Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 260. Bloodline III
Angel's gaze bore into Ophelia with a mixture of surprise and calculation. "What do you mean?" he asked, the words carrying an edge of skepticism. He hadn't anticipated her raising a point that connected to their shared history.
"It was me who called a doctor to help you when you were dying in your room, Your Majesty. After my brother punished you," Ophelia revealed, her words dropping into the space between them like carefully measured stones. The air tensified as the past unfolded in the present, a narrative of betrayal and unexpected kindness. Her confession hung in the air, a fragile bargaining chip she placed on the table.
Her heart raced; she hadn't intended to revisit this dark chapter, but desperation had led her to unearth a secret act of mercy. "If… If I didn't help you then, you would be dead by now," she stammered, her voice revealing the vulnerability beneath her plea. The room, charged with the weight of past grievances, now held the echoes of a moment when mercy had outweighed vengeance.
"Ah, that incident," Angel responded with an eerie calm. The room seemed to freeze as the weight of the past pressed into the present. It was an episode etched into his memory, an ordeal that nearly shattered him, the scars of which lingered in the recesses of his consciousness. "So you tried to negotiate with me by mentioning your credit. It was a good move. But you forgot, that incident also mentioned what your father and brother did in the past," he recounted, the air heavy with the unresolved echoes of history. His gaze bore into Ophelia, calculating and unyielding.
"And after everything that happened, I can't possibly let it go, right?" he continued, his words a reminder of the intricate web of grievances that intertwined their lives. Ophelia, her eyes widening with realization, covered her mouth. The attempt to leverage a moment of compassion had backfired, exposing the harsh realities of the castle's injustices. It was a double-edged sword, and the room hung in suspended tension as the consequences of her desperate plea unfolded.
The guests, who had been silent witnesses to the Reinheart family drama, found themselves drawn into a narrative that unfolded like an intricate tapestry of power, betrayal, and secrets. The murmur among them, once soft, now gained strength as the revelations cut through the air like a double-edged sword.
The punishment, a looming spectacle, left them on the edge of anticipation, anxiety, and curiosity. The royal drama within the Reinheart family, unraveling one layer at a time, unfolded before their eyes like a play, each revelation sending ripples through the onlookers. The specter of punishment hung in the air, its weight felt by all, not just those directly involved.
For some guests, memories of the competition five years ago resurfaced. They remembered the mysterious disappearance of Angel after his victory. Ophelia's statement served as a revelation, a key unlocking the secrets of that hidden chapter.
Angel, though stoic, felt the weight of the decision hanging in the air. The unexpected twists in this familial saga had left him grappling with a dilemma. He never anticipated the layers of betrayal and pain that unfolded within the Reinheart family. The prospect of King Gervis' death was not a solution; it was another turn in this complex tale.
His mind, a battleground of conflicting emotions, acknowledged the devastation it would unleash upon Ophelia. Leaving her in the wake of such chaos would be akin to nurturing a future threat, a beast that might turn against him in the future. The burden of his decision bore down on him, a responsibility not just to himself but to the kingdom and its fragile stability.
The realization that Angel, now the central figure in this royal drama, had faced not just the public triumph but also personal tribulations behind closed doors left the guests in awe. The tension in the room heightened, the guests found themselves grappling with the complexity of the unfolding narrative. The punishment was not merely a matter of retribution; it was a reckoning with a past veiled in shadows. The threads of intrigue that had woven through the castle's history were now exposed, and the guests, unable to detach themselves from the unfolding drama, stood witness to a chapter that had remained hidden for far too long.
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