Chapter Sixteen
_ Choosing the Method
* * *
Only the sound of feathers scratching against parchment could be heard in the office. Hans looked at his master, who seemed strangely immersed in his work, then at the child standing beside him, holding a box the size of his two palms and looking quietly at the Archduke..
"Have you finished your tour?"
Victor was surprised that his master was the one to initiate the conversation, and looked at the child who smiled with a bright face:
"Yes, thank you Your Majesty."
"Good."
Damian approached, placed the small box on the table, and said:
"It is a souvenir of my first tour in De Walter..".
Elyon's hand moved automatically and picked up the gift. When he opened it, a silver box with a red gem appeared; it was a small box designated for keeping writing tools, and it was clearly not cheap. Elyon had allocated an allowance for Damian, but he knew that the child did not use much..
Elyon looked at Damian quietly. He didn't utter a word, but something inside him shook. When Damian saw his father's calm expression, he felt flustered and said with embarrassment:
"I wanted to give everyone souvenirs, I mean, I hope you like it..".
"Everyone?"
Elyon muttered in a low voice, and although neither of them heard his words, Victor felt the gloomy energy from his master..
'Did His Majesty feel disappointed?'
He tried to swallow with difficulty, trying to prevent his lips from parting, and composed himself, saying:
"The young master is very considerate, but Your Majesty's gift seems to be the best..".
This did not lessen Elyon's state, but he turned back and looked at Damian, speaking quietly, trying to forget the subject of the gifts:
"I heard about the accident..".
And before Elyon could finish his words, Damian bowed his head, squeezing his palms tightly, his words coming out in a shaky tone:
"I apologize..".
"...?"
"...?"
"If I were a little stronger, this wouldn't have happened. I apologize for being weak..".
The hand with which Elyon held the box froze, and he felt something blocking his throat for a moment. Then he averted his gaze, looking at the document in front of him, and said calmly:
"You are just a child..".
Damian looked at his father's face with lost eyes, while Elyon kept his gaze directed only at the papers before him:
"You have all the time to become stronger.. do not rush."
Damian opened his mouth, unable to assemble a useful sentence, so he looked at Elyon with stubborn eyes. The father felt his son's gaze, raised his head, and said:
"Tomorrow you will meet your guardian and new sword instructor..".
"Do you mean Sir Toria, whom Lord Percion spoke about?"
"Yes."
Damian's lips parted into an excited smile:
"Wonderful, Lord Percion told me a lot about him."
"You may go now..".
"Alright, thank you very much."
Damian left with a warm smile that made Victor, who had taken the role of a silent spectator the whole time, jump. He looked with eyes that were outwardly calm but burning silently behind his dignified smile..
"Are there any orders, Your Majesty?"
"Give an order to Rowen to return to De Walter."
"...Your order."
Victor hesitated to answer and looked with shaking eyes at his master, but he took a deep breath, painted his usual dignified smile, and said with as much calmness as possible:
"Does Your Majesty still insist on that?"
Elyon raised his eyes to Victor, whose hands, despite his outward calmness, were clenched behind his back. Elyon moved the box between his hands and said:
"I am the lord of this territory, and I must find a solution..".
"We can.. "
"Too many have died, and there is no time to waste..".
"..."
"Get to work, Victor."
Victor's mask of calmness shattered and his hands shook, and in a choked voice, he said:
"Your Majesty's order..".
Victor walked out of the office agitatedly, quickly heading towards the nearest dark corner, and began to strike the wall with all his might..
'Why doesn't this man have a reason to live?... I thought.. that...'
His knees collapsed and he tried in vain to stand; his master had always appeared as a cold, heartless man, but he was someone who would give his only food to a hungry person..
Victor decided to allow himself to collapse, and leaned his back against the wall..
* * *
He was standing in a dark spot where he could barely see his hands, but there was a distant light. When he approached, he found his mother's frightened face and the Archduke's calm eyes, which felt as if they were collapsing; he saw his own body before them, dead. He approached his mother and tried to calm her down, but she couldn't hear him:
"Mother, please, I am alive."
"...."
"I am alive, look at me."
He went towards his father, grabbed his hand, and shook him, but he too was looking brokenly towards his corpse..
He was shaking them hard but to no avail. He felt a hand pulling him, so he tried to push it away, but he heard a voice calling him; the voice sounded very familiar and very warm..
"Damian."
"..."
"Damian, wake up..".
Damian opened his eyes in fear and looked ahead. It was the face of his mother whom he loved so much, and despite the look of fear in her eyes, she was smiling at him as usual. Damian sat up and hugged his mother tightly, his body shaking and trembling..
"Did you have a bad dream?"
"Mother,... I... I don't want you to cry again. I am afraid of being away from you, Mother..".
Nila wiped away a stray tear and hugged her child with greater affection, saying:
"I am fine, because you are by my side..".
Damian left his mother's embrace, having calmed down a bit, then looked around; the sky was still dark. It comforted him that his mother was by his side, then he went back to sleep while she patted his back and sang him a lullaby she used to sing to him..
His mother was beside him and the Archduke was protecting them, so there was no need to rush; he decided within himself that he must trust his parents..
Nila looked at her finally sleeping child quietly, and allowed tears to come out in silence; she had almost lost him in a moment. She gathered her composure, kissed the little one on his forehead, and stood up in silence, heading to her room. Martha, who was guarding the side of Damian's room and looking sleepy, looked at her, so Nila spoke:
"You can rest, Martha, he will be fine..".
"Your order, my lady..".
Martha left, and Nila took one last look at Damian's sleeping face. She sat on the floor quietly, feeling one of the stone pieces in the flooring, until she found one that had begun to move from its place. She pulled it out quietly, placed a large black ruby, and returned the stone to its place; this gem had cost her all the money she had saved for years..
"Whoever bears hostility towards this sweet child, their fate will be worse than death."
She patted the ground quietly, muttering with cold eyes saturated with cruelty. She stood up smoothly and with quiet steps, and despite the lateness of the hour, she knew he was definitely in his place..
* * *
He had finished another batch of documents, so he looked at the hanging clock, which indicated three in the morning; he felt tired, but he wouldn't be able to sleep smoothly. He pulled a new batch, and before dipping the feather into the ink, he felt a powerful energy that had settled in the palace..
"Did someone cast a spell?"
He didn't need much to think about who caused it; he knew that the doer was either an enemy or an ally. He looked at the door steadily for a few minutes, until he heard a soft knock:
Knock, knock, knock!!!
"Come in..".
He breathed quietly as he saw that small woman; a fragile body and a terrifying aura emanating from her. He looked at her for seconds before speaking coldly:
"You may sit, Nila Harvey."
Nila closed the door quietly and sat before him, and with trembling eyes, she spoke:
"I won't be able to wait for a long time, we must find the Crown Prince..".
"..."
"I won't bargain with Damian's life..".
"But he is not your son."
Nila didn't feel any hostility or sarcasm in his words, but she looked with stubborn eyes mixed with many emotions:
"There are bonds stronger than blood..".
Elyon felt as if he heard a shattering sound inside him, so he looked at her deeply; he hadn't seen this woman fear when the death sentence was announced upon her, yet she trembled for the sake of a child with whom she shared no blood relation. Didn't his father in the past abandon him and his brother for the sake of his greed? Elyon clenched his fist and said calmly:
"Where can we find him?..".
"...?"
"My men have searched for him everywhere..".
"I also do not have a precise idea of his whereabouts, but he is definitely in a place that wouldn't cross anyone's mind..".
"The Crown Prince was kidnapped three days after his birth. Why do you think he is still alive?.. Tops."
"I assure you he is still alive. They want to weaken the Empire and rule legitimately..".
"Is that why my heir was kidnapped too?"
"No."
Elyon narrowed his eyes and looked at her suspiciously, so she took a deep breath and looked at him with honest eyes:
"They know the secret of De Walter, so their goal was to kill Damian..".
The writing feather fell from Elyon's hand, and he said in a strained voice:
"Do you know it?"
"Perhaps a little more than you think, my father told me."
"So you are the bearer of the remaining secret..keys."
"Yes, Your Majesty..".
Nila had calmed down and appeared more dignified as she looked at Elyon, who for a moment seemed indifferent, but she realized he was the opposite. She scanned her eyes over the desk and then returned her gaze to him:
"The King of Beasts planted a seed that grows in the heart of the firstborn in every generation, carrying a power capable of destroying the continent. Often, the first child of the lineage dies from the magnitude of that power... and to take the throne of the Empire, you must destroy its shield..".
"It seems you know a lot..".
"Your Majesty is incredibly strong, so although you are the second son, why?"
A moment of brief silence passed until Nila felt that the Archduke's aura was going to swallow her; a cold shiver ran through her entire body. She lowered her gaze and swallowed her saliva trying to gather her courage, until she heard his calm voice:
"I do not possess the power of De Walter fully..".
She didn't understand what he was aiming at; the matter was logical and illogical at the same time, so she said:
"I do not wish to interfere in anything except what concerns Damian..".
"You have broken into this world, so you must bear its consequences. This child inherited this hell, there is no escape from it..".
There was a touch of sadness in his words, so she looked at him quietly and said:
"I will protect my son even if it costs me selling my soul to the devil..".
Elyon lowered his head and let out a sarcastic laugh, and said while looking at her with crazed eyes:
"It is good that I gave him this name, at least this time he doesn't have...".
Elyon stopped laughing and talking with a rigid expression. Nila felt puzzled, and despite her waiting, Elyon didn't utter a word; instead, he gripped his feather tightly and began to look at the documents and work with intense looks. Nila realized he was escaping..
'It seems he said more than I should hear..'
Nila bowed quietly and left the office, and although curiosity arose in her mind regarding this man, she still had many matters to work on..
* * *
With the bright morning and its gentle breezes, Damian had decided to sit with his mother under the shade of the giant oak tree since his schedule for today was empty. Nila had woken up early to prepare the peach pie, her son's favorite; she wanted to lift his spirits a bit, and it seemed her child was stronger than she imagined. Although he was a bit late in waking up, he woke up energetically and even teased the servants and played a bit here and there. After lunch, Nila decided to sit down for a comfortable chat between her and her child; they talked as they always used to, and they even made crowns of flowers..
"Mother, look..."
Nila smiled when Damian handed her the flower crown; it was more precise than the one she had made, so she placed it on her head with a proud smile:
"It is very beautiful..".
Damian smiled happily, then finally looked with curiosity at the person who had been standing for about an hour at a close distance..
"Lord Hans?"
"My young master..".
A clear confusion appeared in Victor's eyes, so Nila said with a smile:
"Did His Majesty kick you out of his office?"
"No, definitely not..".
Victor opened his eyes in surprise and shook his head in denial while looking at her, but he caught a rare playful smile on her face, so he composed himself and adjusted his features. Nila looked at Damian, who had gone back to searching for new flowers accompanied by Martha, then she looked at Victor and said with calm eyes:
"Is everything alright?"
* * *
Damian looked at the amount of flowers in his hand and thought that he still needed a lot of them, so he looked at Martha and said:
"Martha!"
"Yes, my young master..".
"Do I need to collect more? I think they are not enough."
"Not much, we need some and it will be a beautiful crown..".
"Alright.. search there and I will go from here."
He moved forward while carrying flowers and finally noticed someone's shadow before him. He almost collided with him, but he retreated quickly and looked up; the person looked very familiar. Before Damian could speak, the young man said:
"Heh, the little brave one is here!"
"You.. "
Damian's expression brightened and his grip on the flowers tightened. The young man patted Damian's head gently for a moment, but he frowned while narrowing his eyes:
"Is the color of your eyes like this?.. I mean"
"Yes, my mother says that I have to change it with magic..".
"You are a genius magician then..keys."
Rayleigh pulled out a piece of colored candy and gave it to Damian, so the child smiled happily at Rayleigh. It seemed obvious to Damian that the young man didn't realize he was from De Walter, as he seemed accustomed to dealing with this kind of kindness; he knew the type of treatment he received merely for being a noble child, but what puzzled Damian was the presence of this young man here, so he said with curious eyes:
"Why is my strong lord here?"
Rayleigh smiled, puffing out his chest, and said with a smile:
"I... "
"My young master, it seems you liked your new sword instructor."
Rayleigh froze, looking with wide eyes at Victor who interrupted him, then he looked at Damian. The latter's eyes widened with enthusiasm as he looked at the shocked Rayleigh, who straightened up even in his posture. Victor looked at the embarrassed Rayleigh, then at Nila, and said with a smile:
"Lady Harvey, this is Sir Rayleigh Toria, the young master's instructor and his personal guardian..".
Rayleigh froze when he saw Nila and blinked several times, while Nila smiled encouragingly; it was a look that carried a lot of pride..
"How are you, Sir Knight?"
...... To Be Continued ......