NOVEL NEXT Episode 84
Episode 84
“…What did you just say?”
Perdi’s face scrunched up as if he’d misheard something outrageous, his eyes wide as he stared back.
“What are you talking about? Ian and Thiel did what?”
“…What did I even hear?”
Perdi and Ludian exchanged glances, identical faces mirrored in shared bewilderment. They gawked at one another for a brief moment before Ludian stammered out an incomplete sentence.
“Well, so…”
“…”
“Thiel… and Ian… formed a bond…”
As Ludian struggled to piece his words together, his expression darkened as if the world itself had crumbled. He buried his face in his hands, groaning.
Beside him, Perdi calmly untied his hair, neatly rearranging and retying it before standing up with a smile that could have lit a room.
“…Perdi, where are you going?”
Alpheus looked at him skeptically, his eyes narrowing.
“Hand the position of heir to Ludian. I have something to take care of at the palace.”
Perdi’s smile was bright but unmistakably dangerous.
“…Stop him.”
At Alpheus’s sharp command, Cassius appeared out of nowhere, his hand firmly pressing Perdi’s shoulder to the chair.
“Sit still.”
“…”
“You’re not the only one holding back. Don’t act recklessly.”
Cassius’s chilling voice forced Perdi back into his seat, his defiance melting into quiet compliance.
“So… what happens now?”
Ludian looked to Alpheus, his voice trembling with unease. A part of him was grateful Thiel wasn’t present to witness this scene. Perdi, who was always so gentle with her, might have lost it entirely and demanded to know what Ian had done to her.
“The bond can’t be undone,” Cassius stated bluntly.
“But there has to be a way—”
“There isn’t. There’s a reason the bonded don’t perform it lightly.”
The risks of the bond were too great. There was no known way to undo it, and even if one existed, there was no guarantee that Thiel wouldn’t be put in harm’s way.
A heavy silence blanketed the room as Alpheus and Cassius exhaled in unison.
“I can’t fathom how it happened. From what I hear, His Highness was unconscious the entire time.”
“…Are you suggesting Thiel performed the bond alone?”
“That’s impossible. A bond requires mutual interaction of some sort. The question is how it was done… and why.”
Alpheus muttered in disbelief.
“Grandfather.”
Perdi called softly, breaking Alpheus’s musings.
“What is it?”
“If Thiel and Ian are bonded, does that mean Thiel becomes the Crown Princess?”
“Most likely.”
“Then Thiel would move into the Crown Prince’s palace?”
“Presumably.”
“Haha…”
Perdi’s laugh was hollow and devoid of humor.
“I’ll kill—”
“Hey! Stop that!”
Before Perdi could finish, Ludian hastily slapped a hand over his brother’s mouth, panic written across his face.
“Listen, Ludian. My little sister is only seven years old. It hasn’t even been a year since we found her, and now we’re supposed to send her to the palace.”
“…”
“So we should just—”
“Enough.”
Cassius cut Perdi off again. This time, the young man didn’t resist, lowering his head in silence.
For a moment, Alpheus and Cassius exchanged a knowing look in the heavy stillness.
“Cassius.”
“Yes.”
Cassius nodded slightly, understanding his father’s silent command.
Perdi and Ludian exchanged uneasy glances, sensing the gravity of the moment. Alpheus and Cassius seemed ready to propose something drastic.
“There is one way to keep Thiel from moving to the palace.”
“What is it?”
“If there’s such a solution, you should have said so earlier!”
Ludian’s outburst went unchecked, neither Alpheus nor Cassius chastising him. Instead, they appeared deep in thought.
“Perdi, your opinion matters here.”
“Tell me.”
Perdi nodded, his tone steady.
“If Thiel takes over as the head of House Asterian, we can delay sending her to the palace.”
“…”
Cassius stopped himself before elaborating further, unsure how to continue.
For 11 years, Perdi had been raised as the Asterian heir, the next head of the family after Cassius. Asking him to relinquish that role now was nothing short of cruel.
‘This is why I didn’t want to bring it up,’ Cassius thought grimly.
When Alpheus first realized that other families were starting to target Thiel and the Asterian family, he often discussed the matter with Cassius.
Still, they had avoided bringing up this particular solution for as long as possible.
“Sending Thiel to the Imperial Palace is dangerous. I’m sure you all understand why.”
Thiel had manifested the ability of light.
The news had leaked that this ability could enhance the powers of both Asterian and Nestrian bloodlines. Worse, baseless rumors were spreading that having Thiel nearby allowed one to wield even stronger powers.
In such a volatile situation, sending Thiel to the palace would be tantamount to abandoning her in the midst of a den of predators.
‘No matter how much His Majesty and His Highness vow to protect her…’
The palace was vast.
This meant countless opportunities for someone, somewhere, to harm Thiel without warning.
The safest place for Thiel was none other than the Asterian estate, nestled deep within their territory.
To ensure this, they needed a decisive measure to prevent others from claiming her. And that measure…
‘That would be making her the head of the family.’
If Thiel were formally established as the head of House Asterian, Alpheus could handle the administrative duties until she came of age. This arrangement wouldn’t hinder the family’s operations, and as head of the house, Thiel would not be expected to reside in the Imperial Palace.
While this wouldn’t prevent her from becoming the Crown Princess, it could delay the inevitable.
‘At least until she’s old enough.’
Thiel was far too young and small.
She was only seven years old, and her time in Nestrian care had left her malnourished and underdeveloped. Compared to children her age, she was noticeably smaller.
She was a fragile child, incapable of defending herself, and it was the duty of her family—the adults in her life—to protect her.
Still, this was Cassius’s reasoning, and he didn’t intend to impose this responsibility on Perdi.
If Perdi refused, Alpheus and Cassius were prepared to explore alternative solutions.
Looking at his son, who had grown so much over the years, Cassius placed a broad hand on his small head with gentle resolve.
“Perdi, I’m not forcing you. This is your choice to make. No one will question your decision.”
“…You said it’s my choice?”
Perdi locked eyes with Cassius.
The boy, who had grown considerably, looked at his father with unwavering determination.
Cassius didn’t speak, nor did he move. He simply watched his son in silence.
“Give the headship to Thiel.”
“…Perdi, your opinion matters most here. You are—”
“My opinion isn’t the only one that matters,” Perdi interrupted, his voice firm. “After Grandfather, the position of head should have passed to you, Father.”
Perdi’s voice was calm yet piercing, his words deliberate and free of hesitation or regret. Everyone in the room paused, startled by the clarity in the boy’s tone.
“But the fact that you’re asking me this means you’ve already chosen to give it up.”
“That’s correct.”
Cassius was willing to forfeit not only the headship but also anything else—his life, if necessary—for Thiel. That was how precious she was to Asterian, how irreplaceable, and how much they couldn’t bear to lose her again.
Perdi nodded as if this was only natural.
“So why are you asking me? If even you, Father, who worked your entire life for this position, are willing to give it up for Thiel, what right do I have to hesitate?”
“…”
“Being the head of House Asterian doesn’t matter to me. If it means saving Thiel, I’d throw it away like trash.”
“That’s… not something you can just say lightly,” muttered Alpheus, who, as the current head, was clearly beginning to feel a headache coming on.
“I’m speaking figuratively. The point is, you don’t have to worry about me. Do whatever you think is necessary.”
“Perdi…”
“I will follow whatever decision is made. If it’s to protect Thiel, I’ll do anything.”
Perdi’s golden eyes shimmered brightly.
It was the same light that had filled the training grounds that day, when Thiel had embraced Perdi as he spiraled out of control, calming his storm with her touch.