Chapter Seventeen
_ I want you to need me
* * *
"Did His Majesty kick you out of his office?"
"No, definitely not.."
Victor opened his eyes in surprise and shook his head in denial as he looked at her, but he caught a rare, mischievous smile on her face, so he composed himself and adjusted his expression. 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?"
Victor looked at Nila, and although he was used to bearing everything alone, he felt a sudden desire to tell her; a feeling inside him telling him that this woman had a way of solving things, but... this didn't mean letting his guard down. He smiled with tired eyes and said cryptically:
"The young master is growing up well, it seems His Majesty wants his son to become a strong and warm master.."
Nila looked deeply at Victor, who always seemed sarcastic or arrogant, refusing to be looked down upon..
"Damian is a wonderful child just like his father, I don't know how the Archduke was in the past, but I know that all of my son's beautiful traits were inherited from his father... I am, in any case, not as generous as he is.."
Victor looked with obvious surprise at Nila, then remembered something and said:
"Perhaps the young master is learning a lot from you, my lady.."
"..."
Nila looked with a lack of understanding, as Victor's mood had shifted, and he whispered, trying to suppress his amusement:
"Didn't the young master tell you what he did to Lina Franz?"
Nila narrowed her eyes as she shifted her gaze between Damian and Victor, whose smile widened as he whispered to her like a demon about what Damian had done. Victor seemed amused and proud of his little master, while Nila was shocked, the words having lost their way out, so she finally said:
"And does His Majesty know about what Damian did?"
Victor placed his hand under his chin as he recalled his master's stance..
["Shouldn't the master of the castle act strictly if the need arises.."]
For his master had summarized his stance on his son; that what his son does is right as long as it doesn't harm his life..
"His Majesty is not annoyed.."
And he thought to himself, that perhaps his master was even proud of his son. Nila breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Victor, who asked her curiously:
"And what is your opinion, Miss Harvey?"
"I don't deny that I hate acting with arrogance and exploiting power, but people like Lina deserve to realize the magnitude of their mistakes.."
Victor felt speechless for a moment, but he felt a surge of enthusiasm, for perhaps the young master, who inherited the strong blood of De Walter and was raised by a loving and strong mother, would become an invincible master.
So he looked at his little master with proud eyes and said while still watching him:
"The young master's teacher will come today to meet him.."
But it seemed that matters were swifter than Victor anticipated, as the figure of a young man appeared close to his little master, and they seemed incredibly in sync. He looked at Nila, who appeared slightly skeptical; Damian might be a social person by nature, but he hadn't shown such enthusiasm when speaking with anyone else. However, the young man with him looked strangely familiar. Before she could say a word, Victor approached Damian, speaking with an encouraging smile:
"My young master, it seems you liked your new sword teacher."
Damian opened his eyes with excitement and looked at Riley, who seemed surprised; in fact, he straightened his posture as he looked at Damian in awe. Victor looked at the embarrassed Riley and then at Nila, saying with a smile as he watched Nila heading toward them:
"Lady Harvey, this is Sir Riley Toria, the young master's teacher and personal guard.."
Riley froze when he saw Nila and blinked several times, while Nila smiled encouragingly, it was a look that carried a great deal of pride..
"How are you, Sir Knight?"
Riley became flustered as he looked silently, his eyes trembling with a flood of emotions. Damian wondered at his silence, looked at him, and tilted his head; how could someone look at another person that way? He looked like a baby bird meeting its mother after days of hunger. He frowned slightly and called him:
"Sir Knight?!"
Riley bent on his knee, lowered his head, and said in a shaky voice:
"I am happy, because I met my lady.."
"..."
"?"
"?"
"Thank you, my lady, for thanks to my lady, I would have died and rotted in that filthy place."
Damian, Victor, and Martha, who was standing in a somewhat distant corner, were in a state of genuine astonishment.
Nila laughed softly and patted his head in a playful manner:
"The commander of the Knights of Lyria shouldn't bow to a humble lady like me in this manner..."
"My lady...!"
"You still act childishly, Riley."
Riley wiped his tears while smiling happily and stood up, looking much brighter. Victor blinked several times and muttered in disbelief:
"He never bowed to His Majesty with such respect, that woman is dangerous.."
He felt gazes piercing through him, only to find Damian looking at him with sharp eyes, so he smiled innocently; he had forgotten that the De Walters were monsters, so he said cheerfully:
"I heard that Sir Toria met Lady Harvey, but I didn't know you were so close to the lady.."
Victor knew that Riley had a gentle personality by nature, but he didn't forget that he was the youngest sword master in Carson. When Riley raised his eyebrow, Victor frowned, but Riley simply said:
"His Majesty the Archduke knows that my loyalty was first to my lady, and she was the one who asked me to serve De Walter.."
Victor had almost forgotten how Riley came to De Walter, but he smiled in resignation..
"Lady Harvey is the foster mother of the young master of De Walter.."
Riley blinked in surprise and swept his eyes between Nila and Damian, who was puffing out his chest with a cute arrogance..
"So when the little... I mean the young master said my mother, he meant you, my lady.."
Nila drew Damian closer to her and said with a grateful smile:
"Certainly, and I thank you for saving my child.."
Riley frowned slightly, then smiled happily. Damian was surprised when Riley knelt on his knee once again and took his hand:
"My young master, I will serve you with all my heart, and I will put my entire soul into teaching you the sword.."
Damian was taken aback, for Riley seemed to respect him even more upon knowing he was Nila's son. He thought in his mind:
'Are there really people who respect my mother more than the Archduke himself?!!'
Damian nodded to Riley instinctively, appearing unable to believe these crazy events. These occurrences truly seemed to make him forget yesterday's incident as if it had never happened..
* * *
"Your Majesty?"
".."
"Did Your Majesty know about the connection between Miss Harvey and Sir Toria?"
"How do you think I hired him?.."
"...?"
"It was the agreement."
"A prior agreement between you two?"
He looked at him calmly, so he said skeptically:
"Your Majesty knew that the young master did not die."
"Exactly.."
Victor laughed in bewilderment; Victor remembered his master seven years ago, after finding that corpse..
["Let's clean De Walter first, until it comes to its next master."]
Victor had thought his master was hinting at stepping down after cleansing the territory, but he didn't know his master was indirectly telling him that the child was alive. Here, realization struck Victor's head. Throughout the seven years, his master was walking with steady steps on the path of uncovering the secret behind the disasters happening to De Walter. He had been planning from the very beginning. Victor sneered at the shallow nature of his thoughts; the man he served was no fool, he calculated every step and where it headed..
"You may leave now, I will go to take a tour of the region.."
"Your Majesty's command.."
Elyon walked steadily out of the office and then completely out of the castle. He pulled his powerful black horse and began to ride swiftly toward one familiar direction. When the horse finally stopped, Elyon dismounted in front of a large fence and large signs that read 'No Trespassing'. Elyon crossed with a smooth leap and began to walk steadily until he reached a small field surrounded by white daisies. Despite the barrenness of the land, the flowers surrounded a light gray stone, free of dust, upon which was written in a large, clear script:
(Here lies my safe world, Damian De Walter, born on. June /22/ xx 56, died on. December /15/ xx 73)
Elyon approached the grave and squatted in front of it. He wiped the stone slowly with empty eyes, took a deep breath, and stood back up to leave the place. He didn't know why, but whenever he swore within himself that he wouldn't return to this place, his feet would take him to it. Therefore, he decided to surrender and return to this place every day..
He didn't speak, he did nothing except wipe the words that carried the name, and today out of all days, he was more clinging to coming, so he decided at least to say a word..
"Thank you for being born... Happy birthday, brother."
["Didn't you bring me a gift.. what a cheapskate you are."]
He took one last look at the grave, and before he left, he heard a voice, it was indistinct... He knew, it was just his imagination..
"I'm sorry.... I'm sorry because I couldn't give you anything.."
He said his final words as he distanced himself from the tombstone. A cold wind struck Elyon's face as he mounted his horse and set off to complete his work..
When his tour ended in the evening and he returned to the castle, and before he entered it, he saw Riley talking with the knights; he was an interestingly social and diligent young man. He turned his gaze back to the gate, crossed it quietly, heading to his office, and began working on the papers as usual. When he opened the drawers to look for an ink bottle, a drawer he was used to locking caught his attention. He opened it and pulled out many bundles of papers, and among them was a large envelope. He opened it and read the old letter, feeling a sense of irony..
[_When the time comes, the little prince will return to his castle, but everyone must think he no longer exists in this world. On the other sheet, you will find some information you need… I had to make some mistakes during that, but I will not apologize because my apology justifies nothing. Oh, the boy who will give you the letter, I hope you take care of him for my sake, he is a good boy.]
The other paper he had been forced to burn so his plan would remain hidden, and he didn't want to burn this one, because he wanted to see the result of putting matters in someone else's hands for the first time..
He lit a flame with his finger and burned the paper quickly, then returned everything to its place as if it had never been, and went back to working as usual...
* * *
Three weeks had passed since Riley's return, and Damian's performance was remarkable, despite the fact of him being a magician..
"Reduce the movements that are of no use.."
"..."
Scraaaash !!!
"Good.. you can rest now, my young master."
Damian let out a huge breath and threw his wooden sword aside. He had trained under Count Percion, but he was more merciful and less strict..
"Riley, I'm tired.."
"It's fine, you progressed quite well today.."
Perhaps Riley's kind and encouraging words were what made Damian feel a bit lighter.
Riley and Damian moved toward the table always prepared for Damian after training, so he sat with Riley, quenching their thirst with a glass of fresh apple juice. The table was filled as usual with various foods such as sweets, sandwiches, and much more that suited relieving the fatigue of the prince who trained hard..
"Celine, is my mother busy today?"
"Yes, very much.. She instructed me to make sure that my young master and Sir Toria eat well.."
Riley looked at Celine with a grateful smile, making her blush. It wasn't just Celine, but most of the maids and ladies were enchanted by Riley's handsome appearance and strong body, even his personality was very gentle..
Damian looked at Celine in bewilderment, then consumed some egg sandwiches which he was certain were prepared by his mother; since her return to him, she had been constantly cooking what he liked. He smiled with excitement when an idea crossed his mind:
"Celine.."
"Present.. my young master."
"Is the Archduke in his office?"
Damian was never confused about his father's location; he was either on one of his inspection tours, or in his office. He looked at Celine, who was trying to remember, meaning come on:
"Ah, I heard that he has just returned from a meeting with the nobles of the territory.."
"Good.."
"?"
"..!!?"
Celine grew confused while Riley, who felt amused, smiled and waited to see what this little one would do..
"Pack a lot of sandwiches and juice... I would love to have them with the Archduke."
Celine swallowed her saliva while Riley laughed with sincerity and admiration:
"Well done.."
Damian smiled gently while Celine packed only the foods that Damian pointed to. It was clear to anyone who was in the castle, that this child's spontaneous actions had caused a major crack in their master's personality; he wasn't evil, but he didn't possess a likable personality to them. However, the child who forced his presence before the Archduke had changed much of the castle's dark atmosphere..
* * *
"I heard that you returned, Your Majesty.."
Elyon looked at the woman sitting quietly across from his desk. He didn't utter a word and sat at his desk, pulling his tools to work. Nila noticed the writing tool box that Damian had bought, so she smiled with maternal pride and said:
"Damian will be very happy when he sees his father using his gift."
Elyon looked at the box, thinking that it was probably mere nonsense, and before he could say a word, Nila, who seemed to have a different aura when speaking about Damian, said:
"You know, Your Majesty, unlike everyone else's gifts, he bought Your Majesty's gift with the money he was saving when we were in the village. Doesn't it seem to hold a great, special meaning.."
Elyon felt a twinge in his chest, and his hand stopped working for a moment. Nila looked at Elyon's calm eyes and smiled cheerfully to change the mood:
"He never bought me a gift at all, I feel miserable.."
He paid her no heed and pulled the endless documents and began working, while she spoke quietly:
"I have sent some letters here and there.."
"..."
"The last time the Crown Prince was seen and the circumstances of his disappearance.. they were suspicious.."
Despite Elyon showing that he wasn't listening to her, his hands slowed down in writing, and it became clear that he wanted to know more..
"A three-day-old child disappears without even a trace of blood, the kidnapper might seem to be a noble, but.."
"The kidnapper was raised within the borders of the Imperial Palace."
Elyon spoke quietly while looking at her, so she nodded her head and completed:
"Most of the traitors here are people who were brought in a long time ago so that they would be far from suspicion.."
"Do you know who is responsible?"
"Let's begin with whoever asked me to work in De Walter.."
Elyon had known that Nila gave him a lot of information, but she hadn't told him who asked her to do that, as if she was planning something crazy:
"Viscount Cesar, my father's friend, and Baron Rollin.. My father was framed by Count Collins, therefore I carry a lot of doubts about him.."
"Is it a network?!"
"My father was just a simple rural baron, what is the wisdom behind fabricating a conspiracy against him?"
"The last keeper of the secret, perhaps.."
"No.."
"?"
Nila was serious beyond imagination. Elyon noticed the trembling of her fingers that were on the table, but she quickly withdrew them and said in a voice that contradicted the trembling of her heart:
"My father knew who the prince's kidnapper was, or let's say the more accurate information; it was my father whom the previous Archduke sent to investigate that.."
"It was announced that the prince was sick and was sent to a distant kingdom for treatment.."
"It was my father who informed the Emperor of that.."
"Baron Harvey?"
"My father was one step away from finding the kidnapper, or let's say the kidnappers, and many threats reached my father. The last of them was the announcement of embezzlement and treason, and numerous charges, and it was a fabricated trial, while the health of the previous Archduke was deteriorating.."
["If your limbs are poisoned, cut them off so you do not die."]
"Don't you think that the previous Archduke had a hand in your father's death?"
"You mean to get rid of the tail."
"Perhaps.."
"Do you want me to take revenge on you for what your father did?"
"Perhaps, you want to...."
He didn't finish his sentence because Nila said with a sincere smile that made Elyon freeze for a moment. He couldn't reply, but she laughed in a playful manner..
"Children bear no guilt for what the fathers do.."
"..."
"You were the one who said it when you employed me here..."
"Ah.. yes."
Nila found his strange reaction, which seemed lukewarm, unusual. She thought within herself:
'Isn't he used to doubting my intentions... no problem now..'
"In any case, I have searched a little as well, there is a figure I suspect has a hand in moving behind the scenes.."
"Who is it.."
"Duke Fairchild."
"Are you joking with me? Isn't he the brother of the late Empress?.."
"And the closest to the regency of the throne."
... To be continued ...