Voiding Truth (2)

“How was your alone time?” he wondered.

She scratched the top of her head and grinned.

“It… was peaceful. What brings you here?” she asked.

Kael held up a letter between his fingers.

“A response from His Majesty…” he answered.

Her eyes gleamed as she hopped towards him.

“What is the answer?”

He giggled at her reaction and smirked.

“He… finally agreed.”

Valencia’s eyes widened.

“How did… you?” she paused.

“I told him that if he doesn’t allow you to come with me, then he must reveal the truth behind your father’s death…”

Valencia froze, her lips trembling.

[FLASHBACK - Kael Entering the Royal Palace]

“What brings the new Duke of Izekiah here?” Lucentis asked.

Cindalle chuckled, feeding Lucentis a few grapes.

“Must be besotted about his new dear wife…” she teased.

Kael scoffed, looking at the ground before raising his gaze towards them.

“You dare laugh—”

“Your Majesty, let’s get this straight… you refused to allow my sweet wife to accompany me to the Black Forest because you sought the guidance of her late mother… and her father,” Kael said sternly, his eyes hollowed.

Lucentis clenched his fists as he glared at Kael.

“You have quite a hypothesis—”

“Then tell me… what happened to her father? Obviously, not your late brother… but Eureon Luvoise,” Kael questioned.

Cindalle froze, her hands shaking in the air. Her eyes glanced at Kael.

“What makes you think I would think my late brother would be considered her father?”

Kael laughed lightly. He took a deep breath and tossed a wrapped handkerchief onto the ground between them.

“This is the Void’s dagger… pierced by your late brother’s Light. Eureon’s power killed your brother, but in self-defense. Am I correct?” Kael deduced.

Lucentis sneered, cackling.

“How dare a duke slander a royal prince—?”

“You allowed his death to succumb, and use that opportunity to be the next heir… you watched it happen and said nothing.”

Lucentis snarled as he rose from his chair. He slapped Cindalle’s hands away and walked toward Kael.

“Do you wish to die?”

“Why? Does the king without the Light wish to kill the Light?” Kael asked. Then he stepped forward with a smirk. “My father had kept this all these years… to keep silence of what you all planned against the savior who fought against the Demon King for peace. However, if you’re going to slander the true hero in this world, you might as well face the consequence of the truth.”

“And what makes you think this dagger will bring out the truth?” Lucentis growled.

“Because… your father tried to steal Eureon’s aura core. As well as your brother’s.”

Lucentis tightened his jaw, his fists trembling beside his thighs. Kael smiled slyly, patting Lucentis’s shoulder.

Cindalle gritted her teeth. How did he know about what happened that night? I made sure that I was the one who took those auracores, but they disappeared. So, I had to burn his body. She clenched her fists.

Kael glanced over Lucentis’s shoulder to look at Cindalle. What makes her so tense? Could she be involved in this scheme? He locked eyes with her.

She flinched and averted her eyes.

“I hope to hear good news… before the people get the news,” Kael stated. Then he turned away, but he paused. He walked to the dagger and picked it up with a warm smile. “Forgive me for my rudeness in dropping my belongings. My father would be furious at me for leaving behind what he had found… in the dungeon that night.”

Lucentis stood there in the middle of the Main Hall, anger rising from within.

Silence before…

“Argh! How dare the Izekiah look down on the Cardiellas?!” Lucentis yelled. He glared at the door. “If only my grandmother hadn’t married that stupid Izekiah! He wouldn’t have the Cardiella blood in him!”

[END OF FLASHBACK]

Valencia stared at Kael without a word. Her chest tightened, and her hands slowly formed into fists.

“So you’re saying…” she paused, withholding her tears.

Kael glanced down at her hands, tossing the letter to the ground. He then reached into his belt and handed her the dagger, wrapped in a handkerchief. She flinched, her gaze locking onto the dagger. The Void dagger, forged from the last blood Eureon shed to protect himself, stretched as if it were alive.

Tears ran down her face as she fell to the ground, unable to stand.

“I… should have told you sooner, my wife.”

She wailed so loudly, so uncontrollably, yet leaning on his shoulder kept her from falling apart completely.

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