Nine Hot Therians and Their Only One Queen novel Chapter 180

**When She Opened the Door to the Life She Was Afraid to Live by Nora Vale Kingsley**
**Chapter 180: The Dead That Wouldn’t Stay Dead**

“What on earth transpired here?” Corvin’s voice cut through the thick tension in the air, his eyes darting between Malrik and the surrounding chaos. Confusion etched itself into his features as he took in the sight of Malrik, once again on his knees. Why does he keep doing this? Is there some unspoken rule I’m missing?

Before he could fully process the scene, Corvin instinctively began to lower himself to the ground, mirroring Malrik’s posture. However, Edric’s firm grip on his arm halted him. “This isn’t your place to kneel, Corvin. Go and serve the food instead.”

With a gentle but forceful shove, Edric redirected Corvin’s attention, striding purposefully toward Emma. “Emma, breakfast is ready. Let’s eat.”

Emma, with a slight nod, didn’t even cast a fleeting glance at Malrik. Her focus remained unwavering as she turned away and walked out of the room alongside Edric, leaving the disgraced figure of Malrik behind, still kneeling on the cold floor.

“Haha…”

Merlin, lost in a daze, finally emerged from his stupor at the mention of Emma’s words regarding the dissolution of the match.

Dissolution? How perfect! If I can’t have her, then Malrik certainly won’t either!

“Hahaha, hahaha…”

“Your laughter is irritating,” Marcus interjected, waving his hand dismissively. In an instant, he used his powers to seal Merlin’s mouth shut, effectively silencing him. With a huff, he turned and retreated back into the confines of his coffin.

Lucien, with a sense of purpose, dragged Merlin out of the manor, Silas trailing closely behind. Once they were outside, Lucien unceremoniously tossed the Enchanter onto the ground.

“What are we going to do with him?” Silas inquired, his brow furrowed with concern.

Lucien met his gaze with a calm yet resolute expression. “Kill him.”

Before Lucien could even make a move toward Merlin, two vine tendrils erupted from the earth behind Silas, piercing through Merlin’s chest with a sickening thrust. Gagged by Marcus’s power, Merlin was rendered voiceless, his mouth opening in a silent scream. A twisted smile crept across his face as his body disintegrated into a cloud of black mist, vanishing into the air.

Silas frowned at the dissipating smoke, his disgust palpable. He snapped the vines back into the earth, shaking his head in irritation, and gestured for Lucien to incinerate the remnants.

“If you’re that repulsed by it, why are you even bothering to do the work yourself?” Lucien asked, still puzzled by Silas’s behavior at times.

Silas took a vial of serum and downed it in one swift motion. “My vines get dirty; I can just tear them off—they’ll grow back. But if you did it, you’d have to chop off your hand to get rid of the evidence.”

He waved his hand dismissively, as if brushing away the entire situation. “No need to thank me. Just send me one of those new warships you got from Corvin. My squad’s been whining for new gear every single day—I’m sick of hearing it.”

Lucien stared at him, momentarily speechless. Dream on!

Narrowing his eyes, he scrutinized Silas. “You wanted to kill him long before this, didn’t you?”

Lucien’s mind drifted to the eerie, unsettling grin that had adorned Merlin’s face before his demise. His own expression grew grave. “Perhaps he possesses some ability that prevents him from dying.”

Emma frowned, glancing down at the message again, a sense of unease creeping in. “Or… could he actually have a brother?”

Silas fell silent, and Lucien’s lips pressed into a thin line, both men grappling with the implications of her words.

Emma stared at the name displayed on her lightcore, her heart racing. Even if Malrik truly had a brother, that brother was already dead, claimed by their own hands. The feud between them was now irrevocably sealed. There was no way to mend this broken match.

After a moment of contemplation, Emma typed a swift reply. ‘Your brother attempted to harm me and even plotted to kill my suitors. I’ve already killed him and dissolved our match. Do not contact me again.’

Meanwhile, aboard a speeding airship, Malrik froze as he read her message, his heart pounding with rage. Then, his face contorted with fury. “That damned Merlin—what has he done this time?”

He actually managed to anger my huntress enough to dissolve the match! After all these years, the Beast God finally paired me with a huntress—and this is how it concludes?!

Malrik’s fury boiled over as he hastily typed a reply to Emma. ‘Huntress, that brother of mine was nothing to me. If he offended you or threatened your suitors, then his death was well deserved. But Merlin’s ability is… peculiar. He doesn’t die easily. Are you certain your suitors finished the job?’

He had long since severed ties with this brother of his, but the implications of Emma’s message sent a chill down his spine.