Chapter 154: A Painful Memory

Malrik listened calmly to the Imperial Knight’s words, but did not answer immediately.

Instead, his gaze passed over the knight and through the transparent glass toward the adjacent box. The Second Prince was still standing there, watching him with interest as if waiting for his answer.

Malrik’s gaze lingered on him for a moment before he turned toward Cedric. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, neither of them said a word.

The old man said nothing. He simply gave him a deep look before offering a faint, barely noticeable nod.

Seeing the old man’s confirmation, a small smile appeared on Malrik’s face.

"Of course..." he said quietly, slowly rising from his seat. "It would be impolite to refuse His Highness’s invitation."

He then gestured toward the door "Lead the way."

Malrik left the box with calm steps, followed by Cedric, Orren , and Bella.

It took only a few seconds to cross the corridor to the adjacent box.

When they reached the massive wooden door of Box A06, the black-armored knight stopped and turned toward them, raising a hand firmly.

"Apologies," the knight said in his rough voice. "The rest of you are requested to wait outside. His Highness has instructed that Young Master Malrik enter alone."

As soon as the knight uttered those words, Orren took a step forward. His eyes narrowed sharply, and the objection in his gaze was clear, as if he were about to argue with the knight.

But the Imperial Knight did not back down. Instead, he met Orren’s gaze with a stern look.

"These are the personal orders of His Highness. No one may pass through this door except the one who was invited."

At that moment, Cedric stepped forward, moving past Orren.

"Unfortunately," the old man said calmly and politely, though his voice carried a terrifying weight, "I was personally tasked by Duke Vesperion with accompanying the Young Master wherever he goes, and I cannot leave him alone under any circumstances."

As he spoke, Cedric released a tiny fraction of his energy.

It was no ordinary aura. Dark, condensed energy surrounded his body like living shadows. Instantly, the natural shadows around them began to tremble violently, as if responding to their master’s call.

The Imperial Knight froze in his place.

Suddenly, he felt an immense pressure weighing down on his body, as if an invisible force were pressing on his shoulders. Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead beneath his helmet, while Cedric remained standing before him in complete calm, his expression unchanged.

From the sheer density of the aura, the knight realized that he was nothing more than an ant before this man.

The knight struggled to compose himself, tightening his grip on his sword as he asked in a tense voice,

"Are... are you going to assault an Imperial Knight?"

A faint smile appeared on Cedric’s face, but it did not reach his eyes.

"This is not an assault, young knight. It is merely a clarification of the situation, nothing more. Young Master Malrik will not enter alone."

Before the knight could object again or even catch his breath, the heavy wooden door opened from the inside. Another knight in similar black armor appeared, seemingly having heard what was happening outside.

"Young Master Malrik, Head Butler Cedric..." the second knight said sternly. "You may both enter. The rest will stay outside."

Hearing this, Malrik did not object. He turned to Orren and Bella, who were standing behind him.

"You two can return to our box," Malrik said calmly.

Malrik looked at Orren, who nodded without arguing this time. Orren knew that as long as this terrifying old man was with the Young Master, no harm would come to him.

Orren and Bella turned back toward their box, while Malrik entered through the door with Cedric.

As soon as Malrik and Cedric entered, they found that Box A06 was nearly identical to theirs in terms of luxury and spaciousness.

In the center of the room stood the Second Prince, while Archbishop Matthias stood beside him, his face once again calm and unreadable.

The room was surrounded by black-armored knights on all sides.

Malrik cast a quick glance around the room. As his eyes swept across the room, he realized that all the knights present, along with the two mages hovering in the air in their crimson robes, were Ascendant-rank.

Malrik stepped forward confidently, seemingly unfazed by the rows of armored knights, until he stopped a short distance from the Second Prince. He spoke in a calm, steady voice without bending his back even slightly.

"The Seventh Son of House Vesperion presents his greetings to the Second Prince of the Valorian Empire."

Malrik remained standing upright. As the youngest son of the Duke of Vesperion, he was not obligated to show such reverence to anyone other than the Emperor... or the Empress.

The Second Prince looked at Malrik for a moment before his calm smile widened, becoming warmer.

"Cousin..." the Second Prince said softly. "It’s been so long. Look at you, you’ve grown so much."

Cousin.

The moment Malrik heard the word, he paused. His eyes widened slightly as something strange stirred in his mind, as if that single word had touched a memory buried deep within this body.

A fleeting memory from the original owner of the body appeared before him. But this memory was unlike any other he had experienced before.

There was a devastatingly beautiful lady with fiery red hair flowing around her face like silk, and blue eyes filled with a strange warmth. She was cradling a small child in her arms, pressing him to her chest while the little one clung to her, as if he knew of no safer place in the entire world than within her embrace.

They were in the heart of a dense forest, surrounded by towering trees that blocked out most of the moonlight.

The wind rustled through the branches, stirring the dry leaves beneath the feet of several figures emerging from among the trees. They appeared to be pursuing the woman and the child.

One after another, the black silhouettes began closing in until they surrounded the woman and the child from all sides.

Malrik could not see their faces or determine their exact number, but their presence alone made the scene more tense with every passing moment.

Despite this, the woman paid them no mind. Her eyes remained fixed on the child in her arms as she tilted her head slightly, as if trying to reassure him with her smile.

It was then that Malrik saw her face clearly, and shock swept through him.

He did not know the woman, but he recognized her face. Or rather, he recognized something familiar in it.

Something about her features immediately reminded him of his sister, Velrosa.

The first thing that struck Malrik was the resemblance. The same crimson-red hair, the same delicate features, even the subtle details of her face were almost identical to Velrosa’s. For a moment, he could only stare.

But there was one unmistakable difference—their eyes. Velrosa had emerald-green eyes, while the woman’s were a deep, striking blue.

She was also older, her features carrying a maturity Velrosa had yet to possess, and her gentle smile held a warmth far deeper than anything Malrik had ever seen on his sister’s face.

Then his gaze fell to the blood.

Dark crimson stained the side of her beautiful face, stark against her delicate features. Yet she continued to smile at the child in her arms, paying no attention to the blood or her own condition.

"It’s alright, sweetheart..." Her voice was sweet and affectionate, despite the evident weakness in it.

She smiled at him and extended a trembling hand to gently stroke his hair. A tear welled in the corner of her striking blue eye before finally slipping down her cheek, mixing with the dark blood already staining her face. Yet her smile never faded.

"Your father will come soon... Everything will be alright. I promise."

Malrik kept staring at the scene, unable to look away from her. He did not need anyone to tell him who she was. Something deep within this body recognized her before his mind could fully accept the truth.

She was his mother... Sylvia.

The memory ended abruptly, as if someone had violently ripped it away from him.

For a moment, Malrik stood frozen, his breath caught in his chest. A sharp pang clenched around his heart, followed by a wave of turbulent emotions that rushed through him without warning.

Deep sorrow. Fear. A painful longing he could not understand.

His throat tightened, and his eyes began to sting as tears threatened to spill.

These were not his own emotions, yet he felt them with terrifying clarity, as if some part of the original owner of this body still held onto his love and longing for his mother somewhere deep within him, in a place Malrik had never reached before.

Malrik gritted his teeth and forcibly suppressed those emotions before they could show on his face. He took a slow breath, trying to regain his composure and regain control of his body without letting anyone in the box notice his inner turmoil.

Even so, he could not ignore what this memory meant. He now knew that his mother’s identity was far from ordinary in this world.

Sylvia Vesperion was not merely the wife of Duke Vaelzareth Vesperion. She was... the Ninth Princess of the Valorian Empire, the daughter of the late Emperor, the half-sister of the current Emperor... and also the half-sister of the Black Empress.

Malrik clenched his teeth as his gaze shifted toward the Second Prince, who was still standing before him with that calm smile.

Damn it... damn it... damn it! Why does this situation keep getting more and more complicated?!

***

Author’s Note:

Hey everyone!

I’m sorry for the sudden break. I’ve been dealing with a severe case of bronchitis, so I haven’t been able to upload Chapters for the past few days.

I’m recovering now, and I’ll be back very soon! Thank you all for your patience, support, and concern. It really means a lot to me.

Don’t worry, we’re not done yet! We’ll be back stronger than ever!