Chapter 399: Her crimes can no longer go unpunished.

“And what do you think would happen once these forces fail to recruit him?”

Alden questioned as his grin widened and Zephyr…

He finally realized it.

“…they will try to get rid of him.

The Hero would become a common enemy to all the strongest forces in Nerathis.”

“That is correct.”

Alden nodded, satisfied.

He wasn’t used to explaining things. As the King, he was habitual of doing whatever he wanted and others reacting to him accordingly.

Zephyr, however, was different.

He needed Zephyr to understand his thoughts. Zephyr was one of the few useful subordinates he had—one who would act without him having to say much.

He was sharp and cunning, so them being on the same page was important.

“The Hero’s potential is strong, but in the end, he is but a single man.

No man, no matter how strong, can go against the entire World.”

The King explained, and once again, Zephyr nodded in understanding.

Now that the King’s plans were clear, he could move accordingly, and it didn’t take long for him to come up with a few plans based on the King’s words.

A slight smile appeared on his face as he thought of the ’Tribulations’ the Velmourns were going to face soon.

Of course, he knew he still had to discuss these plans with the King, but the hour wasn’t fit for such discussion. It was better for him to return, think through them once again, and present the final plans with complete details in front of the King at the right hour.

As he thought of all that, Zephyr bowed his head and—

“Then if there is nothing, I will excuse myself.

Please, rest well.”

The Shadow Regent, after receiving a nod from the King, turned around, ready to leave.

For a moment, the King remained silent, waiting for the Regent to leave—but just as Zephyr reached the doors and opened them, Alden seemed to have lost a battle with himself and—

“…what about her?”

He questioned.

Zephyr turned around, and for the first time in their entire exchange, the cold, excessively dry eyes seemed… different.

A look that showed extreme care and love.

A look that instantly made Zephyr realize who the King was talking about.

“She was not mentioned in the reports I received.”

Zephyr answered. His words made Alden narrow his eyes.

“Of course, not all reports are in yet. The Velmourns held a celebratory Ceremony to honor their grand victory today. All the Velmourns celebrated till late at night.

It may take a while before we receive complete reports.

Reports where… she is mentioned.”

“…they sure know how to celebrate for someone who constantly worries about survival.”

Alden commented sarcastically.

“Maybe the constant survival made them appreciate life more than us.”

Zephyr just shook his head with a small smile.

“…”

The King turned silent.

Zephyr observed his face; he could notice the cracks on his poker face. The King was… frustrated.

He wanted to know more about his daughter, but he was in no position to force this matter. Zephyr understood that—

So he began,

“What I can say, however, is that she is safe.”

His words made the King look at him, and he continued—

“I still remember my conversation with Morvain. It already knew the Princess’s identity without me having to tell her.

So while the soldiers were surprised by the reveal, that woman held her stand.

Even when I offered resources that would help the Velmourns survive not just this winter but a few more, in exchange for her, she refused.

She has accepted the Princess as one of her people. The Princess, too, seemed to have proven her worth.

The fact that the Velmourns do not know about the Princess’s Fall has helped her settle in.

She seems exceptionally close to Hero Kael as well, so I do not think something is going to happen to her anytime soon.

At least… not until we act.”

Zephyr spoke the last words carefully.

He knew how difficult it was for the King. The person he loved the most in life had joined the enemies—enemies they couldn’t ignore for various reasons.

In the end, the two of them would end up facing each other, and as unwilling as the King was—he would have no choice but to face her.

After all, the Princess was indeed an enemy, an enemy who chose the power that could have destroyed their Kingdom from the inside.

As much as the King was unwilling to believe it, the mask of the bright, cheerful girl the Princess had kept all her life—

It was false.

And the same mask seemed to have fooled the Hero as well.

Zephyr just couldn’t understand how the Princess managed to manipulate the Hero into protecting her when she was imprisoned.

It was clear that the Princess had a spy inside the Royal Castle, a spy that managed to get in contact with the Hero.

Honestly, the Shadow Regent even had a rough idea who this spy was.

He just… couldn’t say anything out loud since he had no way to prove his words.

After all, it was just a hunch that could very well be wrong.

’No, I cannot be wrong.

The Stormholds were not only close to the Princess but also developed a strong relationship with the Hero.

They are the only link between the two.

It has to be them.’

Zephyr’s expression changed.

Everyone in the Royal Castle knew the Stormhold children were quite close to the Fallen Princess; their relationship with the Hero was out of the ordinary as well.

They were also one of the only few powers that held enough influence to let the Hero escape the Castle without alerting even his Shadows.

No matter how he thought about it, all fingers pointed in their direction.

The very fact that the Stormhold children had resigned from their positions and returned to Stormhold Castle at a time like this raised the Regent’s suspicions even further.

Something was definitely going on with the Stormholds. He could tell their interests and the Kingdom’s interests no longer aligned.

Just that…

Zephyr didn’t wish to believe that his line of thought was indeed correct. Somewhere in his heart, he wanted to believe that he was wrong and misunderstanding the situation.

After all, if the Stormholds were truly the enemy, then—

It meant she was an enemy as well.

And if that was indeed true, then Drakthar was much weaker than they actually believed.

Zephyr’s body trembled when he thought about all this, but then suddenly—

“It does not matter.”

The King spoke up. Once again, his poker face was back. He stared at Zephyr and—

“The Princess was excused from a death sentence, but instead of being grateful for that, she escaped and joined our long-standing enemies instead.

She even manipulated the Hero, the asset we believed would help save us from the threats we will be facing in the future, and brought him to her side.

Her crimes can no longer go unpunished.

Her presence will no longer mean anything.”

The King declared with a cold look on his face as he then looked into Zephyr’s eyes and—

“Do what you are supposed to.”

“…as you command, Your Majesty.”

Zephyr nodded as he bowed his head.

The King nodded back and then—

“You can leave.”

He ordered.

Zephyr did as he was told and excused himself after another bow.

“…”

Once the Shadow Regent left, the entire room fell silent. The King continued to stare at the door for a good minute and finally,

His back hunched again, as if he had lost all his strength. He slowly turned back towards his table, opened his dark red diary again, and picked his quill.

For a moment, his eyes lingered on his daughter’s picture, but then he set it on the table face down and started writing again.

…

On the other side, thousands of kilometers away from Drakthar, in Ashen Heights, Kael and Lavinia walked out of Roan’s house, and Kael stretched his body.

“That took a long time.”

He spoke, feeling somewhat tired.

“I did not know children had this much energy.”

“Well, he was playing with his idol. I doubt any child wouldn’t have pushed himself till he fell asleep from complete exhaustion.”

Lavinia answered with a chuckle.

“We imposed on them more than we should have. Unlike us, they need to get to work tomorrow.”

Kael muttered.

Since he was now the Warden of Vigilance, he no longer had to continue his watch at the Walls. All he needed to do was continue surveying, and since the ones actually doing it were his Ants, he was pretty much free for the entire day.

Lavinia too only needed to deliver her lectures for four hours a day and was free for the rest of the time. Right now, the two of them were the most work-free people in all of Velmourn.

“Well, you could have said no.”

Lavinia laughed, staring at Kael, and he just scratched his head.

“I couldn’t.

He asked so politely, it was adorable.”

Lavinia laughed at those words, recalling how after they were done sending a message through the Highstone, Roan turned towards Kael hesitantly and asked him to play with him.

The way that child asked was so adorable that Lavinia already knew Kael wouldn’t be able to refuse.

This was the same man who helplessly falls for his children’s tricks again and again; there was no way he could resist something like this, even if it meant sacrificing his sleep.

“He is a good child.”

She nodded.

“Indeed.”

Kael nodded as well.

“Should we get some rest as well?”

Lavinia questioned.

“Mhm.”

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