Chapter 4 – The Blood of Aden (Part 3)

Seia’s next destination was the Imperial Library.

While Rey gathered information, she planned to search the old books in the library for information about her bloodline.

“The History of the Aden Clan.”

Seia found an old, worn-out book at the end of a long corridor.

‘I’ve seen this book in my father’s library.’

Seia recalled as she opened the book.

It was a large, thick book that required both hands to hold.

Seia barely managed to place the book on a small table.

‘The blood of witches.’

Seia knew exactly which part she wanted to see.

Her white, slender hands brushed off the dust and turned the pages.

After a while, Seia’s hand stopped.

Her golden eyes moved quickly up and down.

Seia’s expression slowly changed.

Her face looked both astonished and awestruck.

‘This is the ability I need the most.’

Seia thought.

The ability she needed was not to control fire, fly, or defeat monsters.

‘The truth.’

The ability Seia needed now was just one.

“The blood that reveals the truth.”

Seia murmured as if in a trance.

***

For several days, Kyle rode without rest and left Hellis.

With the Aden family ring that Seia had given him in his possession, he headed to the castle where she lived.

‘I’ve finally arrived here.’

For Kyle, it was returning to the starting point of everything.

He looked up at the tower of Aden that soared sharply into the sky.

He remembered the night he sneaked into Seia’s bedroom and let out a dry laugh.

His body was completely exhausted from not eating or resting properly, but strangely, his mind felt light.

‘This place feels more comfortable than where I was born and raised.’

Kyle dismounted and walked towards the castle gate.

He could almost see the young Seia running with her lavender hair fluttering.

‘What if we had run away together back then?’

He often imagined this while enduring the harsh northern winds, unable to sleep.

Perhaps the boy and girl could have lived as Kyle and Seia, free from all their burdensome names.

But there were too many knots in their hearts to let everything go.

‘I will start anew from where it all began.’

Kyle resolved to reclaim his freedom with his own strength.

“I’ve come to meet Duke Perseus Aden.”

At his words, the old butler looked surprised.

No one called Perseus a duke anymore.

Instead of revealing his identity, Kyle took out the Aden family ring from his pocket.

The old butler’s eyes widened.

“The Crown Princess sent me.”

That was enough.

The Aden castle was filled with a chilling atmosphere.

The higher he climbed the stairs, the stronger the wind passing through the tower became, and even the sound was eerie.

There was no one in the banquet hall on the lower floor.

It was evident that it was an abandoned banquet hall.

Dusty curtains, old tables, and chairs.

The candles in the candlesticks looked as if they had been cut a long time ago.

“The master is coming.”

The old butler who had greeted Kyle earlier opened the inner door and announced.

Percy entered the banquet hall, barely hiding his surprise.

“I heard that the Crown Princess sent you.”

Kyle extended a hand towards Percy.

“I am Kyle Hellis.”

Percy took in the man before him again.

The bastard of the Hellis Imperial Family, the Prince of the North.

A man he had only heard about in rumors.

The man was much more robust and larger than Percy had imagined.

His black hair was as dark as the night sky, and his eyes were sharply edged.

He was a man Percy didn’t want to make an enemy of.

“…Greetings, Prince.”

Percy knelt and bowed.

“I am no longer a prince. Seia is no longer the Crown Princess either.”

At Kyle’s words, Percy’s face hardened.

“She has become the Empress.”

There was only one thing that could mean.

“No way…”

As Percy’s face turned pale, Kyle nodded briefly.

“His Majesty the Emperor has passed away.”

Percy collapsed into a chair.

Kyle took a step closer to him.

Then he took out the family’s signet ring that Seia had given him from his pocket.

“She asked me to give this to you, Duke Aden.”

“This is…”

Percy took the ring and brought it close to his face.

The very ring that had been on his father’s hand.

As a child, he had been eager to become the proud son who would inherit it someday.

When his father fell under the sword of Hellis, he thought he had lost the right to inherit this ring.

So he gave it to Seia, hoping it would be of some help during her long imprisonment.

He had always thought his younger sister had more qualities of a head of the family than he did.

The ring had now come back to Percy’s hand after many turns.

“I have been accused of assassinating His Majesty and have fled the Empire in exile.”

Kyle spoke calmly.

Percy quickly lifted his head.

“It is true that I coveted the seat next to Seia after returning to the capital, but I did not assassinate His Majesty the Emperor.”

He was recounting the most shocking event and scandal in the history of the Empire with composure.

Percy looked into Kyle’s eyes.

“…Do you want to become Emperor?”

His voice choked as if his throat was tightening.

The answer was never something that could be simply answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Kyle understood that the position of Emperor carried not only immense power and authority but also great responsibility and duty.

However, there was something he could clearly convey to the man standing before him.

“I want to become a man worthy of the woman of the oracle.”

That statement was like a declaration.

Percy’s hands began to tremble.

“Is my sister also involved in such a dangerous affair?”

Of course, Percy knew well that Seia was not someone who would be used in a rebellion without knowing anything.

His sister was not a person who would become a puppet; she would be the leader if anything.

Kyle slowly nodded at Percy’s words.

“We made a blood oath.”

The sharp blade that cut their palms, the flames that flared up in an instant.

“I promised to help Aden regain its rightful place and to set Seia free.”

“In return, my sister will make you Emperor, Your Highness.”

“To do that, we need the active support of Aden.”

Kyle spoke again.

Percy chuckled at those words.

“Aden is a defeated nation. We don’t have the enormous military strength or great weapons like the Imperial Family.”

Percy gave a faint, self-deprecating smile.

“Aden itself is a strategically important location, isn’t it? It blocks the road from the capital to the North and borders Kshanti to the west.”

Kyle explained calmly.

At those words, Percy couldn’t help but think of Seia’s face.

It reminded him of his sister debating with him when they were young.

He suddenly became curious about Seia’s feelings.

‘The man Seia Aden falls in love with becomes the Emperor of the Hellis Empire.’

That oracle was deeply engraved in the hearts of the Aden family members like a brand burned with fire.

Like a master branding a slave, it was an inescapable mark given by the gods to humans.

‘Does she think this man has the qualities to become Emperor, or is it truly…’

Percy’s mind became complicated.

“If you, Duke Aden, is willing to cooperate, there is a plan to support it.”

Kyle began to persuade Percy.

As the setting sun poured in through the window, a green light flickered in his grey eyes.

It was a deep color, like grass soaked in rain that had fallen for a long time.