Chapter 144
"I'm not quite sure how to answer that."
"Really?" I crossed my arms and glared at her. "Did you even read that story? It was basically moral degradation! I was reduced to a very, very desperate villainess, my mother was portrayed as a lovesick fool who sexually assaulted the king, and Rhae..."
My throat tightened. Tears filled my eyes, and my voice cracked before I could finish.
"Rhaevan was reduced to a mage who betrayed me."
I swallowed hard, struggling to breathe through the ache in my chest.
"All this while... I.... thought....he was evil.... I hated him... I misunderstood him. I hurt him so much because I believed in a story that never even existed, and now... he's gone."
That was all I could manage before everything I had been holding back finally broke loose.
A raw cry tore from my throat as I covered my face, the grief I had tried so desperately to contain spilling out all at once.
"I miss him. I miss him so much, Miss Ann. I want to see him. I want to see him so badly..." My voice dissolved into another sob. "Rhaev..."
I clutched my chest, unable to bear the pain any longer, and sank onto the floor.
"Rhaev... I'm sorry. I love you. I love you so, so much."
Miss Ann rushed to me and pulled me into her arms, gently stroking my hair as I sobbed against her.
"Don't blame yourself, child. I'm sorry, my dear. I don't know how to correct this. I never meant to hurt you. If only I had known things would turn this ugly, I would never have done what I did."
We remained there on the floor for a long while, with my head resting in her lap while tears continued to stream down my cheeks.
She never told me to stop crying or tried to assure me that everything would be fine.
She simply stayed beside me, occasionally rubbing my back or running her fingers gently through my hair, allowing me to grieve.
Eventually, I whispered, "He said he'd be fine."
My voice trembled.
"He lied to me. Even in his last moments, all he cared about was making sure I was safe."
I closed my eyes as another wave of pain washed through me.
"For once, I dared to love someone in my life... and I lost him."
Miss Ann remained silent for a while, giving me the time I needed before finally speaking.
"There is something you need to know, child. Something about Rhaevan."
I lifted my head from her lap, my brows drawing together in confusion.
"The kingdoms of Viremont and Varynthar were the ones that always stood beside Ardentia, even after Eryndor withdrew its support. Under King Caelan, Varynthar remained a steady pillar of Ardentian alliance."
She took a slow breath before continuing.
"The king fell in love with a beautiful mage who was one of the most trusted members of the Covenant of Ardentia. She eventually became the Queen of Varynthar, and even after taking the throne beside him, she continued to assist your mother until the day she died."
Miss Ann's expression darkened.
"Or rather, until she was killed by Malakor, her stepson."
I stared at her, still trying to understand where this was leading.
"That is right, child. Malakor was the king's illegitimate son, born out of treachery. He inherited none of his father's virtues and instead took after the greed and cruelty of his mother. Despite his origins, the king and queen took him in and raised him as their own."
Her voice grew heavier.
"His mother had secretly prevented the queen from becoming pregnant, but your mother discovered the truth and exposed her. When the queen finally conceived, your mother protected her and blessed the unborn child with magic that would shield him from harm."
My breath caught.
"She gave birth to a baby boy who was extraordinary from the moment he entered the world, blessed with powerful magic and adored deeply by both his parents. They named him Aurelian, a name your mother herself had given him."
I stared at her.
"During one of the queen's travels with her son, Malakor attacked them and disguised it as an accident. The queen was brutally killed, and we all believed the child had been lost in the river."
Miss Ann's eyes softened.
"But he survived."
My heart began to pound.
"Years later, a boy was caught fighting the palace guards. He possessed powerful magic that bore an unmistakable resemblance to that of the late queen. That was when Theo took him in."
She paused briefly.
"He trained him, and the boy proved to be extraordinarily gifted. In time, he rose through the ranks of the Magic Tower and became its High Arcanist."
Miss Ann looked directly into my eyes.
"The world came to know him as Rhaevan Aethiris."
I couldn't speak.
The room seemed to go completely still around me.
Rhaevan.
Aurelian.
The lost prince of Varynthar.
The boy who had survived the river.
The man I loved.
Suddenly, everything I had thought I knew about him felt impossibly small compared to the truth that had been hidden beneath it all along.
Miss Ann continued gently, "He may have been injured while saving you, but that boy has a soul of steel. I do not believe he is gone. Ever since I first saw him at the inn, I have seen the fierce loyalty he has for you and the depth of his love for you. So do not lose hope, Cassiane.
He is out there somewhere, looking for a way to reach you, dear. I truly believe he is."
For a moment, I could only stare at her.
I wanted to believe her.
Gods, I wanted to.
But hope felt cruel. It was easier to accept that Rhaevan was gone than to imagine him somewhere out there, injured and fighting his way back to me, only to lose him all over again.
"You really believe he's alive?" I whispered.
Miss Ann gave me a small, steady smile.
"I do."
I lowered my gaze, my fingers curling tightly into the fabric of my dress.
I knew Rhaevan had survived things that should have broken him. He had always been stubborn enough to fight against impossible odds, and yet the thought of him being out there alone, injured and searching for me, made my chest ache.
But if Miss Ann was right...
If he was still alive...
Then perhaps our story had not ended in that dungeon.
Perhaps he was still fighting.
Perhaps he was looking for me just as desperately as I was longing to find him.
I swallowed hard and forced myself to breathe.
"Then he better hurry," I whispered, my voice still trembling. "Because I have no intention of waiting patiently for him."
Miss Ann smiled through the tears in her eyes, and for the first time since I had heard that Rhaevan was gone, something other than grief stirred inside me.
Hope.
It was fragile, but it was enough.
After a while, I finally asked, "Did you know? When I first came here, did you know it was me?"
Miss Ann looked at me for a moment before answering.
"I did."
"Okay."
"So what now? I don't have the Heartforge."
"I know. It's with the Veiled Thorn, probably in Varynthar."
Miss Ann paused, and the expression on her face grew serious.
"Things have become much worse while you were unconscious, Cassiane."
I straightened.
"The Kingdom of Eryndor has declared an alliance with Varynthar, and Varynthar now controls the lands. Their king has fallen under the influence of a dark spell. Lysenne has been taken to Varynthar, and they believe you're dead."
My chest tightened at the mention of Lysenne.
"Viremont has been surrounded from all sides. Theo, Lucien, and the entire kingdom are trapped beneath a powerful Solithium barrier."
Her voice grew heavier.
"The Tower has been stripped of its rights. Many of the young mages have been imprisoned. Several powerful mages have been injured, and some have died bravely."
I sat there silently.
Everything had changed while I was unconscious.
I had spent so long searching for the Heartforge, believing that if I could reach it and stop the Veiled Thorn, everything would finally be over.
Instead, while I lay unconscious, kingdoms had fallen into chaos, people I cared about had been imprisoned or taken, and those who had once called me their ally now believed I was a traitor.
I shut my eyes tightly.
For one terrible moment, grief threatened to pull me under again.
But I refused to let it.
I couldn't break down.
Not now.
If Rhaevan was alive, I had to find him. If he wasn't, I still had people to protect and enemies to face. Either way, sitting here and mourning would change nothing.
I drew in a slow breath and opened my eyes.
Something inside me had shifted.
The grief was still there, but beneath it burned something stronger.
Determination.
I pushed myself to my feet and walked toward the entrance. Miss Ann rose and followed me. With a newfound resolve, I turned to her.
"They called me a villainess," I said quietly. "They framed me for crimes they committed."
A faint smile touched my lips.
"Guess it's payback time."
Miss Ann raised an eyebrow.
"So, what's your plan?"
I straightened my shoulders.
"I, Cassiane Valerith Ardentia, daughter of Rosaline Valerith Ardentia, hereby reinstate the fallen Covenant."
I looked directly at her.
"And you're my first recruit."
Miss Ann stared at me for a moment before a slow smile spread across her face. Then she bowed respectfully.
"Of course, My Lady."
I returned her smile and walked outside the inn.
The moment I stepped into the courtyard, I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath.
The air felt different.
Or perhaps I was the one who had changed.
Ever since my soul had reunited with the part of myself that had once been lost, my magic had felt different. Before, it had always been slightly wild and difficult to control, as though something within me were constantly pulling against it.
Now, there was no resistance.
My magic felt whole.
Steady.
I reached for it deep within me, and my mana responded immediately.
A soft glow gathered around my hands and spread through my fingers, slowly rising around my body. I stared at it for a moment, almost surprised by how effortlessly it obeyed me.
I had never felt this kind of control before.
I drew another breath and allowed more of my magic to flow outward. The glow intensified, spreading across the courtyard as the ground beneath my feet began to tremble.
Somewhere beyond the reach of my senses, I could feel something ancient responding to my magic.
I raised my hand.
"Pyrethrus, mighty dragon of Ardentia, sworn guardian of the Ardentian bloodline and protector of divine magic..."
The magic around me surged.
"I, Cassiane Valerith Ardentia, heir to the bloodline you swore to protect, summon you."
The wind stirred around me, sweeping through the courtyard as my magic gathered with greater force.
"Come forth."