CHAPTER 138: IN THEIR BLOOD

Nikolai had been watching the hall too long to miss the detail. Rhane was gone.

He wasn’t easy to miss in the hall, as he’d stood at an amazing height of six feet with a burly figure that couldn’t be swallowed even in the dark. It wasn’t just the empty chair or the restless shifting of the councilmen. It was the quiet ripple that moved across the gathering whenever a man like Rhane vanished. People noticed him, even in absence, the way one notices the silence after a storm.

When one of the servants had suddenly started acting strange, making screeching sounds that vexed the soul, Nikolai had almost been distracted by it, waving it off as one of the madnesses that came with liquor.

But something caught the old man’s attention in the span of that moment. Rhane had left the room, and his servant remained.

"More wine!" one of the council members cried, resting on the body of a young blushing woman.

Nikolai scanned the crowd, searching for where Rhane had gone. He wasn’t in the room anymore. And it wasn’t just him... Brown’s only daughter was getting ready to slip away.

"This gathering makes a man happy!" Master Brown rumbled with a wide smile, nudging Nikolai playfully.

Nikolai lifted his glass of wine, concealing the smirk that threatened his lips. Of course Rhane would choose the hour of distraction. Of course he’d think himself clever enough to slip away unseen.

What Rhane didn’t know was he wasn’t the only one with tricks up his sleeves. Nikolai knew it was moments like this that he’d only get once in his lifetime. To carve a path of his own, he had to grab opportunity presented before him.

To find out how things were being handled in Rhane’s estate, Nikolai leaned sideways, his lips brushing close to Brown’s ear. "Keep Gerald occupied. He’s drunk enough already, but see that his tongue doesn’t wag more than usual."

Gerald was a fool, and fools were useful only until they weren’t. Nikolai wasn’t going to let a single one ruin his timing tonight.

Master Brown turned around, his cheeks flushed from the two jars of ale he’d taken. "Who isn’t occupied tonight, old friend?" he chuckled, his stomach moving up and down with the impact.

"I mean... make sure he doesn’t cause trouble—" Nikolai hadn’t finished his statement when Gerald pushed a young woman with force. He rubbed his brows tiredly and sighed.

"I curse my seed," he snapped, trying to think of what to do with his son.

Brown noticed the frustrated expression on his friend. "You look like one who is getting ready to move with the wind," he pointed out. "Does the evening not bless your taste?"

"Ha." A dry chuckle to humor, Nikolai gave. "When you’ve been married for too long... nothing brings smile more than your wife." He remarked mindlessly, his eyes darting from Gerald to the door. Nikolai didn’t want to be around when Rhane returns.

Gerald hummed, "My wife..." he twitched his lips. "And Jenna... that child of mine! She wouldn’t come to speak with her father even for a second." He rubbed his neck tiredly.

"Daughters are the worst headaches," he gazed at Nikolai. "You wouldn’t know that, friend. Sons are the best gift to men if you ask me..."

Nikolai gave a subtle nod, the sort of acknowledgment that required no further words.

"I’ll meet you in your house tomorrow," Nikolai wiped his hands with a napkin, then stood up. "Let me put my wife in bed for tonight."

Brown waved his hands, mumbling the rest of his worried dirge to himself.

The corridors stretched long; Nikolai passed servants bowing low, the perfume of roasted meats clinging to their aprons. Beyond the laughter spilling from the great hall, the castle had a silence that suited him.

He inhaled it. Savored it.

It was the silence that gave him discernment. If he wanted something, he had to go and take it himself. That was one thing Rhane had taught him.

Outside, Nikolai mounted on his horse, guiding the animal away from the glow of torches and toward the road that led to Rhane’s estate.

If Rhane had risked leaving the gathering, then it was for something worth more than appearances. And Nikolai too was ready to risk it. There wasn’t a reward without it, after all.

After an hour of riding, Nikolai finally arrived. It wasn’t his first time at Rhane’s estate, but tonight was different. Tonight, he came not as guest, but as predator.

Guards patrolled, but fewer than Nikolai expected. Perhaps Rhane believed himself untouchable here, or perhaps he simply underestimated how many eyes were on his empire. Nikolai slowed his horse, dismounted, and tethered it beneath an oak.

Getting to the gate, Nikolai stood tall with pride. Even when he was stopped by the guards, he only gave them a smile.

"Did my son never mention his father?"

The guards glanced at each other with their brows furrowed, wondering what the man was speaking of.

"That is disappointing," Nikolai continued with a tired sigh. "Going to bring his woman back home..." he tipped his chin to look further inside the estate.

"I see work is still ongoing as he said it would."

One of the guards relaxed a little and smiled. "Work never stops with the scourge’s absence. There’s always—"

"Shush!" the other guard interrupted with a deep frown. He turned to Nikolai. "What is your business with my master?"

Nikolai rubbed his chest. "Did I not make my intentions clear enough? I am here to see how my son’s wealth is being used in his absence. Is that so wrong?"

"Son?" the more sensible guard repeated. "Well, if you have a meeting I’ll let Master Kali know of you—"

"Oh never mind," Nikolai remarked with a chuckle. "I should have known my dearest daughter Kali takes care of everything as instructions." He hummed with an approving nod.

As he’d expected, it wasn’t easy to waltz into the estate. Rhane wasn’t Gerald in mind; he had his twisted sister guard their fortress.

"My Lord?" the guard called his attention.

Nikolai raised his face, giving the young man a tired yawn. "Well... if not anything, a man can get a glass of water to drink, can he not?" He took a step to enter the gates, but the guard stopped him.

"You can’t go in, sir. We have orders to not let anyone in without the approval of Master Kali."

Nikolai clenched his jaw. He needed to see the manpower inside to know how to return.

"What is it?" Kali’s stern voice was heard from inside.

It was already too late to turn around. Instead, Nikolai threw his head back and laughed out loudly, staggering to add effects.

"Look who it is... my sweet little daughter." He reached to touch Kali’s face but was stopped. "Heavens bless my heart! A day when I’d be denied to see my own flesh and blood?"

Kali took a step further outside, scanning around as if searching for someone. "Did he come alone?"

"Yes, Master," the guard replied. "He said he’s your... father," the young man said with a low voice, afraid of annoying his master.

Kali arched her brows before settling her eyes on the man. "Where is Rha— what are you doing here?"

Nikolai sniffled, now standing on his own. "I remember it now... that day, when your mother told me she’d conceived... I—"

"Don’t, Nikolai..." Kali stopped the man. "Enough as it is you’re malicious, don’t add pathetic to it," she said with a tired voice.

"I don’t care why you crawled back here. Turn around and rot. Unless you’ve got Rhane in your shadow, this gate stays shut." Kali nodded to the guards, her eyes ordering them to send Nikolai away, then she turned to leave.

"I am dying soon!" Nikolai grabbed the only straw he could find.

Kali halted, but didn’t turn.

"Is that the words you wish to hear before you let a father make up for his past sins?" Nikolai continued with a shaky voice.

"I am no saint! Even the demons below the devil’s feet are better than I am. I know that much!"

Kali twitched her lips. "For once, you’re right. And I hate myself for it." She murmured under her breath.

"I always loved your mother... but she didn’t want the life I wanted." Nikolai sniffled. "I’d asked her to wait for me while I go ahead to make a better place for us... for the four of us."

Kali finally turned, her face scrunched. "I’d sooner slit my own throat than swallow that lie, and you know it. Now get out— while I’m still being... what was it? Ladylike."

Nikolai nodded slowly. "I knew I’d never be accepted, but I still chose to come. I am only glad that Rhane fights with Gerald, strengthens their brotherhood, and gives me more time to spend with my children." He took a step back, slowly leaving.

"Maybe in another life... I want to be the father that stayed. And one more thing...Rhane will leave you too, child." Nikolai wiped his face with the back of his hand.

When he noticed Kali grit her teeth, he shook his head.

"It is in our blood to abandon what we love...fear.... It’s in our blood."

"Spit on me, curse me, deny me— but you’ll never scrape my blood from your veins. You’ll always be my only princess," Nikolai stretched his hand forward. "You’ll find me again, Kali. Not because you want to... but because when the world tears you apart, I’ll be the only one who understands the pieces."

Nikolai turned, so did his expression. He walked straight to his horse and mounted it. If he was right, he’d seen Kali’s eyes glisten in the dark. And if fate was playing to his will, his next visit would yield something great.

All that was left was to make sure the tournament doesn’t end in one day. No risk, no reward, Nikolai repeated as he left the estate.