Science/Magic

Soraya returned to the Kingdom of Alterna after several days of travel. During that time, she had thought about the things that her daughter had told her, and about what she saw after arriving at Academy City.

She could not help but think about her son. She had finally seen him again after many years, but now, he no longer called her mother.

To him, she was nothing more than a stranger.

That fact pained her greatly.

Her little child. The boy that was sent to that terrible place so many years ago, had grown and become a man.

But when she thought about how much he must have suffered to become what he was today, she could not help but feel filled with guilt.

Self-hatred permeated her. So what if her son no longer thought of her as his mother? She deserved it for what she did.

Therefore, she decided to right her wrongs.

Even if that was not enough to recover the love of her son, she would do it. That was what she must do. She owed it to her son. To Glenn.

Hence, once she made her preparations, she went to the palace with a firm and determined expression.

When she arrived at the palace, it was still time for the morning court. But she did not care. She ignored the flustered servants that tried to stop her and entered the palace hall imposingly.

The king, nobles, ministers, and servants inside the hall looked at her in surprise when she entered. The king then opened his mouth awkwardly.

"My queen, you are back. I'm happy to see you again."

Soraya did not reply to him. Instead, she looked at the nobles coldly.

"My husband and I needed to talk. Leave, now."

"T-That is…" The nobles put on awkward expressions before looking at the kind. The king frowned, but in the end, he nodded.

"Leave us alone."

The nobles, ministers, and servants nodded and left the hall one after another.

A pair of minutes later, only the king and the queen remained in the hall.

The king frowned and looked at his wife with a confused expression.

"Soraya, did anything happen? You look altered."

"Liam Skysword. Answer this question of mine." The queen's voice was as sharp as a knife. "Did you order King's Shadows to kill Glenn?"

The king fell silent. He did not reply immediately, and instead, he heaved a sigh.

"Who told you that?"

"Just answer my question." The voice of the queen became sharper.

The king sighed again before nodding his head.

"... I did."

"You… I can't believe it."

"That is the best for the kingdom."

"The best for the kingdom, huh." Soraya sneered. "Back then, you took my child from me with that excuse. Are you going to do it again!?"

The king did not reply.

"I expected more from you." She said coldly with an expression of hatred on her face. Such an expression made the king feel a sharp pain in his chest.

This was the first time the queen had looked at him with such a gaze. Even though their relationship had deteriorated through the years, he had never seen hatred in his wife's eyes.

For an instant, he thought about apologizing. About excusing himself. But he swallowed his words.

He was a king before he was a husband.

Nothing was more important than the prosperity of Alterna.

When the queen saw that, the last trace of hope disappeared from her eyes.

Instead, her expression became as cold as ice itself.

"I see. It looks like you are not going to stop."

The king did not reply. He could not stop.

Even if Academy City, Moonlight Glow, and the Church of Fate were protecting that boy, he needed to die.

No, the fact that they were protecting him made his death something even more necessary.

His son, Glenn Skysword, was like a spark that could burn this kingdom to the ground.

Understanding his thoughts, the queen sneered.

"However, I won't allow you to touch him again."

"… You can't stop me, Soraya." The king sighed with a despondent tone, and the queen nodded.

"I can't. But someone else can."

The king was startled. Just at that moment, a man entered the hall.

He was an old man in his sixties. Part of his hair had turned white, and his face was filled with wrinkles. But despite that, his body emanated youthfulness and energy.

Moreover, the mana waves coming out of his body were so intense that even the king, a demigod at the Saint Level, felt suppressed.

He was the previous king of Alterna. The father of the current king, and one of the strongest demigods in the world.

Ethan Skysword.

"Dad…" The king wrinkled his brows. "Did Soraya ask you to come?"

The old man sighed and looked at his son with a complicated expression.

"Liam, from today onwards, stop any operation related to the boy."

"… You are no longer the king. I don't need to follow your orders."

"But if you don't, I will confine you in the sacred grounds of the clan and retake the throne. I'm sure that a few old friends will be happy to see that happening."

The king froze. He then smiled bitterly.

He believed that his father did not dare to do that, but he did not dare to test it.

He knew his father. Unlike him, his father was a sentimental man.

That was the reason he left the throne early. He did not believe he was suitable to be a king.

Moreover, his father felt that he had disappointed Soraya when Glenn was exiled. Soraya had begged him to not exile Glenn, but the former king did not agree back then.

Now, he could not bring himself to not agree again.

The king heaved a sigh. "… You know that the boy is a danger to the kingdom, father. He does not have any good feelings for Alterna, and several foreign organizations are behind him. If he wants to seek revenge, or if he decides he wants to become the king, it will be a catastrophe for the kingdom. In the worst of the cases, Alterna could perish."

"Perhaps. But I have made my choice." The voice of the former king was firm.

The king smiled bitterly. For an instant, he felt a sense of desolateness filling him.

His wife, his daughter, and now even his father were against him.

Was that the price to be a good king?

"I understand." He finally muttered resigned. "I will stop any action against the boy."

"Good." The former king nodded and looked at his son apologetically. Then, he left the hall.

Behind him, Soraya stared at her husband deeply before turning around and leaving with an ice-cold expression.

The king extended his hand and opened his mouth to say something. But in the end, he did not call out to her.

Instead, he sat down on his throne and smiled self-deprecatingly.

"Being a king is not easy."

...

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