An hour had passed since Cedric left the room. The candles burned in slow combustion, casting restless shadows across the stone walls. Down below, in the great hall, the sounds of the party spread like a distant wave — laughter, the clinking of glasses, the muffled murmur of voices tangled into an indistinguishable hum.
Time seemed to move strangely, both dragging and fleeting.
Then, a soft noise broke the stillness. The door opened, revealing the slender silhouette of a woman.
Elizabeth Greyfull entered with the grace of someone accustomed to being the center of every gaze. Her dark wine-colored dress flowed around her like twilight itself, and her black gloves, made of the finest fabric, hugged her hands with the same precision she held the reins of the empire. Around her neck, a gold pendant shimmered in the flickering light, holding a perfect sapphire drop, blue as the southern seas.
Her gray eyes, cold and sharp, rested on Calius.
"It's time. All the guests have arrived." Her voice was calm, yet firm — a melody of practiced sweetness and underlying steel.
Calius rose from the bed, finally meeting his mother's gaze.
She was different from him and yet strangely alike. While Calius's skin was pale as marble, Elizabeth had a warmer tone, kissed by the sun of Newham's lands. Her light copper-brown hair fell in soft waves, woven into a crown of white azaleas and double braids that gave her an ethereal air. Though a few centimeters shorter than her son, her heels granted her a larger, more commanding presence.
But that wasn't what set her apart.
It was the gaze.
Gray eyes, so much like his, but devoid of the hesitation that tormented him. Hers were resolute, sharpened like blades over the years.
Calius sighed and smiled faintly.
"You're beautiful, like sunlight, Mother."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.
"My dear Calli… my beautiful son, whom I carried for so long in my womb, and who now stands on the brink of becoming a true man." Her hand gently touched his face — a rare gesture, almost lost to time. "Your father and I are proud of you and Richard. You will both be the pillars of Eldor's future. The promise everyone awaits."
Calius looked away, his voice dry, controlled.
"Compared to Richard, I'm just a grain in the hourglass. As long as he exists, I will remain in the shadow."
Elizabeth tilted her head slightly, studying him.
"Don't say that. By marrying Asher, you will be Duke of Newham and govern the entire western empire."
"And what good will that do?" He scoffed, walking to the fireplace where a single candle flickered beside an untouched glass of wine. "Newham is not Eldor. It can't compare to Richard's grandeur. The west is just a handful of villages full of sword heralds, men devoted to Valtherus, but useless when it comes to real power."
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, but her voice stayed serene.
"Newham holds the greatest number of pilgrims in the empire. If there is a force that rivals the magicians of Sirescenter, it is theirs."
Calius laughed, shaking his head.
"I never win against you in arguments."
Elizabeth smiled, small and triumphant.
"You've grown so much… But don't forget, my son: you must be a pillar for Richard. He will be emperor, but every empire needs shadows strong enough to hold it. Some call him mad, others see him as sharp… But above all, everyone reveres him as the second prince."
She hesitated, then added:
"And as Johann's shadow."
The name hung in the air between them.
Calius remained silent a moment before approaching and embracing her. Elizabeth returned the hug without hesitation, her arms firm yet brief.
When they parted, he smiled sideways.
"Will you grant me the first dance, Mother?"
She lifted her chin proudly.
"If you wish, I shall grant it. Let's go now, son."
"Right."
Together, they left the room and entered the palace's main corridor.
The large stained glass windows reflected candlelight onto marble floors, painting twisted shadows. Dark columns rose to the ceiling, adorned with gothic allegories and golden details. Black and gray dominated the decor, perfectly matching Calius's attire — and the inescapable feeling that, as beautiful as the night was, something within it was already doomed to crumble.
Calius's footsteps echoed on the cold stone corridor, each sound ricocheting against the high walls, as if announcing his presence to the ghosts that perhaps haunted the place. To the right, imposing stained glass told stories of Eldor's glorious past, dyed in gold, crimson, and blue. The light filtered through the glass, casting undulating patterns on the floor, while below, long windows revealed distant fields dotted with white azaleas that swayed softly in the wind. Symbols of peace as fleeting as a candle's flame in an open room.
"Did the flowers in your hair come from the Elysian Fields? Or the Asphodel Fields?" Calius broke the silence, his voice hesitant but curious. "They smell wonderful."
Elizabeth didn't need to look to answer.
"Elysian Fields. Picked just a few hours ago by the servants."
"I see…" He murmured, eyes wandering over the azaleas beyond the glass. "They're beautiful, like you."
Elizabeth let out a low laugh, more irony than affection.
"Don't say that. Tonight you will officially stand beside your future wife, promised to each other before birth. She is the one who should occupy your thoughts and your heart."
Calius sighed, the weight of those words pressing him further down to the distant floor.
"If it were that simple…" His voice was tinged with bitter melancholy. "There are destinies no royalty can escape. Maybe destiny itself is singular, fixed, without branches. But I feel tonight… will be different."
Elizabeth paused, staring at him with those gray, relentless eyes that haunted him so much.
"Hm… What did you talk about with Cedric earlier?" The question was casual, but Calius knew the inquisitive tone behind it. "The little oracle blessed by Valtherus rarely speaks just to speak. He said something important, didn't he?"
"We talked about trivial things." He lied, but the firmness in his voice betrayed the truth. "We caught up. It's been a long time since we could speak freely, since the church took interest in his gifts… and since they started calling me the Mad Prince."
Elizabeth frowned lightly but showed no surprise.
"How can they?" Her tone was full of disdain. "Someone so sharp… so clear in his vision, called mad? People are blind by nature. Unable to see the truth even when it brushes their face. They prefer to embrace opinions others dump on them, like dogs chasing crumbs."
Calius didn't answer, but the corner of his mouth lifted in something close to a bitter smile.
At the end of the corridor, the grand stone staircase awaited — spiraling down toward the main hall. Below, the voices and laughter were unmistakable. Nobles celebrated with a hedonistic enthusiasm.
Each step Calius took descending those stairs felt heavier, as if carrying a growing weight on his shoulders. The feeling that something was settling there, something he might never be able to cast off.
The lights of golden chandeliers finally revealed his face, unveiling the hall. There they were: counts, marquises, viscounts, and barons, divided into circles of conversation, plotting and laughing simultaneously. Near the center, King Johann stood out like the sun in the system he had built.
By his side were the empire's four dukes, the human fortresses guarding each edge of Eldor. Alexander Rucandel, Calius's imposing maternal uncle, had already noticed him. Nearly two meters tall, his presence was as large as his figure, clad in refined light brown clothes contrasting with his tanned skin and dark brown eyes.
And beside Alexander, Roland Raylegh, Count of Newham and Calius's future father-in-law. His blue garment gleamed in the light, but what drew attention was his blonde hair, now streaked with gray. To many, Roland was Johann's most loyal friend. But Calius knew the truth.
"Two men, two second sons, swearing marriage between their descendants just to avoid war… Two hypocrites tending their own interests."
The hall fell silent as Elizabeth and Calius reached the center of the stairs. All eyes turned to them, and Johann raised his golden cup.
He waited just long enough for the weight of the moment to fall on Calius before speaking, his deep voice filling the hall.
"Before all eyes, my second son is no longer a youth. Today, he takes a step forward, closer to the glory that belongs to noble men. A toast to Calius, and to the greatness he will achieve!"
Glasses raised to the sky like swords ready for an oath.
Calius stood motionless, his eyes roaming the crowd. He heard no cheers, nor the sound of wine being sipped. Everything around him seemed frozen — except for the vision that appeared to him at that instant.
…