The heavy silence inside the Crown Prince's bedchamber was broken only by the soft, ragged sound of Sora's fading sobs.
He remained curled on the edge of the large bed, his delicate hands clutching the crumpled letter against his chest. Empress Chantella sat beside him on the mattress, gently stroking his hair with a mother's touch, her own eyes red and rimmed with fresh tears.
Elias stepped forward, his leather boots making no sound on the plush rug. He held a small silver tray carrying a cup of warm, soothing herbal tea.
"Young master Sora..."
Elias spoke, his deep voice carrying a soft, cautious warmth.
"You must drink a little. For the sake of the child you carry, you must keep your strength."
Sora didn't move at first. He simply stared blankly at the motionless, handsome face of the man resting on the pillows—the prince who had loved him, bound his soul to his, and then left him behind in a world full of enemies.
Slowly, Sora pushed himself upright. He accepted the warm cup from Elias with trembling fingers, taking a tiny, bitter sip before setting it aside on the nightstand.
"Empress Mother..."
Sora whispered, his voice raspy and stripped of its usual youthful cheer.
"What will happen now? The Elven King and Queen... my father and Valaria... they are still downstairs in the grand reception hall with the Emperor."
Chantella's gentle expression instantly turned cold and distant. The grieving mother vanished, replaced in an instant by the formidable Empress of Edrath.
"They will be told the official story,"
Chantella said, her tone sharp and unyielding.
"Your father and that arrogant Queen believe they came here today to finalize a marriage contract for political power. They know nothing of Cassian's true state, and they never will."
She reached out, gently pressing her hand over Sora's rounded stomach.
"You are the father of the imperial line now, Sora. Even without Cassian, the child within you carries the blood of the World Tree and the Royal House of Valemont. No one—neither the Elven Court nor the Imperial Nobles—will ever touch you or question your standing. My husband and I will ensure your safety on behalf of our son and as grandparents of that beautiful soul within you."
"So you need not worry about them at all."
*****
An hour later, in the grand reception hall of the Imperial Palace...
The heavy gilded doors swung open.
Emperor Cedric sat upon the high golden throne, his expression carved from stone, his grand ceremonial sword resting against his knee. Below the dais stood King Scafell and Queen Valaria, surrounded by their high elven guards.
Queen Valaria smoothed her embroidered silk sleeves, a small, subtle smile playing on her sharp lips.
"Your Imperial Majesty,"
Valaria spoke, her melodic voice echoing off the high marble arches.
"We have waited quite a long time. We were under the impression that Crown Prince Cassian would be joining us to sign the formal betrothal documents alongside young Sora."
King Scafell stepped forward, his posture proud, his cold blue eyes showing no trace of guilt for the son he had once betrayed and abandoned.
"Indeed,"
Scafell added.
"The alliance between the Verdant Forest and the Empire rests heavily upon this union. Where is the Crown Prince?"
Emperor Cedric did not flinch. He leaned forward slightly, his cold, blueish eyes locking onto the Elven King with a pressure so intense that the surrounding guards instinctively lowered their gazes.
"My son is unavailable at the moment,"
Cedric said, his voice flat, heavy, and absolute.
"As of early this morning, Crown Prince Cassian has officially departed the capital. He is leading a secret, high-priority military expedition to the Northern Continent to inspect our borders and investigate the ancient ruins before his coronation."
Queen Valaria's smile instantly vanished.
"A northern expedition?"
she asked, her eyebrows pulling together in displeasure.
"Without informing the Elven Envoy? Without completing the official ceremony with Sora?"
"How long will that even take?"
"The security of this Empire takes priority over court ceremonies, Queen Valaria,"
Cedric interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"The betrothal stands. Sora remains under the full protection and care of the Imperial Household. He is welcome to stay here in the palace as the Crown Prince's official mate for as long as he wants, and his child will be recognized as the primary heir to the throne."
"After all their soul resonance is no different from marriage, is it?"
Cedric stood up from his throne, his grand aura sweeping across the room.
"The matter is settled. My court ministers will escort you to your quarters."
Without waiting for a response from the stunned elven monarchs, Cedric turned and walked into the private chambers behind the throne.
Later that evening...
The storm outside had subsided into a quiet, cold drizzle.
Sora stood by the tall, arched window of the nursery room, which sat directly adjacent to Cassian's private bedchamber. The room had already been prepared weeks ago with fine carved wooden cradles, soft silk blankets, and small toys crafted from rare mana-stones.
Lyra stood near the doorway, holding the large Wyvern egg wrapped securely in a soft wool blanket.
"My lord..."
Lyra whispered softly.
"Should I place the egg near the fireplace? The mana inside is very warm tonight."
"Yes, Lyra... please do,"
Sora answered quietly, without turning around.
He pressed his forehead against the cold window glass, looking out over the grand, glowing capital of Edrath.
He reached down, gently resting both hands over his swollen belly. Deep within his spirit, he could still feel the faint, tiny pulse of life growing inside him—a gentle, warm light that stood in stark contrast to the cold void left behind by his mate.
"Cassian..."
Sora murmured into the empty, quiet room, his tears spilling quietly onto his pale cheeks once more.
"You called yourself scum... and you ran away to another world because your heart was broken."
Sora closed his eyes, his lower lip trembling, but his grip over his child grew firm and protective.
"I still hate you for leaving me like this..."
he whispered softly to the night wind.
"...But I will raise our child. I will protect her, love her, and teach her to be stronger than both of us. And if you ever find a way to look back at this world..."
Sora wiped his cheeks with the back of his sleeve, his dark eyes flashing with a quiet, stubborn light.
"...you better be regretful for what you walked away from."
"Sora... you finally made it to Edrath."
Lucien spoke in a low whisper from the wide entrance of the nursery. His presence was so faint and empty that even Lyra, who stood silently near the corner, couldn't feel him coming until he spoke up.
Sora remained glued to the tall window, staring out into the dark palace gardens. His thoughts were entirely consumed by nothing else but Cassian.
Just then, Lucien finally took a step inside the quiet room. His long, trembling fingers brushed softly against the smooth wooden cradle that rested right in the center of the nursery floor. His recent, devastating confrontation with Ruby had left Lucien feeling completely hollowed out inside. He didn't even remember how his feet had carried him away from the Arden estate.
He only knew that his instincts had guided him back toward the Imperial Palace.
Not as the proud Duke of the West.
Not as the revered Holy Knight.
But simply as a broken man who had lost everything that mattered to him.
"Lucien... what brings you here?"
Sora kept his back turned to Lucien, his voice low, steady, and entirely devoid of any emotion.
"I wonder as well,"
Lucien replied quietly. His hand reached down into the cradle, gently picking up a small, hand-woven doll that lay resting on the soft blanket.
"I was merely passing by to check on His Highness when I saw the nursery lights burning through the dark."
"You still have the nerve to check up on him, just when you made him like that?"
"Sora, this is all a terrible misunderstanding,"
Lucien said, his voice cracking slightly.
"I never wrote those horrible things to His Highness. I would never write such words to him. Never."
"But does he know that?"
Sora asked coldly.
"He is already gone. He left nothing but a lifeless shell behind."
"Sora—"
"So whether you had actually written it or not, the damage is already done,"
Sora interrupted, his tone sharp and unyielding.
"And it is all because of your wife."
A deep, heavy silence fell over the nursery once again. The faint sound of rain began tapping softly against the glass pane. Finally, Sora tilted his head just an inch over his shoulder, letting out the coldest, most painful words he could ever muster.
"Both you and my mate were truly stupid to be fooled like that by a mere letter,"
Sora spat out quietly.
"You should have confirmed the truth yourselves, in person. Now you have caused everyone unnecessary trouble, devastation, and heartbreak."
He paused, his shoulders trembling slightly under his fine robes.
"And for that... I will never forgive you."
Sora turned his eyes away, looking directly toward the young elf waiting by the door.
"Lyra, please show Sir Arden the way out."
"Yes, my Lord,"
Lyra bowed at once. She turned to face Lucien, extending her arm respectfully toward the open exit.
"Sir Arden..."
Lucien let out a single, heavy sigh. Then he carefully placed the small woven doll back into the center of the wooden cradle. Without offering any resistance, he turned around and walked out of the nursery, heading straight toward the Emperor's private quarters.
After all, he knew it was best to give Sora some space to grieve for a little while before conversing with him again.
*****
Rain drummed softly against the tall, arched palace windows as Lucien walked down the long, marble hallways. Servants moved through the corridors in complete, unnatural silence.
No one dared to laugh anymore.
No one even dared to speak loudly. The entire palace itself seemed to be in deep mourn.
The familiar hallways felt unbearably empty to Lucien.
Every single corner he passed reminded him instantly of Cassian. He saw the quiet library where they had stolen secret kisses and shared quiet intimacy away from the court. He saw the wide stone balconies where they used to stand side by side, watching the golden sunsets together.
Eventually he passed the grand study where Cassian would routinely bury himself beneath mountains of official reports, before quietly complaining to him that his eyes hurt and he just wanted to sleep.
But now everything hurt.
Every wall. Every floorboard. Everything.
Lucien finally arrived outside the Emperor's private study. He reached into his dark coat, making sure Cassian's actual, tear-stained letter was tucked safely near his chest.
The heavy imperial guards standing at the entrance looked at one another in quiet understanding before silently pushing the massive wooden doors open for him.
No one questioned his presence. No one tried to stop him. Wordlessly, Lucien prepared his heart to step inside the room.
Just then—
"...Sir Arden."
Elias's tired, raspy voice echoed right from behind him and Lucien stopped walking in his tracks.
The old butler looked as though he had aged ten whole years in the span of just a few days. His eyes were red and heavily swollen, his shoulders slumped forward in exhaustion. Neither man spoke a word for a long, heavy moment.
Then finally...
"Ruby admitted everything,"
Lucien said, his voice sounding strangely, eerily calm.
"She admitted to hiding his real letter. She admitted to forging my handwriting as well."
"So..."
Elias asked very quietly, his voice trembling.
"What will become of her now?"
Lucien remained silent for a second before answering.
"I have already informed His Majesty through an urgent letter before I left the West,"
Lucien explained, looking down at his boots.
"And the Emperor merely ordered Lady Ruby Thompson to be placed under strict house arrest."
Elias frowned deeply, his hands clenching into his formal gloves.
"Even I think that is a meager sentencing, considering the terrible crime she has committed against the royal family!"
"I thought so as well,"
Lucien replied softly.
"But an excessive, public sentence would alert the noble court, and we cannot afford that right now. No one outside the immediate royal family should ever know what truly happened to His Highness. So we will leave her punishment at that."
Lucien looked up, his eyes completely empty.
"Besides... I don't care what becomes of her anymore."
His voice carried no hatred or satisfaction.
"I only want Cassian back."
A thick silence returned between the two men.
Then, Elias looked up, his expression hardening with absolute devotion.
"That is the priority objective over everything else."
*****
After his encounter with Elias outside the heavy doors, Lucien finally walked into the Emperor's private study. He approached the grand desk, immediately dropping down onto one knee and lowering his head in a formal bow.
"Your Majesty, Lucien Arden requesting your audience."
Emperor Cedric stood motionless before the large glass window that overlooked the capital city of Edrath.
Even the breathtaking beauty of the sprawling city failed to soften the deep, crushing exhaustion etched onto the ruler's face.
He looked much older now.
Much older than his years.
Cedric didn't turn around to face him immediately.
"I heard another shocking discovery today, Sir Arden,"
he said quietly, his eyes squinting straight through the rain-streaked window pane.
"That you impregnated my son before any of this chaos took place."
Lucien kept his gaze fixed firmly on the polished floorboards, his hands clasped tightly into trembling fists.
"And before marriage, at that..."
Cedric added, his tone growing heavy.
"Your Majesty—"
"Now it all makes sense why your wife did what she did to my son,"
Cedric interrupted, turning his body slightly.
"After all, you were playing with both of their hearts. I fully intended to confront you yesterday during the war council about the way you acted regarding his disappearance, but you were in no proper state to logically answer for yourself. But I believe that right now is the perfect time to get some real answers, Sir Arden..."
Cedric turned completely, his piercing gaze cutting into the knight.
"...My most trusted sword of the empire, who somehow managed to harm its own master was also sleeping on the same bed as his master?"
"That is not true, my Lord!"
Lucien spoke out, his voice full of desperate emotion.
"I have not intentionally harmed my master in any way! Just like His Highness, I am merely a victim in this tragedy as well! And to correct you, Your Majesty—please forgive my rudeness—but I never played with anyone's heart! Above all else in this world, I truly love His Highness the Crown Prince with all my soul!"
Lucien raised his head slightly, his chest heaving.
"I had wanted to be with His Highness long before he ever decided to push me away into Lady Thompson's arms! I wanted to build an entire life and future with him!"
Cedric slowly closed his eyes, taking a long, heavy breath.
"And the pregnancy...?"
he sighed out, looking profoundly tired.
"Where did you even manage to get the sacred nectar?"
"It was a malicious plot back in the Steppes,"
Lucien revealed, his jaw tightening.
"A scheme designed for His Highness to accidentally copulate with Thoris. It was merely a greedy barbarian's plot that forced me to step in, help His Highness, and ultimately reach this point."
Cedric opened his eyes, a sharp flash of anger passing through them.
"You never reported that to me,"
the Emperor said sternly.
"Has your loyalty run out so soon? That barbarian not only harmed my firstborn son and my unborn grandchild, but he also intended to force himself on my other precious child as well?!"
"I fully meant to tell you, Your Majesty!"
Lucien pleaded desperately.
"But His Highness personally ordered me not to worry you over such matters, especially right after that horrific incident caused by Thoris to the Co-Crown Prince!"
Cedric let out a long, shuddering breath, slowly shaking his head side to side.
"In the end... even after all of that protection, my son still suffered."
He looked at the empty space in the room.
"This time, because of nothing more than a forged letter."
Lucien dropped his head low, pressing his forehead nearly to the floor.
"I failed him,"
Lucien whispered in complete agony.
"I failed him entirely."
"No,"
Cedric answered immediately, his voice ringing clearly through the study.
"You both failed each other."
Lucien looked up in shock, his eyes wide.
"Miserably so,"
the Emperor said quietly.
He finally walked slowly toward the kneeling knight. His usually commanding, fierce eyes now carried nothing but deep, paternal grief.
"You were both deceived."
"And both of you foolishly believed the lies you were fed."
Cedric stopped right in front of Lucien, looking down at him.
"Perhaps if either one of you had taken just one more step toward the other... and had simply refused to surrender, regardless of pride or rejection..."
He looked toward the window.
"...Then perhaps none of this heartbreak would have ever happened."
Lucien clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned stark white.
"I should have gone directly to him,"
Lucien choked out, tears finally spilling over his lashes.
"I should have dropped everything, ignored every order, and ridden through the night just to hear the words straight from his mouth!"
He pressed his eyes shut.
"But I didn't..."
he sobbed silently.
"I stupidly believed that he truly didn't want to see me ever again."
Cedric nodded his head sadly.
"And Cassian foolishly believed your forged letter."
The entire room fell into a long, suffocating silence. The only sound was the steady patter of rain outside the palace.
Then, after what felt like an eternity... Lucien finally lifted his head and spoke.
"Your Majesty..."
"I want your permission."
Cedric frowned slightly down at him.
"Permission for what?"
Lucien's bright blue eyes slowly lifted to meet the Emperor's gaze. They no longer held any trace of despair or helplessness.
They held only fierce, unbroken resolve.
"I want complete access to every forbidden archive in the realm,"
Lucien stated, his voice steady and powerful.
"I want access to every ancient ruin, and every magical relic in Edrath."
He stood up slowly, standing tall before his sovereign.
"I don't care how many years it takes me."
"I don't care how many worlds I must search through."
"I am going to find a way, and I am going to bring Cassian back home."
Cedric stared directly into Lucien's eyes for several long, intense seconds.
Then...
For the very first time since his son's sudden disappearance into the violet light...
A faint, subtle smile appeared on the Emperor's tired face.
It was small.
It was deeply painful.
It was filled with a father's quiet pride, but it was unmistakably there.
"You sound just like him,"
Cedric murmured softly.
Lucien blinked, caught off guard.
"Your Majesty...?"
"Cassian,"
Cedric chuckled sadly, shaking his head.
"Whenever my son truly decided on something, there was no force in this world capable of stopping him. After all... isn't that exact stubbornness how he managed to cross dimensions in the first place?"
Cedric turned away, walking directly toward one of the massive, ancient wooden bookshelves that lined the back wall of the study.
He reached deep into a hidden cavity behind dozens of dusty, leather-bound records...
He carefully pulled out a heavy, small iron box. He placed it on his desk, and with a soft click, the heavy lock opened up.
Inside...
Rested dozens of yellowed, ancient scrolls bearing magical symbols far older than the Empire of Edrath itself.
Cedric carefully lifted one of the old scrolls into his hands, holding it with immense care.
"My son was not the first Valemont..."
the Emperor said quietly, his voice echoing with deep history.
"...to search for a path to another world. After all, that is precisely how the dimensional artifacts he used came to exist in our realm."
Lucien's silver eyes widened in absolute astonishment.
Cedric looked directly at him, his gaze firm and commanding once more.
"I was waiting until someone asked me before I ever revealed this secret,"
Cedric said softly.
"But perhaps..."
"...hope should not have to wait another single day."
Lucien unconsciously took a step forward, his breath catching in his throat.
Cedric extended his arm, handing the first ancient, yellowed scroll directly to the loyal knight.
"If Cassian found a path out..."
Cedric said, his voice echoing with absolute authority and conviction,
"Then together..."
"We will find the exact path that brings him back to us, no matter what it takes."
For the very first time since that blinding violet light had swallowed Cassian up into the heavens...
Lucien felt a sudden, warm warmth spread through his cold chest.
It wasn't complete happiness.
It wasn't instant relief.
But it was something he genuinely thought he had lost forever.
It was hope.
*****