Luke felt like the timing was about right, so he bent forward in a bow and greeted, "Luke, greetings to Your Majesty King Jarvan III."
At that moment, everyone's eyes fell on Luke.
The pressure hit him all at once. It was as if his presence had shrunk smaller and smaller under their gaze.
This was practically the lowest rung meeting the highest rung—and in a private setting like this, something that almost never happened.
Even though the people in front of him weren't deliberately projecting their authority, just standing there made it feel like an uncrossable chasm had formed.
Everyone present was puzzled.
From what Lux had said, it sounded like something important had to do with this commoner in front of them.
The question was: what kind of matter could possibly be brought directly before a king and a High Marshal?
Every one of these people was swamped with affairs of state, with endless decisions waiting for them. Under normal circumstances, who would ever spend time on a random commoner?
But Lux rarely did something this abrupt.
This well-behaved, clever girl had been adored by Jarvan III since she was little, so he naturally indulged her. Spending a bit of time for her sake was hardly an issue.
"Child, lift your head," Jarvan III said gently, looking at the young man before him.
Luke raised his head at the sound of his voice.
As that face slowly came into Jarvan III's view, the king froze.
Seeing Luke's face, a powerful sense of familiarity rose in his chest—like he'd seen him somewhere before. Not a vague impression, either, but something that had left a deep mark. And as his gaze settled on Luke's eyes, that feeling only grew stronger.
He looked too much like someone.
Jarvan III couldn't make sense of it. "Have we met before?"
"Your Majesty, I have never met you before," Luke answered respectfully.
After all, the man in front of him was the ruler of this country. If Luke offended him in the slightest, one sentence might be enough to make him vanish from the world.
Jarvan III was said to be a benevolent king, but Luke wasn't about to bet his life on reputation alone.
His heart wasn't steady right now. He was trying to figure out how to bring up the necklace.
Lux had already stepped forward, her expression serious. "I'll explain."
She felt that since she had brought Luke here, she had to see it through.
"Take it out," Lux signaled him with her eyes, then began explaining, "Luke showed me a necklace, and then I realized I'd seen a necklace exactly like it in a portrait here in the palace—"
Before Lux could continue, Tianna lifted a hand in front of her, signaling that she could stop.
Because the matter was nowhere near as complicated as Lux and Luke had imagined.
All they had needed to do from the beginning was show the necklace.
Lux saw Jarvan III staring at the necklace in Luke's hand, frozen in place, lost in thought—like a statue.
Even the well-informed Minister Roy behind him looked shocked.
And when she glanced at her aunt, Tianna's expression had turned visibly more serious, no longer as relaxed as before.
Calvin could also clearly feel the change in the atmosphere—the moment this guy took the necklace out.
Calvin couldn't help shooting Luke a startled look. Was it really that big of a deal?
"That necklace… could you let me see it?" Jarvan III's voice suddenly went hoarse as he held out his hand.
Or maybe it wasn't hoarseness—maybe he simply couldn't force his voice louder in that moment.
Luke handed it over, feeling more and more that something was off.
Jarvan III held the necklace and examined it closely—painstakingly closely—then ran his fingers along the patterns etched into the gemstone. His eyes suddenly grew wet as he asked in a rush, "You—where did you find this necklace? Where is its owner? Where is she? Why is it in your hands?"
A barrage of questions spilled out, and Jarvan III even stepped toward Luke.
Lux felt like the situation had just exploded. She had never seen Jarvan III like this—not once. In her memory, the king had always been unshakably calm.
But now he seemed like a different person entirely, his presence turning restless and anxious out of nowhere.
"Your Majesty, the owner of the necklace is my mother," Luke said.
Even Luke was startled by the king's urgency and instinctively stepped back two paces.
"Your mother?" Jarvan III froze again, then asked urgently, "Then where is she? Where is she now?"
"My mother passed away two months ago," Luke replied.
As soon as those words fell, Jarvan III's vision swam. It was as if all strength had been drained from him at once. He stumbled back a few steps, and the man named Lev hurried forward to support him.
"You avoided me for so many years… and the only news you were willing to give me was that you were dead…"
Jarvan III forced himself to recover a little, shook off Lev's support, and stepped forward again. He looked up at Luke—who was now slightly taller than him—with a complicated expression.
"That's why you felt familiar the moment I saw you. I can still see her face when she was young… in yours."
Luke felt incredibly uncomfortable under that gaze.
Jarvan III was looking at him the way someone looks at a lover, and it sent a wave of goosebumps over Luke's skin.
"Your Majesty… did you know my mother?" Luke asked, stepping back again despite himself.
"Know her?" Jarvan III caught himself and reassembled the bearing of a king, though his eyes were filled with age and grief. "You said… you're her son, yes?"
Luke nodded.
Tenderness surfaced in Jarvan III's eyes. He looked at Luke kindly, almost gently. "Then you are also my son."
…What?
Luke's head instantly filled with question marks.
How did he suddenly gain a father out of nowhere?
Aside from the elderly Roy—who didn't seem surprised at all—and Tianna, who wore a complicated, resigned expression, everyone else present widened their eyes in shock.
What the hell?!
Calvin practically thought he'd misheard. He looked like he'd been struck by lightning.
Your Majesty, are you really just recognizing sons like this?! What about me?! I'm amazing at being a son!
Lux's mouth fell slightly open. She felt like she'd just stumbled onto a world-shaking piece of gossip.
And more than that—
This gossip was something Lux herself had personally set in motion.
Lev was the current commander of the Dauntless Vanguard, someone who had risen through the ranks step by step, so he didn't know the full context. He couldn't help asking, "Your Majesty… what do you mean?"
How did a son just appear out of nowhere?
Seemingly unconcerned with how explosive his words were, Jarvan III sank into memory as he spoke. "Everyone knows how deeply I loved Catherine. After she died, I swore that I would never marry again in this lifetime…"