Chapitre 13: 13: Separation

"Darling, I think we should head to the capital as soon as possible. We are not safe here anymore." Kalliste abruptly interrupted Rowan, who was currently occupied with consuming his fair share of fruits.

He remained silent for a few moments. Going back to the capital meant even more danger. The Queen's influence was the strongest in the capital, and he could not think of any nobles who were trustworthy enough.

"How about Marquess Chatilet? He should be trustworthy enough since he was the third concubine's, your late birth mother's loyal aid, as well as her childhood sweetheart when she was still alive."

As soon as the words escaped her lips, Rowan's eyes immediately widened. He quickly turned to face her once more.

"How did you know that? Mother always made sure her private life never escaped the comforts of her room. Only I was aware of that fact, so how?" Rowan narrowed his eyes on the little girl in front of him.

He wanted to instantly bombard her with a lot of questions; however, he controlled himself. His heart screamed that everything was just a coincidence. That he thought wrong. But her eyes told a different story. It was as if she knew what she was saying and knew a lot more than she lets on.

"Of course I knew! I read it in the book. I even know how she died and where she was bu…"

She did not get to finish her sentence when she suddenly found herself pinned on a tree, with Rowan eyeing her dangerously. His brows met at the center. However, what really got her attention was his aura. Though it was powerful, it was clear that Rowan still could not control his abilities well. That was when she finally realised what she had said. Her eyes immediately widened, and her jaws dropped to the ground.

"What the hell did I just say? Your Highness, please pardon me and my big mouth." Though she looked calm on the outside, she actually wanted to bang her head on a tree for being stupid. She stole a glance at Rowan, who still looked at her with distrustful eyes.

"How did you find out about the relationship between Marquess Chatilet and my mother? And what do you mean you know how she died? Are you also one of them? Did they send you here as bait? Who are you, really? Tell me!"

"I…" Kalliste was left speechless. The words got stuck in her throat. Though she wanted to speak, no words came out. Of course, she understood the boy's feelings like no other. If she were in his shoes, she might have reacted even stronger. Worse, kill the person right away. However, over the years, she became accustomed to the situation. Seeing the expectant look in Rowan's eyes, she tried to say something.

"Darling. Of course not. I…" Once again, Kalliste stopped midway. She had no idea how to explain herself.

'It wasn't as if I could convince him that I wasn't a part of this world. Worse yet, we are only living in a fictional world within a novel. I would look like a retard in his eyes.'

Seeing the hesitation of the girl that he had come to care about, something snapped inside of him. While his heart yelled at him to just trust the girl, a part of him was also hesitant. Though he was still young, he already had his fair share of betrayals. However, this would be the biggest and most painful of them all. The one that had so much impact on his being.

'Please tell me that what I thought was wrong. That I'm only overthinking things. So I could trust you."

"Say something!" Rowan could not help but scream in frustration. He gripped her shoulders tightly as he shook her body.

When she remained silent, the sensation of icy water splashing on his body suddenly washed over him. Her silence means yes.

Slowly, he let go of the tight grip that he had on her as he took a few steps back. He was on the verge of tears, yet he managed to control them. The impact of this betrayal felt like he was hit by a ton of rocks. His heart felt like it was being shredded to pieces while he struggled to catch up for some air. His knees buckled and his legs trembled, while his body was on the verge of collapse.

"Darling? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No! Do not touch me!"

Kalliste stopped on her track, and with a heavy heart, she watched as he ran away from her as fast as he could.

"I apologise, darling. But there were things that I could not disclose to you for now. If time permits and our paths cross again in the future, then maybe I could explain myself better. However, for now, it would be best to go our separate ways in order for you to find your written destiny and happiness. Darling, my boy, farewell, and please stay safe." With a heavy heart and tears in her eyes, she turned her back and finally walked in the opposite direction.

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Meanwhile, Rowan continued to run. He had no idea where he was right now, as he only let his feet take him wherever. After awhile, he finally stopped. Huffing so hard, he leaned on the nearest tree. That was when he finally noticed his surroundings. A cold chill suddenly ran down his spine when he saw it. Huge bushes and grasses surrounded the small glade on which he now stood.

However, that was not what caught his attention. Right under his foot was an old and ruined gravestone with a skeleton showing itself.

"Ah!" Out of instinct, he quickly backed away as he scanned the area. The small glade was an abandoned graveyard, full of mouldy and verdant mosses that crawled all over the ruined gravestones that were destroyed by the passage of time. Some stones were even missing, while the others had huge cracks in the land, leaving it with nothing but skeletons.

"Where am I?" He had never been in this part of the mountain before. Having realised just how vast this place was.

"What luck? I never thought that I would find you in a shabby place like this, Prince Rowan."

A deep and masculine voice suddenly echoed in the area. Rowan immediately alerted himself. As he sharpened his senses, he narrowed his eyes on the surroundings.

"Do you know how much trouble I went through just to find you? If you are not worth a million golds, I would have killed you already."

The voice continued, alerting Rowan to any potential attacks. He slowly retreated, disregarding the bones that were being crushed with each step. That was when he finally saw the owner of the voice. The man was standing on top of the tree branch right in front of him. He also had a devilish grin on his face.

"What do you want?" Rowan asked as he scrutinised his opponent.

'He's strong! Much stronger than Lucas! What should I do? I can no longer muster the strength to run.' Though he wanted to fight, he was already worn out, and his mana was already dangerously low from fighting the trolls. It would be suicidal should he force himself.

"Kekeke! Do not even think about escaping from here. Worry not; I would give you two choices. Either come with me nicely? Or I would drag you back by force. Your choice." Scipione looled at the boy in front of him, mocking him from head to toe. His mana was already dwindling, and he knew that the boy would not last much longer should he choose the latter.

"Over my dead body!" Rowan shouted with all his might. Though he knew that he had no chance of winning, he still chose to fight.

Rowan suddenly disappeared from where he stood and reappeared at the back of the man while swinging his sword vertically, with all the intention of cutting his opponent in half. However, before the blade could even reach Scipione, he simply glided to the side, narrowly evading it by an inch. Rowan's eyes widened at what he did next. With his bare hands, the man grasped the sharp blade, and a flick shattered the sword into pieces. The man blew Rowan a few meters away, spewing blood, before he could even react.

"Wrong choice, my prince. You should have chosen the first option while I am still asking nicely." The grin on Scipione's face became even wider. He now looked like a monster straight out of hell.

"You could not escape from my eyes." Just then, Rowan saw Scipione's eyes turn light violet. That was when five dark circles appeared around his heart. The five shone brightly as Scipione cast his spell.

"A five-circled mage!" Rowan could not believe his eyes. He knew just how powerful someone of that calibre was. However, he would not give up without a fight.

"Come to me, Oblivion!" At his command, his most precious weapon appeared.

"Would you look at that! Just a little twerp but was already a level four swordsman. Terrifying indeed. Now I understand why the Queen was terrified of you. She was frightened of your potential. She was right. It would be better to cut a lion's wings before it can soar high in the sky. Oops. I'll stop there. I got excited for a moment." Scipione's face became serious as he also prepared his ultimate attack.

"Prepare yourself, my prince."

Rowan narrowed his eyes and alerted himself even more. Though he had a narrow chance of victory, he would never go down without a fight. A terrible grin appeared on his face. In his mind, this was the best time to test his new technique. He prepared himself for his ultimate attack.

"Sword art style level 4: Destruction!" His words sounded like thunder. The sound roared like a blazing dragon as he abruptly vanished on the spot.

"Come at me! Hahaha!"

As the two met at the centre, a heaven-defying explosion was heard throughout the mountain.

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