Inside the palace, Cain's study
Claude and Lucia sat side by side, while Aven took a chair off to the side. Cain and Aris sat across from them.
"Once again, I truly thank all of you for your help. I don't know what would have happened to Arcadia if you hadn't come." Cain lowered his head deeply, his gratitude sincere.
Aris lowered his head as well.
Claude waved his hand lightly. "It's nothing, Lord Cain. I've already formed an alliance with Miss Lucia, so her allies are my allies too."
Lucia smiled sweetly at Claude before turning her attention back to Cain. "Lord Cain, why did you wait so long to ask for my help? The situation had already gotten this bad."
"Well… I misjudged things. I thought I could still handle it myself. I didn't want to trouble you too much, but I was wrong. At first I believed it was only Eidolan soldiers, but it turned out demons were fighting on their side as well."
"I never expected them to work together with demons…"
Aven scratched his head. "Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. They nearly killed me."
Cain glanced at him. "Speaking of that… how are you still alive?"
Aven scratched his cheek. "Lord Claude's eldest daughter saved me."
Cain nodded slightly. "That explains why you're always sticking around them now."
"That's right. I'm living with Lord Claude now, and I promised to protect his daughters as repayment."
"Sorry to interrupt, but… what about your sister, Aven? Her is still in Eidolan," Aris asked hesitantly.
Aven let out a long breath. "I'll bring her out of there. Lucas is protecting her right now, so I'm not too worried. Still, I'll try to get them both out as soon as possible."
"Does Lucas know you're alive?"
"No. I haven't had the chance to send him a message yet."
"Then let me do it. I'll report what happened here as well.'
"Thanks. I'll leave it to you."
Claude looked at them one by one before turning his attention back to Cain.
"Lord Cain, let's get straight to the point. I'd like to form an alliance with your kingdom as well."
Cain smiled and nodded. "It would be my honor, Lord Claude."
"I, Cain Vale, king of Arcadia, accept an alliance with the Vampire race led by Claude Scarlet."
They shook hands, sealing the alliance between them.
Aven cleared his throat. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to visit Fael for a moment. I have a few questions for him."
"Go ahead," Cain replied.
Aven rose from his chair, bowed politely, and walked out.
Aris looked at him. "I'm coming with you."
He quickly stood and followed him.
In the corridor
Aven and Aris walked side by side toward the underground prison where Fael was being held. The knights guarding the halls bowed as they passed.
They stopped in front of the cell. Aven stepped forward, and the guard unlocked the bars so they could enter.
Fael sat chained to the wall. Shackles covered his wrists, ankles, neck, and even his waist, the chains clinking softly. His eyes immediately lifted to Aven standing in front of him.
"Oh, look who came to visit. So, what do you want to ask me?" Fael said casually.
"Which territories has Krai already taken?"
Fael began counting on his fingers, trying to remember.
"All the villages around Eidolan have been taken. Their village chiefs were executed by Zain. The eastern territory of the Eryndral Kingdom has also been seized, along with the nearby villages."
"Eryndral? Lord Ryan's territory? What happened to him?"
Fael shrugged and casually made a throat-cutting gesture.
Dead.
Aven clenched his teeth. "You've got to be kidding me, damn it!"
"Whoa, whoa. Calm down, Aven. I wasn't the one leading the army that attacked Lord Ryan."
"Not my fault, right?" Fael added with a mocking smile.
Aven's fist shot forward instantly and stopped just short of smashing into Fael's face. Aris behind him flinched at the sudden movement.
"You don't want to know about your sister?"
Aven's fist froze only a few centimeters from Fael's nose. Slowly he pulled his hand back and steadied his breathing.
"What about my sister?"
"Not good. Lord Krai wants to make her his wife. I heard it from several knights, including Zyan. Krai won't give up easily."
"Lucas is protecting her, right?"
"Most likely. And they probably know that too. They'll try to get rid of Lucas."
"But they won't attack him directly. Lucas is strong."
Fael sighed. "The easiest way is to send him on a mission. Once he leaves your sister alone, that's when Krai will make his move."
Aven closed his eyes, processing the information.
"I'm done asking. Thanks for the information."
Fael nodded. "Anytime."
Aven and Aris turned and walked out of the cell. The iron door creaked as it began to close again.
"Hey."
Aven stopped when Fael called out to him.
"Good luck. Get rid of that Krai guy and overthrow him."
Aven gave a small smile. "Who said you get to order me around? Even if you hadn't said it, I was already planning to do exactly that."
They left the prison and headed back upstairs.
Fael snorted in annoyance, then let out a quiet chuckle.
"I'm one hundred percent on your side, Aven…"
he murmured, hesitating for a moment before a faint smile appeared.
"I mean… Commander."
They returned to the room where Cain, Claude, and Lucia were waiting. Claude glanced at Aven, noticing the empty look in his eyes.
"What's wrong with you?"
Aven blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Huh? I was just thinking about how to get my sister and Lucas out of Eidolan as soon as possible."
Claude hummed softly. "You only want to get them out, right?"
"For now, that's my priority."
Claude nodded. "Leave it to me."
Aven raised his head. "Really? Are you sure, Lord Claude?"
"Don't worry about it. Focus on something else. I'll handle your sister and your friend."
Aven scratched his head awkwardly. "I don't want to trouble you, but… thank you."
"It's nothing."
Aris nudged Aven. "Come help me write the report to Lucas."
"Alright…"
They both left the room and headed toward Aris's office.
Lucia smirked and lightly jabbed Claude in the shoulder. "You're very kind to Aven. Why is that?"
"Well… it's hard not to think of him as my own son."
"I just don't want to see him carrying everything by himself."
"Aww, I never thought Lord Claude could be this sweet," Lucia teased.
Cain tried hard to suppress a smile.
Claude groaned. "Enough already."
Several hours later, Lucia returned to her residence, while Claude and Aven went back to their castle.
Claude walked through the hallway with Aven beside him until they entered the family lounge.
Alice looked up and smiled warmly.
"Welcome home, dear."
Lilith, Cecilia, and Mika all turned their heads toward them.
"You took a long time, Father" Lilith said curiously.
"There were some complications. Eidolan attacked Arcadia, so we helped resolve the situation."
Alice raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Did the alliance go well?"
"Very well. We gained two alliances. The Red Dragon clan and the Arcadia Kingdom."
Alice clapped her hands softly. "Wow. You're amazing, dea–"
Her words suddenly stopped.
Her eyes darkened as she looked at Claude.
"What's wrong, Alice?" Claude asked cautiously.
"You… why do you smell like a female dragon?"
Alice tilted her head slightly.
"What exactly did you do with Miss Lucia for her scent to stick to you like that?"
"How close have the two of you gotten?" Her voice grew cold and sharp.
Claude felt a chill run down his spine.
"We only talked. We didn't do anything strange–"
Claude was suddenly grabbed and dragged into their room before being thrown inside.
Alice turned back toward the children with a sweet smile.
"You're all free to go play wherever you want, just remember your limits. I have something to take care of for a moment."
All of them shivered and quickly pulled Aven along as they rushed out of the room and toward the garden.