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
Elios felt uneasy as he dismissed Kieran and Dravon as if they were nobodies. Despite their names being at the top of the succession to the throne, Elios himself was considered nobody in the kingdom of Varidianth. Yet, the Chief Justice had chosen him, and Elios had to make the most of his position. Many lives depended on him now.As the room almost emptied without the presence of Valorthorn nobles, the Chief Justice smiled at him. "Let's have a Blitz Chess," the old man said.Elios blinked, surprised to hear a term he hadn't heard in a long time. In Varidianth idiom, Blitz Chess meant a brief meeting."We're forced to change the feudal system into a monarchy," Chief Justice said. "Not to offend your wife, Elios. But...""I understand," Elios cut in quickly. He never underestimated Lana's abilities, even though she was once just a servant without magical powers. However, in managing the state affairs, it would be impossible to burden all the political responsibilities on her shoulders
As Elios left the large meeting room, Arlo realised that his hands had been clenched into tight fists. He was not happy that Elios had sent Kieran and Julian to the black tower, wherever that might be, with Dravon the traitor's entourage. He was genuinely surprised that Elios now had more power over his family than Kieran.What annoyed him the most, what had that old man called "Your Honour" said? Arlo had to get engaged to Lunabelle if he wanted to be the next king? Seriously! If becoming king means Arlo will be killed by the people closest to him, ugh not really! Especially if he has to get engaged and married to Lunabelle. This world is really crazy. Although, Arlo can't deny that he really loves Lunabelle.Everyone else in the room left immediately. For a moment Arlo and Franz Froz exchanged glares, before the boy nudged Arlo's shoulder hard, and the other shoulder was tapped by someone.Arlo immediately turned around and met the gaze of a pair of beautiful blue eyes. Marquis Jace