Chapter 752: 752

A faint pulse of warmth clung to them, the artifact.

But it was failing.

Thin fractures had begun to form along its surface, spreading slowly, each crack a quiet promise of what was to come. It was only barely holding back the full force of Osita’s gaze. When it finally gave way, there would be nothing left to shield them.

They could already imagine it, the sensation waiting on the other side of that breaking point. If this was the misery endured with protection, then what awaited them without it was beyond comprehension.

When the artifact shattered, their fate would no longer be guided by deception or concealment.

It would be entirely in their own hands.

And the kingdom would finally be free to do as it wished with them.

How they wished they could open the box, just once and let the little cub slip free into the night, unburdened and wild, while they themselves retreated into obscurity. The thought tempted them like mercy. But they knew better. To do so would render everything they had endured meaningless. Every step taken, every scream swallowed, every fracture in mind and soul, it would all be for nothing.

There was no room for deviation.

Everything had to be done, precisely and mercilessly, in the order Murmur had decreed. Only then would the plan hold. Only then would their suffering matter.

So they endured.

The pain dulled, not because it lessened, but because they learned how to exist alongside it. The voices never fully faded, but they receded into a constant, grinding pressure, like a storm locked behind their eyes. With trembling breaths and unsteady resolve, Mei and her companions forced themselves upright.

They moved.

They had to reach the forest. They had to position themselves correctly. There would be no second night, no chance to recover lost time. Tonight was all they had.

Beneath the dark canopy of the night sky, while the kingdom drowned itself in joy and celebration—a small group slipped into motion. Their progress was slow and deliberate. Every so often, they stopped, bodies stiffening as stone overtook flesh once more. For a brief time, they became statues again, silent, unmoving, resting out of necessity.

Then they would move again.

Step by step. Freeze by freeze.

And so, little by little, the night passed.

Dawn crept in quietly.

In the capital, streets that had once echoed with laughter now lay strewn with remnants of revelry, discarded cups, wilted flowers, fading lantern light. Servants began their work as the city exhaled, unaware of how close it stood to calamity.

Within the palace walls, Osita stood before his wife, Amina, helping fasten the final straps of her hunting attire. His movements were careful, almost reverent, fingers lingering just long enough to ensure everything was secure. Despite the calm morning light, unease clung to him like a second skin.

True to his nature, paranoia refused to leave him be.

One by one, he whispered protective incantations, his magic weaving unseen wards around Amina, layers upon layers of defense meant to shield her from harm. Each sigil flared briefly before sinking into place, invisible yet potent. He told himself it was precaution. He told himself it was love.

But beneath it all, something gnawed at him.

Even as he laid the final wards into place, Osita’s face remained tense, his expression far from satisfied. The magic responded flawlessly to his will, each protective layer settling around Amina like an invisible mantle, but the unease did not lift. Instead, it clung tighter.

Since waking that morning, a nagging sensation had followed him. Not fear. Not panic. Something worse, certainty without clarity.

At his stage of existence, such a feeling was not to be dismissed. Instincts like his did not misfire. If something felt wrong, then something was wrong. Absolutely, undeniably so. Yet no matter how he searched, he could not grasp its shape, could not place his hand upon the source of the disturbance.

That, more than anything, unsettled him.

Amina noticed, of course. She always did. It was rare for Osita to wear such an expression, brow drawn, gaze unfocused, jaw tight with restraint. As she turned to face him, her voice was gentle but direct.

“What is wrong?”

Osita hesitated only a moment before answering. He spoke of the sensation, of the weight pressing against his awareness, of the feeling that the world itself had shifted slightly out of alignment. He did not dress his words in reassurance or false calm; Amina had never needed that from him.

She listened without interruption.

When he finished, Amina did not laugh, nor did she attempt to dismiss his concerns. She believed him immediately. Doubting Osita’s instincts would have been foolish and dangerous.

Still, her answer came without hesitation.

“Even so, the hunt has to be carried out,” she said.

Osita fell silent.

Amina continued, her tone steady, resolute. “It represents too many things. It binds the kingdom together, tradition, faith, unity. It means more to the people than a single day’s safety, even one shadowed by uncertainty.” She met his eyes, unwavering. “It is not something we can simply cancel.”

Her words were true. Osita knew that. The hunt was not merely an event; it was a declaration to the kingdom, to the gods, to the world itself about Osita’s rule.

Yet the unease did not fade.

Osita reached within his cloak and produced a pendant, its surface etched with old sigils that pulsed faintly with restrained power. He stepped closer and carefully placed it around Amina’s neck, his fingers lingering for just a moment longer than necessary.

“Have this with you at all times,” he said quietly. “It should keep you safe and buy enough time for me to appear.”

Amina closed her hand around the pendant, feeling its warmth. She smiled, soft and unafraid, and before he could say another word, she wrapped her arms around him. Though she was tall, Osita still towered over her, and so she rose onto her toes. Their foreheads brushed briefly before they shared a long, deep kissu, nhurried, intimate, and heavy with things left unsaid.

When she finally pulled away, Osita watched her go, every instinct screaming to stop her, to keep her close. But he didn’t. He never could say no to her.

The moment the doors closed behind her, the warmth vanished from his expression.

The softness in his eyes hardened, replaced by something cold and drak. Whatever affection lingered was sealed away, buried beneath authority and suspicion.

A presence stirred near the doorway.

Nwadike appeared without sound, as if he had always been there. One look at his father’s face told him enough. This was not the Osita who laughed with his family. This was the Osita the kingdom feared.

“What’s next?” Nwadike asked.

Osita turned to him slowly. “Nothing, for now,” he replied. “We do not yet know what we face, nor how it will come.”

Then his gaze sharpened.

“Surveillance is to be increased immediately. No region is to be left without deep scrutiny.” His voice carried command, each word precise. “Everything the palace has is to be deployed, the mages, the knights, the warlocks, the beast summoners. If anything so much as twitches out of place, I want it found.”

He paused, then added, colder still, “Double the eyes on your mother’s and your sister’s security. No exception.”

Nwadike inclined his head, understanding the gravity beneath the orders. Whatever shadow Osita sensed, it was enough to awaken the full machinery of the palace.

Outside the palace, Amina emerged into the morning light with her daughter at her side.

She hid her uncertainty well. Her posture was straight, her expression composed, every movement befitting the queen the people expected to see. Yet beneath the practiced calm, worry coiled tightly. One last time, she tried to dissuade her daughter, softly, reasonably suggesting that perhaps it would be wiser to sit out this year’s hunt and return stronger, safer, in the next.

The princess refused.

Her resolve was firm, her eyes bright with stubborn conviction. She would not be left behind.

Amina did not press further, nor did she allow the moment to grow into a scene. Instead, she leaned closer, her lips brushing her daughter’s ear, her voice dropping to a whisper meant for no one else.

“I need you to promise me something,” she said. “At the very first sign of anything unusual, anything strange, you leave. Immediately.”

The princess opened her mouth to protest, but Amina cut her off without raising her voice.

“If you cannot promise me that,” she continued calmly, though her gaze sharpened, “then you are going nowhere today, young lady.”

She straightened and looked at her daughter fully.

The princess hesitated, biting her lip. Then, with a small nod, she agreed.

“Then let’s go,” Amina said, taking her daughter’s hand.

The palace gates swung open.

Beyond them stretched a long, magnificent procession. People lined the streets as far as the eye could see, baskets overflowing with flowers lifted high in celebration. As Amina and the princess stepped forward, petals rained down upon them, soft bursts of color and fragrance that filled the air with joy.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep