Published at 20th of January 2026 8:29 am

Chapter 1430: Seed of Hatred

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Despite being ruled by only a Mana Vortex-level Magus family, the Ignisra royal palace was notoriously difficult to breach from the outside.

The Firebornes were immensely wealthy, and that wealth wasn’t spent on luxury alone. Over generations, they had accumulated and purchased powerful artifacts specially meant for defense.

Many of these artifacts functioned independently of active control, making brute force assaults ineffective.

The palace itself was designed as a layered fortress rather than a simple royal residence. Its outer walls were reinforced with permanent wards that dampened spellcasting and distorted spatial manipulations. Long-range teleportation into or near the palace grounds was blocked entirely.

Even Mana Core Magi attempting forced entry would be detected almost instantly, triggering overlapping defensive protocols and alerting the palace’s guards.

Access was tightly regulated. Unless an individual was formally invited or recognized by the palace’s authorization arrays, entry points simply wouldn’t respond. Attempts to bypass them would result in containment measures or immediate counterattacks.

For outsiders, infiltration without invitation was nearly impossible.

Because of this, the Cult quickly understood that a direct assault was impractical. Any attack from the outside would be costly, loud, and likely to fail.

Besides, it served in their best interest to be subtle. Destroying the palace from within was far more efficient and far less risky.

In short, the Ignisra palace was not meant to be broken into.

It was meant to be betrayed!

Why would they overtly attack from outside, when they could covertly stage a bloody coup from within?

Their plan was to target the royal family and destabilize the city’s leadership in one swift action. And once Amberfall’s trade collapsed, the economic shock would ripple throughout the Sovereign Union.

However, their plan did not rely on force. It was going to be psychological and gradual.

Their objective was to plant a seed of hatred deep within Marlow’s subconscious, small enough to go unnoticed, but persistent enough to grow.

This was where Leila came in.

Rather than feeding him false information, she shaped his perception. Suspicion was encouraged, doubt was cultivated, and every setback was made to feel deeply personal.

Over time, Marlow’s resentment would grow and crystallize into conviction. The Cult wanted Marlow to arrive at his own conclusion that the current leadership was weak, compromised, or unworthy, and that onlyhe possessed the will and clarity to protect House Fireborne and the Ignisra Kingdom.

If the idea felt self-derived, it would be unshakable!

Once Marlow truly believed that claiming the throne was necessary for the kingdom’s survival, his actions would be decisive, ruthless, but more importantly, justified in his own mind.

This was the Cult’s true design.

They did not want to overthrow Ignisra themselves, but to make its rightful heir do it for them. They wanted him to be convinced he was acting in the best interests of his house and people, even as he unknowingly fulfilled their diabolical scheme.

Shaping the flow of the world by staying in the shadows, puppeteering those in power through nothing more than words and intent... such was the terror of enchantment magic.

"What are you thinking, My Prince?"

Leila nestled closer to Marlow beneath the blanket, gently brushing her fingers along his cheek.

The red-haired prince glanced at the bedroom ceiling in a daze, his thoughts all over the place. The Enchantress’s words seemed to have awoken him from his stupor.

He turned to her and smiled.

"...Nothing."

Leila kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "Did you enjoy?"

"Yes." Marlow nodded, pulling her closer to him. "You were great. You were... mesmerizing."

The Enchantress giggled, lowering her head and hiding the cold gleam flashing in her eyes. "I know you’re a busy man, but..."

"But what?"

"I don’t wish to stay away from you for long." Leila looked him in the eye with fondness. "When can we meet next? I love being with you."

Marlow deeply looked at her, remaining silent for a few moments. He then said with a faint smile:

"...We’ll see."

He then got up from the bed and put on his robes. "I’ll let Burne know."

Leila remained comfortable beneath the warmth of the blanket, watching Marlow get dressed. She knew exactly why he seemed so dazed. After all, that just meant her magic had taken hold.

"My Prince... do you love me?" she asked with hopeful eyes.

Marlow turned to her with an amused expression. "I just met you, woman."

Leila pouted. "One day, you’ll be mine!"

The Prince smiled. "Farewell, Leila."

With that said, he turned and left.

The Enchantress’s adorable look crumbled almost instantly when the Prince left the room. A dark look marred her gorgeous face as she recalled how he had assaulted her a few hours ago.

Just you wait, Marlow Fireborne.

She thought to herself venomously.

When you burn the kingdom to the ground, I will be there to personally witness it!

***

The carriage rolled steadily through the quiet night streets.

Marlow sat rigidly by the window, staring past the velvet curtains without truly seeing anything beyond them.

His thoughts were tangled, looped back on themselves. Fragments of conversations, expressions, and half-formed realizations pressed against one another, refusing to settle.

For the first time, a persistent dissatisfaction gnawed at him.

He found himself scrutinizing his father’s rule in ways he never had before. Decisions that once seemed prudent now felt hesitant. Compromises that had maintained stability began to look like weaknesses.

The kingdom was safe.

Yes.

But was it strong?

Was it prepared for what lay ahead?

Marlow subsconsiously clenched his hands in his lap, unsettled by how unnatural his thoughts felt. They weren’t born of anger or rebellion, but of a growing conviction that something was lacking.

By the time the carriage had arrived at the palace entrance, one thing started to become clear to him...

The way things were being run in the kingdom didn’t quite satisfy him.

"...Your Highness?"

Marlow snapped out of his thoughts and turned towards the carriage driver, who had already opened the door and was waiting for him outside.

He nodded and stepped down from the carriage.

The driver bowed reverently. "Good night, Your Highness."

Marlow ignored him and continued into the palace.

The driver slowly stood back straight, subtly glancing towards the Prince’s departing back. His eyes narrowed, and he thought to himself in alarm:

What have they done to you...

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