"Out of my way, Father!" Derik roared as his longsword clashed against Richard's. Sound waves of sorrowful resentment rippled around them as Derik poured his aura into his blade in an attempt to overpower his father.

  "Stand down, Derik!" Richard pulsed lightning along the length of his blade, causing a small explosion that forced the two to separate. Their boots skid against the stone plaza in front of the palace. A cacophony of violence echoed around them as the battle raged on with neither side giving an inch. "You can't win."

  "So, nothing new!?" Derik snapped back and scowled at his father. His hands clenched around the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white, and he goaded, "You always took Olivia's side! No matter what I did, I was always in the wrong while she got off with a smile and your encouragement!"

  "Because she never threw tantrums!" The last thing Richard wanted to do was have a heart-to-heart during the middle of a battle. "Don't blame your failings on her just because she lacked them! Your sister was mature and wise beyond her years!"

  "Mature!? Wise!?" Derik sprinted forward with incredible speed, enhanced by his aura. Richard parried the first strike but underestimated the second, and Derik's blade bounced off Richard's aura armor; though it left a sizable crack. "She's a freak!" Relentless, desperate strikes battered Richard as Derik didn't want to give his father any breathing room. "She could say words before her first birthday! She was speaking full sentences by her second!"

  "…!" Richard hesitated to retaliate against his son and adopted a completely defensive fighting style.

  This only enraged Derik, who continued to scream, "She made major business deals at the age of six! She took the markets of Urldrusk by storm by eight! She practically mastered the use of aura before her tenth birthday!" Anger, resentment, and self-loathing fueled Derik's strikes and turned the song his aura sang into a melancholic lamentation. "That's not being mature! That's not being wise! That's being a freak of nature!" Derik's blade slid along Richard's up to his father's face and managed to pierce through the aura armor leaving a small cut along Richard's cheek. "What did you expect me to do, compared to her!? How am I supposed to compete against a monster when not even the gods believed in me enough to grant me aura!?"

  "You were never meant to compete!" Richard justified and blocked a horizontal strike aimed at his neck. Their blades sparked and spat as their auras rejected the others. "Take over the duchy! Live your life with honor and virtue! That's all I wanted out of you!"

  "But that's not good enough!" Derik infused his leg with aura and delivered a devastating kick to his father's side that sent Richard skidding along the ground to not lose his footing. "I practiced my swordsmanship until my arms felt like falling off! I graduated from the academy with high marks! I became one of the youngest to ever be knighted and join the royal guard! But all anyone in Holst ever talked about was Olivia!" Derik dug his blade into the stone floor, charged his father, and swung his sword up to throw upturned stones into Richard's face to distract him. "Olivia made another magic product! Olivia crusaded around Urldrusk and saved the common folk! Olivia's aura is so beautiful and mesmerizing!" With his father distracted by the stones, Derik took the chance and slashed at his father's unguarded abdomen. "If only Olivia was the one succeeding the Duke!" Derik's blade clashed against Richard's aura and, acting on instinct, Richard discharged his aura to repel the attack. "AGH!?" Lightning arced and snaked along Derik's aura armor, easily breaking through it and conducting along Derik's metal armor and singeing his arms.

  "Derik!?" Richard tried to reach out to his son but only found a slashing blade as a reply.

  "Stop looking down on me!" Tears stained Derik's face, whether they were from the scars along his arms or his deteriorating mental state was unknown. Though it was probably both. Another wild swing of his blade, and another cry, "Why is everything about Olivia!? Am I not your child, too!?"

  "…" Richard gave no response.

  "Answer me!" Derik poured his aura into his blade, sending violent waves of anguish clawing toward Richard. "Father!" Derik took a step toward Richard to deliver the blow.

  "…!" Only for the clouds above to instantly retreat from the sky, bathing the capital in Sailest's soft glow, and ending the battle.

  "…Huh?" Derik looked at his sword, which was once overflowing with aura, in confusion as it was now dull and inert. The other Golden Lions who took the aura elixir also all had their weapons go silent. The melody that once filled the air was snuffed out.

  "…What?" Richard was also stunned as not only did the fake Auristers lose their aura, but the magic lights that lit the palace and streets of the capital also all went dark. With the death of the meteor came about the death of all magic and abilities it once provided.

  "N-…No…" Derik's tears crashed against the stone. Desperation filled his voice as he raised his sword against his father, and cried out, "Not again!"

  "…!" But Richard was easily able to deflect the auraless sword and even sliced through it leaving Derik with a half broken sword. "Azure Hawks!" Richard didn't know what was going on, but he had to capitalize on the situation and end things quickly. "Finish the Lions!"

  "Yes, Duke!" The Azure Hawks, now holding an overwhelming advantage against the stunned Golden Lions, descended upon their foes with renewed vigor. The battle that once fiercely raged came to an end with a deafeningly silent whimper. Some Golden Lions dropped their weapons and surrendered as they saw the writing on the wall, others fought till they were cut down, and quite a few had to be subdued with force as they were so dazed they didn't even realize the battle was lost.

  "…" Derik fell to his knees, eyes glued to his broken blade. His expression was masked in darkness as his head hung low. An emptiness gnawed a hole in Derik's soul as his aura left him. Was this horrible emptiness what Olivia felt when she, too, had her aura taken away?

  "Derik…" Richard stood over his son. Sparks and arcs of lightning danced around him, and his eyes softly glowed with power. Hesitating for a moment, Richard eventually concluded, "You…will be returning to Holst." Richard sheathed his blade. "I'll take you under my wing, personally. I'll help you find your way and become a knight to be proud of. I'll-"

  "Shut up," Derik's voice was monotone as he replied. "Find my way? A knight to be proud of? In a castle filled with people who will look down on me and mock me for standing with His Highness? For being 'weak'?" Derik gave a bitter chuckle and finally raised his head to look up at his father. "You really do…suck at raising kids." A face overcome by anguish and resentment bitterly glared at his foolish father.

  "…Get up." A father who would never relent. "You, there!" Richard called out to one of his knights who was standing nearby and gestured for them to come closer. "Secure his wrists and bring him back to the mansion… Make sure he's treated well upon your return."

  "…" The knight didn't speak a word and simply gave a nod before moving over to Derik. Their face was obscured by their great helm.

  "You won't even do it yourself?" Derik couldn't help but laugh.

  "As a Duke…I have a duty to uphold to the people of this empire." Richard solemnly watched as the knight tied Derik's wrists with a rope. "It is a duty I tried instilling into you, too."

  "And look how that turned out." Begrudgingly, Derik rose to his feet. "You-"

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Before Derik could utter another complaint, the silent knight leaned over and sharply whispered into Derik's ear, "Follow me."

  "!?!" Derik flinched when he heard the knight's voice and quickly fell silent. When the knight moved to take him away, Derik willingly followed.

  "…" Richard felt uneasy watching his son being dragged away, though a calm wind brushed against his cheek as if to reassure him. Surely, everything would right itself.

  ***

  The outskirts of Gorinville were silent and filled with a calm that didn't match the once fiery night. Insects sang, leaves rustled in the gentle wind, and Sailest stared down into the forest as a lone horse pulling a cart rode down a dirt trail. In the cart, Derik silently sat while staring up into the sky through the canopy of branches. The knight holding the reins also remained silent until steering their horse off to the side of the trail where another horse was tied to a tree.

  When the cart stopped, Derik hopped out and turned to the knight, saying, "You're taking a big risk helping me here… Thank you, Adam."

  Adam, the silent knight, removed their great helm and tossed it into the cart as he replied, "Luckily, the Duke didn't suspect anything and we were able to leave quickly enough that the other knights didn't have time to follow."

  "Didn't have time, or didn't want to bother with me?" Derik dejectedly spat as he leaned against a nearby tree. "None of them moved to help you escort me. What could I possibly do without aura, right?"

  "…" Adam didn't reply. Taking a dagger out of a sack in the cart, Adam walked over to Derik and cut the ropes binding him. "Do you have a plan?" Adam probed.

  "A plan?" Derik bitterly laughed in response. The wind blew through his short hair and he rubbed his face in frustration while muttering, "Lie down and bark like the dog my father wants me to? Ha!" The Helker River was near their resting point and Derik trudged over to it to splash water in his face.

  "…" Adam followed Derik a few paces back, his eyes never leaving Derik's defenseless back. He asked another probing question, "You're giving up?" The insects intensified their songs.

  "No." The wind sharply blew, causing the leaves to loudly rustle. "I…refuse to have it end like this." Derik knelt down and splashed water on his face to calm himself down.

  "…" Adam used the noise around them to approach Derik without alerting him. Another probing question, "Then, what will you do?" Adam stopped and stood directly behind Derik.

  "Even with her speed, I'm sure His Highness got away from my sister." Derik breathed in deeply the cool fall air. His eyes lacked focus as he thought over what he wanted to do, and spoke aloud, "We'll regroup and take back the throne from the Second Prince! And I…" Derik matched the gaze of his reflection. The waves of the Helker washed against him as if beckoning someone. "I will rally support where I can in Holst."

  "…You plan on returning to Wortrest?" Adam's hand reached down and grabbed the hilt of his sword that was sheathed on his belt.

  "Father naming Olivia as heir is likely something he did only recently which means Wortrest still hasn't heard about it!" Derik started hyping himself up as the plan in his head was coming together.

  "…A sound idea." Thanks to the custom-made sheathe, Adam was able to draw his sword without making a sound. "Do you have any allies in the vassals, other than me?"

  "Other than you, I have the Winchesters in my pocket." The waves crashed against Derik's kneeling legs to make more noise. "For once, Vivian being my wife can come in useful." Derik looked up at the Helker that stretched out before him. "If Holst isn't safe, we can travel east to Relsh and have Duke Hoffman shelter us. We can come back from this! Once we return to Wortrest, help me secure Vivi-"

  "…" When Adam's blade fell, the world ceased its attempts to distract and returned to a serene calm. Derik's severed head splashed into the water, followed by his body that limply collapsed to its side. Blood infected the Helker that reached out waves to begin gingerly pulling Derik's body away from shore and deeper into the river. Adam silently watched the body list away in the water until it inevitably sank beneath the current. Some blood managed to splatter against his armor, but that's why Adam was still wearing it. Stripping out of the armor and discarding it in the river along with the sword, Adam adjusted his clean shirt, put on his brown vest, and made sure his pants hadn't gotten wet before putting on his hiking boots. Adam unhitched the horse from the cart and let it roam free while he untied the horse from the tree to take it back to his family's mansion. There wasn't another soul on the road which allowed Adam to return home unimpeded and soon the Felswore's mansion in the capital came into view. "…?" Revealed by Sailest's light, Adam saw the Ordrin's carriage parked off to the side on his family's estate grounds. It was tucked behind a building as if someone was trying to hide its presence from anyone returning through the front.

  "Ah, Lord Adam!" A butler came out of the front doors as Adam approached and got off his horse.

  "How is Mother?" Adam deliberately didn't ask about the carriage. "Is she still having trouble sleeping?"

  "No, the Madam went to sleep not long ago."

  "…" A sliver of light peaked out from behind the drawn curtains of his mother's room.

  "She instructed that, with all the unrest from the protests, she wanted you to immediately return to your room early…though you had already gone out before I could relay the message." The butler lowered his head in shame, though Adam caught a hint of unease from the man.

  "It seems I made everyone worried." Adam didn't bring up anything and played along acting as if he didn't notice what was going on. "Could you take my horse back to the stables, then, so I may head up?"

  "Of course, my Lord!" the butler quickly agreed and took the reins of the horse to lead it away.

  "…" While Adam had an idea about what was going on, he didn't think it would happen tonight which was why he didn't rush back after dealing with Derik. "I hope she didn't wait too long." Entering the Felswore's mansion, the halls were silent and most of the candles were out which gave the halls an ethereal feel as Sailest attempted to flood its light through the windows. Hushed murmurings could be heard behind his mother's door, but they immediately shushed when he passed. Since they were trying so hard, he wouldn't spoil it for them. Then, finally, he reached the door to his room. "…" Adam took a deep breath and entered his room acting like he was expecting it to be empty.

  "…You're back?" Standing against the far window, bathed in Sailest's gentle light, was Vivian. Her deep blue hair shimmered like the ocean on a star-filled night and her eyes softly twinkled a dazzling yellow as she turned to face Adam. A light gown covered her, though the material was thin enough that Sailest's light from the window silhouetted Vivian's body through it.

  "…Vivian?" Adam feigned surprise and did his best to flinch in mock surprise. He allowed himself a few moments of 'stunned' shock before hesitantly asking, "What…are you doing…here?" He didn't have to try hard to act since Adam was also genuinely stunned by seeing how beautiful Vivian looked in the gentle dark.

  "It's a bit cold…so I came here." She answered without answering. Even in the dark, Adam could see how red Vivian's cheeks were. The two stood in silence for a few seconds as their eyes remained locked with one another.

  Adam eventually broke the silence to at least give an attempt to be modest, "You…shouldn't be here." He turned around as if to leave, but was in no actual rush. "A married woman shouldn't be alone with another man in their bedroom."

  "True…if Derik and my's marriage was a valid one," Vivian's voice was soft and tender, yet held a firmness to it that revealed her underlining determination. She walked over to Adam and put a hand on his shoulder to 'stop' him from leaving.

  "…A valid one?" Adam asked despite already knowing what she meant. He could never bring himself to reveal to Vivian that Derik had already told him about the validity of their marriage during a night of drunken revelry.

  "…Are you…aware of all the customs of marriage?" Vivian watched Adam turn back around to face her. They stood a mere foot apart. "All of them?"

  "…Mostly." It was getting hard for Adam to keep his cool with Vivian so close. But he had to be patient. Just a little longer. "What are you…getting at?" Both Felswore children knew the importance of patience.

  "During…the first night, the couple needs to consummate the marriage by having…sex." Vivian paused as embarrassment overcame her and she needed a moment to collect herself. Eventually, she continued, "And…if either spouse has sex with someone other than the one they're marrying before properly consummating…the marriage is considered void due to the infidelity being a spite against Lady Alm for blessing the marriage in the first place. And…" Vivian's hands clasped haphazardly in front of her as her fingers kept fidgeting. "The unfaithful…are forced to wed, out of shame…"

  "…You mean-…?" Adam let Vivian's explanation hang in the air for a few moments as he 'registered' what she was trying to say. A lump formed in his throat that no amount of swallowing got rid of as Vivian's somber, desperate, and hungry eyes looked up at him. "You never…?"

  "Derik…has never touched me, in our five years of marriage." Timidly, as if fearing a rejection that hadn't happened yet, Vivian gently grabbed the sleeve of Adam's shirt and lightly tugged at it. The unspoken invitation was given.

  But Adam held firm, for now, and asked, "Are you…fine…with me?" His voice shook as it was getting harder and harder to hold himself back. The lump never left his throat.

  "I…know you kept stealing glances at me throughout our school years…and even after." Vivian's other hand slowly rose and traced the buttons of Adam's vest. "And you know…I never rejected your glances…despite knowing I should have."

  "…I have no idea what you're talking about," Adam jokingly lied to try and get Vivian to relax. She was so tense that he was afraid she'd pull a muscle from nerves alone.

  "Now, you're acting dumb?" Vivian mumbled and pouted, though the joke did help her somewhat relax as her fingers stopped shaking. "If you…still feel that way about me… I was taught to be a duchess, so I think I would make a good countess. I'll work hard to not let you down or disappoint y-"

  "I would never be disappointed in you," Adam interrupted Vivian, gently grabbed the hand holding his sleeve, and brought it up to his cheek. Vivian's hand cupped Adam's face and her fingers ran through his long hair.

  "…" Vivian undid Adam's ponytail and stared at the yellow ribbon he used to hold it up; the ribbon she had gifted him all those years ago.

  "I was just out…so I should wash up, first." Adam's hair, now free, cloaked itself around his face to mask it in shadow.

  "…I'll help you." Vivian let the ribbon flutter and fall between her fingers.

  "Is that all you'll do?" Adam brushed some hair off Vivian's face and leaned in.

  "…" Vivian didn't respond with words, but her mouth opened and she rocked forward to meet Adam's waiting lips.

  "…!" Throwing caution to the wind, Adam wrapped his arms around Vivian to pull her close; to feel every inch of her body. They both forgot about 'washing up' and pulled each other to the bed while ripping Adam's clothes off. Vivian released all her pent-up frustration from remaining pure for a man who wouldn't even touch her, let go of the pointless 'love' that would never return to her, and gave herself to the sweet childhood friend who held her in his arms. Adam indulged in a perfectly executed plan that was years in the making. Even since he learned that Derik hadn't consummated the marriage, Adam slowly worked to keep himself in Vivian's heart, always working to be there for her, as he waited for the day when she would work up the courage to finally break free and choose her own happiness. Thankfully, she did so before Derik's death would be discovered since this meant she still believed he was alive; and she chose Adam. As the two fell into passion, and just as planned by Vivian and the mothers, Alice and Elizabeth 'accidentally' discovered the two in the act. Vivian was 'reprimanded' for turning her back on the Ordrin family and Elizabeth 'forced' Adam to agree to marry Vivian. Despite the situation being a 'dire offense', no heated words were exchanged and no voices were raised. It was a somber affair. Once everything was resolved, Adam and Vivian were allowed to keep sharing the room. However, nothing else happened for the rest night as getting caught in the act was far more embarrassing than either Adam or Vivian initially realized until it set in and neither of them were brave enough to continue.