Meanwhile, two figures in cloaks were walking through a remote town in the Xeton Empire. These two were surprisingly Arthur and his personal maid, Lena.

The two had sneaked out from the palace, especially since Arthur insisted that they had to leave the palace as it was not safe anymore. He was going through a lot of changes, and it would only be a matter of time before his father catches scent of what was going on with him.

He didn't want to get caught or let anything happen to Lena before he got his revenge. Fortunately, his uncle Sven helped him out by pointing to an inconspicuous town where Ruthren may not bother to look at to find him.

"Your Hi—I mean…Arthur, how long should we hide out here?" Lena worriedly asked. She was still finding it a bit strange to call him by his name after addressing him respectfully for all these years. But since he insisted, she could only use his name to address him.

Arthur's eyes were murky and dark as his mind continuously wandered in and out. He could smell Lena's blood by simply walking beside her, and it was driving him crazy.

Still, these impulses would only surface here and there, and he would somehow suppress them before he does something that he regrets.

"Arthur? Are you okay?" Lena became even more worried upon not hearing any answer from him. Whatever Arthur told her before was still haunting her, and she still couldn't imagine a life without him. She was not ready to accept the fact that Arthur's time was running out. He was so young, kind, and gifted. Why does he deserve all this and not his father?

"Just stay quiet, Lena! Didn't I tell you we are almost there!" Arthur said in a fit of anger, making Lena gasp as she drooped her head, "I-I am sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Arthur suddenly came to his senses as he yet again realized how bad he was being to Lena.

"I am sorry, Lena…I…I can't think straight….So no matter whatever hurtful things I might say again…Please don't take them seriously…That's just not me," Arthur said in an exhausted voice as Lena nodded with a trembling chin.

Arthur was becoming afraid of what was going on with him…Why he was becoming violent and all. He was still wondering what Sven really gave him and if this was really the solution.

But the real reason he came here was to drop off Lena and go back to fight his battle. He knew Lena would refuse to leave him, so he could only deceive her for her own sake. She was the only remaining one that he loved. He was ready to do anything to not let a hair on her get harmed.

'Ruthren…I won't die without making you pay…' Arthur thought as killing intent flashed in his eyes.

—-

Meanwhile, in an abandoned tower in the Lancaster Empire, five cloaked figures were standing inside.

They all removed their hoods, and the clean-shaven man looking in his 30s with elegant bearings had a look of faint surprise in his eyes as he saw the most wanted criminal standing before him along with the three most beautiful princesses in the continent.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," The young man and the three beautiful women beside him greeted politely.

"It's good to see you all too," Lancaster Emperor said with a smile before looking at the young man.

"Damien, ha…I still can't believe you had the courage to come out here. How did you know you could even trust me?" The Lancaster Emperor asked with a narrowed gaze. He couldn't even sense a hint of nervousness or anxiety from this young man nor from even his three beautiful and gifted women as well. No, it was more like all four of them was being reassured by each other's presence. He had never seen such a beautiful dynamic between a man and his women.

"I didn't…I trusted Yuria, who trusted her father for things to go smoothly," Damien said as he patted Yuria's head, who smiled with a blush.

The Lancaster Emperor softly chuckled as he smiled, feeling that this young junior before him was truly a unique breed.

"The only reason I am risking myself to be here is that King Krisen and even my son vouched for you. My son may have done it since Miss Yuria is his friend, but it seems that King Krisen knows you personally as well. I don't doubt it since you will be his son-in-law one day. But the other reason I was interested to hear you out was that I heard this was regarding the opening of the gates to the outside world?" The Lancaster Emperor asked with his hands behind his back.

Damien took a deep breath as he said, "I won't play around the bush but…I have to request you to not join Ruthren in opening the gate. Whatever noble or logical reason he told you, it's nonsense. What he is going to do will only kill us all. The Old World is a very dangerous place and not something we can venture into without good preparation."

The Lancaster Emperor pulled together his brows as he said, "I know about the horrors of the Old World and how it's the main reason why our ancestors ended up here, cut off from the outside world. But it's a fact that we are not meant to last on this continent forever. The ethereal air is thinning, and the lands are becoming less fertile. Of course, we can go on for at least a century or so but…"

"But what?" Reva asked with crossed arms.

"I know what kind of a person Ruthren is, and I obviously wouldn't believe anything he says until I saw it with my own eyes," The Lancaster Emperor said with a distant gaze.

"What did you see, Your Majesty?" Lily asked with her hand on her chest.

The Lancaster Emperor raised his gaze as he said, "What I am about to tell you cannot be revealed to the public yet. Well, the thing is…"

chapter-656
  • 14
  • 16
  • 18
  • 20
  • 22
  • 24
  • 26
  • 28
Select Lang
Tap the screen to use reading tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.