Chapter 27 – The Name Revealed
Blood trickled down Liam's bruised face. He slumped forward, barely conscious, breath shallow. The torches in the dungeon flickered as the Duke loomed before him, a storm behind his cold eyes.
"Who hired you?" the Duke asked again, voice like steel drawn from a sheath.
Liam trembled, lips cracked, fear in his eyes.
"...Count Valentino."
A stillness heavier than silence settled in the room.
Chris's brows furrowed. The Duke's expression remained unreadable — but his aura flared, just for a moment. Count Valentino... maternal uncle to the Duke's second son.
Rage stirred like a rising tide. That a mere count would dare to touch the heir of the Celestarius Duchy was treason. But behind the fury, a father's heart cracked.
Could his second son be involved?
The thought stung.
He had always ruled with discipline, but he had loved his children fiercely and equally. The idea that his blood could turn on his blood—it clawed at his soul.
He turned sharply to the guards. "Summon a physician. Stabilize him. He stays alive."
Chris didn't argue. In that moment, he saw not the Duke—but the man, the father, struggling beneath the armor of power.
Later that night, in the Duke's private chamber, the heavy silence was broken only by the faint clink of crystal against stone.
The Duke leaned back in his chair, eyes shadowed by candlelight. "Tell me honestly, Chris," he said quietly. "What do you think of your younger brother? Would he conspire against you—for a title?"
Chris's expression was thoughtful, not surprised.
"I don't think he despises me," he answered, voice steady. "He's distant... quiet. I've never sensed hatred. But ambition doesn't always scream. Sometimes, it whispers."
A long pause.
Chris added, "If it isn't him, then maybe—someone close to him. Someone who wants the Duchy... for him."
The unspoken name hung between them like a ghost.
The second concubine.
A woman of noble birth and cold elegance. She'd never raised her voice, but her silence had always been calculated.
The Duke didn't respond. He didn't need to. The same thought had clearly crossed his mind.
Father and son sat there, no longer just noble and heir—but as men staring into the eye of a storm. And they both knew...
This was just the beginning.