Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Truth

Inside the dimly lit room, the air was heavy with the scent of old wood and the cold, metallic tang of the black coffin. Adonis, Millia, Valentina, and Commander Silva stood gathered in a circle of flickering candlelight.

​The atmosphere was suffocating.

​”What is it you wanted to talk about, Commander? Speak quickly!” Adonis snapped, his patience running out.

​Commander Silva shifted his gaze from the coffin to the boy. His eyes were tired, carrying the weight of a decade of secrets.

“Firstly, you know how much I respected your mother, Adonis. So you should know that I would never lie to you.”

​Adonis gave a sharp, curt nod, signaling the man to continue.

Silva’s eyes turned melancholic, drifting toward the shadows as he reached into the past.

​”It began like this,” Silva started, “Your father and mother knew each other long before he wore the Duke’s mantle. Leonel and I once headed to an ordinary village for a quick survey of the lands. There, we found Adelaide working in a field of sunflowers. She was young, spirited, and radiant. Leonel fell in love at first glance, and eventually, she fell under his charm as well.”

​Silva paused, smiling wryly.

“They were a happy couple. He visited her constantly, stolen moments away from the palace. But the dream shattered when the previous Duke, Leonel’s father, learned of the affair.”

​”In a fit of rage the old Duke arranged a political marriage with the royal family of the neighboring Gratis Kingdom. The bride was Clementine Draghi VII. Leonel loathed the idea; his heart belonged solely to Adelaide. He begged his father to accept their relationship, but the old man refused, claiming the Kingsbane bloodline would be stained by a commoner.”

​Adonis’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent.

​”Defiant to the end, Leonel married Adelaide in a secret ceremony at a local church. However, when the Draghi family learned of this ’insult,’ they felt beyond humiliated. In their fury, they prepared to launch an attack on the Dukedom. At that time, our kingdom was weak, too fragile to withstand their mighty army. The King himself was forced to beg the Kingsbane family to remedy the situation at any cost, or the entire Fernis Kingdom would be engulfed in a brutal war.”

​Silva sighed, the sound echoing in the small room.

“Faced with the destruction of his people, the old Duke made a grim compromise. He would allow Adelaide into the family, but only if Leonel married Clementine as the High Duchess and Main Wife. Adelaide would be brought in as a concubine to keep her beneath the Draghi’s reach.”

​”Leonel fought it to the end, but as he watched the borders of the Dukedom begin to fall, he had no choice but to surrender. And so, Clementine became the Main Wife. Through a series of unfortunate events and cruel plots orchestrated by Clementine, lady Adelaide was demoted to the lowest-ranking concubine. Yet, she endured every insult, every cold night, and every lash of tongues. She did it for her son, and for the husband she loved more than her own life.”

​Silva stepped closer, his expression earnest. “So, do you understand the reality now? Your father was never an irresponsible man. He looked after you and your mother more than any of the other concubines he married for political stability. He didn’t marry those women to quench his lust. He did it to build a fortress of alliances, just to build a safe home where you and your mother could at least survive.”

Adonis fell into a deep contemplative state. He never knew the story was like this. His mother wasn’t just picked by the Duke in an one night stand. They both loved each other very much, and both sacrificed a lot..

He sensed no lies from Commander Silva. But it this is the truth then why did his father behave like that today, especially since his beloved woman laying lifelessly onto the black coffin.

He asked commander Silva.

​Commander Silva sighed, “The Duke has only been like this since the moment her death was confirmed. When he first learned that Adelaide had been found dead in the wild, he went mad. He angrily questioned the Duchess as why she was sent there. His rage was terrifying, I thought he would tear the cadtle down with his bare hands.”

​Silva leaned closer cautiously. “But after that initial outburst, he changed. He became the hollow shell you saw today. I suspect the Duchess has done something to him. Some form of magical restraint or a curse to dampen his spirit. And most probably, she was the one who orchestrated your mother’s death in the first place.”

​Hearing him, Adonis’s eyes instantly snapped open, and chaos energy erupted from his pupils.

The air in the room suddenly intensified, the pressure making the wooden floorboards groan.

The realization hit him like a physical blow: his father wasn’t just a coward, he was a prisoner, and his mother was a victim of a cold-blooded assassination.

​”That woman…” Adonis hissed, his teeth bared in a draconic snarl.

​He stood up abruptly, the chair behind him flying backward and splintering against the wall. He didn’t care about the night, the guards, or the political consequences. He wanted to feel his fingers close around Clementine’s throat. He wanted to hear the truth as her life faded.

​As he moved toward the door, two figures blocked his path.

​Valentina placed a firm hand on his chest,

“Stop, Adonis. You are blinded by bloodlust.”

​”Move, Valentina,” Adonis growled, the Progenitor Dragon’s aura flaring around him.

​”No. She Won’t,” Millia also joined, standing protectively.

“Adonis, please! Commander Silva just told you, she has the backing of the Gratis Kingdom. If you strike now, you aren’t just attacking a Duchess, you’re starting a war you aren’t ready to win. They are stronger than us, and they are many.”

​Valentina nodded. “To kill a queen, you can not run at her with a knife in the daylight. You need to dismantle her world until she has nowhere left to hide. If you go now, you will be executed, and your mother’s death will truly be in vain. Be patient. Become the monster they fear in the dark, not the naibe boy who threw his life away in the morning.”

​Adonis was trembling. He had to admit it, but they were right. If he attack blindly, he will be playing right in their hands.

And he didn’t want that. He needed revenge. A unforgettable one which will be seen by the whole Kingdom.

​”Fine. What’s the plan?”

​

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep