The throne hall remained in heavy silence, the weight of Leah's ultimatum lingering like a storm cloud even after she had gone from everyone's sight.
Zion stood motionless, his face filled with conflict and turmoil. Fiona, barely holding back tears, kept her distance, giving him the space he needed.
Azzy finally broke the silence, his voice low but steady.
"Zion, your mother's conditions were harsh, but her plight is true," he said, looking at his son. "This is your life, your love, Zion. Fiona."
Zion turned to et his father's gaze. The struggle was evident in his eyes, torn between duty and desire. Azzy stood and walked closer, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Both of you will have to fight for it. No matter the decision you make, I'll support it. I'll fight Leah if I have to."
Zion nodded silently, though his mind was spinning. The weight of what lay ahead, the conflict with his mother, the future of Calot, the clash of love and duty, all seed unbearable for this 18-year-old.
Azzy's gaze turned to the rest of the room.
"You are dismissed." His tone was final.
The rest of the court bowed and slowly began to leave. But before anyone could exit, Azzy's voice rang out again. "Not you, Affea, Orion. Both of you stay."
Both of them froze in place, and so did Vesyrn, who looked puzzled as he started to leave as well.
Azzy's eyes locked onto his father's.
"Dad, you stay too," he said simply, before anyone could protest.
As the door closed behind Zion and Fiona, who left in silence, the room beca much smaller, the pressure mounting with every passing second.
Azzy leaned back in his throne, his hands folded in front of him as he focused his attention on Affea and Orion, and then on his father, who had taken a step closer, his brow furrowed.
"Affea, Orion," Azzy began, his voice calm but serious. "Both of you are direct descendants of the Garcia family. You are eligible for the title of prince/princess. Both of you are aware of it."
The room grew even quieter as he continued. "The Garcia Family will be holding a competition next week. All young people, below the age of 100, can compete for a chance to beco one of the candidates for the throne. And I hope both of you to take part in this." Azzy's gaze swept over the two of them, waiting for their reactions.
Orion blinked, glancing at Affea as the latter opened her mouth.
"But I'm the representative elder of the Garcia Family on the Elder Council. I can't be a princess, can I?" Affea said, raising an eyebrow, her tone skeptical.
Azzy chuckled softly, shaking his head. "The Elder Council hasn't even been officially ford yet. You're not an elder yet. You can still compete if you want."
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he added. "Besides, there's Malgrim, who is qualified to beco an elder."
The re ntion of the na made Affea's face darken. Her lips curled into a slight scowl as she crossed her arms.
"Ugh… Malgrim. That guy…" Her voice trailed off, frustration clear in her eyes. "He's a problem."
Azzy raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
Affea exhaled through her nose.
"He's good at what he does. Too good," she muttered bitterly. "But his personality… It's unbearable. He's just soone who would do anything to raise his status. He flirted with so many tis that I lost my patience one day and beat him up."
Azzy groaned and rubbed his forehead, looking almost exasperated.
"What's going on with this generation?" he muttered, shaking his head. "No one seems to care about blood relations anymore. Would it be enough if the girl were beautiful for these boys? Don't they care that they are relatives?"
Orion, standing at a distance, raised an eyebrow. "You beat him up?" he asked, incredulous. "Didn't he defeat two Supre Realm experts a year ago, one-on-two battle? Even I know about Malgrim. He is like a celebrity in the clan. I also heard that he had a perfect track record in investigations."
Affea's expression softened slightly as she explained. "Yes, he did. But he's still an asshole. Personality and strength have nothing to do with each other. If soone like him becos the clan head, he will only lead us to the ruins."
Azzy leaned back in his throne, rubbing his temples, exhausted by the whole situation. He sighed deeply, glancing over at the two of them.
"Well, regardless, he is qualified and didn't break the laws of our clan. We can't deny an opportunity to him." Azzy replied in the end as a finality.
Affea could only grunt and stay silent.
However, just as Azzy thought it went well at the very least, Orion spoke aloud this ti, raising his hand. "Dad, but I don't want to be a candidate either."
Azzy blinked, taken aback by Orion's sudden declaration.
"Why?"
Orion t his gaze steadily.
"Because I want to enter the Tower of Abel," he said, each word deliberate. "If I beco the heir, I'll be tied to the clan. And I can't do that. Not if I want to pursue my own path."
Azzy paused, stunned by the revelation. He hadn't expected Orion to say this.
"You don't have to worry about that," Azzy replied slowly, his voice softer than before. "When I was the lone heir, I had the freedom to travel wherever I wanted. I was even a captain at WAMO and a teacher at an academy for a while."
Orion's eyes widened, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
"You worked at World Arcana Masters Organization and even taught at an academy?" he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Why?"
Azzy simply shrugged, as if it were a minor detail in the grand sche of things.
"It was an undercover job," Azzy replied casually. "Just like how you want to make your own way, I was trying to find my own way too. But in the end, I was destined to sit here. Just that way, I will give you full freedom to pursue your path, but I would like you to keep all of your options open. Or else, when your destiny takes you to a destination that you don't like, you will end up getting hurt."
Orion nodded slowly, processing Azzy's words. However, he could sense Azzy's words contained the wisdom of experience. And he couldn't help but wonder what his father went through.
anwhile, Azzy continued, "The upcoming competition is sothing that only cos once in a lifeti. If you miss it, you won't get another chance. So, think carefully, both of you. And Affy, if Fiona and Zion break up… pass the ssage to Fiona that I expect her to participate. But if they don't… You don't have to bother because she has already chosen the path of leaving the death clan. There would be no need to look for the clan's future in her." He trailed off, his aning clear.
Affea's eyes darkened at the ntion of Fiona's situation, but she remained silent for a mont.
She couldn't imagine the burden her sister must be carrying right now.
Orion, anwhile, shifted uncomfortably, clearly uncomfortable with the direction things were heading.
The room grew still again. Orion and Affea exchanged looks, both seeming lost in their own thoughts. Azzy knew they were processing everything, trying to figure out the best way forward.
Azzy turned his eyes toward the door, wondering how Zion would handle the situation.
Would he choose his family's future over his love? Or would he go against the very foundations of Calot for the woman he loved?
And the question remained: Who would choose love, and who would choose duty?
Later that night;
At Egrein City, Northern Qudour;
Fiona was seen sitting alone a the top of the tower. She was crying in sadness, rembering the battles she had fought against Zion. To others, they were just battles but for her, they were sweet mories.
anwhile, Chione's presence wrapped around Fiona like a gentle, protective force.
As Fiona leaned into the comforting embrace of her Arcana spirit, she sobbed in a shaky voice."Why did I have to fall for him? If only I had kept my feelings to myself, even after he proposed to and not kissed him, the situation would have been a lot better. I wouldn't have been forced into breaking up with him. Years of feelings were just destroyed in one week."
Chione's icy fingers brushed Fiona's cheek, wiping away the tears in silence.
Fiona wiped her face and looked up. She becos a bit resolute as she mumbles to herself. "Today, I have given up my love for the sake of preventing Zion from making a difficult choice. But it isn't just Leah at fault. The fault lies with society and its stupid rules. These people worship the Gods who marry their own siblings, but when it cos to fellow humans, they look at it as disgusting behavior. That's why, even though my brother and Leah were strong, they couldn't do anything against society. To change the rules of society, I need to beco a goddess. No, I will beco a goddess."
She stood up, standing at the edge of the tower and clenching her fists.
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