Duke Thaddeus exhaled. Slowly. Controlled. The weight of the moment pressing deep into his chest.
For too long, he had been silent.
Stunned.
Madeleina’s words had been a dagger—one aimed at everything he had once believed, at everything he had dedicated himself to.
But it was Luca’s words—that damned boy’s words—that had finally shattered the haze clouding his mind.
He could see it now. Clearly.
He turned his gaze to Aeliana.
Her hands were still clenched at her sides, her fingers still stained with blood—Madeleina’s blood. But it wasn’t just rage that burned in her amber eyes.
It was something far deeper.
Something close to grief.
She had always known she was seen as a burden. Always. But to hear it spoken so plainly, to hear it from someone who had been so close to her father—
That was something else entirely.
Thaddeus let his golden gaze linger on her for a moment before speaking.
"This whole situation is because of me," he said, his voice quiet but absolute.
Madeleina’s breath hitched.
Luca tilted his head, intrigued.
Aeliana’s fists tightened.
"Because of my negligence," Thaddeus continued, his jaw tensing. "And because of my lack of understanding of my subordinates."
Madeleina flinched.
Luca, however—
"Heh."
A snicker.
A sharp, unapologetic sound that cut through the heavy silence like a blade.
Thaddeus’ golden eyes snapped to him, sharp as a predator’s.
Luca grinned.
But for once, there was no amusement in his expression.
"Nothing," he mused, waving a hand lazily. "It’s just… nice to hear you say it out loud, Mister Duke."
Thaddeus’ glare sharpened, but he did not acknowledge the boy further.
Because he was right.
Admitting his own failings was not the important matter at hand.
The one most affected was not him.
His gaze shifted once more.
"Aeliana."
She lifted her head, her breathing steady but uneven, her fury still simmering just beneath the surface.
"You will be the one deciding her fate."
The words settled into the chamber, pressing against the walls like an unspoken decree.
Madeleina froze.
Her silver-blue eyes widened just slightly before narrowing once more.
Aeliana’s lips parted slightly.
"You mean…" she began, but Thaddeus did not let her finish.
"You decide," he stated firmly. "What happens to her now is in your hands."
Aeliana inhaled sharply, her mind racing.
Madeleina. The woman who had betrayed her. The woman who had tried to erase her. The woman who had pushed her into the abyss.
She had every reason to want her gone.
And yet—
Something gnawed at her.
Something she did not yet understand.
She glanced at her father once more, searching his face for any hint of what he wanted her to do.
But Thaddeus was silent.
Expression unreadable.
It was her choice.
And that…
That made it all the more difficult.
The chamber remained thick with silence—until Thaddeus straightened slightly, his tone shifting.
"Until then."
He turned away from Aeliana, his gaze flickering toward the entrance of the chamber.
"Edric."
At once, the heavy door creaked open.
A knight stepped forward, his armor gleaming in the dim firelight. His stance was firm, disciplined—the very embodiment of Duke Thaddeus’ authority.
"My Lord."
"Take her to the lower dungeons," Thaddeus ordered, his voice steady, absolute. "She is to be treated as a criminal until my daughter’s judgment is made."
Madeleina did not struggle.
Did not resist.
Her body remained stiff, her expression carefully measured, but there was no fight left in her.
Perhaps there had never been.
She had known. From the moment the truth had been laid bare, from the moment he had looked at her like that, like she was nothing more than a stain to be scrubbed away—
She had known.
And so, when the knight’s grip tightened around her arm, she simply exhaled softly and spoke, her voice composed, unwavering.
"I can move on my own."
The knight hesitated for only a second before nodding and releasing her arm.
She turned without another word, her steps measured as she strode toward the door.
No parting remark. No desperate attempt to plead her case.
She left in silence.
And that—
That was what made it feel so final.
The heavy doors closed behind her with a resounding thud, and the room was once again reduced to just three.
Silence settled once more, but it was not the same as before.
This silence was thick, suffocating.
Aeliana stood rigid, her hands still trembling at her sides, her jaw tight.
She wanted to kill Madeleina.
Thaddeus could see it—clearly.
The way her aura still pulsed faintly, as if barely restrained. The way her breath came just a little too fast. The way her fingers twitched, itching for something more than just words.
And yet—
She had hesitated.
Why?
Was it doubt? Was it restraint?
No.
It was something more complicated.
Something she herself did not yet understand.
But for now, it did not matter.
Thaddeus turned, his golden gaze shifting—
To the boy.
The one called Luca.
The child.
His expression darkened, his jaw tensing as he studied him.
This kid…
What the hell was that?
The way he had spoken. The way he had torn into Madeleina’s soul with nothing but words.
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It had not been simple deduction. Not mere analysis.
No.
That had been personal.
The way he had twisted the knife—speaking as if he knew exactly what lay at the bottom of her thoughts, as if he had seen people like her before.
As if he had lived it.
Luca, for his part, did not flinch beneath the Duke’s stare.
If anything, he smirked.
Thaddeus felt his irritation spike.
This damn kid.
But there were more pressing matters to deal with.
Even though Madeleina had come and caused a scene, even though the chamber had turned into something far messier than he had anticipated—
There was still a reason he had called both Aeliana and this young man here.
His golden eyes flickered to his daughter.
And then back to Luca.
The vortex.
That was what mattered now.
He exhaled slowly, straightening. His voice, when he spoke, was cold and precise.
"Enough of this nonsense."
The amusement flickering in Luca’s dark eyes did not fade.
But Thaddeus ignored it.
His gaze settled on Aeliana now, and when he spoke, his words were deliberate.
"Tell me everything."
His eyes flickered to Luca once more.
"Both of you."
His voice dropped slightly, his words sharpening.
"What happened after you were swallowed by the vortex?"
*****
Lucavion smiled.
It was not a grin. Not a smirk laced with mischief.
No.
It was a measured, deliberate smile—the kind that came when the pieces of a puzzle began to align in his favor.
Duke Thaddeus’ words had been directed at both of them, but Aeliana—ah, poor, shaken Aeliana—was still caught in the storm of her own emotions. That meant, naturally, that all eyes had fallen on him. And Lucavion?
Well, he would never waste such an opportunity.
"After I was swallowed by the vortex, I found myself in a different space," he began, his tone calm yet deliberate. He did not rush. Let them hang onto each word. Let the weight of the unknown settle.
"A different space?" The Duke’s golden eyes narrowed.
Lucavion nodded. "Yes. A different space. The sky was unfamiliar. The mana alone was… different. Thicker. More chaotic." He exhaled, tilting his head slightly, as if recalling the sensation. "From that alone, I could tell—it wasn’t just another location. It was a different world."
Silence. A heavy pause. Aeliana was still stiff beside him, her fists clenching at the mere reminder of what had happened. Thaddeus, though—he was absorbing, calculating.
Then, after a beat—
"...Then?" The Duke’s voice was edged with restrained impatience. "How did you meet Aeliana?"
Lucavion hummed, glancing at the girl in question.
He saw her shoulders tense. The way her breath stilled.
He did not smile this time. Not yet.
"I found her while I was wandering," he said, his voice light, almost casual. "She was nearly on the verge of getting—" He paused. Purposefully. Letting the moment stretch. Letting the tension coil. "—assaulted by some monkeys."
The air in the chamber shifted.
Aeliana stiffened further.
Thaddeus—
"What?!"
His voice was sharp, a thunderous roar that echoed against the stone walls. His entire posture changed, his hands curling into fists at his sides. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Lucavion, entirely unfazed, merely sighed.
"Well, they’re dead now." He flicked a hand, dismissive. "No need to get worked up, Dear Duke."
The older man’s golden eyes burned, still locked onto him with the intensity of a predator scenting blood. Explore more at freewebnovel
Lucavion met that gaze head-on.