Chapter 126: Chapter 126: A Conversation Long Overdue

The bone throne room was silent.

Selene’s presence had vanished from it, her final words still hanging in the air like a lingering chill.

Noel stood alone before the throne.

Lady Vaelora sat rigid in her seat of bones—her eyes unfocused, her posture tense. Both of them remained wordless for several long moments.

But Noel couldn’t afford the luxury of silence.

Time was running out.

He straightened slightly, then spoke, clear and measured:

“Lady Vaelora, I would like to discuss our agreement.”

Her gaze flickered, as if waking from a trance.

“Yes,” she said aloud. “Let’s continue.”

Noel gave a single nod.

“Very well. According to our agreement, the merits and recognition of the cure will go to House Iskandar. Additionally, House Estermont will pay compensation for the trouble caused.”

Vaelora responded without hesitation.

“Agreed…”

Her tone was flat—no trace of her usual steel. It was clear her mind was still caught on what had just unfolded.

Noel didn’t pause.

“Good. With that matter settled, I would like to request transportation. The fastest you have available. I must reach Estermont in no more than three days, if possible.”

Vaelora straightened slightly.

“I will have a carriage prepared for you immediately.”

Noel’s eyes narrowed faintly.

’This is going too smoothly…’

He tilted his head slightly.

“Is something wrong, my lady?”

Vaelora exhaled slowly.

“Well, you see, young man… I do not know how to react to what just happened. Selene has never spoken to me like that before.”

Noel kept his gaze on her, eyes calm but unyielding.

Then he spoke.

“Well, Lady Vaelora, with all due respect… sooner or later this was bound to happen.”

Vaelora frowned faintly, her voice quieter now.

“What do you mean?”

Noel’s tone sharpened just enough—not hostile, but honest.

“How do you think a child, mistreated from such a young age, was supposed to grow up? If she could stand before you today and say those words, it’s because she finally reached her limit. She couldn’t take it anymore. She gathered her courage and faced her greatest fear.”

Vaelora’s gaze dropped for a brief moment—her fingers tightening subtly against the armrest of the throne.

“That… was not what I intended by raising her this way,” she murmured.

Noel’s voice was colder.

“Well, that’s what you achieved.”

Silence again.

For a moment, Vaelora said nothing—her breath slow, controlled. The steel that had defined her presence minutes ago was gone, replaced by something almost… hesitant.

Then she looked at him again—this time, her voice softer than he had ever heard it.

“Would you… listen to me for a moment, Noel Thorne?”

Noel’s instinct bristled.

’I don’t have much time, but…’

He studied her briefly.

’Even if she annoys me, her tone… it’s different.’

He gave a short nod.

“Of course.”

Vaelora inhaled deeply, as if preparing to reopen a wound sealed for years.

“When Selene was a child… she was cheerful. Bright. Always smiling.”

Noel blinked.

’That… was never mentioned in the book.’

The woman’s voice trembled slightly, but she didn’t pause.

“She had her father’s eyes, and his spirit. My husband… was also a mage. He cast spells with the same grace she does now. When Selene turned three, we were still adjusting to the strange path she seemed to follow — unlike the rest of our warrior bloodline.”

She closed her eyes for a moment.

“Then came the migration.”

Her voice dropped, heavier now.

“A wild pack of wyverns descended from the northern cliffs, more than we’d ever seen before. They threatened to invade our lands, attack villages. So… we rode to war. He and I — side by side.”

Noel didn’t interrupt. He could already see where this was going.

“There was one among them, an alpha. Larger than the rest. Fierce. Ruthless. An Ice Wyvern — just like the one you saw on Frostspire Peak.”

She opened her eyes slowly.

“It killed him. Tore through his barrier. I watched it happen. My husband… the man I built a life with… died helplessly before me.”

She paused.

“And now… we keep that wyvern. Enslaved, bred for eggs, broken of its rage. At first, I slaughtered all its offspring in front of it, in blind fury.”

Noel stiffened slightly. ’What kind of…’

“She was chained, the creature, and made to watch.”

She shook her head slowly, as if the memory itself sickened her now.

“Selene doesn’t know. She never knew. But after that… I swore I’d do anything to stop her from following the same path. I forbade her from magic. I tried to train her as a warrior. I punished her, I admit it. I pushed her too far. And I know… now… I may have broken something I had no right to shatter.”

The room was quiet.

Then, as if suddenly remembering, Vaelora looked at Noel with a flicker of urgency.

“By the way… when you killed that wyvern—did it drop a wand? A staff or something cold to the touch?”

Noel reached into his dimensional pouch and pulled it out, the air around it chilling instantly.

“This one?” he asked.

Vaelora’s eyes widened, relief washing over her stern face.

“Yes… Thank the stars. I thought it was lost. I enchanted that wand myself and embedded it in the beast’s chest. It was meant for Selene. A gift, once she turned eighteen. It was the last thing her father left behind.”

Noel glanced at the wand again.

’So this isn’t the one she used in the fight… interesting.’

Then, raising his eyes to hers, he spoke plainly.

“May I say something, Lady Vaelora? It won’t be respectful.”

She nodded quietly.

“I deserve whatever you’re about to say.”

Noel didn’t hesitate.

“How could you be so cruel to your only daughter?”

His voice carried no venom — just raw, tired honesty.

“She’s the last piece of your family left. And instead of protecting her, you tormented her. That’s not noble. That’s not even human. That’s just… monstrous.”

He clenched his jaw.

“If you wanted to protect her, this wasn’t the way. How the hell did you expect her to survive a trial like that? Climbing that mountain, facing a fully grown wyvern?”

He stepped forward.

“She would’ve died. And for what? For your twisted idea of honor?”

Vaelora didn’t speak. She just listened, unmoving.

Noel exhaled harshly.

“She’s lucky she had help. Lucky she had someone with her. Otherwise, you’d be mourning her right now too.”

There was another beat of silence.

Then Vaelora whispered,

“…I see. I’m glad she has a friend like you, Noel. It seems… thanks to you, she’s finally begun to change.”

Noel ran a hand through his hair, trying to cool the heat in his chest.

“This is just… ugh. It pisses me off.”

Vaelora looked at him with something that almost resembled sorrow.

“Please… protect her. I think it’s too late for me to be her mother now.”

Noel met her eyes.

“I’ll be honest with you. My family isn’t exactly the loving kind either. But if you truly realize what you’ve done… maybe it’s late, yeah. But it’s never too late to apologize.”

He turned toward the exit.

“And don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten about our agreement.”

Without waiting for a reply, he stepped out of the throne room. The guards standing outside didn’t dare meet his eyes.

For the first time… someone had stood against Lady Vaelora von Iskandar.

And it hadn’t just been one person.

It had been her own daughter too.

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