Chapter 50:
Acquiescence
With the queen's introduction speech, everyone's attention was taken away from Alywin's untimely entrance. Using the distraction, he quietly entered the room and joined Clarence at his side, smiling lightly as he sized up the people in the room. When Alywin moved to Clarence's side, he greeted the prince quietly and looked forward, keeping his natural appearance as the prince's close friend and attendant.
"Alywin, where have you been?" Clarence asked, nonchalantly lifting his hand to his lips to hide his movements, as if he were wiping away a speck of dust. "I thought you would have wanted to watch the candidates' introductions."
Standing behind Clarence's throne chair to the right, Alywin stood, looking as if he belonged there as he swept a quick glance over the women. Scanning over them with his eyes, he caught the gaze of a familiar figure, who had sent a calculated sideways glance towards him. Catching her green eyes, Alywin's eyes narrowed as he scoffed quietly to himself, his eyes darkening in irritation.
"It seems like Princess Charlotte has returned to the kingdom already. She must not have much to do in the Bethell Kingdom, even though she's a princess. I wonder if they are just trying to get rid of her. She must not be a very good marriage candidate." Alywin stated quietly to himself, smiling tightly as he spoke.
Clarence maintained his forward gaze, but he spoke to Alywin in a heavy tone of warning, "Alywin." His eyes flickered towards the side. "Don't be rude."
Hearing Clarence, Alywin closed his eyes, restraining an eye roll as he scoffed to himself quietly. He listened to the queen quietly, standing at Clarence's side with an air of refinement difficult to hide. After the queen's short speech finished, the girls began to follow the palace servants out one by one, their maids trailing behind, their hands full of the trains' fabric. Queen Racliffe spoke to another attendant, directing them with her hand as her ladies in waiting approached her, preparing the queen to return to her quarters.
The last candidate to leave was Charlotte. She gazed over towards Clarence and then smiled, looking sweet as she opened her fan and began to walk out, carefully followed with her knight trailing next to her. The tall man looked over his shoulder briefly, his eyes shadowed by his helmet as he shot a heavy stare towards the prince. Retracting his icy glare, the last group left the throne room, leaving only the queen, her ladies in waiting, and a few knights and servants to serve them in the room.
Just as Charlotte's back turned, Alywin could not hide the scowl on his face, and he shot a particularly sour look towards Clarence, expressing some of his grievances with the direct young princess of the Faelfier Kingdom. Clarence, leaning casually against the throne chair, noticed his expression but did not acknowledge it other than laughing quietly to himself, seeing Alywin's poor expression.
After a short moment, Alywin was the first to speak up, breaking the silence between them with hushed words as he said quietly to the prince, "Anyway, there's something I need to talk to you about."
Clarence hummed in response, looking listless, "What is it?" He stood up straight, moving his arm from the side of the chair as he motioned for Alywin to follow him, probably not feeling comfortable discussing anything in the throne room while his mother was in viewing distance. "If it's important, let's discuss it somewhere else." His eyes trailed over the queen and her entourage of ladies in waiting. Many of them were standing closely to the queen, speaking politely to her as they quietly discussed the events of the day with a gossipy hum in their voices.
"Alright." Understanding the prince, Alywin nodded his head and said, "Let's go, then."
Clarence moved his gaze as he stepped forward, leaving Alywin to trail slightly behind him as he walked forward, down the small stairs steps towards the door in the long throne room. His boot steps were muffled against the long red carpet, and his eyes were high, focused forward on the long doors with a glint in his eyes, as if he were looking forward to stepping out of the throne room and leaving the events of the day behind.
As Clarence walked past Queen Racliffe, the queen turned towards him with a glance as she said, "Returning to your quarters so soon? It would be proper to go and formally greet each candidate immediately."
"Of course, Mother," Clarence said, breaking his stride temporarily to nod to the queen, her head held high, "But I have pressing matters to attend to. I'm sure all the candidates will understand. If not, it is something they should get used to, as you did, since Father does this to you repeatedly."
Clarence retracted his gaze as he added plainly, "I'll be taking my leave now, Mother." Before the queen could respond, Clarence had already stepped forward through the open doorway and walked out, followed quickly by Alywin, who bowed low to the queen once more before he passed by, hurriedly walking to Clarence's side as he had as a child. Looking at their backs, Queen Racliffe's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing, fanning herself absentmindedly.
"This is troublesome." She mumbled to herself, "Oh, so troublesome." She slapped her fan shut and pressed the closed fan against her lips. She then shot a look over to one of her handmaids, who curtseyed before slipping out of the large throne room. Without batting an eye, the rest of her handmaids grabbed the queen's long train as she began to exit the throne room, her heels clicking against the floor.
…
The walk to Clarence's painting room was short, but the silence made the walk longer than Alywin remembered. During the trip there, he stared at Clarence's side profile, whose expression was mixed as he found himself lost in his thoughts. A small group of servants followed behind the pair, trailing behind them with their heads lowered, unable to look up at the prince's figure.
When Alywin and Clarence reached Clarence's painting room, he dismissed all of the servants except for the two knights stationed at the door. Once the servants had left, Clarence entered the painting room first, followed by Alywin, who quietly clicked the door shut behind them.
"Lock the door." Clarence said over his shoulder as he walked across the large room. Previously the room had been a storage space for unnecessary palace items, but soon after Clarence's passion for painting was revealed, the room was hurriedly cleared and soon the tall glass windows were cleaned, covered with thin lace curtains to allow in the brightest natural light for painting. Three easels had been placed in the center of the room, but the one in the center, facing the side of the room towards a shelf of small clay models, had a large canvas placed on it.
It was recently used. Smears of freshly dried paint rested on a rag nearby with a set of sharpened pencils. Alywin's eyes moved over them as Clarence sat down at the comfortable stool and adjusted his posture until he was in front of the canvas comfortably. He lifted his long fingers, tracing them over the pencils until he found one to his liking. Lifting the pencil, he looked at the lead for only a moment before he lifted it to the surface of the canvas and began to draw.
As Clarence lifted his pencil and scratched into the canvas, drawing carefully, Alywin spoke up. Looking over Clarence's figure, he said in a mildly petulant tone, "When Charlotte introduced herself, you blushed." He stated, his eyes moving to Clarence's face. "Why? Do you have any feelings for her?"
"Is that so?" Clarence asked, his voice stony as he responded, his eyes not meeting Alywin's.
Alywin stared directly at the distracted Clarence, his expression tightening as he continued. "I thought you weren't interested in her." The meaning behind his words was obvious, but the prince did not seem bothered by Alywin's provocation.
Clarence chuckled, smiling quite unlike himself as he responded, bringing his arm back to his side as he lowered the pencil, "Whoever I marry will only help solidify my position as king, nothing more. My attention is only on the girls to please my parents. In all honesty, I could care less about them. And if I put on a bit of an act, I'll have those girls begging me to marry them." He smiled wider, exposing his straight white teeth as he looked at Alywin. "All I need is position and power, and to do that I must get a trustworthy alliance. Then I can take care of that elf. All of this, this act, is so I can assassinate that elf, like he tried to do to me." The light in his eyes sank, exposing the dark blue hues of his eyes. A shiver ran down Alywin's spine as he looked at his friend, the chill reaching the tips of his fingers. "Nothing else matters but that."
Attempting to salvage the awkward atmosphere, Alywin shook his head lightly and said, "I thought it was out of character for you, that's all."
Clarence responded lazily, his eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "Is that all?" His tone made him sound bothered, touching a nerve with Alywin.
"No. Malcolm is returning to the kingdom." Alywin said, attempting to rein in the little patience he had left for Clarence.
"My cousin?" Clarence continued to draw, his eyebrows knitting as he spoke, "So what? Many people are returning to the kingdom, because of my upcoming ascension to the throne."
Alywin sighed, nodding his head in affirmation as he added coolly, "Yeah. And he wants the throne, Clarence."
Clarence shrugged lightly, his shoulders lifting as he responded, "So? So does everyone else in the kingdom. He's a small fish, there's no way he could get anywhere near the throne." He laughed at the thought of his cousin Malcolm even nearing the throne chair.
"Please, Clarence. Take this seriously." Alywin repeated, stressing each of his words as he approached Clarence, who continued to draw. "Malcolm is different from before. He's already taken over his father's territories as the new duke, and he's looking for even more power. Do you know why he's coming to visit after all this time? He's checking out the kingdom, Clarence. He's looking to invade and take over the throne."
The sound of the pencil scratching against the canvas stopped. Clarence thought for a moment before he spoke up, "Alright. I understand." His words were somewhat halfhearted, irritating poor Alywin to no end.
"Do not underestimate him, Clarence. Malcolm is dangerous." Alywin pressed, warning Clarence with a low tone as he stepped forward, moving closer to the prince as he continued to sketch, lost in his own thoughts for a moment. In frustration, Alywin grabbed Clarence's hand, stopping him from drawing. Alywin continued to glare sharply at Clarence as Clarence gave him a dark look, "You don't know him. Not like I do. I've known him for years. I've seen him do some horrible things." Alywin slowly released Clarence's hand, stooping down next to Clarence and giving him a pleading look, "Clarence, please take this seriously."
Clarence sighed and put his pencil down, then turned towards Alywin, "Fine. I understand. I will take this seriously." Clarence stretched out his hand, taking Alywin's face in his calloused hand, "So stop worrying." Clarence said this last bit with a smile, and Alywin tried to smile back, but it was half hearted as he stood up.
"So what are you drawing?" Alywin said as he looked over Clarence's side.
"Stick around and you'll see." Clarence said with a smile, gesturing towards the stool near him. Alywin grabbed it and pulled it over, slipping onto the stool quietly. As Clarence continued to draw, the sounds of the pencil scratching against the canvas, it reminded Alywin of the past.
Alywin had always enjoyed watching Clarence paint as a child. When he first entered the palace and became Clarence's friend, he would often follow the prince to his painting room and sit beside the young, willful Clarence as he lifted his brushes and painted freely. Alywin had tried to learn to paint, but he found he was not skilled at it, and the slowness of the painting process bored him, so he would watch Clarence work until something beautiful appeared on the canvas.
Today, Alywin had prepared to do the same, more curious than usual. The prince's attention had been pulled onto the canvas lately, but often the prince would stop abruptly and tear off the paper he was using to only begin again, scratching against his canvas until he had finally drawn something acceptable.
Watching over the prince's side, Alywin looked at the canvas with a curious gaze. On the incomplete easel was a sketch of a man. The head was incomplete, showing only two small, incomplete circles for the eyes, a partially sketched nose, and detailed lips. The hair on the figure was half finished, showing only some long, sweeping bangs towards the front of the figure's face. Though Alywin could only see part of the figure, he found himself staring for longer than he intended.
The figure in the drawing was attractive at face value, but Alywin's focus was drawn to the incomplete facial features of the drawing. The more he stared, the more striking the drawing was. Something gnawed at the bottom of Alywin's stomach, making him search every corner of his mind to remember why this figure was so striking, and why he remembered it so clearly. The more he thought, the less he found, leaving anxiety to build in his chest as he sighed to himself, pushing the through to the back of his mind as he looked away, closing his eyes.
"I'll be leaving then, Clarence." Alywin stepped away from the canvas, feeling a strange sensation in his feet the farther he stepped back. It felt as if something were telling him to push further, and to warn Clarence again, but Alywin could not understand why. Rejecting his strange feeling, Alywin turned around and walked to the door, holding his hand on the knob with a solemn expression. "Please take what I said seriously." He added again to calm his raging nerves.
Clarence looked up from his canvas for only a moment, smiling as he said, "Of course, Alywin." His attitude always changed when he held a paintbrush. As the prince turned back, Alywin unlocked the door to the room and stepped outside, not looking back as he nodded to the knights and walked down the hall, trailing through the hallway, walking with a determined, but nervous stride.
…
"Silas, open up your mana channels more. That's why you're having mana blockages."
Dusk had already taken hold of the sky, but there were two figures dressed in thick winter clothing, fashioned much like the common Elven style. Silas had his sword in his right hand and his left palm open at his side, wisps of mana trailing like smoke from the center of his palm. Light blue light glowed around him as he stood, his feet shoulder length apart as he stood at attention, looking forward at Meredith, who stood tall with his hands at his sides, mana pooling around him like waves. His light blue hair was braided behind his back, reaching just past his waist as it moved lightly in the air with his movements.
Stepping forward, Silas exhaled, his back foot sliding against the dirt as he slowed his beating heart and attempted to recirculate his mana, fighting the blockages in his body. After a short pause, Meredith charged forward, transforming the mana into warm red flames at the blink of an eye. Silas followed quickly, wrapping his sword in ice as he charged towards Meredith with his sword. As the two closed the distance, Meredith waved his palm, sending a line of burning red flames towards Silas.
"Use your mana!" Meredith commanded.
Continuing forward, Silas lifted his sword and commanded his mana with his left hand. The cold air around them spun, forming small icicles in the air as Silas swung the icicles towards the fire. When the icicles came in contact with the flames, they were quickly melted by the heat of the fiery wall, but Silas was prepared. Wrapping the spare wisps of mana in the air, Silas collected them around his sword before he sliced forward, cutting the searing hot flames with the ice of his sword. As the mana passed through the blade, the ice melted as it came in contact with the flames, extinguishing them at the same time.
Meredith adjusted his posture, straightening his back as Silas stepped back, panting as he steadied himself on his feet. After the blade had completely passed through, drops of water and steam dropped down its surface, cooling the blade. Beads of sweat dripped down Silas's face, but the tingling sensation in his hands made him unable to move them immediately. The sensation of mana flowing through his body felt lighter than before, and after a short moment of rest, Silas was able to recover himself.
"It worked this time, Meredith." Silas smiled, straightening himself up as he swung his sword down, allowing the droplets of water to fly off of his sword and onto the cold, frozen soil beneath their feet. The water droplets fell to the ground and hissed as they made contact with the cold dirt, leaving a faint wisp of steam dancing in the air from where it landed. Silas nodded satisfied, smiling lightly at Meredith.
In the short time Silas had begun training with Meredith, his command of the mana in his body had greatly improved. Meredith had the highest elven blood concentration of all the elves he had known, allowing him to operate his mana at a level Silas strived to reach. Though Silas was only half elven, he still retained his elven features from his mother, though his mana was lessened in comparison. This made him more susceptible to mana exhaustion and bottlenecks within his mana usage.
Using potions created by mana and practicing more effective methods, Silas was able to increase his mana tenfold. Many of the elves in the Faelfier Kingdom fought to survive, most of them using only the most necessary spells and mana to fight, but Silas was able to learn more about effective usage of mana during battles, just as Meredith had often fought. Even Adora had spoken to Meredith about his methods and had already begun to implement them within her group, particularly with her elven soldiers.
As Silas sheathed his sword, Meredith approached him and placed his palm against Silas's chest, resting it in the middle of his torso as he said after a moment, "You've done well. The blockages from before have cleared. I think you can start working on more complex spells, maybe even compound spells." Silas smiled as Meredith removed his hand, placing it back into the pocket of his jacket with a satisfied look on his face.
"Thank you, Meredith. I could have never done this without your help." Silas thanked him wholeheartedly, feeling the mana surging through his body freely without the painful bottlenecks as before.
Standing with Meredith, Silas looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowing as the sun disappeared over the horizon, bringing the cold air of the night with it. He closed his eyes, looking peaceful as warm clouds of air danced around his cheeks. As Silas stood, he suddenly asked Meredith, "Have you found any word on my family?" His voice was hopeful.
Meredith looked at the sky with Silas, sighing to himself, "No. I've searched everywhere I could, but I couldn't find anything." Meredith closed his eyes for a moment, his face down turned, "I'm sorry, Silas."
Silas opened his eyes, shaking his head with some irritation. "How can Eva find information on my family so easily, dangling in front of my eyes like some sick prize, while you can't find anything? What informants does she have? How did she find them so quickly while I haven't found them for years, Meredith?" The corners of Silas's eyes turned red, and he blinked twice, holding back tears. "I'm sick of waiting like this, not knowing anything."
"I think you should try to contact Eva again, Silas." Turning to Silas, Meredith added, "She travels all over the continent and she had numerous informants to relay her information. Gathering information for her is simple. You and I would not be able to find out nearly a quarter of what she has found on your family."
"But that's impossible, Meredith," Silas said, feeling like he should pull his hair out in his frustration as he looked down at the cold, icy ground, "I tried contacting Eva after everything that happened. But she doesn't want to hear from me. And I don't blame her. I'm a failure. I'm a risk to her team."
Meredith pressed his hand against Silas's shoulder, which caused Silas to look up, "Silas, you're not a failure. You've had failures, of course, but who hasn't? Do you think Eva has managed to do everything she has without her failures too? She might have been angry with you, but I promise you, you are a valuable member to her team, and she knows it too. Continue to train, and be patient. The time will come when Eva will need you."
Silas smiled weakly and looked down. Meredith patted Silas's shoulder one more time before he pulled him in from a hug, "Be strong, nephew. You've worked so hard for so long. Now is not the time to falter."
Silas nodded weakly and he grabbed onto Meredith's jacket, trying to blink away the tears that came to his eyes.
…
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Thank you all for your patience! Here's chapter 50!! I can't believe we will be hitting our one year anniversary in September. Without Hunny, I don't think this would have been a possibility, so thank you so much Hunny! To all of those still reading from the beginning, thank you from the bottom of our hearts ♥ Though romance is not the main pull for this novel, it does not mean it will not happen. The time is coming ♥
Just a note, Hunny and I will be in Texas starting Friday for a week, and I have a lot of programming to write for work, so next week's update is still iffy. It will depend when we get back, work, and if I can type while away. My family and I just found out a lot of stressful stuff, some things including creepy neighbors and dealing with a distant, mentally-ill relative (fml it's so draining), so that will be part of it too D: ...
The webtoon work is still going as well. Hunny and I will be discussing merch in the near future, but for now, since we're both up to our eyebrows in work, that will be on the back burner to my JLPT N2 exam practice. If you'd like to see something as far as merch goes in the future, let us know!
Thank you kindly for your support and enjoying YMtK. Please help us by liking/ commenting on the chapter if able ♥ Thank you for reading my long-ass note :D