CHAPTER 270: STOLEN HIS INTEREST

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Kael returned to his throne room, where Lennox was still seated, waiting for him.

"Well?"

Lennox leaned back in his chair, one brow raised in that familiar look of impatience.. "When are you going to bring this up with the council? What are we actually going to do about the dark waters?"

Kael’s boot echoed against the marble floor as he crossed the vast chamber, the golden lights from the tall stained windows spilling across his royal cloak.

He ascended the dais and sank into his ornate throne, a seat that seemed to carry the weight of more than just rulership. His expression was distant, thoughtful, as though his mind had wandered far beyond the walls of this room.

He rested an arm on the side of the chair, his fingers brushing idly along his chin.

"If the dark waters truly hold traces of corrupted magic," he said slowly," then it isn’t beyond control. Its power may be wild, yes, but still a kind that needs to be studied, understood and perhaps even regulated for a counter-attack."

Lennox frowned.

"You sound far too calm about something that’s swallowing villages."

Kael’s lips twitched at that, a faint, humorless smile. "Panic serves no one. That green-haired will test the first formula by dawn. Once we have the results, we’ll know whether this ’curse’ can be contained. Either way, we’ll be ready for whatever happens next."

He pressed his lips into a thin line, the flicker of thought passing his eyes betraying a moment’s consideration before he finally added:

"That woman... Esmeray," he said slowly, almost tasting her name. "She’s stolen my interest now."

Lennox turned to him fully upon hearing that, his brow knitting in confusion. "I don’t understand. What do you mean she’s stolen your interest?"

Kael’s lips curved, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Don’t sound jealous, Lennox. You’re a married man now," he taunted lightly, his tone teasing, but there was a familiar edge of mockery to it that made Lennox’s jaw tighten.

"Yes, you heard me right," Kael continued, leaning back on his throne with a faint smirk. "I think she’ll be of great value to me. The Montague bloodline has a gift– one that would serve my purpose well. There’s magic in her veins, I felt it the moment I touched her. It’s untamed, but potent all the same. I doubt she’s even aware of how much power she holds."

Lennox let out a short, incredulous laugh, his expression hardening. "Good luck with that," he muttered. "That demon husband of hers has her wrapped tightly around his fingers. There’s no way you can pry her from him."

Kael’s gaze darkened, though his tone remained deceptively calm. "I’m not so cruel as to separate them. Let them enjoy their moment together... for now. I just hope that when the situation finally turns around, you’ll be okay with it too, Lennox. Have a wonderful night rest."

He tapped his staff lightly on the floor- a crisp sound that echoed through the vast chamber and signaled the end of the discussion.

Lennox said nothing more.

As much as he wanted to argue, he knew better. Kael never entertained protest once his mind was made up - and in this case, there was another obstacle entirely, Donovan Morgrim.

That man had done things that would have warranted immediate execution under normal circumstances, but he still roamed free. Perhaps he knew that he couldn’t be killed? That his body had grown accustomed to pain?

Lennox’s thoughts darkened. He couldn’t read Kael’s expression, but he understood enough. If things unfolded as Kael predicted, Esmeray would become the price of victory, and when that moment came, he would have no choice but to surrender her to him.

A grim realization twisted inside him. He was starting to see too much of himself in Kael, the hunger for control, the willingness to sacrifice others for what they always felt was needed to be done. The thought made his fist clench tightly at his side. Without another word, he rose and walked out of the throne room.

A minute passed in silence before a knock echoed from beyond the gilded doors. When they opened, five guards stepped inside. Kael raised a single brow when he recognized them to be the guards he sent to look for the people Lennox told him were missing from the group.

They stood before their High Magus, their fist pressed to their chest in salute, the air around them heavy with apprehension.

"Did you find them?" Asked Kael.

The five guards dropped to one knee, heads bowed, not daring to look him in the eye. After a tense pause, one of them finally spoke up:

"Forgive us for our incompetence, my lord... but we couldn’t find them."

A faint flicker passed through Kael’s eyes — it wasn’t anger or surprise, but something colder. His gaze sharpened when he noticed it: a faint haze of dark energy was swirling above the men like poisonous mist. His expression hardened as he rose slowly from his throne, the echo of his staff striking the dais steps filling the chamber.

"You couldn’t find them?" he repeated, his tone quiet but laced with a dangerous undercurrent.

Another guard swallowed hard and answered, "Yes, High Magus."

"I see."

Kael’s hand twitched faintly around his staff before he waved it dismissively, his voice turning detached. "You may leave, I’ll handle the rest. At least you’re aware of how incompetent you all are."

The guards, visibly relieved yet shaken, rose quickly and bowed before retreating from the throne room. The heavy doors shut behind them with a dull thud, leaving Kael alone once more.

"How is he so sure they’ll return in two days?" Kael murmured to himself, his voice barely audible as he stared at the now-closed doors. The question hung still in the air, unanswered.

He turned slowly, recollecting the darkness that lingered on his guards. That energy, heavy and corrupted, told him a different story. They had found them. Or at least crossed paths. Yet they came back empty-handed. They must have slipped away again, using their accursed powers to tame his guards. Could he really call them delusionally brave for running a fruitless mission?

His eyes narrowed. "They couldn’t still be alive," he sounded like he was convincing himself. "I would have known... I should have known if that was the case."

He paused, the faintest tremor of doubt crossing his mind. If the three executed mages were still alive, if they had somehow hidden themselves from his reach for this long– then Donovan’s confidence made sense. But why resurface now?

A low hum of power rippled from the head of his staff, reacting to his growing unease.

"What is your game, Donovan?" he whispered, his voice slightly colder. "What do you hope to gain from them?"

********

Leonardo and Cora were exhausted.

After hours of trudging through the woods, they finally stumbled upon a small hamlet nestled between the hills. Smoke curled lazily from a few chimneys, and the faint scent of stew drifted through the crisp night air.

The settlement couldn’t have been more than a dozen houses, all modestly built from timber and stone, their roofs heavy with moss.

Leonardo slowed as they reached the narrow dirt path that cut through the hamlet’s center and stopped outside a small roadside inn.

Cora unfolded the worn map, her brows furrowing as she studied the markings, then glanced around at the quiet homes before pointing toward a squat building near the edge of the road.

"I think it’s that one."

Leonardo followed her finger. The house she indicated was smaller than the rest, its shutters painted a faded blue. Herbs hung to dry beneath the eaves, and a wooden sign marked with a faintly carved crescent symbol swayed gently in the wind.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Cora compared the map again, tilting her head as if trying to match the drawing to the landscape. The outline of the hills behind it, the narrow stream nearby, it all matched. "Yes," she said finally, with more certainty. "It has to be."

Leonardo studied the house again, his eyes narrowing. "Are they some kind of healer?" he murmured, but it made sense.

But for Cora, out of all the things he expected, this wasn’t one of them. She had assumed a hidden dark fortress or something cooler, but a hamlet? No wonder they were able to stay out of sight for so long until this very day.

"Hey," Leonardo whispered. "We can use your injured ankle as bait."

"I’m not letting some immortal witches treat my ankle," she refused, shaking her head in disbelief. "Absolutely not. Think of something else."

"We don’t have time for that," he replied, his voice low but resolute. "Don’t worry, I’ll be there with you the whole time."

Before she could protest again, he strode forward and rapped his knuckles against the weathered wooden door.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

For a moment, there was only silence. The sound of light footsteps could be heard seconds later, and the door creaked open. To their surprise, a young woman appeared.

She looked stunning – too much for someone living this deep in the woods. Her long dark hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, her skin pale as moonlight, and her eyes... an arresting shade of amber that seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light. A faint floral scent drifted from the room behind her, mingled with the metallic tang of herbs.

"Yes?" She asked politely, her voice smooth and lilting, though there was an unmistakable sharpness behind it. "How can I help you?"

Cora was already displeased.