Once the knights went in search of the demon, the duke kept standing there for some time until the area was desolate. After that he walked towards the back of the palace.
There was a small courtyard in the remote area where no knights were assigned to guard the area. He stood there for some time and kept staring at the door before gritting his teeth and entering in.
The door was protected with a strong spell that only he could open. The moment he touched the door, the lock broke and he was able to enter it.
The house was locked for years but there was not a single speck of dust or weed growing inside. This kind of cleaning spell did not take much power but it was a completely different thing if it was kept for twenty four seven.
It was too quiet inside. The furniture was old and rusty too and the room had a thick musky smell for not being opened in the ages.
He stood there and stared at the simple but memorable pictures on the walls. He slowly walked towards the bedroom.
The bed was old but he did not mind it as he sat down on the edge of the bed and touched the blanket. His eyes turned misty as if he was trying to find the touch of something else in the blanket. In the end he could not help it but hugged the blanket to feel the touch and scent of that person. But even if his protection spell had saved the place, it could not recreate that feeling, touch or smell anymore.
"Lia…" he closed his eyes and hugged it so tightly that his knuckles turned white, "is that you? Have you returned to finally take revenge on me?" The small house belongs to the mother of Thea.
Everyone thought that she had died after giving birth to Three but the reality was.. She was gone.
One night, she left when he was gone for an expedition and only maids were at home. She even left her young baby alone.
He tried to find her everywhere but she was nowhere to be found. In the end, he spread the rumor that she was too ill after giving birth and lost her life since she had given birth to a strong witch.
Many looked upto Thea to know about her special powers but in the long run, Thea was proven weaker and powerless that was a sin in the witches.
So, she was tormented for killing one of the strongest witches. She got the ire of everyone. Even his new wife kept tormenting her.
It would be a lie if he said that he did not know about it but he waited.. What if Lia returns to save her daughter. He kept waiting but it never happened. In the end, he did not realize when he started to blame that young girl too.
She did not have even a glimpse of his lost wife but now that he has seen her these days. He closed his yearning eyes. No matter how much time had passed, he could not eliminate this emptiness of his heart and that void that time had created.
That was the reason, he had closed his place and built the palace again far away from this area. But that did not mean he had forgotten her.
But he had still learnt to hide his pain. But when he heard about a demon trying to hurt his family with the power of earth. He could not help but think about his wife.
Everyone thinks that their family only has the element of fire since he was a fire mage but his first wife, Lia had the element of earth and she was the strongest mage of earth in the entire world.
She was… he closed his eyes.
"If you are here to take revenge because you have seen the condition of your daughter then only you are to blame. You left her alone with me knowing too well that I would not be able to survive without you and I have no idea how to take care of a child." He felt as if there was something stuck in his throat, so he stopped talking.
"She is a strong one, you do not need to worry about her. I know that I have not taken care of her but it is not too late. If you return, we all can start a new life. She looks just like you and…" he sighed. He knew that it was all a dream.
His wife had gone for almost two decades, yet the tiny part of him expected that she would return one day.
"I am sure that knights said my father had come here." he had strong senses. Just when he let go of the blanket of his wife, he heard the voice of his daughter and she was not alone.
"It is fine. I understand that he must be busy dealing with the matter. I will come back later." this voice.. His eyes turned cold again as he closed the door of the house and walked out when he noticed Jane standing with Cyfrin in the distance.
They both seem to be looking for him but his mood turned sour for some reason.
Cyfrin felt his presence and turned to look at him walking towards them and smiled,
"My lord, I wasn't expecting you here in my humble house." he bowed his head slightly when Cyfrin smiled.
"I came as soon as I heard about the news. I want to help you too. Did you find something or you have doubts about anyone?"