Vined and Elena walked with calm steps, the air around them changing as people moved aside.
But the mont their eyes landed on their sons standing with a woman, both of them slowed down.
At first, neither of them recognized her.
She looked too young, too bright in the middle of the crowd.
But when Vined looked a little closer, his face shifted.
His eyes widened just a bit, then sharpened with clear surprise.
He walked toward her at once.
"Aunt—" he started.
He didn’t even get the whole word out.
"How many tis do I have to tell you," Esabella cut him off, frowning, "don’t call aunt."
Vined stopped like soone had grabbed him by the collar.
His face sank in an instant, as if he had committed so grave mistake.
He even lowered his head a little, like a scolded child.
Esabella crossed her arms with a flat look.
"Either call big sis or Miss Esabella."
Vined stared at her, confused.
He knew her from when he was small, and she had been the sa age as his father back then.
Calling her "big sis" now felt strange.
Calling her "miss" didn’t feel right either. He stood there stuck, unsure what to do or say.
So he wisely stayed silent.
Elena stepped forward instead, her smile polite and calm.
"Greetings, Miss Esabella."
Esabella nodded back at her, the sharp look fading from her face.
Elena’s voice always had that effect, steady, warm, the kind that softened even the oddest monts.
Vivian could see relief flicker through Vined’s eyes as his wife took control of the situation.
Esabella’s gaze drifted to Elena for a mont longer, as if weighing sothing, then she let out a small breath.
"At least soone here listens," she said under her breath, though the tiny smile on her lips softened the words.
Vivian stayed a step back, watching the adults talk.
They exchanged their greetings smoothly enough, but Esabella’s eyes kept drifting toward him and Edward, as if she were asuring the two of them like rare gems on display.
After a mont, her gaze landed on Elena.
A slow, teasing smile ford.
"Your womb must be magical, no?"
She said, her tone carrying that light sarcasm she tossed around so easily.
Elena froze, then turned pink in the cheeks.
Vined, on the other hand, straightened up so fast his shoulders almost cracked.
His chest puffed out like he had just been crowned king.
He was a coward half the ti, always getting bullied by his wife... yet praise like this? He could live off it for a month. Maybe two.
Esabella continued without missing a beat.
"To give birth to these two, children who don’t lack anything, it must have taken quite the effort."
Elena covered her mouth, embarrassed.
Vined looked like he wanted a painter to capture this mont forever.
Vivian pinched the bridge of his nose. Edward just stared, confused but proud.
Then Esabella shifted her weight, eyes moving to Edward again.
"So... how about I take the little one as a disciple?"
Her words landed like a dropped stone.
Elena blinked.
Vined blinked.
Both parents turned to her at the sa ti.
"Huh?" they said together, voices overlapping in perfect confusion.
The noise of the hall rolled on around them, but between these four, ti felt like it had paused for a full heartbeat, everyone processing the sa shock, each in their own stunned silence.
Esabella let out a light chuckle, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as if the whole room wasn’t holding its breath.
"I would’ve taken both of them," she said, eyes sliding toward Vivian for a mont, "but the older one is already too far along."
"At his age, starting magic would be hard. And he’s at a stage where he can’t split his focus between sword and spell."
Vivian nodded in agreent but stayed silent.
Esabella’s gaze shifted to Edward again, softer this ti.
"But the little one... he’s not that old yet. It would’ve been better if I took him two or three years ago, but with his talent, he’ll manage. It won’t hold him back."
Her words weren’t dramatic.
She didn’t boast. She just said it like a simple truth, and it carried more weight than most royal announcents.
Vined and Elena stood frozen.
Neither spoke.
Shock held both of them still.
Their eyes flicked to their sons, one tall, quiet, clearly thinking that the offer wasn’t bad; the other small, stubborn, already frowning like a little knight refusing to leave his sword.
Vined managed to keep a composed face, but it was the calm of a man who had been slapped by surprise.
His mind was racing behind his eyes.
Elena, though... her face slowly sank.
The realization hit her with full force.
If Edward accepted this...
If he beca Esabella Roseline’s disciple...
Both her boys would be gone from ho, training far away, living under soone else’s roof, walking paths she couldn’t walk with them.
Her chest tightened. Not with anger, just a quiet ache only a mother could understand.
Esabella didn’t miss the shift in her expression, but she didn’t say anything yet.
Elena stood there for a long mont, her eyes soft but troubled.
She took a slow breath, sorting through every fear, every hope, every motherly instinct tugging at her chest.
When she finally spoke, her voice was steady, even if her heart wasn’t.
"Edward," she said gently, "do you want to beco Miss Esabella’s disciple?"
Vivian almost turned to her in shock.
He had been sure, certain, that she would refuse.
He knew better than anyone how tightly she held her children close.
It was hard enough for her with him living away from ho... and now Edward might leave too.
That should’ve broken her resolve.
Yet she didn’t say no.
She didn’t shield him.
She didn’t stop him.
She chose the harder path for herself because she knew what this offer ant.
Becoming the disciple of one of the greatest mages in the empire wasn’t sothing that ca twice in a lifeti.
Vivian felt a quiet respect rise toward her. She was stronger than she looked.
Edward stayed still, thinking. Really thinking.
His eyes drifted to Vivian, looking for sothing, approval, guidance, maybe just reassurance.
Vivian nodded once. A simple gesture that said:
Whatever you choose, I’m with you.
Edward drew in a sharp breath.
His small hands tightened at his sides. Then he lifted his chin.
"I won’t leave the sword," he said firmly.
"No matter what. And if I think that magic is making my sword training fall behind, then I will quit."
There was no childishness in his voice. No hesitation.
He wasn’t being stubborn, he was being clear.
He would learn magic if he could. He would accept the chance if it helped him grow.
But the sword... the sword was his heart.
The hall’s noise faded again as his words settled between all of them.
Esabella raised an eyebrow, impressed.
Vivian felt a warmth flicker in his chest.
Elena let out the smallest breath, a mother’s quiet pride.
Vined stood tall, soaking in the strength of his youngest.
Edward had made his decision, not blindly, not because of pressure, but because he knew exactly what path he wanted to walk.
Esabella nodded slowly, her expression softening as she looked at Edward, really looked at him, as if she was already planning out the next ten years of his life.
"From today," she said, voice calm but carrying a strange warmth, "you are my second disciple. Call Master from now on."
Edward blinked once, as if the words needed a mont to sink in.
Vivian watched the scene with a quiet, rising pride.
Esabella paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
Then she laid out the path with the sa tone soone might use to explain the weather.
"In the morning till evening, you will learn swordsmanship from Vikram. After that, you will learn magic from . Can you do it?"
Edward straightened, his small shoulders firm with determination.
"I can."
Vivian nodded without hesitation. He knew better than anyone how hard Edward trained.
Even as a child, he pushed himself like he was chasing sothing only he could see.
If anyone could handle this insane schedule, it was him.
"Good," Esabella said, pleased.
Elena let out a long, quiet sigh.
Not one of sadness, more the sigh of a mother realizing her nest was about to feel emptier than ever before.
Her eyes drifted to her sons.
One is preparing to leave under the guidance of a legendary mage, while the other is already studying at an academy far from ho.
A helpless little thought drifted into her mind.
"I need to find a hobby," she murmured to herself.
Then another thought struck her, louder, brighter.
’Or... I could just marry Vivian off.’
Her gaze slowly slid to her eldest son like she was seeing him as a piece of furniture she finally knew where to place.
A new plan ford in her mind with suspicious speed.
If Vivian married Princess Charlotte in four or five years, then Elena wouldn’t be alone in the big estate.
The princess would live with them. There would be laughter, noise, warmth.
"Yes... that’s it..."
A small smile blood on her lips, far too peaceful to be innocent.
Vivian, who had been smiling proudly a mont ago, suddenly froze.
A cold chill crawled down his spine like a ghost had brushed its fingers along his neck.
He didn’t know what she was thinking.
He didn’t know what she planned.
But whatever it was...
he was sure it wasn’t good for him.
The celebration lights kept glowing. The music kept playing. People kept laughing.
But right next to him, his mother was smiling with the expression of a general who had just found the perfect strategy.
Vivian gulped.
The night had been full of surprises—
and sohow, this last one felt the most dangerous.
Reviews
All reviews (0)