CHAPTER 71

WINTERS AT HOME

  As the holiday season officially began, the reckless boy, who had been lost in a deep slumber, finally stirred awake. His family, filled with concern, surrounded him, eager to hear his first words. But much to their surprise, the first thing that escaped his lips was a curse of frustration.

  "Damn it," he muttered, his eyes scanning his surroundings. "He escaped, didn't he?" His family was bewildered but fully aware of what he meant. Ignoring his own condition, the boy's mind wandered far from the present moment, consumed by the memory of the one who had slipped through his grasp, taking with him the precious second book.

  But Sierra, suddenly possessed by a fiery passion, stormed towards him. Grabbing Hans by the ears, she held him in a vice-like grip as she bellowed, her voice echoing throughout the room."Do you have nine lives? How dare you face a warlock?" Her words hung heavy in the air as she glared at Hans, her rage barely contained.

  As Hans tried to squirm his way out of the situation, coaxing Sierra coquettishly not minding his image in front of two guests also looking at him, Rudolf interjected, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Stupid brat," he spat, "If our Chairman hadn't made a move, you would have been toast."

  Hans winced as Rudolf's words hit him like a blow to the gut. But despite the pain, he couldn't help but be curious. He knew that the Chairman was the most powerful figure in all of Concordia, a man who rarely showed his face in public. But could he really have taken down Xandor? The thought left Hans wanting to know the details.

Hans rubbed his ears gingerly, still tender from Sierra's earlier punishment, his gaze shifting towards Rudolf. His curiosity was piqued, and he couldn't help but ask,

then did he win?

  Rudolf's face lit up with a proud smile as he spoke. "Xandor had to run, tail tucked between his legs," he declared. "All of Concordia witnessed his power. His domain almost covered all of the Midlands. If it wasn't for your urgent condition, I would have gone to see the battle first-hand. But I have heard, Xandor couldn't land an attack, even once."

It was all exciting stuff but Hans could sense this was not all that happened, and he interrupted his grandfather's excitement. "I see a 'but' coming, gramps," he said, cutting Rudolf off mid-sentence.

Rudolf sighed, realizing that his grandson was not as interested in the epic battle as he was. "Yeah, you're sharp in situations like these, haan!" he replied.

Hans nodded, asking his next question. "Then what was his goal?" he queried, proving Rudolf's previous words right.

Rudolf began to speak, recounting the events of the attack. "You see, we captured a spy from Eclipse loitering around the Midlands, but it was probably a ruse, a bait for us to tighten our security at their fake objective," he explained.

Hans couldn't help but interrupt him in the middle. "And what was it?" he asked, eager to know more.

"Let me finish, brat," Rudolf scolded and continued. "We found out that they were aiming for our sunstones reserve. So, our strongest forces laid a net to capture him. The Chairman himself took the task to confront him, but Eclipse aimed at our various research facilities, running on sunstones or working on them. It was far less compared to the treasury, but collectively it's enough to see through a small-scale war. I don't know what his aim is, but the peaceful times are over," Rudolf finished with a heavy sigh.

  Hans was troubled by the news, but he knew that the scale of Xandor's work was beyond his comprehension. He couldn't measure it, at least not yet. So, he focused on what he wanted to know most. "Did the Chairman take something from Xandor?" he asked, hoping for answers. But Rudolf just shook his head in denial.

Feeling frustrated, Hans shifted his gaze to Delimira, who was looking at him with hateful eyes. He knew what was on her mind, and he finally got the chance to answer her question.

It was something I was forced to choose over her life. A book that he was carrying,

  The two children remained fixated on each other, but Delimira's contemplations were cut short when Hans addressed her with a smirk. "You made it out alive," he remarked as if that was the only thing that mattered.

  Vanessa scolded him, empathizing with Delimira's situation because she had once been in the same predicament, but without anyone coming to her aid. When Delimira had awoken a few days before Hans, she had recounted what she could recall, which was only fragmented memories. However, one thing she remembered clearly was that Hans had somehow betrayed her. Vanessa assured her that whatever Hans had done, he must have had a reason for it at the time, but Delimira's faith in her words was beginning to waver.

Delimira continued to glare at Hans, so he replied in a gentle tone. "Xandor never intended to harm either of us," he stated.

"What makes you say that?" Delimira demanded, not willing to let the matter rest.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Because we're in Concordia," Hans explained adding,

This is the one place that isn't after him. Shedding blood here would only instigate war. I'm certain that even this invasion didn't result in any casualties.

The expressions on the faces of the others confirmed his words, so he nodded sagely. But Delimira interrupted him, her eyes flashing with anger. "But you betrayed me!" she exclaimed. "You chose a stupid book over my life!"

Hans narrowed his eyes, and then retorted,

Are you a fool? I had no idea what that lunatic was planning. The moment I had shown any regard for your life, he would have used you as leverage against me. I had to consider the alternative.

Despite his best efforts to wriggle out of the situation, Hans's excuse fell flat. None of them found it convincing, but they had no other choice but to believe him.

Rudolf, who was typically oblivious to the atmosphere in the room, finally caught on to what Hans was up to. He released a deep breath, drawing everyone's attention to himself, and spoke to Aredhel.

"We need to talk, Aredhel. It's time," he said.

Rudolf had been wanting to talk to Aredhel about what she had told him regarding seeing his son, but she had postponed the conversation until after Hans had woken up.

"I will find you soon, Sir Rudolf," Aredhel assured him.

She then turned to Hans and thanked him sincerely.

I am indebted to you, Mr Hans. She is all I have.

"Are you for real?" Hans asked in excitement. Indebting Aredhel Winters was an easy shortcut to wealth, and he had wanted to ask for something in return. However, Rudolf intervened, saying, "Hans went there to save his friend. Don't tarnish their friendship by awarding him Aredhel."

Hans clenched his fists, frustrated by Rudolf's interference. But there was still one thing that Aredhel was confused about, so she asked Hans, "How did you manage to find her?"

  In an effort to impress Aredhel, Hans answered her question about how he was able to find her daughter truthfully. "She has a unique mana mixed in her, I could see it," he said. Aredhel understood that Hans was able to see traces of her husband's mana, something that even she could barely perceive.

  Aredhel was well aware of Hans's unusual ManaVision and another prowess that no one in this room knew of, so it came as no surprise to her when he identified the unique blend of mana in her daughter. Without probing further, Aredhel bid farewell and left the room with her little girl in tow.

  Hans was relocated to the dean's quarters, and for good reason. A decree from high above was issued to keep his traumatic experience a secret from everyone else, including the professors. The incident that took place in Area 11 was known to others but Xandor in Midlands was a delicate matter that could have a negative impact on the image of Concordia, especially since it involved two innocent children and the most wanted man in the land.

  The cover-up was of little concern to Hans; instead, his mind was fixated on the enigmatic words that echoed in his head: "If you want the book, then bring me the 'Rebellion'." The memory of the fight and conversation with Xandor lingered in his mind. Xandor had said many things, but Hans dismissed them as meaningless words meant to provoke him. He came to the conclusion that Xandor needed him, and that was why he had taken the book. Perhaps the fight was just a way to test his abilities. Hans found himself lost in these thoughts for the entire day, his mind deciphering these words.

  As he stood on the balcony, staring out at the sunset, Hans wondered who he should ask about this "Rebellion" that Xandor had mentioned. His legs were still weak from the fight, so he didn't put too much stress on them and sat back in his armchair. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door, and Rudolf entered his room.

"We have guests," Rudolf said.

Hans inquired hearing unexpected words.

Who?

I believe it's your friend.

  A sudden thought crossed Hans's mind, realizing that the only person he could barely call a friend in Concordia was Delimira. He wondered if there was any reason for her to be there unless she already knew everything about his origins.

  He concluded that it wouldn't be difficult for her to find out, as she had seen Rudolf and Sierra at the hospital, and Aredhel was well-informed about his situation. As he descended the stairs, he saw two familiar ladies waiting for him. One was Aredhel Winters, and the other was her daughter, both dressed casually.

  Delimira's silver locks, which were usually tied back, were now flowing freely, and her deep cyan eyes complemented her hair, as well as the blue dress she was wearing. In one word, she was stunningly beautiful. Aredhel, as usual, was indifferent, but her elven beauty could not be concealed behind her emotionless expression.

  Hans had never paid much attention to Delimira's face before, as her antics had always bothered him. But tonight, she looked stunningly beautiful, and he found himself completely mesmerized. It took him a moment to snap out of it as she noticed him and turned to face him.

Stammering slightly, he asked,

Why are you here?

Delimira replied without hesitation,

Just following the mama duck.

Hans couldn't resist provoking her,

I'm still waiting for your gratitude, Winters.

Delimira smiled and gracefully bowed in the aristocratic way of Elves, saying,

Thank you, Prince Hans Parv.

Hans was taken aback, as were Rudolf and Sierra. Aredhel quickly intervened, chiding her daughter to be more polite. She then turned to the others and explained,

She found a picture of us in my study, so I had to tell her. I hope that's okay with you two.

Hans, Rudolf, and Sierra were stunned by Aredhel's unexpected revelation. It was so obviously a lie but before Hans could say anything, Rudolf lashed out,

As if, who are you trying to fool?

Hans, unable to hold his tongue, blurted out in surprise,

Gramps used his head for once.

Rudolf shot a warning glance at Hans to silence him and continued,

But I don't care what you tell her, you know the consequences...

Hans interrupted,

But I care! What the hell? You can't just say that out loud!

  Vanessa quickly intervened by grabbing Hans and covering his mouth. She bowed slightly and invited the guests in, apologising for Hans's sudden bad words while the boy struggled to remove his sister's hand

Rudolf observed Hans struggling and winced,

You knew Aredhel was aware of your identity, so why are you overreacting?

Hans pointed an accusatory finger at Delimira and shouted,

But she doesn't have to know.

Aredhel's voice was warm as she asked,

Is there a problem with my daughter knowing your identity?

Hans replied immediately,

Yes.

"Why?" Aredhel asked.

"Because any achievement I make will be attributed to me being my father's son, not my own hard work. It's the same for your daughter," Hans explained with a sigh.

Confused, Aredhel inquired,

What do you mean?

"People say about her, 'She can do this because she is the daughter of Aredhel Winters.' Her talent and hard work are disregarded simply because of her lineage. I don't want to be treated like that," Hans elaborated.

Aredhel looked at Hans seriously and stated,

It seems like people's opinions matter a lot to you.

In a matching tone, Hans responded,

Yes, it does, I am not that strong.

  As both professor and student conversed, the rest remained as the audience, not wanting to interfere but suddenly, Hans asked an unexpected question that startled everyone.

***