CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
TANYA'S POV
After hearing King Adrian's harsh words during his argument with Daniel, I knew it was already too late.
Raymond had poisoned his mind.
Still, I refused to give up.
All my life, love had been taken away from me before I could hold onto it.
As a child, I lost my parents.
Later, I lost my home.
Then I lost my innocence.
Now that I finally had Daniel...
I would not let anyone take him away from me.
Not even his father.
But I also didn't want to put Daniel in a difficult position.
King Adrian was still the man who raised him.
The man he called father for thirty-five years.
I could never force him to choose between us.
So I decided to handle the situation myself.
The following morning, King Adrian prepared to leave the covenant.
Daniel personally escorted him toward the outskirts of the kingdom where the royal guards and vehicles were waiting.
To my surprise, Raymond volunteered to accompany them.
That alone made me suspicious.
Using my powers, I followed them invisibly.
The journey remained peaceful until they reached the middle of the jungle.
Then King Adrian finally spoke.
His voice was cold.
"Tell me the truth, Daniel."
Daniel frowned.
"What truth, Father?"
"The truth about Tanya."
My heart tightened.
Daniel remained silent for a moment before answering honestly.
"Tanya was once a girl from our kingdom."
King Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"The same girl who came to the palace years ago?"
Daniel nodded.
"The same girl who begged for justice after her uncle abused her and stole everything from her."
The king's face darkened.
Then suddenly—
His anger exploded.
"That girl is evil!"
Daniel froze.
My heart sank.
King Adrian pointed accusingly.
"She destroyed my kingdom."
"No," Daniel replied firmly.
"She caused a deadly sickness."
"Father, you don't understand—"
"Raymond told me everything!"
The moment I heard Raymond's name, everything started making sense.
The king continued angrily.
"If Prince Raymond hadn't secretly helped us, the entire kingdom would have perished."
My eyes widened.
Raymond?
Then suddenly—
I remembered.
Years ago, I had cursed the kingdom.
Not to destroy it.
Only to make the people suffer temporarily while I took revenge.
Eventually, I planned to remove the curse myself.
But before I could—
Daniel sought help from a powerful witch doctor from another kingdom.
That witch doctor demanded a terrible price.
Daniel's manhood.
His future heirs.
When Daniel refused, the witch doctor began killing innocent people and making it appear as if I was responsible.
At the time, I never understood how an ordinary human witch doctor could interfere with my magic.
Now I finally knew.
Raymond.
He had been behind everything from the beginning.
Using dark magic.
Manipulating the witch doctor.
Creating hatred between Daniel and me.
My blood ran cold.
How many years had he been planning this?
Meanwhile, the argument continued.
King Adrian's voice became even harsher.
"She only used you for revenge."
Daniel's expression darkened instantly.
"No."
The king laughed bitterly.
"You are blind."
Daniel stepped forward.
"I know Tanya better than anyone."
The king shook his head.
"You are throwing your life away."
"No, Father."
Daniel's voice became firm.
"I am protecting the woman I love."
The king's eyes widened.
For the first time, Daniel was openly challenging him.
"No one will separate me from Tanya."
Not even you.
The words struck everyone into silence.
Even I froze.
King Adrian's face turned pale with rage.
"You dare speak to me like this?"
Daniel clenched his fists.
"You are not being fair to her."
The king laughed coldly.
"Fair?"
"Instead of apologizing for what happened to her when she was a child, you continue judging her."
Daniel's voice trembled with anger.
"You are hurting her again."
King Adrian pointed at him furiously.
"You have changed."
Daniel refused to back down.
"When it comes to Tanya, I will never abandon her."
The king stared at him in disbelief.
Then his voice dropped.
"So you choose her over me."
My heart stopped.
Daniel remained silent.
That silence was answer enough.
King Adrian looked devastated.
"I raised you."
His voice broke.
"I loved you as my own son."
Daniel's expression softened briefly.
But he did not take back his words.
That was when I noticed Raymond.
Standing behind everyone.
Smiling.
Exactly as he had planned.
I could not stay hidden any longer.
Before Daniel could say something he would regret forever, I appeared.
Everyone gasped.
"Tanya!"
Daniel turned in shock.
I immediately stepped between them.
"Please stop."
But the moment King Adrian saw me, all reason disappeared from his eyes.
"You!"
He pointed at me furiously.
"Guards!"
The royal guards immediately surrounded me.
"Arrest her!"
Daniel stepped forward instantly.
"Father!"
"I will not allow this woman to destroy my kingdom again."
The guards rushed toward me.
I could have stopped them easily.
One spell.
One command.
One roar.
That was all it would take.
But they were humans.
Innocent humans.
I refused to hurt them.
Before I could react, Daniel moved.
His fists struck like lightning.
One guard.
Two guards.
Three guards.
None of them could stop him.
Within seconds, the soldiers lay defeated on the ground.
Daniel immediately pulled me behind him protectively.
The king stared at him in horror.
"You attack my men for her?"
Daniel's voice was ice cold.
"No one touches Tanya."
King Adrian looked as though his heart had shattered.
"Rebellious son!"
He pointed angrily.
"Arrest both of them!"
Raymond narrowed his eyes.
He knew ordinary humans could never defeat us.
Then I saw him move secretly.
A small pouch appeared in his hand.
Magic powder.
My eyes widened.
"Daniel!"
I shouted.
But it was too late.
One of the guards blew the powder directly into our faces.
The strange dust surrounded us instantly.
I recognized the magic immediately.
To me, it was harmless.
I was the Lion Princess.
The strongest witch in the covenant.
But I pretended to weaken.
Because I wanted to understand Raymond's plan.
Daniel wasn't so fortunate.
The powder affected him almost immediately.
His strength weakened.
His movements slowed.
The guards seized the opportunity.
Within minutes, both of us were captured.
By sunset, we arrived at the royal palace.
Heavy chains surrounded our prison cell.
The dungeon was cold.
Dark.
Silent.
Daniel sat beside me, furious.
Meanwhile, I remained calm.
Because now I finally understood Raymond's goal.
This was never about revenge.
This was war.
A war between humans and witches.
And we had just walked directly into his trap.
The prison door slammed shut.
Then a guard approached.
He looked at me with pity.
"The king has made his decision."
I slowly lifted my head.
The guard swallowed nervously.
"You will remain imprisoned for three days..."
He hesitated.
Then finally said the words.
"Before your execution."
Silence filled the dungeon.
Daniel's chains rattled violently as rage exploded from him.
But I simply closed my eyes.
Because for the second time in my life...
Death was coming for me.
END OF CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN