Suddenly, the room started shaking. Ragnar's red pupils narrowed into dragon slits, his aura thickened, shaking bookshelves and making books fall, and the desk started vibrating. Toren sighed, observing Ragnar; he still considered Ragnar a child, despite Ragnar being well past eighty. To him, Ragnar was still a child.
Ragnar smashed the desk into pieces, sending wooden debris flying out, and shouted, "Who dares to say this? Just tell me their name—I will slit their throat." Not a single wood hit Toren; all vanished or burned before it reached him.
"Control yourself, I am just saying what is going on in the world, you may not have heard it, but you can't hide him much, child. The world won't accept an heir of the grand ducal house who hides behind; you have to let your grandson out, make him fall, and break into the wild. Only this will guarantee his survival; the world is too cruel to the weak." Toren spoke out as he looked at Ragnar, who was trying to control himself, but his words only made it worse.
"What if it breaks him too much? What if he is unable to smile?"Ragnar shook as he put forth his words to his teacher, his eyes looking for answers.
"He has the black dragon's bloodline; dragons don't break, Ragnar. They break others and devour them. Trust him—a dragon only becomes king by fighting and conquering others." With these words, Toren left the room, unable to watch Ragnar struggle any further. He hoped Ragnar would overcome his fears so his grandson would not grow up fragile and untested.
- - -
At the heart of Valentine City, Drakethorne Palace sat at its centre, looming over with its magnificent architecture.
Empress and Princess had bid their farewell after staying for a day in the morning, and the princess went back to the academy while the empress went to the royal capital.
The sun was about to reach its zenith when Alex entered the dining room and was shocked to see his grandfather and grandmother sitting at the table. He had not seen them for almost a year, but they would frequently visit for a couple of months at a time. So, he was happy to see them, and he hurriedly ran towards them.
He hugged his grandfather Ragnar first, who hugged him tightly in his embrace,"Grandpa, I missed you so much. Why did you not visit once this past year? You've become thin."
"You missed me so much, yet you did not send me even one letter?" Ragnar said as he let go of the hug, with one eyebrow raised.
Alex gave a fake cough,"Well, I was so busy that I forgot, but, you know, right, I love you so much."
Nyra Blackheart, Alex's grandmother, complained, "You only love your grandpa. Come give me a hug too; I miss you so much."
Alex gave her a hug too,"I love you too, Grandma."
"I hate the word grandma, it makes me think I am old,"Nyra complained once more. Others inside the dining hall screamed in their mind,"You're already old." But they did not let it out, fearing Nyra's anger.
After that, Alex sat in the chair and started munching on his food, as did the others.
Alex was so happy; his little sister, Ariana, was, too. They were both loved and cherished by their grandparents.
While everyone was eating, Ragnar announced something that made everyone stop. He said, "Alex will be joining this year's entrance for Silverine Academy." A spoon fell on the ground as it slipped through Sera's right hand and made a thud sound on the marble floor.
Nyra turned towards her husband, clearly not expecting him to announce something so abruptly. Alex gulped on his saliva, seeing everyone's reaction, while Ariana looked towards her parents' shocked faces.
"Father, we have discussed it already, have we not? We have three paragon ranks here; he does not need to go to the academy." Shane voiced out as he met his father's gaze.
Ragnar put a bite of food in his mouth as he dismissed his son's words,"It is decided, I have already put forward his name, there will be no more discussion on this topic anymore."
Shane was about to stand up and smash the table when Sera grabbed him by the hand; he was losing his mind at his father's sheer madness, or more like bullshit. They knew Alex was not cut out for the Academy. So, what made the change of mind?
Shane exited the dining room, leaving his food behind. Sera looked at her children,"Make sure you complete the food, I will check it."
Sera followed behind her husband.
Nyra was about to say something, but Ragnar met her gaze, and in his gaze, she could see he had already made a decision. She sighed as she looked at her grandson's face, worry clouding her face.
The dining hall fell quiet, with only the sound of spoons and plates clicking with each other. Ariana looked at her brother's face. She knew about Alex's situation and felt bad for him from the bottom of her heart, for he loved and cared for her so much, yet fate had dealt him the worst cards.
- - -
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