[House Voss — Early Morning]
SLAAAAPPPPP!!!!
The deafening crack echoed throughout the grand audience hall. Cassian Voss’s head snapped sharply to the side as a thin line of crimson slowly appeared at the corner of his lips, and not a single person dared move.
Rows of attendants stood with their heads lowered, their expressions blank...as though witnessing the Duke striking his own son had become nothing more than another ordinary morning within House Voss.
Duke Evander Voss stood with his hand still suspended in the air, his cold gray eyes burned with undisguised contempt.
"You worthless fool." His voice rang through the silent hall. "Because of your incompetence...that Vaelric heir has become the next emperor!"
Cassian slowly straightened himself, the hand hanging at his side curled into a fist so tightly that his nails dug into his own flesh. Yet...he remained silent not because he accepted the accusation...but because arguing with Duke Evander Voss had never changed anything.
Beside him, Nora’s beautiful eyes widened; almost instinctively, she stepped forward, and behind her neck...the newly formed silver crescent moon, the mark of their bond beneath last night’s lunar moon, glowed faintly.
The bond had sensed Cassian’s pain; her voice trembled with disbelief. "Duke...What are you saying? How is this Cassian’s fault? The Spirits chose Lord Kael themselves. No one could possibly—"
"I don’t recall..." Evander’s icy voice cut through hers like a blade. "...granting permission for the Luna of House Voss to interrupt a conversation between father and son."
Silence.
Nora clenched her fist, and yet she refused to lower her head. "Even so, you’re blaming him for something beyond his control. He did everything he—"
"Nora," Cassian’s calm voice interrupted her; he stepped forward, placing himself between his Luna and his father, and without even looking back, he spoke quietly.
"...That’s enough."
Nora stared at his back. "But Cassian—"
"I said..." He spoke more firmly this time. "...enough."
Only then did he face Duke Evander once again, and he lowered his head. "I apologize, Father. My Luna has overstepped her place. I ask your forgiveness on her behalf."
Evander watched him for several long seconds, then a mocking laugh escaped him. "Forgive her? I can forgive a foolish Luna, but tell me...how should I forgive an investment that continues to disappoint me?"
Cassian’s expression remained unchanged; only Nora noticed how his shoulders had stiffened.
Investment, not...son; she could believe the reputed Duke of the empire Qashmar had never once regarded him as family but only as an asset.
A weapon meant to elevate House Voss and a successor expected to generate profit. Cassian slowly lowered himself onto one knee.
"I accept your judgment. My failure to prove my worth...is mine alone. If punishment is required...I shall bear it."
The Duke looked down at him with complete indifference. "You finally speak some sense."
Then his voice thundered across the hall. "SAIREN!!"
Almost instantly, a man clad in black armor appeared from the shadows; the captain of House Voss knelt.
"My Duke."
Evander never looked away from Cassian. "The ungrateful heir has forgotten the value of expectations, so remind him what it means to be worthless in this house. Ten thorn lashes. Perhaps pain will teach him what talent never could."
The hall fell into absolute silence. Nora’s face turned pale.
"Thorn Lashes..." Her voice barely escaped; she immediately rushed forward. "What kind of punishment is that?! He hasn’t committed any crime! He—"
"Nora."
Cassian called her name, not loudly, yet...it immediately stopped her, as his voice carried neither anger nor desperation, only quiet resolve, and then he turned toward a young woman standing among the attendants.
"June."
The maid immediately stepped forward before lowering herself respectfully. "Young Master."
Cassian’s eyes softened ever so slightly. "Take your Madam back to our residence and make certain she does not leave until I return."
Nora shook her head. "No. I’m not leaving you. Cassian, please—"
"June," Cassian repeated.
This time, there was no room for refusal; the maid’s eyes trembled. "Forgive me, Madam."
Before Nora could react, June gently but firmly held her arms. "My Lady...please. We must go."
"Cassian!" Nora struggled against her grip.
Her silver crescent mark continued glowing beneath her neck, responding to every ounce of pain flowing through their newly forged bond.
Cassian never turned around, not once, because if he looked back...he knew he might falter, and he simply stood there in silence, waiting like a condemned prince awaiting his sentence.
Slowly...June guided the distraught Luna out of the audience hall. Nora continued looking over her shoulder, again and again...and again.
Her worried gaze never left Cassian until the heavy palace doors finally closed between them.
BOOOOM!!
Silence returned to House Voss.
***
[House Vaelric — The Same Time]
The first light of dawn spilled through the towering stained-glass windows of House Vaelric, bathing the dining hall in soft golden light. Unlike the tense silence that had haunted the manor the previous night...this morning felt strangely peaceful.
At least on the surface.
Kael descended the grand staircase, one hand lightly resting against the polished railing. The exhaustion that had haunted his face for months had finally disappeared.
At the end of the long dining table... Grand Duke Lior was already waiting; the moment he saw his son, his stern expression softened almost imperceptibly.
"Did you sleep well?"
Kael nodded as he pulled out his chair. "Yes, Father."
The Grand Duke’s eyes quietly examined Kael’s face; the unnatural paleness...was gone, and the dark circles beneath his eyes were gone.
Even the constant tension that had weighed upon his shoulders had disappeared, and for the first time in years, his son looked like someone his age again.
A quiet sigh escaped the Grand Duke, yet it carried the weight of countless sleepless nights. After a brief silence, Lior looked around the hall.
"Where is the Shadow King?"
Kael paused.
"I don’t know. When I woke up...he was already gone."
The Grand Duke’s expression immediately stiffened. "Gone...? Did he leave?"
Kael noticed the concern in his father’s eyes and slowly shook his head. "I don’t think so. He said...he wouldn’t leave."
Lior remained silent, then a faint smile appeared on his face. "I choose to believe him."
Kael lowered his gaze. "Father."
Lior looked at him.
"You shouldn’t have begged him, not for me."
Silence filled the dining hall.
The servants standing nearby instinctively glanced at each other as Grand Duke Lior smiled gently.
"I’m your father. It is true...I could never give you an ordinary life; you were born carrying responsibilities no child should ever bear, but that...doesn’t mean I could ever bear to watch my son lying motionless inside a coffin."
Kael’s fingers trembled; he lowered his head, unable to meet his father’s eyes. "I’m sorry."
Lior immediately shook his head. "No, the one who should apologize...is me."
The room became silent once again; only the faint clinking of silverware echoed through the hall. After several moments Lior said, "Eat while you can; they should be arriving soon."
Kael looked up. "Who?"
Before Lior could answer—
THUD...
THUD...
THUD...
Dozens of heavy footsteps echoed throughout House Vaelric; the sound of armored boots striking marble floors grew louder with every passing second. The servants immediately froze; several knights stationed inside the manor instinctively placed their hands upon the hilts of their swords.
Kael slowly rose from his seat, and without another word...the two walked toward the entrance hall, and the moment Kael stepped into the vast chamber, his breathing caught.
Rows upon rows of Imperial Knights stood in perfect formation; silver armor gleamed beneath the morning light. Golden capes bearing the sacred crest of the Empire flowed gently behind them.
At their center stood the Commander of the Imperial Guard; the instant Kael appeared, every knight without exception dropped to one knee.
Clang!
The sound of countless armored knees striking the marble floor echoed like thunder; the commander lowered his head. Then his powerful voice reverberated throughout the entire hall.
"Greetings...to the moon chosen by the spirits of Qashmar."
Then came the words that shattered Kael’s world.
"Your Majesty Emperor Kael."
Silence.
Kael’s mind went blank; he stared at the kneeling soldiers before him as though he had forgotten how to breathe. "W-What...? What is happening...?"
Grand Duke Lior met his son’s trembling gaze, and there was pride in his eyes. "The Spirits of Qashmar have spoken. They have chosen their sovereign."
Kael’s heartbeat pounded violently inside his chest.
"The will of the Spirits...cannot be overturned as they choose you as the emperor of Qashmar."
Kael staggered back a single step, his hands unconsciously clenched into trembling fists as he muttered, "This...should not have happened."