastis said again.

“Vilas,” I whispered. My voice trembled. And Vilas... after what had just happened, Even he couldn’t ask me to stay calm—because calm had left him, too.

Calm felt like a distant memory.

Perhaps it always would be.

“I’m listening,” he said, quickly—but his voice was low, barely audible.

“Will you keep your promise?”

Only hours had passed since he gave it. But I already knew the answer.

Vilas always kept his word.

“I’m with you. Always.”

I turned slightly, ignoring the stares around me, and looked at him.

Our eyes met.

His fury—never had it burned so fiercely.

His gaze was a storm.

And I needed that storm.

“Clear the path for me,” I mouthed.

A slow, defiant smile spread across his face.

The prince said my name again.

No one else made a sound.

Not even King Siles.

“Assra Marian!”

I loosened my grip on the sword still clutched in my hand. As the serpent-shaped hilt coiled back to its original form, I didn’t sheath the sword. Instead, I extended it toward Vilas. He took it.

I pulled free the other sword—the one the prince had thrown at the wall. One step forward. Then another... All eyes followed me, but only three pierced through me like blades.

King Siles.

Queen Kalissia.

And Adrastis Salvantes, Crown Prince of the Black Snakes.

Ah... no.

There was one more serpent, lurking in shadow.

The Queen of the Black Snakes.

My gaze found her. Darkness swallowed the world, and she stood alone, bathed in light. Her beauty was undeniable—dark gray waves of hair spilling across her shoulders. A crown of serpents and diamonds rested upon her forehead, its moonlit glow stark against her dull yet regal gown. But even that couldn’t outshine what lay beneath it. Her eyes—black as obsidian. Their fury cut deeper than any blade.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

She watched me.

Each look was another lash, her wrath peeling me raw.

By the time I reached the prince, the fabric beneath my armor clung to my damp skin. His gaze found the one part the armor couldn’t hide—my eyes. I offered him the sword. He took it with a smile, placed the tip on the marble floor, and bowed slightly.

"Remove your helm, my lady," he said. " Let me see the face behind such courage."

My hands trembled as I reached up. I hated the way they shook. But nothing in my life had ever terrified me like this. Not the prince, whose head was lowered in solemn silence. No—it was my mother. She was the one who terrified me. Her plan, the true dagger behind the veil. She danced with death tonight, knowing full well the floor would soon be slick with my blood.

But I was Kalissia’s daughter.

And I knew how to play the game, too.

She had made her move. Unaware that I had already made mine.

If she wanted to dance on my blood,

then I would be her composer— a symphony of screams echoing through the halls.

It would not be her favorite melody—

but she’d carry that sound into the grave.

When I removed the helmet, my silvery braid tumbled down my back— Clumsy—but rebellious in its own right. The prince’s eyes sparkled. King Siles turned scarlet, fury and shame bleeding through his skin.

“Your Majesty,” said the prince, “I must beg the Sovereign of the Soil to forgive you for hiding such beauty from the world. But first, I must ask—why?”

“Is it true?” asked King Verenos, after a long silence.

And there it was—the truth. Heavy. Inescapable. Hovering in the air like a curse.

The false princess lay only a few steps away, her head severed from her body.

No tears.

No prayers.

Only silence—

because they knew the truth long before her head hit the floor.

King Siles faltered—if only for a fleeting moment.

But the prince’s gaze left no room for denial.

“Yes,” he said.

“Then why hide her?” Verenos asked sternly.

King Siles’s tone softened as he spoke again.

“My daughter, Marian,” he said. “You know she was ill.”

The prince’s eyebrows rose slightly, but he remained silent.

“She recovered,” the king went on, his glance—a silent cue—fell upon the queen. “Queen Kalissia wanted to showcase the miracle and present her before the court. But my daughter claimed it was a gift from the Supreme Lesster, the Sovereign of the Soil. She said she would devote her life to guarding those who believed in him.”

“The queen opposed this,” he added, “but I could not deny my daughter’s will. I allowed her to fight for the one who had placed her in my hands like a divine offering. Now, she fights for her people—and for the Sovereign of the Soil.”

The prince, Adrastis, looked at me and smiled.

“I admire you even more, my lady.”

Not a single thread of the king’s tale fooled the prince. I could see it in his eyes.

But he did not challenge it.

“I’m curious, Prince Adrastis,” said King Siles. “How did you see through it?”

I could sense it—a new story was already taking shape. And I couldn’t wait to see how the queen would claw her way out of this one— If she stumbled, the White Snake throne would crumble—worse than it ever had.

I no longer noticed Vilas’s presence. He was already gone.

“King Siles,” the prince said, turning back toward him. “This isn’t the first time I’ve met your daughter.”

I narrowed my gaze, matching his smirk with one of my own.

“When we crossed into your kingdom last night, I wanted to secretly visit my people living on your lands. I realize how troubling this must seem, but please don’t mistake it for betrayal. My father knows nothing of it. While I was moving discreetly with two soldiers, I saw the princess. She, too, was hiding—dressed as a Black Snake, though she is of the White. I followed her, curious as to why she’d disguised herself and slipped among the Black Snakes. That’s when your commander let her name slip.”

A smirk played on his lips. “It didn’t feel like coincidence—it felt intentional. I couldn’t understand why a princess—especially one said to be sick—would be there. But now I understand. Like me, she was raised in steel and duty. She was looking after her people—not as Black Snakes, not as outsiders, but as her own.”

His words were a beautiful lie.

Vilas had indeed said my name, but only I had heard it. Snakes didn’t have sharp hearing, and no one else had been close enough that night. There was no way he had unraveled this tale overnight. The Black Snakes were a minority here, just as the White Snakes were in their lands. No princess in her right mind would trouble herself with the welfare of a scattered, disregarded minority. Not even my military upbringing made it a logical act.

And I remembered—he hadn’t recognized me at all. He had attacked me among dozens of soldiers in the same armor. He’d swung his sword without knowing who I was.

It was all a careful performance.

My mother had simply handed the king another reason to hate me—and she’d done it with poison in her smile.

“You have a rare name, Princess Marian,” said Adrastis. “The moment I heard it, it caught my ear. And now you stand before me. As rare in beauty as in name. Soon, you’ll be my wife— with your unmatched grace and undeniable courage at my side.”

I didn’t look at him, but I could feel my mother’s gaze carving into me.

Like snakes slithering from her eyes, whispering for me to remain still.

But I summoned what strength I had left. “Forgive me, Prince,” I said. I’d pray later for what courage that cost me—but at least my voice sounded firm. “As my king said, I am a soldier. I was not raised as a princess, and I am far from fit to be your wife.”

I had never felt such self-loathing.

The prince laughed.

“Princess Assra Marian, you are far more than a princess.”

He turned to the White Snake Queen.

To my mother.

They had been dancing in circles for a long time now.

“Prepare the princess for the ceremony, Your Majesty. Today, your people will be blessed with two joyous announcements.”

And their dance stole the air not only from my lungs—

But from the Black Snake Queen’s as well.