Chapter 77- Forgive me
Chapter 77- Forgive me
The moment Kyle stepped inside the Vault, he knew the importance of the ring which the Emperor handed him.
Just at the entrance, there was a large three-headed hound, who was chained with something unknown and was staring at Kyle with their red eyes.
The beast was at least twenty feet tall and had sharp fangs peeking out their maw. Their strong muscles and keen senses allowed Kyle to discern the chance of his survival if they chose to attack him.
'I am using Teleportation if they begin to move...' Kyle was well set on revealing his secret if things came down to it. Since dying inside this vault by those strong jaws was the last thing he envisioned.
But, much to his relief, the three-headed beast never moved its body from its resting position and just stared at Kyle with their blood-thirsty red eyes.
Kyle slowly moved toward the inside with 'Beta' tightly clutched in his hold. He was walking sideways while facing the Kerberos.
Finally, after reaching a decent distance from the entrance and that beast, Kyle heaved a big sigh of relief and gazed at the treasury for the first time.
The place was huge.
His eyes couldn't reach the end of the vault. It seemed like he had dove into the sea of treasure but only had a pouch to carry out the coins.
There were several pedestals stationed in organized rows and columns and every pedestal had a panel which contained the name and basic property of the treasure which rested on it.
Kyle was told by Alatia to grab the Droplet of Resurrection, which was actually two in number and was one of the greatest blessings that the Empire possessed. During times of war, if a chance arrives where the Emperor has to fight in the war himself, they utilize this artefact to return from death and continue their reign. Naturally, there were secondary plans and armies prepared as well, in case the Emperor dies in the battlefield and comes back to life.
However, Kyle's attention wasn't on how things happened in the past and how the Valenchide Emperor got a hold of such an invaluable treasure.
He was here to retrieve what he deemed extremely crucial for the battle he and this world had to face.
The Great War.
Strolling through the vault with steady strides, Kyle found his eyes landing on several mouth-watering artefacts. Like the Ring of Obliteration which allows the user to disintegrate someone or something from a long distance without even having visuals. Then there was Elven Eye which allows the user to surveillance a long distance without getting noticed at all.
Such relics could be so vital and beneficial in a battle... Unfortunately, Kyle wasn't the Prince of Valenchide but served the Princess here. Getting to see these many valuables was a miracle in itself.
'Hmm?' Suddenly he felt something reflecting light on him when he passed by a specific spot.
He returned to that position and looked at the source of reflection—only to locate the treasure he was looking for.
Levitating above a golden cauldron was the pearl-shaped and almost transparent droplet.
Kyle neared his destination and turned to his left to find an identical droplet hanging there as well.
He extended his hand toward the pearl...only to pause just inches away from it.
If he grabbed this, then his relationship with the royal family, especially the Emperor and the first Prince, would become worse, and they might become even more distrustful. There was a chance of being labelled as a traitor for choosing the greatest treasure since the Droplet of Resurrection was stored at such a place where normally one couldn't reach unless they knew what they were looking for. So there was a chance for them to discover that Alatia had sold the secrets of her family under Kyle's influence.
'Fuck...why am I overthinking this?' He has come too far to care about such things.
Exhaling a long breath, he finally grabbed the droplet and soon after, he walked out.
*********
[Some minutes ago]
Outside the vault, the family of four were standing but none of them were talking to each other.
The Prime Minister never intended to interfere in the family matter, knowing extremely well how devastating it could become if he said anything carelessly.
Edmund was standing beside his sister but he also didn't know what he should say to soothe her spoiled mood.
Things have gone completely off track today, to the point where Edmund also didn't know what he should apologize for or for whom.
It was then that Edmund saw his elder brother approaching them, ringing an alarm in Edmund's head as he stepped forward to cover Alatia behind him and asked Edward, "Did you need something, brother?"
"Ed, move aside." Edward straightforwardly stated; much to elevate Edmund's anxiety.
However, he didn't persist for long and got into his previous position—leaving an angered sister and a helpless brother face-to-face.
Edward's gaze softened when in front of his sister. She was so adorable and still so young that Edward always thought to keep her here in the palace. The outside world was too cruel for his little Tia.
However, he couldn't neglect the fact that she was grown enough to make her life decisions and trying to keep her away from the world might make things worse between them.
Returning to the present, he softly asked, "You won't be forgiving me anytime soon, right?" Edward asked with a helpless smile on his face and hands connected behind his back.
Alatia remained silent, feeling it was unnecessary to respond.
Edward heaved a sigh of helplessness. He could argue with politicians and foreign delicacies without breaking a sweat. Face demons higher than his ranks without fearing for a single moment. However, in front of her, he becomes all hopeless.
"Tia....maybe one day when you become a mother you would understand, under what circumstances we had to take such extreme steps."
Hearing those words Alatia's gaze sharpened as she parted her lips and talked back, "I never said that your suspicion on Kyle was unwarranted....what actually hurt me was the way you guys treat him."
With her voice growing dimmer she added, "I respected your judgement. I always admired how you dealt with things...but I guess my perception was short-sighted."
Her words stabbed him in the heart and made his shoulders heavy. He was no longer looking at her but looking down in guilt and regret. Blinded by the rage that Kyle has stolen his sister away, he took some of the stupidest decisions today...and now...
"The vault is opening." Hearing the Prime Minister's words, everyone turned to look towards the vault, including Alatia.
Edward also slowly turned to see what Kyle had obtained from inside—only to find his eyes stretched to their maximum range and his mind turning numb.
Everyone fell into silence seeing that crystal in Kyle's hand. The Droplet of Resurrection—a treasure about which only a few knew about and had no information provided inside the vault.
Under everyone's shocked gaze, Kyle could only see a single person smiling at him contently.
Looking at their reaction he couldn't help but utter under his breath,
'Talk about making an impression on my in-laws...'
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A/N:- This arc concludes here...I want to give the siblings a few chapter, but dunno if people liking this arc. I probably will write a side chapter for it.
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