Mated To The Cruel Prince-Chapter 734: The True Heir

Valerie’s mind raced as he followed the handmaiden through the palace corridors, his agitation mounting with every step. He didn’t need to be told what awaited him. His mother, Queen Maeve, had summoned him, and he knew her wrath would be fierce. It always was.

They reached the ornate doors of his mother’s chambers. Valerie took a deep breath, trying to steady himself as the handmaiden knocked softly before pushing the doors open.

He stepped inside, a storm of cold fury brewing within him. His face was a mask of hardened resolve, hiding the turmoil beneath. "Your Majesty, he’s here," the handmaiden announced, her voice tinged with apprehension.

Queen Maeve stood by the window, her back to them, but the tension in her rigid posture was unmistakable. Her voice, sharp and unforgiving, cut through the silence. "Leave us."

Valerie barely registered the handmaiden’s retreat. In the past, he might have inwardly pleaded not to be left alone to face his mother’s wrath, but now, anger drowned out any trace of fear.

The door clicked shut, and Queen Maeve spun on her heel, striding toward him with a fury that seemed to vibrate in the air. The sharp crack of her palm against his face echoed through the chamber, the force of the slap turning his head to the side. Valerie tasted blood, a metallic tang that only fueled his rage. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, his eyes flashing red at the sight of the blood.

Before he could fully process the stinging pain, he saw his mother lifting her hand to strike him again. Instinctively, he caught her wrist mid-swing, his grip ironclad. Queen Maeve’s eyes widened in shock, her expression a mixture of disbelief and fury.

Valerie shoved her hand away with such force that his mother stumbled back. Queen Maeve lifted her shocked face, unable to believe that her son would have the audacity to retaliate.

"I deserved the first slap," Valerie spat, his voice low and seething, "but not the second. I will not stand still and take your abuse anymore." His hands clenched into fists, his gaze burning with a fierce determination that left no room for compromise.

"You—you!" Queen Maeve’s voice rose to a near shriek, her eyes blazing with rage. "You sat there and did nothing as they made a mockery of Elena’s memory! You did nothing as they made your fiancée into something she wasn’t. Like a coward, you let them taint the name of your house! They insulted the Summer Court—"

"Enough!" Valerie roared, his voice reverberating through the room with such intensity that Queen Maeve recoiled. He reached for the nearest object, a delicate vase, and hurled it across the room. It shattered against the wall, a cacophony of broken porcelain and unspoken fury.

Queen Maeve yelped, stepping back further, her eyes wide with fear and disbelief. She had never seen him like this, never seen him so close to losing control.

"Enough of this already! For Fae’s sake, you are driving me crazy!" Valerie screamed, grabbing at his hair and pulling at it, his chest heaving with the turmoil singing through his veins. His eyes blazed with frustration as he glared at his mother, unable to contain his rage any longer.

"Can’t you cut me some slack? I never asked for any of this! I never asked to be the crown prince! I never asked for a fiancée! It was all you’re doing! You dragged Elena into this! If she had remained in the Summer Court, she wouldn’t have been caught in all of this! So how is this my fault?! Tell me, how is this my fault, Mother?!" Valerie loomed over her, his presence intimidating and overpowering.

His entire body suddenly ignited with blue flames, causing his mother’s eyes to widen in shock. The heat of his rage and the eerie glow of the flames illuminated his features, making him look like a hulking, injured beast. Queen Maeve stumbled back, slipping and falling ungracefully to the floor. The whole thing was so undignified, she blushed with embarrassment

For a moment, real fear flickered in Queen Maeve’s eyes as she looked up at Valerie, who hovered over her, seething with fury. She almost thought he might strike her, the intensity of his anger so palpable it seemed to pulse in the air between them.

But when nothing happened, she gathered her composure, rising slowly as if the fall had never occurred. There was a sudden change in her demeanor, and unlike the earlier anger and disappointment in her eyes, there was now a surge of pride, a glimmer of something almost reverent as she looked at him.

Valerie’s fury faltered at the unexpected shift, his brows furrowed in confusion. The blue flames that had enveloped him stuttered and dimmed, his anger dissipating in the face of his mother’s unexpected reaction.

"You learned the blue flames," she said breathlessly, her voice a mix of astonishment and admiration.

"What?" Valerie’s anger was replaced by bewilderment as he stared at his mother.

"The blue flames," Queen Maeve repeated, her gaze locking onto his with an intensity that made him uneasy. "You finally learned it. I can’t believe that the old bastard taught you and for you to learn it in just a few days. Do you even know what that means?"

Valerie shook his head, his mind still reeling from the encounter. "I... I don’t understand."

"The blue flames are a mark of power," she explained, her voice tinged with an awe he had never heard from her before. "They are the embodiment of our lineage, a rare gift that only a few summer Fae possess. Can learn. Valerie....." She chuckled, "Don’t you know, this changes everything."

"What are you even ..." he began, but his words trailed off, his thoughts a jumble of confusion and disbelief.

Queen Maeve stepped closer, her earlier anger forgotten. Her eyes were now filled with something Valerie had rarely seen from her: respect.