Kretos stood on the rooftop of Cassial Palace, holding a silver pocket watch in his hand, watching as its hands pointed to midnight. He whispered quietly, "Hmm, good... it's midnight. Time to bring him."
He paused for a moment before closing his eyes and focusing his magical energy. Teleportation was one of the most difficult magical arts he had mastered, relying on distorting space and opening a portal between two points. This magic wasn’t available to everyone; only a few talented individuals or those who had studied the knowledge of the sages of Niblariom, which Cassial had preserved in its libraries, like Kretos. Kretos knew that the magical knowledge of Niblariom was available to all the inhabitants of the continent, but only a few could truly comprehend and master it. Magic wasn’t a power granted to everyone; it required talent and patience to learn its secrets in order to harness such power.
With a swift pulse of energy, Kretos felt the space around him distort, and a small portal through time and space opened.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished, as if the air around him had swallowed him whole.
Valeria Palace, perched atop a fortified hill, shone with the beauty of its glittering blue domes under the moonlight. Kretos flew through the air, using magic to conceal himself from sight, passing by the balcony where Theodore stood.
He saw Theodore stumbling in and out of the balcony, unsteady. Kretos shook his head in frustration and sighed. "What an idiot, didn’t he tell him not to draw attention?" Kretos thought in annoyance as he watched Theodore’s reckless behavior.
When Theodore entered the room, Kretos landed on the balcony behind him, dispelling his invisibility magic and casting a sound-muffling spell.
"Your Highness Theodore, I’m here to take you," Kretos said in a low voice, surprising Theodore.
"Chris, what are you doing here? Why didn’t Evering come to fetch me?" Theodore asked, worried.
"Your Highness, His Highness Ivering sent me instead to ensure there would be no mishap with the treaty," Kretos replied calmly.
Theodore frowned and said, "I’m not going with you. Go tell that cold-hearted man."
Before Theodore could continue speaking, Kretos struck him hard, knocking him unconscious instantly.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. These were His Highness Evering’s orders," Kretos said as he picked up Theodore, then noticed a small bag on the bed. "It’s far too small for a crown prince. Even our servants' quarters in Cassial are better than this."
Kretos frowned at the sight of Theodore, who appeared weak, as if he was eating only one meal a week. Using teleportation magic, Kretos returned to the rooftop of Cassial Palace. He had already prepared a guest room for Theodore. He placed him on the bed, covered him carefully, then closed the door and left.
But an uneasy feeling crept over him, making him sense someone behind him. Without turning around, he placed his hand on his chest as a sign of respect.
"This humble servant offers his respects to His Highness Johan Cassial."
He turned to find Johan standing there, arms crossed, waiting for a reasonable explanation.
"Why is the Crown Prince of Valeria here? And don’t even think about telling me you’re not going to talk."
"But Your Highness, it’s not a secret. His Highness Ivering will tell you everything when he wakes up, but I’ll tell you what happened now."
Kretos explained everything to Johan in detail, which only made Johan’s anger rise. Johan approached him with slow, terrifying steps, making Kretos feel uneasy. He had thought nothing could scare him.
Johan grabbed Kretos by the ear and pulled it hard, as a form of discipline. "Kris , remember how many times I’ve punished you and the other kids when you lied."
"Oh, yes, Your Highness," Kretos said painfully, trying to suppress his cries. Memories of his childhood flooded his mind, where Johan had punished them all for lying. Even Ivering hadn’t been spared.
"Y-your Highness, I didn’t lie. I just didn’t speak. I performed my duty as instructed," Kretos stammered nervously, finally escaping Johan’s punishment. Johan coldly said, "Go to bed now, your reckoning is tomorrow."
His sharp voice and icy gaze were enough to freeze the blood in Kretos's veins.
Kritos resisted the pain in his ear as he watched Johan leave the room with quiet, yet tense, steps full of anger. It felt to him like a storm had just passed, but he knew all too well that this storm would return in the morning, and he would need to prepare for the confrontation with Johan then.
He entered his room, his steps heavy as if carrying a mountain of thoughts on his shoulders. In his mind, the events of the night replayed endlessly, between his fear of Johan's reaction, his concern for Theodore, and his deep respect for His Highness Evering. Kritos sat on the edge of his bed, fearful and exhausted, still trying to calm his restless mind. As the wind howled outside, a deep feeling stirred in his heart, bringing forth memories of those unforgettable moments from his childhood.
"Johan wasn’t just the Grand Archduke or the uncle of Cassial's princes. He was like a father to us. Every time I think of him, it feels like he was the safety I never knew in my life. There was no distinction between us; he treated us all the same, whether we were of the royal family or not. For me, it wasn't just Johan but all of Cassial that made me feel like one of their own. That meant so much."
He closed his eyes, trying to push away the ghost of fear that surrounded him.
"I was grateful to Cassial for embracing me as one of its sons. I never felt like I didn’t belong. **Johan** taught us many lessons, not only about responsibility and hard work but also about self-respect and dignity. He never allowed us to lie or manipulate because he wanted us to be the best version of ourselves."
He paused for a moment, the weight of the past heavy on his shoulders as he continued speaking to himself: "Even when I made mistakes, I knew I wouldn't be exempt from punishment, but there was always hope that I could improve my behavior. Johan was always the one we could rely on in tough times, the one who provided us with honest guidance when we needed it the most."
It felt to Kritos as though every part of Johan’s character formed the foundation upon which Cassial's strength was built. Those moments of shared weakness and courage between them reminded him that he wasn’t just a servant but part of a larger family.
As Kritos began to drift into sleep, the emotions he held in his heart soothed his pain, helping him prepare for the challenges of the next day. Even if that meant facing Johan’s wrath head-on.
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