The sound of the explosion was deafening. The sturdy door did not merely burst open. It shattered into smithereens, debris scattering in every direction under the force of Duchess Elara's mana.
From amidst the swirling cloud of sawdust, Elara stepped inside. Her expression was calm, yet her gaze was as sharp as a drawn sword. She swept her eyes across the now-chaotic room.
In the corner, Wolvin jumped violently. Reflexively, he leaped backward until his back collided with the wall, clutching the blanket that covered his entire body. His wolf instincts screamed of mortal danger as he faced the woman.
Elara's blue eyes locked squarely onto Wolvin's figure.
"Who are you?" Elara's voice was flat, yet heavy with pressure. "I just left my son downstairs. So, tell me, what is a beastfolk doing in his private chamber while he is away?"
Wolvin trembled. His tongue felt numb under the pressure of the Duchess's aura. His hands unconsciously tightened their grip on the blanket.
It was then that Elara's keen eyes caught a silver glint on Wolvin's ring finger.
Elara's steps halted instantly. Her breath hitched.
She recognized that ring. She knew it all too well. Memories of the past swirled in Elara's mind.
That night, moments before Calian was exiled to this pavilion, Elara had sneaked out to meet him. She had secretly given him the rings and a pouch of money for his survival.
It was a symbol of her affection and her final hope. That object should have been on Calian's finger, and the other one should have been kept safely by Calian in the chest she had given him at that time.
But now, that object was on the finger of the foreign beastfolk standing before her.
The Duchess's face hardened instantly. Fury ignited in her chest.
He stole it! Elara thought with certainty. Calian is a son who cherishes my gifts. He would never part with the only memento from me. This beastfolk must have taken it when Calian was off guard.
"You..." Elara stepped forward, her voice trembling as she suppressed her wrath. "How dare you!"
"Take off that ring!" Elara demanded, her glare murderous. "That belongs to my son! How dare you steal it from him!"
"N-No!" Wolvin shook his head in panic, his ears drooping drastically. "I didn't steal it. Calian gave it to me himself!"
"Do not lie, Thief!" Elara snapped. "That is a secret symbol between me and my son! He would not give it to a stranger like you!"
Without waiting for an answer, Elara raised her right hand. Her instincts screamed that this beastfolk was a parasite that had to be eliminated.
Golden-yellow mana gathered rapidly in her palm, solidifying into a blinding spear of light.
Spear of Judgment.
"Return what you stole!"
Zing!
The spear of light shot straight forward, slicing through the dust in the air, aiming directly at Wolvin's heart. The attack was swift and lethal.
Wolvin closed his eyes in resignation. His legs were too shaky to dodge.
However, the impact never came.
Set!
Exactly three inches in front of Wolvin's chest, the spear of light came to a sudden halt.
The object froze in mid-air. Silent and motionless, as if time had lost its power over it. There was no barrier, no collision. The spear simply stopped and hovered in the air right in front of Wolvin's body.
At the threshold of the destroyed doorway, Calian stood with his right hand outstretched, his purple eyes gleaming.
Calian didn't waste a single second. He knew he couldn't deflect the spell. He could only stop it temporarily.
With quick strides, Calian dashed in, grabbed Wolvin's arm, and pulled his wife's body away from the attack's trajectory.
"Don't just stand there, Wolvin!" Calian shouted as he pulled Wolvin until they both fell, with Calian embracing Wolvin's body.
"Release!"
Boom!
The previously frozen spear of light resumed its flight at full speed, slamming into the empty wall where Wolvin had just stood. The wall exploded, leaving behind a massive charred hole. Had Wolvin still been there, his body would have been obliterated.
"Luckily, I was on time."
Calian rose to his feet, dusting off his trousers. He immediately stood in front of Wolvin, whose blanket had slipped off, revealing his naked form.
Spontaneously, he covered the beastfolk's smooth body with the blanket so Wolvin wouldn't look shameful in front of his mother.
"Calian?" Elara murmured. She stared at her son in disbelief. Her eyes shifted to the hole in the wall, then to the spot where the spear had momentarily stopped in the air. "What did you just do? That magic... it stopped?"
However, Calian gave his mother no time to analyze his magic. His priority was Wolvin.
"Please enough, Mother!" Calian stated firmly, his breathing still heavy from running. "Do not attack him again."
Spontaneously, Duchess Elara's attention shifted, and she looked at her son with a harrowed gaze. "What did you say? That beastfolk behind you! He is wearing the ring I gave you before you left for this West Pavilion!"
"He didn't steal it, Mother!" Calian cut in. "I gave that ring to him myself."
"What?" Elara was stunned. "Calian, do you remember my words when I gave you that ring? It is a symbol of true power. It is not something you can give carelessly to a stranger!"
Calian took a deep breath. He glanced back briefly, ensuring once more that Wolvin's body was fully covered.
"I remember your words from that night clearly." Calian said calmly. "Mother, you said true power does not always have to take the form of swords or mana explosions, right?"
Calian reached for Wolvin's hand, helped him stand, and then gripped the finger adorned with the ring tightly.
"When Father threw me here, when I was alone without a friend to talk to in this West Pavilion, he was the only person who stayed by my side."
Calian's voice softened, yet was full of emphasis.
"He accompanied me through the darkest times when I wanted to give up. His sincerity is the true power you meant. He is the one who made me survive and maintain my sanity in my loneliness until today."
Calian looked at his mother sharply, full of conviction. "That's why I gave this ring to him. Because he deserves it more than anyone else."
Elara fell silent. The explanation made sense. But still, giving a family heirloom to a stranger was something Calian shouldn't have done.
"He is not a stranger, Mother!" Calian spoke loudly, as if reading the doubt in his mother's eyes.
Calian straightened his back. "He is my spouse! Wolvin is my only wife in this world!"
Silence...
The wind rustled softly through the hole in the wall.
Duchess Elara's face went pale. Her eyes widened perfectly, looking back and forth between her son and the male beastfolk figure hiding behind Calian's back while clutching his son's sleeping clothes. The Duchess's mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.
That confession hit Elara harder than any magic attack.
Wife? My youngest son married a male beastfolk?
Elara stepped back, her legs going weak instantly. She was at a loss for words, drowning in overwhelming shock in the middle of the devastated room until she collapsed onto the bed.