Duke Of Darkness: May You Be Mine EPISODE 5

The courtroom’s echoes still clung to the prince’s ears long after the assembly was dismissed.

Now, within the quieter confines of his private study, the flicker of candlelight threw long shadows across the walls. The weight of silence was broken only by the steady voices of those who had remained at his side.

Marquess Cassius Dravon stood near the window, his sharp features hardened by moonlight.

Marquess Cassius Dravon

“The Grand Chancellor bares his fangs more openly with each passing day,” he said, voice low but edged like a blade. “Today it was succession. Tomorrow, it will be the throne itself.”

The crown prince leaned back against the carved armrest, eyes narrowed, fingers tracing the rim of his wine cup. He had said little in court, but here, among the trusted, his words carried the chill of steel.

Aurelian Drakonis

“His power is not his own—it is borrowed. The court fears him only because he leans upon my father’s weakness.”

The third voice entered then, calm and precise—the crown prince’s chief advisor, Lord Elion Cindralith . He was not a man of flamboyant gestures, but one who dealt in whispers and truths no one else dared speak.

Advisor Elion Cindralith

“Borrowed, yes,” Elion said, “but his hand reaches further than whispers. "Do not forget—the Grand Chancellor’s sister was taken into His Majesty’s harem years ago. Now she carries a child.”

Marquess Cassius Dravon

Cassius turned sharply, cloak swaying like a storm. “If it is a son—”

Advisor Elion Cindralith

“Then he will name him a prince,” Renvale finished grimly. “And with the emperor too weak to contest, the court divided, and the Grand Chancellor pulling the strings… he will claim the dragon throne for his own bloodline.”

The prince’s jaw tightened, his expression unreadable as shadows deepened around him. For a long moment, the chamber felt suffocated, as though even the air braced for his command. Then, softly, he spoke:

Aurelian Drakonis

“Let him try.”

Marquess Cassius Dravon

Cassius bowed his head, a dark smile tugging at his lips. “The sun cannot be eclipsed by a shadow. He may plot, but you, my prince, are the empire’s true dawn.”

Advisor Elion Cindralith

Elion, however, inclined his head more solemnly. “Dawn comes only if we survive the night.”

The crown prince’s gaze lifted, fire smoldering in his eyes.

Aurelian Drakonis

“Then we will burn the night itself.”