Something stirred in his heart as Dravon watched his father approach. A spark produced by a mixture of longing and a hint of fear. In addition, his ego seemed to melt away when he saw up close his father's wrinkled and aged face, but with the same smile and gaze he remembered.How could one's feelings remain unchanged even if time had dragged that person far away?As his father stood before him, Dravon unconsciously held his breath. He could smell his father's scent that he recognised. The old man never smelled like cigarettes. Instead, his father always smelled like honey, flowers, and earth. Smells that Dravon remembered as the smells of home.Both of his father's palms had arrived at his face. Stroking his cheeks and hair with a look of disbelief. As if he was dreaming and Dravon was not real to him. And of all the things his father could have said after their long absence, the old man said instead, "They say you died in the dead souls plague that day.""Dad," Dravon touched one of
"You're not going to pretend to be quiet now, are you, Will?" Kieran whispered next to him. "Because I won't hesitate to go further than this."Will didn't answer. He could only force himself to remain calm, not making any exaggerated movements to keep Kieran's dagger from slicing his throat.Besides, he had, since they were teenagers, disliked Kieran. That boy was weird. His clothes, which were a fusion of the two royal cultures, were actually quite cool, and he was quite intelligent because he was the brightest student in Varidianth at that time. The thing was, Will was also the brightest student in Valorthorn. And he was disappointed that Kieran didn't want to be friends with him.Besides, he was sick of seeing Kieran fidgeting like a worm in the heat at high-class gatherings, just because he wanted to meet his commoner friend in Umbravale. And later, when Will realises that the boy Kieran wants to meet is Dravon, he only dislikes the Duke of Nyxshade's son more.And he disliked Ki
Seventeen years ago.Despite the bright fire in the fireplace, with several candelabras lit in every corner of the room, his mother continued to cough violently, so hard that her body seemed to slam against the bed.At that moment, Jace felt utterly helpless. He felt like grabbing the medicines from the drawer, crushing them, and forcing his mother to drink them all. But it was impossible. His mother had already taken enough medicine, and her condition didn't improve. Jace began to suspect that the smoke from the fireplace was making his mother cough, but he wasn't sure. All he could do was sit leaning against his mother's bed, so as not to lose a single precious moment with her.Suddenly, his mother's bony hand brushed Jace's hair. He immediately lifted his head carefully and gazed at his mother. She was too ill even to smile at him. But she still did it for Jace. "Where is your father?" she asked, her voice sounding more like a broken twig being stepped on."Dad is talking to the do
The rainstorm gradually subsided in the city of Remirer. Nevertheless, the Queen still ordered all her guests to leave promptly, accompanied by an apology only given in the form of a small box containing a remarkably large gemstone inside. It was the type of gemstone Elios thought could never be given away freely due to its unusual spectrum of colours, resembling liquid gold swirling within."Elios, what are you pondering?" Lana asked. Elios turned to see his wife meticulously folding their clothes and packing them neatly into their suitcase. "Is there an issue with the gift?"Until now, Elios often wondered why Lana could discuss anything related to Seraphina without any trace of jealousy, despite Lana's previous dislike towards Seraphina. He hastily pushed aside the trivial thought and closed Seraphina's small box of gifts, handing it over to Lana to be kept in their suitcase. "I'm just curious," Elios replied. "The gemstone given is of exceptionally high value. Too high to simply b
Honestly, Serena didn't feel entirely comfortable around Elios. She knew the Grand Duke was cool, laid-back, and what else? Smart and strong. The type of older guy she would have admired if Serena were still young. But in reality, ever since she got to know Jace, who was equally cool but secretly harbored a terrifying and evil side, Serena became somewhat afraid of other men who resembled him. Including Elios Silverlake.Stay calm, Serena. Serena scolded herself as she arrived in front of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Silverlake's bedroom. After steeling her resolve, she knocked three times on the door and waited, nibbling on her fingertips.The door opened a few seconds later. The beautiful face of the Grand Duchess peeked out, gazing at her with genuine kindness and sympathy. "Oh, hello," Lana greeted warmly. "Do you need something, Serena?"It turns out Lana still remembered her name. Serena smiled nervously. "Um, can I come in? I need to discuss something with you and Elios," s
Although Kieran Nyxshade left the room using teleportation, Julian Snowblur showed no difficulty in fighting off two opponents at once. Conversely, William found himself overwhelmed by the young man from Rainvale. Julian, able to anticipate his movements and Anne's, posed a challenge for Will who struggled to engage him without accidentally harming Anne.Finally, Will was forced to order his ally to retreat. "Anne, fall back and assist Oliver in subduing that young Nyxshade," he commanded. Anne promptly leaped backward to aid Oliver in his struggle against Arlo Nyxshade.Julian did not slow down his assault. They fought in the corner of the room, near the door. Julian's swordsmanship lacked finesse; it was as if he had never wielded a sword before. His movements were erratic, making them unpredictable.Will dodged just as Julian feinted towards his neck, but the move changed into a blow to his side. Will fell to his knees. He immediately tried to kick Julian's leg, but the man agilely
When Jace loudly voiced accusations against Kieran, half of the room gasped. Except, of course, Will, Dravon, Oliver, Julian, and even Arlo."This kingdom is in disarray," the prime minister finally uttered. The woman rubbed her non-aching head. "This is what happens when young ones are bestowed with such high titles. They fail to fulfill their duties properly and only think of love.""If I'm not mistaken, it's you who can't perform well, Luisa," Jace retorted irritably. "Please judge this despicable rat.""We can judge him later, Jace," Elios said coldly. It seemed, in this room, he was leading the meeting. "Seraphina is dead. And we must judge Prince Vikrant.""I told you I'm not the culprit!" Vikrant exclaimed angrily. However, in his mind, Kieran could clearly feel Vikrant's satisfaction."No," Kieran said loudly. "I can read his mind. Indeed, he is the one who killed Seraphina."Vikrant fell silent, staring at him sharply. But Kieran calmly stepped towar
The Prime Minister's speech was like a breath of fresh air to most people in the room, thirsty for justice. However, Kieran Nyxshade remained seated upright in his chair, exchanging glances with Dravon Nightcrown, or whoever his real surname was.A rumble echoed once again. The sky of Remirer grew darker by the second, casting an increasing shadow over the meeting room where they all sat. Only the flickering candlelight illuminated the restlessness."It seems a power outage is imminent," Chief Justice finally remarked."Your Honor, please explain what we should do," Luisa pleaded. "We can't afford to let our kingdom remain leaderless. Varidianth will be vulnerable if we continue like this. Besides, neither Prince Dravon nor Duke Kieran can be elevated as the next king. They are too cunning and malicious.""I have no desire to become the king of this kingdom!" protested Kieran and Dravon simultaneously. They exchanged surprised glances, then averted their faces.A pair of weary eyes fro