Chapter 686: Be well.

"Father’s royal guards chased me, every single one of them was stronger than me, I had no choice but to use the Judgement."

"That explains the state he is in."

Ferrakar commented, looking at the Prince with his cold, golden eyes.

Kael stared at the Dragon, then back at Edric.

At this point, he was lost.

He could still follow the conversation to some extent.

He knew the Prince wanted to steal two relics, only managed to steal one before the King caught him, then he had no choice but to escape. The King’s Royal Guards followed him, all of them were stronger than him, Kael understood that as well.

He had seen the Royal Guards, they were all Ninth Rank Warriors or Ninth Circle Mages, Edric wasn’t strong enough to defeat them.

The very fact that he managed to escape and reach here alive showed just how absurd the Sword was.

What Kael did not understand was Ferrakar’s words.

What did the Dragon mean when he said that explained the Prince’s current state? What explained it?

He looked around, Lavinia seemed to understand it just fine.

"How many times did you use it?"

Lavinia asked with a worried look on her face.

"I do not know."

Edric shook his head.

"I had to cut down twelve Royal Guards who chased me and their Bonds."

Lavinia’s face turned pale.

"Where are your own Bonds?"

Ferrakar questioned, staring at the Prince.

The Prince looked away, his eyes reflecting strong grief, his fists trembled, and that reaction alone was more than enough for everyone to understand what had happened.

Prince Edric’s Bonds died protecting him.

And he did not have much time left either.

It was... all for nothing.

Lavinia lowered her head, her body starting to tremble at how meaningless it all was. Edric saw her and a weak smile appeared on his face.

He could see what his sister was thinking and he—

"Don’t be foolish."

He spoke directly.

"I am not afraid of death, I never was and you know it."

The Drakthar Princess looked at her brother with moist eyes, the Prince smiled and...

"I am sorry."

He apologised.

"For all the times I was strict with you, all the times I treated you coldly, all the times I was jealous of you.

And most importantly—

For when you needed me the most and I wasn’t there for you."

"It’s... it’s not your fault..."

Lavinia spoke with a lump in her throat.

Kael’s heart ached as he saw her crying.

"You did what you h-had to do as the Prince..."

Lavinia spoke with difficulty.

She knew.

She always knew what Edric was like.

She was the golden child, Feraos’s favoured, she was the Princess of the strongest Kingdom, with the highest level affinity with every single element that existed, and a mind that learned Spells at a speed no one else could.

That was her.

Princess Lavinia Dragonborn.

Loved by all, nobles and commoners alike.

Her Father spoiled her rotten, there were times he changed policies just so he could make her happy, there were even talks about the King of Drakthar changing the rules and crowning her instead of her older brother.

And because of that, oftentimes, it was said that Edric Dragonborn, Lavinia’s older brother, was jealous of her.

This was the reason many assumed he was cold to her, when everyone else coddled her.

Lavinia, however, knew the truth.

She knew that her older brother wasn’t like what others said. He wasn’t cold because he was jealous, he was cold because he was worried.

Edric was a man who had given himself to diplomacy ever since he was born. He read about people, how people reacted, how people took advantage of every single thing they could, and when he looked at his sister—

When he saw how kind she was, he felt that she was... gullible.

And he wanted to protect her.

Edric never cared about who became the King, or the Queen. If Lavinia was chosen as the Queen, he would gladly kneel to her and follow her commands—

The only thing he wanted was for the Dragonborn name to not be stained, he wanted to protect the Dragonborn name even if it came at the cost of his own life because that was who he was—

A true Dragonborn.

And a brother who loved his sister in his own strange way.

This was what Lavinia used to believe—

Many called her naive for thinking her brother was actually worried about her, but she held onto her belief.

Until she was betrayed by her own Father and abandoned by the Kingdom she loved.

That was when her thoughts changed.

She no longer saw the good in people, she no longer believed what she used to believe.

Worried about her?

How naive.

The Prince must be glad that she was gone.

The fact that he never tried to approach her despite having all the power to do so was proof of that.

That was when Lavinia’s hatred for the Prince she once called Brother, for the King she once called Father, and the people she once called her own, began.

She mistrusted everyone.

Even her brother.

She started believing the words she once heard, that the Prince was jealous, that he must be waiting for the Princess to fall, that he must be secretly wishing she was dead—

And now—

And now, as she stared at her brother, who was lying in front of her, looking at her with the most loving, caring smile, despite the condition he was in—

Her eyes turned moist again.

"Brother..."

She called out in a very weak voice, holding his hand as tightly as possible.

"Lavi..."

Edric smiled weakly, then, with his eyes filled with pure, brotherly love—

"I am glad that you are okay..."

He spoke.

"I... I really, really wished I had spent more time with you when I had the chance to."

Lavinia’s heart ached at those words.

"M-Me too..."

She let out a weak voice, tears falling down without control.

Edric then finally turned to Kael—

"I have been watching you through Althea, Hero Kael."

He spoke in a weak voice.

"She was my person."

He admitted.

"I watched you, I heard how hard you have worked, and I know what sort of man you are and I...

Forgive me for saying this without offering you a sufficient reward, but I have one single request of you...

Please...

Please take care of my sister."

"I will."

Kael nodded with a determined look on his face.

That made Edric smile even more, as if the last thing he was worried about was finally dealt with.

Then, he turned back to Lavinia, weakly moved his trembling hand to gently cup her cheek and—

"Be well."

He spoke and finally—

His eyes lost the last bit of shine and his hand fell.

Prince Edric Dragonborn was dead.