Ch-72 Where Her Loyalties Lie

                                    

                                          
Claudia knew that building a wall with emotions was not healthy and it took her a week to realize it.
                          
She slept in the East Wing where all the royal bedrooms were situated. It was right next to Marcus' room but he rarely ever slept there.
                          
Claudia spent most of her time in her room mustering up the courage and trying to accept the fact that Arlus was responsible for the murder of all those innocent Ceryscathian soldier.
                          
The worse of all Fenix.
                          
Arlus and her were like polar opposites like fire and ice, none of them ever got along mostly because of his jealousy that someone that was five years younger than him could wield a sword better.
                          
Her father mostly spent his time by ruling Dominicia with just and peace and was afraid of passing the crown to his first born worried that he would destroy everything Arthur had built.
                          
So, when Claudia was born, he swore to himself that he would raise her the right way and not spoil her the way he did with Arlus.
                          
Claudia understood the difference between right and wrong at an early age, and knew how far one should go without hurting another.
                          
She never took pride in the loss of others, the days when her father made her and Arlus spar together, she won a lot but always tried to help her brother understand where he had gone wrong.
                          
Arlus had inherited Castella's jealous nature and his ego was inflated when he found out he impressed his mother better than his sister and rubbed it in her face every chance he got.
                          
Where Claudia was kind and empathetic to people, Arlus was rude and arrogant to them.
                          
What she didn't understand was how this petty competition of theirs' turned to actually killing someone.
                          
When had Arlus become so cruel? When had his envy fueled him enough to kill her best friend?
                          
She was so torn when she first heard that her own brother was responsible for petty cheat with Ceryscathia after they had fought alongside against Lokriveii.
                          
Together they killed Acheron and then Dominicia stabbed Ceryscathia behind the back. Only Castella and Arlus had the heart to do something so atrocious.
                          
This meant war.
                          
The more Claudia thought, the more she felt as if her arrangement to Marcus was all part of a bigger plan.
                          
If she had married Marcus, then Castella and Arlus would have a claim to Ceryscathia but not as strong as the other way around.
                          
Then that means, if they wanted Ceryscathia, they could've done it discretely using her as a scapegoat to get to Marcus.
                          
If he died, then she would be the Queen and if they didn't have an heir, Dominicia's family line would rule Ceryscathia.
                          
Her loathing for her kingdom grew so much beyond control, she couldn't comprehend that she shared the same blood with these vile people.
                          
As long as she was alive, she would never let them do this.
                          
They killed Fenix. 
                          
They will not kill Marcus.
                          
....
                          
"Lokriveii is now under the control of Dominicia, we cannot enter a war zone with limited forces." 
                          
Hela explained looking at a map of all four kingdoms.
                          
Dominicia in the North, Ceryscathia in the East, Wilhestia in the South and Lokriveii in the West.