The royal procession made its way through the capital of Edrath.
At every street the royal carriages passed, the crowds of citizens fell quiet and stepped aside, bowing low to open a clear path for the imperial convoy. Women smiled as children excitedly threw handfuls of fresh flower petals beneath the iron wheels of the carriages, and old veterans stood straight to salute the surrounding knights. The long road to the harbor became a bright sea of color and praise.
"Long live His Majesty!"
"Safe travels!"
"May the ancestors bless the Imperial Family!"
Yet inside the second lead carriage, the atmosphere was the complete opposite.
Silence settled over the small space—heavy, cold, and suffocating. Cassian sat beside the window, his chin resting on his hand as he pretended to admire the passing city outside.
Across from him, Lucien sat exactly as he had throughout the entire trip. His eyes remained closed, his back straight, and his face completely unreadable. Neither of them spoke. Neither of them even looked at the other. The heavy silence between them hurt more than another loud argument ever could.
Eventually, the royal convoy reached the Imperial Harbor.
Hundreds of sailors, naval officers, and royal soldiers stood waiting in sharp formation. Resting at the center of the docks was the pride of Edrath—the Imperial Flagship. Its grand, polished wooden hull towered above every other vessel in the port, decorated with golden carvings along its sides. The massive white sails proudly bore the golden crest of House Valemont. Dozens of Imperial Knights guarded every wooden walkway, keeping ordinary citizens far from the dock.
Once Emperor Cedric and his family stepped aboard, the grand journey officially began.
Then Two days later.
Nothing but endless ocean surrounded the imperial fleet.
The deep blue sea stretched farther than the eye could see, and the cool wind carried the clean scent of salt. White seabirds circled high above the ship's tall masts. And for the first time in days, Cassian finally felt like he could breathe.
He sat quietly near the ship's upper railing, a glass of dark wine resting comfortably in his hand. The ocean breeze played with his black hair as his crimson eyes remained fixed on the rising waves below.
"...Beautiful..." he murmured softly to himself.
"Same sea, different lives and yet I don't know how to feel. I can't believe that I am willingly going back to where I suffered in my eleventh life."
Cassian softly whispered to himself before taking a small sip on his wine.
"Nonetheless...the view is still beautiful."
After all the ocean demanded nothing from him. It asked no difficult questions and expected no answers. It was peaceful. And most of the ship's servants wisely kept their distance from him, knowing better than to disturb the cold, infamous Crown Prince.
But only two men remained standing a short distance away. Elias, and... Lucien.
Lucien stood a few paces behind Cassian like a silent shadow. Never too close, never too far. He stayed at just the right distance to fulfill his duty as a guard—nothing more, and nothing less.
After hours of smooth sailing, the vast ocean slowly gave way to distant land.
"Land ahead!" one of the sailors shouted from the high crow's nest.
"The Eastern Continent!"
The knights and envoys gathered along the railings. Across the horizon, the vast grasslands of the Iron Steppes slowly came into view. Massive stone cliffs overlooked the sea, where hundreds of colorful tribal banners danced in the wind. The deep sound of war horns echoed across the water as the Imperial Flagship slowly glided into the port docks. And the grand welcoming ceremony was already waiting on the shore.
"How painfully nostalgic."
Cassian gritted his teeth as he finally stood up to stand by the rails and looked far ahead at the shore.
Standing proudly at the front of the gathering was the aging Chieftain of the Madurai Tribe, Tamil Madurai. His weathered face carried the marks of decades of war, yet his posture remained as firm as iron. Beside him stood his eldest son Vikra, followed by Thoris, the whole of Madurai family, Adrian, Elyria, and dozens of tribal elders.
It was quite a warm welcome.
*****
The moment Cassian stepped onto the wooden gangway, Thoris's grin widened. His golden eyes locked onto Cassian, tracking his every step as he approached behind the emperor.
Adrian stood nearby and noticed the look immediately and he sighed, rolling his eyes.
'Look at him,' Adrian thought, exasperated.
'He looks like a dog in heat. The barbarian can't even pretend to behave himself.'
Stepping forward before Thoris had the chance to cause a scene, Adrian took the lead to welcome his family to land. He offered a warm, genuine smile especially towards Cassian.
"Brother," Adrian said smoothly.
"It has been a while." Cassian froze on his steps.
"It is also good to see that you are well."
Adrian added with a smile beaming on his face and Cassian looked at him carefully, his crimson eyes narrowing just a fraction, untrusting.
"And so are you, Adrian. Though I have to admit... I am quite surprised by such a warm welcome. Normally, you would greet me with a sharp glare and a knife pointed at my neck."
Adrian chuckled, looking down for a moment.
"I suppose I deserve that."
Before Cassian could react, Adrian closed the small distance between them and wrapped his brother in a brief, genuine hug. Cassian visibly stiffened, his arms freezing at his sides.
"...Adrian."
Adrian pulled back, his smile remaining warm.
"Don't be so on edge, Cassian. I know you and I were not on good terms during the succession fights back home." He scratched his cheek awkwardly, looking away for a second before meeting Cassian's eyes again.
"But... I have learned a great deal since coming to the Steppes. And I am trying by all means to become a better person."
Cassian stared at him for several seconds, taking in his relaxed posture and clear eyes.
"...Indeed," Cassian said with complete seriousness. "You have lost your mind."
Adrian burst into laughter.
"There it is. I was wondering when you would insult me."
He stepped aside and gently pulled Elyria forward.
"Look, Sister missed you too."
Elyria offered a graceful, shy bow, her cheeks holding a healthy flush. "Cassian... it is so good to see you again."
Cassian nodded politely, his tone softening.
"You look well, Elyria."
"I have been looked after," she replied with a gentle smile.
Soon, Leo approached as well. The brothers exchanged greetings with far less tension than in years past. Standing beside them, Adrian smiled quietly. For the first time in his life, standing alongside his siblings no longer felt so heavy or uncomfortable.
"Cassian we have so much to talk about, when we get back please spare me a moment to privately talk to you."
Cassian nodded, he immediately knew that it had something to do with the letter.
But seeing just how well Adrian currently seems, he doubted if there would be any reason at all to help him escape.
'Strange...by this time I was already thin and sick from Thoris's torment. Or did his temper change with the timeline or depending on the prince he married?....how unfair.'
Cassian silently thought as he stood alongside Adrian checking out his plump cheeks and glowing skin. For a brief second, he was jealous.
*****
A short distance away from the royal family, Thoris slowly sauntered over to where Lucien stood guard. A sharp grin spread across the barbarians' face.
"Oh?"
Thoris chuckled, folding his broad arms across his chest.
"Look who it is. If it isn't the Silver Knight."
Lucien barely turned his head, his tone flat and perfectly calm.
"...Barbarian."
"I can't say that I am happy to see you. Still as annoying as ever."
Thoris chuckled, and carefully leaned closer to invade Lucien's parameters.
"I see that you are still lurking in the Crown Prince's shadow."
Lucien kept his eyes glued at the royal family's direction.
"And I see that you still haven't gotten over His Highness yourself. You seem to wag your tongue every time he comes into view barbarian."
Thoris laughed, taking a slow step closer.
"Well, I am only admiring what's meant to be mine."
"Meant to be yours?"
Lucien let out a mocking chuckling but Thoris's smile didn't waver, instead he puffed out his chest in confidence.
"Laugh all you want Silver Knight, but it's only just a matter of time. Keep moving as slowly as you always do. Keep wasting your precious time, and watch me steal him right out from under your fingers and I can already picture the look on your face when it finally happens."
Lucien remained completely unmoved, his gaze fixed on the harbor horizon. But Thoris continued.
"You shouldn't concern yourself with me. Besides... I have heard that Holy Knights are never allowed to engage in relationships or even get married."
Thoris tilted his head, his golden eyes gleefully analyzing the quiet knight.
"Unless..." He smiled knowingly.
"...—unless you would abandon all of your beliefs for him."
"So tell me, Silver Knight... would you throw away your precious god just to chase after a man who barely looks your way?"
For the first time in a while, a faint, cold smile appeared on Lucien's face as he glanced at the barbarian with a side eye.
"What can I do?" Lucien answered softly, his dark eyes shifting to meet Thoris's.
"I have already tasted that particular sin... from his lips. So why wouldn't I take it further?"
The smirk instantly vanished from Thoris's face. His brows knitted together into a deep frown.
"...So," Thoris said, his voice dropping an octave. "You've kissed him. You?, the strict 'Holy Knight'?....Do you seriously expect me to believe that?"
Lucien simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Believe whatever you wish. It changes nothing for me." He stepped forward, his eyes cold.
"Now. Move out of my way. I would rather not waste any more time talking to you."
As Lucien walked past, his shoulder brushed firmly against Thoris's chest. The impact wasn't violent, but it was deliberate. Thoris stood where he was, his fists clenching at his sides.
Just then ne turned his head slightly, watching Lucien walk away, before a slow, dark smile returned to his lips and said something that immediately stopped Lucien on his tracks as he couldn't ignore it.
"Filthy barbarian, what did you just say?"
Thoris smirked, folding his arms just tight on his chest.
"I said I always knew there was darkness inside of you," Thoris said quietly and Lucien's footsteps remained frozen on the wooden dock. Then he slowly turned his whole body around and so did Thoris, facing each other again and meeting Lucien's gaze without a trace of fear.
"From the first day that we met, I was never convinced you were truly a Holy Knight Lucien Arden,"
Thoris said, walking forward until only a single step separated them.
"I must say, you've worn that righteous mask well,"
"But your eyes...they have never lied. I know an evil bastard when I see one. And you... you are far worse than any ordinary evil."
Lucien's face remained completely still, but his jaw tightened. And Thoris slowly continued making sure to drive a nail into Lucien's heart as he leaned closer with every sentence that he uttered. His eyes even narrowed into splits from amusement.
"Lucien, you aren't cruel because you only enjoy hurting people," Thoris whispered, leaning closer so his words were meant for Lucien's ears alone.
"You are cruel because you are also possessive and damn well cold hearted. You are the kind of man who would happily lock away the thing he loves... just so no one else could ever touch it. Just so no one else could even look at it. After all, isn't the Crown Prince the perfect example?"
Silence stretched between them.
"So tell me..." Thoris murmured, his tone almost playful.
"...haven't you ever imagined keeping him locked up somewhere? Hiding him away so he could never escape your grasp?...."
"Or perhaps should I say the ecstasy that you feel when you think of shedding blood from mass killing?"
"Oh and I'm not talking about the monsters you hunt just to mask your addiction. I'm talking about the massacre of humans, shedding their blood brutally just so you can entertain your inner darkness."
Lucien's fingers twitched, tightening into a hard fist at his side. For a single heartbeat, something cold and dark flashed deep within his eyes. And Thoris saw it immediately. His smile widened with satisfaction.
"There..." Thoris chuckled softly. "There it is. I love that look in your eyes, Sir Knight. It proves enough that indeed those thoughts do run wild into your head."
"Now looking at yourself now, who would ever believe that you are a Holy Knight when you look like that?.... perhaps you should show His Highness that look sometime. I'm sure he would appreciate learning about your hypocrisy. About how bad you want to cage him into your own little world and about the dark thoughts that you have for your fellow humans."
Lucien stared at him for a long, heavy moment—long enough that even Thoris's smirk faltered slightly under the pressure.
"Does he even know why you became a Holy Knight at the first place?"
Lucien grit his teeth ready to grab Thoris by his own hands.
"Careful now, everyone is watching."
Looking around, only then did Lucien calm himself down. But his glares never spared Thoris a moment.
"Barbarian, what do you know?"
"Oh I know a lot....just because I seem so crude, simple and uncaring doesn't mean that I don't have a brain. In fact I'm even smarter that Vikra if you pay attention....so I did my homework."
"And you did your homework for what reason exactly?"
"Isn't it obvious?...to get rid of competition for the Crown Prince of course. But at least I am nowhere like you."
Thoris chuckled, this time around the one walking past Lucien bumping his shoulder.
"...Two-faced bastard,"
Thoris said softly. His voice was low, cold, and sharper. Only meant for Lucien to hear as he walked past.
Without another word, Lucien's posture returned to its usual composed state, but his fingers remained tightly clenched at his side as he watched Thoris leave, letting out a short, amused laugh.
'Someone from the empire must be helping that barbarian with all the information...high profile information at that.'
'It's either a very reliable source, or even a high profile individual with an easy access to the empire's secrets.'
Glancing over at Cassian's side, who was currently speaking with Chieftain Tamil and the elders. Lucien watched Thoris rolling his broad shoulders with a fresh grin spreading across his face. With long, confident strides, as he walked over to interrupt Cassian's conversation, ready to annoy the Crown Prince all over again.
Lucien stood still folding his arms.
"Seems like I have a duty to find the rat in the empire and silence it."
*****