Well I wanted to post 3x this week but I had a spark of an idea and started to make a new novel that is a standalone novel but has ties with this novel. If you want to follow along and get advanced chapters, my patreon is there.
Thank you to my patrons, OdeToAKite, Danielle Warvel, Michael, JewBot9000 and Jonathan Newman for always being patient and supporting in what I do.
Enjoy a mega chapter today (next chapter is the biggest one lmao)
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With the negotiation still ongoing in the town hall, Callista slipped back into her home to search for the method Aric had used to infiltrate it. She couldn't determine how he had entered but the state of her ransacked chamber told her someone had been there.
She approached the secret wall, pressed her palm against it and revealed the chest hidden inside.
Opening it, she froze. Her hands trembled slightly, though her lips curved into a smile of disbelief.
The original deed to her house… was still there.
"Hahaha… this fucking bastard. He pulled a fake on me."
Marcus, standing behind her, observed her realization, Well, you did tell the king to be wary of this 'new Vayne.' Perhaps you should have listened to your own advice.
Did you really think he could crack your chest, when most elves can't?
Then another thought crossed his mind. But… to be fair, that Aric fellow has done things no one else dared. He led the charge against the black flame demon after all.
Maybe that's why Lady Callista believed him even if it was just for a second. That man is clever, dangerous and way too happy to gamble.
Marcus squatted down, hovering a hand over her shoulder.
"Forgive me, my lady, but… may I touch you?"
Callista stared at the deed, her voice was calmer now. "Proceed."
He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Look. He may have fooled you this time, but you've already prepared something worse for him. Convincing the king to summon his son here—that was a clever move."
He hesitated before lowering his voice. "…But tell me, is it true? That His Highness is… disturbingly obsessed with things he desires?"
Callista exhaled slowly and rose to her feet. She turned toward Marcus, her movements deliberate, almost gentle. Her hand slipped under his chin, tilting his face upward.
"Yes, my little boy."
Marcus stiffened as her fingers brushed his skin. A subtle pulse of mana slid into him, cold and invasive. A shiver ran down his spine before he could suppress it.
"You felt it, didn't you?" She said while maintaining a smile.
His throat tightened. He forced a chuckle. "…No."
"Don't lie to me." Her voice was low, almost seductive. "Everyone I touch that way feels it. A chill that sinks into the bones."
She released him but the phantom cold lingered.
Turning away, Callista's tone grew detached. "Whatever I did to you, Theodore is a hundred times worse. That boy isn't merely obsessive, he's poison. He seeps in quietly and when you realize it, it's already too late."
Marcus swallowed, suddenly unsure. If even she admits that, then… how can she control him?
Callista's laughed a little as though she had plucked the thought straight from his mind.
"Oh, I can't control him. I wouldn't dare. That boy is dangerous in ways I'd rather not test. But that's the point."
"He has no idea who Theodore really is."
Her eyes glinted. "That boy is the Joker in this game. A wild card I intend to throw onto the table. If he makes the negotiations collapse, the Arkwright's will fall and I will stand stronger than ever."
She lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. "But if they survive? Then I've made myself one of their earliest allies. And Seraphina…"
Callista chuckled, "Well, I've done her a kindness. The royal family has been searching for a woman for their son for years. He's never shown interest in anyone except her."
She closed the chest, her fingers tapping once on the lid.
"The king will use Vayne's wretched reputation as the excuse. If Seraphina accepts, she gains a prince, the Arkwright's keep their business and I still profit."
Then she murmured to herself, Well… aside from the fact that Theodore loves Seraphina a little too much.
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Seraphina, Aric, Thorin and Lira all stared at the king. The condition he just proposed was...not what anyone would've thought.
Not even Ivy herself.
Ahh...so that's how it is huh? Aric told to himself.
Ivy changed her outfit in a flash to something more modest and scratched her head,
[Well...uh...you know, I thought that maybe they wanted to be free from the dividends or like, something...asking Seraphina divorce you just because you have his face...is quite something.]
Aric didn't respond as he was frustrated but kept his cool.
[Okay, since I can see your emotions and what not, you should probably take the deepest breath you can and hold it in. We need to figure out a way to-]
No, Ivy. This is their trump card. The entire point they come here was to not get the debt but to startle Seraphina and give her a hard choice.
And you know, logically...she should take it.
[Excuse me? She should take that handsome prince over you? Look, I will apologise if I hurt your ego or something but-]
No Ivy. My ego isn't hurt. What I meant was and you probably know but decided to joke around is the fact that, divorcing me right now is the best option for her.
Logically speaking.
I am still inside Vayne at the end of the day, regardless of my contributions or my hair changing colour or even my eyes.
It doesn't matter how much I help people or do stuff. At the end of the day, people like them can pick and choose what to see. Even if their heart or mind knows otherwise, they will maintain their agenda.
Aric's pupil started to dilate, It doesn't matter anymore. I should just convince Seraphina to take the deal.
[Hah? DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF? YOU DON'T WANT TO. Your heart is telling otherwise. Everyone in the room is looking at the king with a bad face. Even Lira for god's sake!]
AHH. So what huh? So what? This has always been the end goal hasn't it?
To finish the debt and to just give back what Seraphina lost.
Ivy couldn't believe what she was hearing, [What are you even saying?]
I am just here to correct Vayne's sins and then leave. That's what we agreed on, Ivy. You told me once in my bed, that leaving Seraphina behind was the right choice.
[That was months ago! Things change, Aric. You've changed. She's changed. And you know damn well you don't want this. Stop lying to your own heart.]
Aric's turmoil raged behind a face that didn't show any signs of it. But Seraphina… Seraphina wasn't masking anything.
Her eyes were burning holes straight through William. One hand curled into a fist on the table, trembling with fury.
"Your… highness." Seraphina said, her voice taut like a bowstring about to snap.
"You're joking. Surely you did not just ask me to divorce my husband. I must be hearing things wrong… right?"
The king did not flinch, nor did he look away.
Thorin's chair screeched against the stone floor as he shoved it back and stood.
"Absurd!" His voice thundered across the chamber.
"Without this man, without Aric, the dwarves would never have set foot in these negotiations. You dare spit on the very hand that brought you what you covet?"
William exhaled slowly as though Thorin's outrage were a mild inconvenience. Thorin jabbed a finger toward Aric.
"The machines, the alloys, the systems. Do you even understand what it takes to craft them? Do you have any idea how many people's lives have gotten better because of him? He alone has kept pace with our forges, with our engineers. No human in history has done this."
His eyes blazed. "And you stand there, demanding his wife throw him aside as if he were refuse? Surely you're not stupid, William. Surely you know only he can sustain this progress."
Lira, who had been watching in stiff silence, finally spoke. "You insult not only Seraphina, but the very foundation of this alliance. Without Aric, none of this stands. If you think of bargaining by severing him from her, you're not negotiating. You're digging your own grave."
Seraphina's glare sharpened, "Answer them, William. Tell us this was nothing but a cruel jest. That you haven't truly lost your mind."
But William only folded his hands. He didn't mind the first name-calling, but his eyes looked like he was preparing something,
"I acknowledge Aric's… contributions." he said at last.
"Yes, he has provided things no one else could. I am not blind. But the truth remains: publicly, he is still Vayne and that is a name too tainted. Too despised, for my kingdom to accept."
Aric did not move, but Ivy's voice echoed in his mind as they stopped arguing,
[Oh no. I don't like where this is going.]
William leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "So why not a compromise? You remain bound to him in… one fashion. Let him continue to provide what he provides. But Seraphina…"
His eyes slid toward her, "…you marry my son. Theodore."
The silence was deafening.
Thorin's fist slammed the table, "You dare—!"
"Thorin!" Lira caught his arm before he could rise. The dwarf seethed, chest heaving but he held himself back by the thinnest of threads.
Seraphina has had enough, "You…"
Her voice shook with rage, "You would reduce my marriage to a convenient farce!? You would have me keep Aric as some… shadow husband, hidden, while I wear your son's name for the sake of appearances?"
William's calm expression was more damning than mockery. "It works, does it not? Aric remains useful. We, in turn, gain the alliance, the stability, and the face that the people demand. Everyone benefits."
Alice, too, had a face of disapproval and stood up, "William!" she burst out,
"You cannot be serious! To demand such humiliation, to twist a marriage into a—"
But before she could finish, Theodore spoke.
"I don't mind." Theodore said softly but in a way that demanded attention,
"In fact… I would welcome it. To have you by my side, Seraphina. To walk beside you while he tinkers away in the shadows. He doesn't deserve to hold your hand in the light. Only I do."
Seraphina looked at Theodore, "You...of course you would say that."
"I am merely stating the obvious. I deserve to hold you, uplift you, praise you and love you properly. That man can't."
Aric stared at Theodore now. He didn't like what he said and noticed his eyes.
That stare…It looks...obsessed...like it's only fixated towards her. Is...he a yandere?
Is he being deadass now?
The more Aric stared at his blue eyes, the more unsettled he became.
What the hell? Is he actually in love with Seraphina that much?
But Aric's logical side took over again, Ahh...but does it matter? Everyone wins here. I get to go my own way, finally explore what I want. Seraphina gains a stronger partner objectively with more power, wealth, safety.
Her money is restored. Her reputation rebuilt.
This...is how it's supposed to go. No?
A memory popped up in his head. It was one with Seraphina trying out his energy drink.
"Ohh. This is quite refreshing. I feel jittery all of a sudden."
Close your heart, Aric. This is the best course of action.
Another showed up.
She held up a white hoodie, "Ehh? You want me to wear a jacket?"
"It's a hoodie." He corrected. "But yeah, this acts like a disguise and also keeps you warm at night! Plus, when winter comes but you don't want to wear something too fluffy, this will do you know."
Aric closed his eyes and cancelled out the noise from the outside.
She only likes you because you were the only person there. If she had options, she wouldn't choose me.
This time, his memory was far more intimate and he could recall the sensation. They were in the park in the middle of the night, taking a walk to calm their mind when he could feel Seraphina's hug from behind.
"Aric...I'm glad you're alive. I know I have said this before but...I am really glad you're alive. You have no idea how much I..."
She hugged him tighter, "…nevermind. Just know that I want you here. Always."
"No." he whispered under his breath. "Don't."
Perhaps his mind and heart were telling him otherwise because the next memory that was forcefully brought up, was Seraphina in bed, staring at him. Aric was half asleep at the time and Seraphina thought he was fully asleep.
"…Did you know that you're the only other person that I feel comfortable sharing a bed with?" she murmured,
"Mmm...yeah...Did you also know that I never hug anyone as much as I do with you? I mean, of course I am just doing it to make sure you know that I cherish you since your love language is physical and all..."
"Ahh...what does it matter. You're asleep anyways. I should stop talking to myself."
She hugged him and put her face next to his,
"I really wish we met earlier. Just maybe, things would've been different."
His chest burned and Theodore's voice came back to his ears,
"Seraphina, you're blinded by mercy. This man you cling to, this Vayne, this Aric is a disgrace. You're only entertaining him out of pity because you're too kind to throw him away. But you know as well as I do, he doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as you, let alone stand beside you. And now, even in this negotiation, he's a liability. He is mute like a deaf person."
Seraphina's chair screeched as she stood. "You take that back! He is not a liability! He is not a disgrace! You all refuse to see him as someone different just because it doesn't fit with your motives!"
She slammed her palms onto the table, "If I must marry you to remove this debt from your father, I rather bite my tongue off. I would rather burn forever than to ever and I mean ever be with you again."
She stormed to Aric's side and touched his shoulder gently, "Come on now. Let's just pay them and leave. I am sick and tired of hearing this berating and degrading things about—"
Aric grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, "No. I don't want that. We are here to negotiate."
He turned his gaze back to the royals with a grin, "And we are going to do just that."