The private dining hall, adjacent to the main reception area, felt smaller than usual.
The long table gleamed with polished silverware and steaming dishes, yet the air was thick with unspoken tension.
Kael sat on one side, eating with slow, deliberate movements.
Opposite him were Aurora, Astrid, Charlotte, and Morgana.
A maid moved quietly around the table, placing a fresh plate of roasted meat and warm bread before Kael with practiced grace.
Astrid leaned close to Aurora and pinched her arm, whispering sharply, “What is he doing here?”
Aurora kept her voice low, though her gaze flicked nervously toward Kael.
“How should I know… Apparently, it was the Emperor’s orders.”
The memory of her own broken moans and screams from the previous night flashed unbidden through her mind.
She suppressed a shiver and turned to Kael, forcing her tone steady.
“Kael, why did the Emperor order you to move here? Did something happen?”
Kael chewed a piece of meat slowly, then looked up at her with that soft, almost innocent smile.
“I requested it, Cousin. I did it for you.”
Aurora blinked.
“…What?”
“I mean, we have a lot of work to do,” he continued gently.
“Moving back and forth between the palace wings must be tiring for you. And I was worried people might treat Sir William and Lady Nadia poorly if they stayed in my old quarters. This way, we can all live in the same place. It’s more convenient for everyone… isn’t it?”
Aurora’s face flushed a deep, burning red.
What is this idiot saying?
“Work”?
How can he say that so boldly when everyone here knows exactly what he means?
Charlotte raised an eyebrow, a faint smile touching her lips.
“You’ve really grown up, Prince Kael. The last time I saw you, you wouldn’t even lift your head in front of others.”
Kael turned toward her, his expression warm but tinged with melancholy.
“Teacher… I’m extremely honored to meet you again.”
Morgana let out a low chuckle.
“Oh? So Charlotte actually taught you?”
Kael smiled sadly, lowering his gaze to his plate.
“I was lucky enough to have the chance to learn from the greatest mind in the empire. Sadly, I’m just a failure who couldn’t make use of that gift.”
Inside his mind, Nora’s voice echoed with amused laughter.
“Haha… acting like a pitiful fool. Darling, you really have perfected that expression, haven’t you?”
Kael cut another piece of meat, his lips curving into a tiny, hidden smirk.
Then how do you think I survived all this time?
Anyone here could slap me to death in an instant.
And did any of them have that physique you mentioned?
Just as he finished the silent exchange with the codex hidden in his soul, the heavy doors swung open with a heavy thud.
Elarion stood in the doorway, golden hair slightly disheveled, sky-blue eyes cold and burning with barely restrained fury as they locked directly onto Kael.
The dining hall fell into immediate, suffocating silence.
“Kael,” Elarion’s voice came out low and dangerous, each word edged with barely contained rage.
“What the hell are you doing in my personal quarters?”
Kael paused, his fork stopping halfway to his mouth.
He looked up with that same soft, gentle smile.
“Oh, Hero. I requested the Emperor to let me move here for convenience. As you know… we have quite a lot of work to do together.”
The implication in his words was crystal clear.
Elarion’s jaw tightened violently.
His fists shook at his sides, and for a split second a faint golden aura flickered unstably around him before it sputtered out — a painful reminder of how weak the curse had made him.
Shame and jealousy burned hot in his chest. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Are you mocking me?” Elarion growled, taking a threatening step forward.
“After everything that’s happened… You dare sit at this table and speak like that?”
William and Nadia stood frozen behind him, looking increasingly uncomfortable and confused by the sudden hostility.
Aurora let out a long, exhausted sigh, rubbing her temple.
“This is exactly what I was worried about…”
Kael set his fork down gently and looked up with that same soft, almost innocent smile.
“Mocking you? Of course not, Hero,” he said calmly.
“I’m simply being practical. The purification ritual requires frequent… sessions. Moving back and forth every time would be exhausting for my cousin and tiring for everyone involved. This arrangement is far more convenient for all of us.”
The word “sessions” hung heavy in the air like poison.
Aurora’s face burned crimson.
She slammed her palm lightly on the table.
“Kael, that’s enough.”
Astrid’s hand instinctively moved to the hilt of her sword, eyes sharp with open hostility.
Charlotte watched in silence, her expression unreadable, while Morgana leaned back with a faint, entertained smirk.
Elarion’s jaw tightened until it looked ready to crack.
“You dare speak about it so openly… in front of everyone?”
Kael tilted his head slightly, feigning mild confusion.
“Should I lie instead? We all know why I’m here. Or would you rather I sneak into the palace every night like some thief?”
Inside Kael’s mind, Nora’s amused laughter rang out clearly.
“Oh my… You really know how to twist the knife, darling. Look at his face. Absolutely priceless.”
Elarion took another step forward, his voice shaking with rage and shame.
“Get out of my quarters, Kael. Now.”
Before Kael could reply, Aurora stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor.
“Enough!” she snapped, looking between the two of them.
“Both of you. This is not the time or place.”
She turned to Elarion, her voice softening just a fraction.
“Husband… please. Let’s not do this here.”
The word “husband” struck Elarion like a physical blow.
He clenched his jaw, breathing heavily, but didn’t move.
Kael didn’t move toward the door.
Instead, he set his fork down with deliberate calm and rose from his seat.
With slow, unhurried steps, he began walking deeper into the dining hall — straight toward the long windows overlooking the inner gardens.
The faint inward smirk on his lips was small, almost invisible… but Elarion caught it.
In that instant, Elarion’s eyes flashed with the shadow of the Holy Sword.
A golden spark ignited and died just as quickly, the curse devouring the divine energy before it could fully manifest.
His breathing grew ragged.
Morgana leaned back in her chair with a faint, entertained smile, crimson eyes gleaming.
Charlotte sighed softly and started to rise, ready to step between them.
But before anyone could move, a familiar sword aura cut through the air behind Elarion.
William appeared in front of Kael in a blur, his blade already drawn and pointed at the floor — not threatening, but clearly forming a barrier.
The older man’s face was twisted in pain, his shoulders trembling as he fought against the invisible command of the slave seal burning on his neck.
“Uncle…?” Elarion’s voice cracked with disbelief.
William’s grip on the sword tightened until his knuckles turned white.
His voice came out strained, broken, every word forced through clenched teeth. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“I’m sorry, Elarion… I can’t let you hurt him.”
The words hung in the air like a betrayal.
Nadia stood frozen a few steps behind, one hand pressed to her mouth, eyes wide with horror at her husband’s forced obedience.
Elarion stared at the man who had once been like a father to him — the man who had believed in him when no one else did.
The pain in William’s eyes was unmistakable.
“Uncle… you don’t have to do this,” Elarion whispered, voice thick.
“Fight it. Please.”
William’s jaw clenched harder.
A single tear slipped down his cheek as the slave seal flared again, forcing his body to stay rooted in place.
“I… I can’t,” he rasped.
“Forgive me.”
Kael stopped a few paces behind William, his expression once again soft and innocent.
He tilted his head slightly.
“See, Hero? Even your precious uncle understands the situation better than you do right now.”
Charlotte’s hand shot out, fingers gently but firmly gripping Elarion’s shoulder before the situation could explode further.
“Enough,” she said quietly, voice carrying the weight of her legendary authority.
“Behave like adults. Stand down, Elarion.”
The golden hero froze under her touch.
His chest heaved once, twice, then the tension in his shoulders slowly eased — not from calm, but from sheer exhaustion.
Kael simply offered a small, polite nod to Charlotte, as if thanking her for the intervention.
Without another word, he turned and walked toward the open doors leading to the private garden, his steps unhurried and graceful.
William and Nadia followed a few paces behind him, the slave seal ensuring they stayed close to their new master.
As soon as they stepped into the garden’s fresh air, Nadia tugged sharply at her husband’s sleeve, voice low and urgent.
“William… what are you doing? There is clearly friction between them. Why are you interfering?”
William shook his head, his face pale and pained.
“My body moved before I could even realize it, wife. It seems these slave chains are far more complicated than we thought. The moment Elarion showed any intention of hurting the Prince… my body acted on its own.”
Nadia’s eyes filled with fresh tears.
She looked toward the garden chairs where Kael had already seated himself, calm and composed under the morning sun.
“Why is the Goddess punishing us like this?” she whispered bitterly.
“We lost one son… and now we are forced to stand against another.”
Elarion remained standing before the tall windows, staring out at Kael.
His hand rose unconsciously to rub the back of his neck, exhaustion etched deep into every line of his face.
What the hell am I doing…? he thought.
Even though I knew Uncle and Aunt were bound to Kael… the pain still cuts just as deep.
He closed his eyes for a long moment, forcing his breathing to steady.
I can’t keep losing control like this.
First… I have to deal with this slave issue.
With renewed resolve, Elarion turned away from the window and began walking toward the Emperor’s personal wing.
He had requested an audience yesterday, but the Emperor had deliberately made him wait.
He probably already knows why I want to see him, Elarion thought bitterly as he moved through the opulent corridors.
But he’s making me wait just to rub it in my face.
Royal guards and Church paladins lined the halls, their expressions shifting from reverence to wary alertness the moment they recognized the Holy Son.
None dared stop him, but their eyes followed his every step.
Finally, Elarion came to a halt outside the towering gilded doors of the Emperor’s private study.
He stood there, fists clenched at his sides, golden hair catching the light from the enchanted lanterns.