“Mother!”
Ian hugged his little sister, Elaira, along with his mother, Lila.
He had a huge smile on his face.
So did the two of them.
“Ian… and Laira…”
“Mom…”
All three of them seed to be brimming with happiness.
It was inevitable.
It had been decades since they’d seen each other due to interference from others.
Naturally, they could only feel deep affection as a family.
This was especially true for Lila, the mother.
To Ian, who had been separated from her since childhood, and to her daughter, whom she had never properly embraced beyond re glimpses.
Lila gently stroked Elaira’s face.
“You’ve been through so much… haven’t you?”
“Mom…”
Elaira couldn’t hold back her tears, forgetting her dignity as a saintess.
This was possible because there were only them, Galon, and Duke Lavaltor.
It was a ti for the three of them to enjoy a long ti together.
Crackle.
Behind them, a battle of nerves was raging.
They are Duke Lavaltor and Sir Galon.
The two were wary of each other.
“Move aside.”
“I apologize, but I cannot allow that.”
Galon physically blocked the Duke from reaching Lila.
It was to prevent him from interfering with Ian and his family’s reunion.
The duke made a bewildered expression.
“Have you forgotten that this is my mansion? And I am Lila’s close friend.”
Rather, the uninvited guest was Galon.
However, despite the Duke’s words, Galon’s attitude remained unchanged.
Instead of yielding, he stood before the Duke with an even more resolute deanor.
“I apologize, but the prince has commanded to protect Mrs. Lila. And I… I intend to fulfill that order even if it costs my life.”
“What?”
In an instant, a surge of imnse power emanated from him as he focused his strength on Galon, who stood fearlessly in his way.
“This is your final warning. Step aside.”
The Duke’s fury was evident, a rare expression for him.
He had reached his limit and could no longer tolerate the audacity of this young knight.
It all began when he had gone to escort Lila at the entrance.
“Lila!”
“Ruth?”
He sincerely rejoiced at the survival of a long-ti friend, but then Galon stood in his way.
“Do not co any closer.”
“Move aside. I have a duty to attend next to her.”
“I cannot allow it under any circumstances.”
“Do not approach.”
“Step aside. I have business with the person next to you.”
“I cannot let you pass.”
“What?”
“I am carrying out the prince’s orders. If you have business with this person, you will have to kill first and step over my corpse.”
“!”
Galon faithfully carried out Ian’s command. He kept his promise to protect Lila, even at the risk of his own life.
Even when the great Duke of Lavaltor used the Tempest’s oath against him, he steadfastly guarded Lila.
He was invincible, an unwavering knight.
The current Duke of Lavaltor was well aware of that.
“Earlier, I couldn’t exert my full strength because I was worried about Lila… but any further resistance is arrogance, Galon.”
A storm began to swirl around his body.
No, it was an electrical current that would never be visible under normal circumstances.
It was a perfect combat stance.
However, Galon still did not back down.
“My answer remains unchanged,” Galon declared, his body pulsating with the oath of invincibility.
It was an expression of his determination to protect Lila and Ian, even at the risk of his life.
It was at that mont when Duke Lavaltor couldn’t hold back any longer and was about to say sothing.
“It’s alright, Sir Galon.”
“Your Highness?”
“My mother reassured that the Duke is an old friend. You can stop now.”
Upon hearing these words, Galon stepped back.
Ian expressed his gratitude to him, who risked his life to protect his mother, with a thankful glance.
Then he turned to the Duke.
“Sir Galon acted in such a manner to protect my mother. Please understand, Duke.”
“Hmm…”
“To be honest… I still can’t fully trust the Duke either…”
“What do you an?”
Duke Lavaltor’s eyebrows twitched.
Even though he was the child of King Eloin and Lila, the words were too harsh.
But Ian’s attitude was firm.
“My mother, who I thought was dead, is alive. And as it turns out, she was held captive and tortured by soone.”
“Tortured?”
For a mont, the Duke’s superhuman eyes swept over Lila.
And he could see.
‘Those scars.’
The priest had healed her. On the surface, she looked unhard.
However, there were obvious traces of torture all over Lila’s body.
They were horrifying enough for a knight like him to find them disturbing.
But Ian’s words were not yet finished.
“And that’s not all. It turns out my mother pretended to be dead to save . And the enemies used my younger sister as a hostage.”
“Is it true that the saintess is the prince’s younger sister?”
“That is correct.”
“Hmm…”
The Duke of Lavaltor’s normally reserved deanor was montarily broken by a hint of astonishnt in his voice.
If she was a saintess, it was not unexpected behavior.
After all, she was an exceptional being, highly valued, and the only one of her kind in the Holy Empire.
But for such a saintess to be Lila’s daughter…
‘Moreover, she is the twin sister of the Seventh Prince. It’s hard to believe.’
Of course, that’s why he could understand Lila’s choice.
Twins were symbols of anxiety and curses within the royal family.
It was customary for the king to decide which one to keep alive and which to sacrifice.
‘The prince and the saintess. It seems Lila had no choice but to leave to save them both.’
The Duke could empathize with Lila’s difficult decision, for he too was a parent with children of his own.
“But I understand what the prince wants to say.”
“Thank you for understanding, Duke.”
There was no other way.
It was a matter related to the saintess of the Holy Empire.
Which ant that Ian’s enemy might be the Holy Empire itself.
Even though Kaistein had no established state religion, there were still many people who believed in the faith of the Holy Empire.
‘Even my own butler was among them.’
He didn’t know how many more believers there were.
As Ian, in order to protect his mother and sister, he had to doubt everyone.
Duke Lavaltor himself, as well as all of Kaistein, could beco enemies.
So, the Duke asked, “What can I do to assist? No, what can I do to help?”
Ian smiled at the Duke’s words.
‘The help of Duke Lavaltor, known as the strongest in the continent…’
His gaze toward his mother was especially filled with deep affection.
It seed they had a strong friendship in their younger days.
In that case, there was sothing he had to ask for first.
“Firstly, I would like to see His Majesty.”
“Isn’t that within your reach as the Seventh Prince?”
“No, what I desire is not an audience with the king.”
“Then?”
Ian raised the corner of his mouth.
“I want to et His Majesty alone, without anyone else present. Please summon him here, not the royal palace.”
“What?”
For a brief mont, the Duke of Lavaltor’s expression hardened.
As a Guardian Knight, he possessed the authority to summon the king.
However, calling the king outside the royal court for a private eting was an entirely different matter.
It wasn’t simply that he was ashad to call the king to his half-destroyed mansion.
“Do you realize how dangerous those words are?”
It was a problem that could easily lead to accusations of treason.
‘The royal family has unseen forces protecting the king. Not to ntion various magical defenses shielding him.’
They might be alone in their eting, but they were far from being truly alone.
Yet, Ian insisted on calling the king to this place.
No matter how powerful King Eloin may be, he wouldn’t willingly expose himself to such risks.
However, Ian’s attitude was resolute.
“With the presence of the greatest knight on the continent, Duke Lavaltor, what harm could co? If the Duke is there to protect the king, there should be no issue, right?”
“That’s…”
“There is sothing I need to confirm,” Ian continued.
He truly wanted to know if King Eloin loved his mother and whether he had any involvent in her disappearance.
He also wanted to observe the king’s reaction upon learning about the existence of his younger sister, at the very least.
“Please summon His Majesty, or rather, my father,” Ian requested.
“!”
At that mont, Duke Lavaltor’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
***
“Hurry up and co here. What are you doing?”
“I-I’ll be right there.”
At the First Princess’s urging, Nathan hurriedly followed behind her.
However, his expression was not good.
“Um… Princess, are we not heading to the prison?”
“My title is not princess, I believe.”
Nathan was stunned.
He searched for a way to steer the conversation, but the First Princess didn’t even respond.
Nathan sighed as if he had no choice.
“I lost, Lyn. Anyway, isn’t this the way to the Great Hall?”
“So?”
“The prince asked to check on Cardinal Cesare and then report back…”
The First Princess paused for a mont, her smile brightening as if she relished the na Nathan had called her.
“I should report to His Majesty first. Cesare cos after that.”
“But… Can I at least go to the prison first?”
“Follow .”
The First Princess never left Nathan alone.
It was as if she was heading to the Great Hall in a very leisurely manner, enjoying their ti together like a date.
Nathan’s face couldn’t help but show signs of aging in an instant.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached the entrance to the Great Hall, only to find a commotion inside.
“This is a challenge against Kaistein! It must not be forgiven!”
“We are the ones who defeated even that fiendish Bahara. Please punish the Holy Empire that was once under us!”
It seed that this disturbance was related to the incident with Cardinal Cesare, following the Haverion incident.
Looking at the argunts advocating for an imdiate war, Nathan spoke with an anxious expression.
“It seems like war might break out once again.”
Even as a knight, Nathan didn’t particularly welco war.
Furthermore, he was a knight who valued freedom and peace.
The situation was deeply unsettling.
However, the First Princess appeared unperturbed by it all.
“If you have ti to worry about such trivial matters, I suggest you focus on improving yourself.”
“What?”
“The nobles have been advocating for war like this for a long ti. To them, land is everything.”
Whenever an opportunity arose, it was the nobles who pushed for war. It ca as no surprise.
The conquest of Bahara, which the nobles had eagerly anticipated, had turned into Ian’s solo performance.
Consequently, the nobles had failed to acquire the desired lands, fueling their determination to initiate another war.
But…
“What war are they planning to fight? They struggled to equip their armies for the wars against Bahara and Cantum. Initiating another war would require significant military funding.”
The First Princess scoffed at the situation, her disdain for the thoughtless nobles evident.
“But His Majesty must be weary of dealing with those people,” Nathan remarked.
That was undeniably true.
The constant complaints and chaos that the nobles caused were always a burden on the king.
It was the king’s duty to listen to their grievances and suggest appropriate solutions.
Just then, an announcent broke the conversation.
“The most noble and beautiful star of Kaistein is entering!”
Upon hearing the servant’s call, the First Princess and Nathan stepped into the audience hall.
“Isn’t the man next to the First Princess Nathan Adelas?”
“Weren’t they supposed to have broken up? Could it be that she chose that man over Prince Leonic…?”
“Surely that can’t be true. The position beside the Empress of the Great Empire is on a totally different level than that of a re knight.”
As murmurs and whispers surrounded them, the chamberlain leaned in to whisper sothing to King Eloin.
Observing this, the First Princess’s expression changed.
Nathan called out to her.
“First Princess?”
Although she had encouraged him to use her nickna, it was difficult to behave casually in such a serious setting.
However, the First Princess ‘s expression remained unchanged.
‘What is going on?’
From a distance, it wasn’t easy to see clearly.
It was precisely when the First Princess grew curious that a voice sounded beside her.
“Duke Lavaltor has requested an audience. He asked the king to co to his mansion imdiately.”
Startle.
The First Princess turned her head towards the voice. It was Nathan. He spoke with a triumphant expression.
“I can perform so divination, you see. I could tell,” he said, puffing out his chest with pride.
Under normal circumstances, the First Princess might have been impressed by Nathan’s abilities.
However, the situation felt off.
She urgently asked, “Is there nothing else?”
“As soon as possible. He wishes to et the king alone, like when they were kids.”
“Duke Lavaltor… requested a private eting?” The First Princess’s eyes widened.
No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t sound like sothing Duke Lavaltor would do.
If that were the case…
‘It’s definitely Ian. He must be behind this.’
She didn’t know what sche he was plotting, but judging by the change in King Eloin’s expression, sothing significant was about to unfold.
***
The half-destroyed mansion of Duke Lavaltor.
There, Ian sat alone in a chair, with no one else around.
He held the royal sword in both hands.
‘Will he truly co? Or will he not?’
Ian’s eyes were cold.
And it was that mont.
Thump. Thump.
Sounds could be heard from outside.
And Ian caught sight of soone.
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