Chapter 97 - NINETY SEVEN: Flawed Calculations

Could the same thing apply to people? Kel wondered, sneaking a glance at Soren. His mouth was pressed into a fine line, and his eyes were darkened and out of focus. He was watching the birdcage, but his mind was somewhere far away.

Was the reason this man was also 'positively, beautifully mad' because he'd been trapped down here for so long?

"I wonder if they were lovers," Soren went on darkly, "or if they were brothers."

Kel gulped, taking another peek at the hideous scene in the birdcage. Regardless of the kind of love shared between the birds, their relationship had become twisted into something grotesque. Their only connection now, no matter who they'd been in the past to each other, was that of a killer and a victim.

"Which one do you think went mad first?" Soren whispered. "The one who died or the one who killed."

"Clearly, it was the one who died.."

Kel jolted at the emperor's voice followed by his footsteps ominously thudding across the floor.

What was he doing revealing himself already?

"His 'brother', as you say, probably put him out of his misery," he finished, approaching the bed.

If he was surprised by the sudden appearance of the Dragon Emperor, Soren didn't let it show. He didn't even spare the intruding man a glance. In fact, the only part of his disposition that changed was a fist suddenly clenched at his side.

"Ha," he chuckled sarcastically. "For what reason would he murder his brother if not afllicted with madness himself?"

"Plenty of reasons," the emperor shot back, scooting across the bed and wrapping his arms around Kel. "For instance, if his brother touched something that he shouldn't have. Something that didn't belong to him."

Kel squirmed in the man's embrace. What was this situation? Why wasn't Soren reacting to the emperor being in her room? And why did it sound like they were no longer talking about the birds?

"Tch tch," Soren shook his head. "How uncouth of you, Brother, to refer to a woman as an object for you to possess."

He leaned closer, putting a hand to the side of his mouth as he whispered, "I'm telling you this just in case, but women don't really like that sort of thing these days."

Eh? Woman? Object?

Were they talking about her now? The emperor had already made it clear he'd happily murder Soren, but was it really solely because Soren had touched her?

No. There had to be something deeper behind their words. Some kind of knowledge held only by the two of them must have been passing back and forth between their steeled gazes.

The emperor didn't respond to Soren's taunting. Instead, he only tightened his arms around Kel as if guarding a valuable object.

Ah, she realized, Soren was right yet again. Infuriatingly spot on.

She didn't like feeling as if she was an object to be guarded and argued over. The emperor's embrace, which had felt so warm earlier, now felt unpleasant and suffocating.

"Anyway, I like your theory brother. I really do," Soren sighed, straightening up as he brushed some kind of invisible dust off his shoulder. "There's just one big problem with it."

"Hmph," the emperor grunted, refusing to give in to his brother's provocations.

Kel glanced nervously between the two, feeling like she was caught in the middle of a place she didn't belong and wishing the emperor would release her.

"You see, we're both mad, Brother," Soren smirked, taking a step back. 

He looked like he was retreating, but instantly lunged toward the two on the bed, ripping Kel away from the emperor.

After the flurry of events, Kel found herself standing in front of the emperor, this time Soren's arms around her, with something cold and sharp stinging against her throat.

She glanced helplessly back toward the emperor and noticed blood dripping off various lancings in his forearms. When did Soren have the time to pull a knife?

Perhaps her calculations in who would be triumphant if a fight broke out between the two had been flawed after all.

"We're both positively. beautifully. mad," Soren hissed, pointing the knife toward the emperor.

"Speak for yourself," the emperor replied coldly. His arm suddenly shot out, a waterfall of blood splashing onto the floor as his fingers curled around the blade.

"You should stay put," Soren snorted, yanking the knife free and pressing it to Kel's neck once again.

She shrieked, trying to reach for the emperor as a pool of red enveloped his hand.

"You know, Darling," Soren turned to her, his breath tickling her ear, "I'm starting to get a little hurt by you constantly running back to that man's arms."

"Get off!" Kel exclaimed, shoving an elbow into the man's stomach. 

She let out a gasp as a warm trickle slid down her neck just below the painful edge of the blade.

"Like I said before," Soren hissed, his lips brushing against her head, "you'll be mine even if I have to force you."

"L-let go," she stuttered, shooting the emperor a pleading look. 

To her dismay, the emperor sat in silence, staring at his feet. Kel could see his frustration by the way he furiously gripped the comforter next to him, so why wasn't he saying anything? Why wasn't he doing anything?

"Don't count on him, Darling," Soren responded, sensing her confusion. "He doesn't really think I'll kill you, but he knows I'm just mad enough that he can't put it past me."

"You won't kill me. You need me," Kel retorted. "You said it yourself."

"You know it too, don't you?" Soren continued. "I'm just mad enough to kill you right here and now."

Kel winced at his words. She didn't want to believe him, but she knew he was right. He was unpredictable, violent and straight up crazy. She couldn't confidently predict what his next move would or wouldn't be under any circumstances.

"Since you two want me to be the bad guy so badly," Soren murmured, dragging Kel toward the door, "I'll do it."