As soon as the secret path was closed, the sadness within Lord Hadri's eyes vanished completely. It was replaced by a coldness he had never once shown toward his family or those he loved. The killing intent he had restrained earlier surged forth without mercy, like a savage beast long trapped within a cage that had finally broken free of its chains.
The knight standing behind him shuddered at the sight. Yet rather than fear taking hold of his heart, a fierce resolve settled in its place. He felt more determined than ever to fight at his lord's side, to stand with him until the very end. After all, the man before him was the one he admired above all others.
He was Hadri Ambroise.
The head of Ambroise. The strongest figure of their generation. Blessed with extraordinary talent and unmatched skill, he had drawn countless capable knights to his duchy, men and women who would gladly offer their lives for him. It was this very strength that had stirred dissatisfaction within the Emperor's heart, for such power was never easily tolerated.
His mere presence was enough to raise the morale of the remaining soldiers. It strengthened their resolve and banished hesitation from their minds. That was the reason Lord Hadri had not followed his daughter into safety. As the head of Ambroise, he could not flee and abandon his people to their fate. Not now, and not ever. Especially not after the most important person in his life had sacrificed herself to protect him and their children.
Lord Hadri closed his eyes for a brief moment. A woman's face surfaced within his mind, clear and vivid despite the chaos around him. She was the woman who had claimed his heart for seventeen long years. The woman who had promised to share both life and death with him.
She was his wife, the Duchess of Ambroise. Maria Elvira.
Never in Lord Hadri's life had he imagined that he would fail to protect his wife. Not even once had he believed there would come a day when she would die within his embrace. She had always disliked violence, always wished for peace, yet she had met her end in the midst of bloodshed, giving her life without hesitation to shield him.
The day that had never crossed Lord Hadri's mind had arrived all the same. It came without warning, sudden and merciless. The loss of his wife happened so quickly that it left no time for grief to take shape.
There was no room for mourning, no moment to collapse beneath the weight of despair, for he still had Aeris to protect. So Lord Hadri forced his heart to harden, carrying his sorrow forward as he prepared to face whatever awaited him next.
As he recalled Madam Maria's gentle smile, Lord Hadri heard the shrill screams of his people echoing from outside the office. Panic and agony rang through the halls of the Ambroise manor, a place that should have been their sanctuary. They were being attacked within their own home. The thought that this assault had come from betrayal within his own domain ignited a fierce anger deep within his chest.
He left the room alongside his knight, his steps steady despite the storm raging in his heart. Though he knew well that Ambroise stood on the losing end of this battle, Lord Hadri refused to yield. No matter the cost, this conflict had to end here. It could not be left unresolved.
This was his battle to fight. He would not allow Aeris to carry this burden in his stead, nor would he permit his own failures to shape her future. Whatever the outcome, this sin would be his alone to bear.
"Ria, I know you wished for me to protect our children. But I cannot do that," Lord Hadri whispered to himself, his voice heavy with sorrow as he drew his sword and leapt toward the enemies closing in around him.
"Please forgive me."
The blade that had long remained sheathed, a weapon meant only for monsters, was soon stained with human blood. Each swing of his sword ended with crimson splattering across the stone floor and walls. Lord Hadri stepped over fallen bodies, crushing them beneath his boots as he pressed forward without pause.
His eyes burned red, guilt gnawing relentlessly at his heart as he recognised familiar faces among the fallen. These were people who had once smiled at him, who had sworn loyalty to Ambroise, now scattered across the floor in broken and lifeless forms.
Yet that guilt vanished the moment his gaze fixed upon a figure waiting calmly at the far end of the hallway. The man stood there with a mischievous smile, casually toying with his sword as though this carnage were nothing more than a game.
Lord Hadri's pace quickened, fury surging through him. The pain of betrayal sharpened his resolve as he faced someone he had once regarded as a close friend.
"You bastard! What have I done to you?" Lord Hadri demanded as they finally stood face to face.
The man who had appeared bored moments earlier burst into loud laughter at Lord Hadri's words. The anguish reflected in Lord Hadri's eyes seemed to bring him genuine delight.
"Ah, Hadri." The man shook his head, his expression shifting into one of feigned disappointment.
"None of this would have happened if you had not challenged His Majesty's authority." The man shrugged lightly, his relaxed posture making it clear that everything unfolding was the result of the Emperor feeling threatened by Lord Hadri's strength.
"What nonsense! You know full well that I have never done anything to threaten His Majesty. He did not even have the evidence to evict me!" Lord Hadri shouted in protest, his patience thinning with every breath. His grip on his sword tightened, the blade trembling as though eager to strike at any moment.
"Why? Why did you do this? What grudge does Ambroise have against you?!" Lord Hadri pressed on, refusing to abandon his search for an answer.
A part of him believed that while the Emperor might have played a role in this tragedy, he lacked the courage to order the massacre of the entire Ambroise duchy. Such an act would only stain the royal family's name beyond repair.
It had to be the man standing before him who possessed the nerve to carry out such madness. After all, this man had always been unhinged, walking the edge between ambition and cruelty.
The man laughed again, shaking his head as he wore an innocent expression that did not reach his eyes.
"I told you. All of this happened because you dared to threaten the Emperor's authority."
The more the man laughed, the fiercer Lord Hadri's anger grew. It was as though the final thread holding his sanity in place had snapped without warning. With a roar torn from his chest, Lord Hadri raised his sword and lunged at the man standing before him.
Each strike carried unmistakable intent. He was not fighting to drive him back or force him to retreat. He was fighting to take his life. This man, whom he had once regarded as a brother and trusted with his back on the battlefield, was now the very person he wished to erase from the world.
The clash between them escalated swiftly. Both men were seasoned warriors, veterans of countless battles, and they had once fought side by side as allies. They knew one another's movements and habits too well, their blades meeting again and again with no clear opening to be found.
"Hadri, your tactics have grown dull." The man spoke with a look of disappointment as he delivered a powerful kick that sent Lord Hadri crashing into the wall. "As expected, becoming a family man has ruined all your hard work."
After hours of relentless fighting since the attack began, it was clear that Lord Hadri's strength was waning. His limbs felt heavy, his muscles screaming in protest. In stark contrast, the man before him appeared untouched, standing tall and composed as though the battle meant nothing more than mild exertion.
Lord Hadri tightened his grip on his sword and leaned upon it for support. His breathing grew uneven, each breath more laboured than the last as exhaustion slowly crept through his body. At that moment, a bitter realisation struck him.
He had grown old. He was no longer the man he had once been, strong and relentless, filled with boundless vitality. Perhaps this truly would be the place where his life ended. Perhaps he would fall by this man's hand.
The man observed him quietly as Lord Hadri struggled to steady himself. He tilted his head, as if pondering something amusing. Then a smug smile spread across his face as he spoke.
"Oh, my dear friend. Have you bid farewell to your wife? After all, you will never see her again."
At the sound of those words, Lord Hadri froze. For a brief moment, shock held him in place before understanding dawned. A low, sinister laugh escaped his lips, raw and filled with venom.
"Tell me." Lord Hadri lifted his gaze to the man, curiosity gleaming darkly in his eyes as he spoke in a mocking tone.
"How did you feel when you killed Maria? The woman you have harboured feelings for all this time."
"What?" The man's eyes turned cold, his expression stiff with disbelief as he was caught completely off guard by Lord Hadri's words.
"It is pitiful, truly," Lord Hadri continued, his voice sharp with scorn.
"No matter what you did back then, Maria never once looked at you. She only ever saw you as a friend. And yet you dared to desire her." Memories from twenty years ago surfaced unbidden in his mind, vivid and painful.
The three of them had grown up together, sharing laughter and hardship alike. They had been closer than mere friends, and Lord Hadri had once believed this man to be his brother in all but blood. Who could have imagined that both he and his wife would meet their end by this same hand.
"You may hate me as much as you wish." Lord Hadri went on, his voice steady despite the pain coursing through him.
"You may take everything from me. But no matter what you do, you will never change the truth. Maria chose me." A dark laugh left his throat.
"I am her husband," he stared at the man with eyes stripped of all warmth. "And she will be buried with me, as my wife—"
The words died in his throat. Blood spilled from his mouth as his gaze dropped downward. A sword had pierced straight through his chest, its blade emerging from his back.
"You spoke too much, Hadri." The man said flatly, his voice empty of emotion.
"You killed me and Maria…" Lord Hadri murmured breathlessly. "What did you gain from this?"
Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at the man standing before him. There was a question burning in his mind, one he knew he would never voice. No matter the answer, the truth remained unchanged. The man before him had betrayed both him and the woman he loved.
"The dark shadow will be destroyed, sooner or later. The flame will be extinguished, for the one who held the throne was unworthy. When the wind blows, the flame will be gone, so too will your end…" Lord Hadri's voice echoed through the empty hallway. It was icy and broken, stripped of strength.
There was not the slightest hint of threat within it, yet every word pierced deeply into the man's mind, sinking in with chilling certainty.
With his final breath, Lord Hadri left behind words that sounded less like a warning and more like a curse laid upon his enemy's soul.
"The wind will come for you. So try and run as far as you can before you meet your end."
Lord Hadri slowly closed his eyes. Until the very last moment, the image of his family filled his thoughts. His wife's gentle smile, his children's faces, and Aeris standing before him all surfaced together. A faint smile rested upon his lips as his heart finally ceased its beating.
That night, on their daughter's fifteenth birthday, the Duke and Duchess of Ambroise, Lord Hadri Ambroise and Madam Maria Elvira, left the world together.
The Ambroise Duchy was ambushed without mercy. Hundreds of servants and knights were slain alongside their masters. The massacre unfolded swiftly and without warning, leaving the vassals no time to react or prepare themselves for the horror that followed.
In a single night, Aeris and her younger brothers became orphans.
And all of it happened because of a single order from the one who sits on the throne. Because of that, the Ambroise family was nearly erased from existence.
News of Lord Hadri and Madam Maria's deaths spread through the empire like wildfire. The commoners were left confused and terrified that the strongest noble family in the land could be struck down so easily. Meanwhile, the other nobles cowered in silence, for they knew all too well who stood behind the massacre.
This tragedy became a dark chapter in the history of the Ankaa Empire.
The Ambroise Duchy, once known for its generosity and warm hospitality, was no more. The grand gates of Ambroise, which had always stood open for lavish banquets and honoured guests, were shut tight. They were no longer the noble family admired and praised by the people. Since that dreadful night, not a single word had been heard from their servants.
However, one piece of news spread across the empire.
The eldest daughter of the late Duke and Duchess, Lady Aeris Ambroise, had succeeded her father and taken her place as the head of the Ambroise family.
At only fifteen years of age, Aeris Ambroise became the youngest Duchess Ambroise in history.
When many believed that Ambroise could never regain the prestige it once held, she proved them wrong. As the honour of Ambroise was not something that could be erased or stolen so easily.
For as long as the one who bore the name of Ambroise existed and stood firm, they would never fall.