Chapter 33: The Winter King
Under the bright sunlight illuminating the road, a carriage moved steadily along the path. Two strong horses pulled the carriage forward while a butler whistled softly as he guided them along the proper route.
Inside the carriage was a lively group. Some were chatting, some were playing, and some were sleeping.
Fate, Isabelle, and Autumn were chatting together.
Lisa, Chloe, and Emily were playing with each other.
On the other hand, Kyle was sleeping while sitting upright with his arms crossed.
Isabelle had a mixture of emotions while she spoke with Fate and Autumn.
"I'm feeling very excited and anxious at the same time…" Isabelle said while placing a hand on her chest.
Fate looked curious.
"Why? Did something happen?"
Isabelle simply smiled and closed her eyes.
"No, nothing happened."
She then explained why she was feeling that way.
"It's just because I'm going to meet one of the greatest figures on the continent."
Fate tilted his head slightly.
"Who?"
With a puzzled expression, Isabelle answered.
"Who else but your father… the Kindspring Head Patriarch—"
Her tone grew more serious.
"The Winter King."
The atmosphere inside the carriage became slightly tense as she spoke the title.
She continued.
"The Frost Dragon—"
"Vale Kindspring."
Fate blinked in surprise.
"Father had a title like that?"
Isabelle nodded and began explaining.
"Of course. It's one of the most famous stories on the continent."
She then began telling the story behind the title.
Long ago, Vale Kindspring was known as one of the greatest warriors and guardians of the Empire.
During that era, the continent was plunged into a massive war.
The war was between the Dawncrown Empire and a corrupted cult that worshipped the Outer Gods.
They were known as the—
Salvation Church.
The Salvation Church spread chaos, corruption, and madness across the Orion Continent. Their followers believed that the Outer Gods would descend upon the world and remake it in their image.
To stop them, the Dawncrown Empire mobilized its armies.
Many powerful figures rose during that war.
One of them was Vale Kindspring.
On a certain battlefield, Vale once faced one thousand enemy fighters alone.
When news reached the Emperor that Vale had been surrounded and was on the verge of danger, the Emperor immediately rushed to the battlefield.
Without hesitation, he mounted his steed while wearing his shining armor and carrying his sacred spear.
He rode as quickly as possible in order to help his trusted friend.
However—
When the Emperor finally arrived at the battlefield, he was met with a shocking sight.
The battlefield was completely silent.
There were no sounds of fighting.
There were no cries of war.
Only stillness.
All across the battlefield lay frozen bodies.
Hundreds… no—thousands of them.
The ground itself had been covered in frost.
At the center of the battlefield stood a mountain of corpses.
And sitting calmly at the very top of that mountain…
Was the Frost Dragon.
Vale Kindspring.
His breath was visible in the freezing air as white mist escaped from his lips.
The battlefield itself had been frozen by his power.
That day, Vale Kindspring single-handedly destroyed an entire army.
Because of that legendary battle, the Empire granted him a title that the entire continent would come to know.
The Winter King.
Fate listened quietly to Isabelle's explanation.
When she finished, Fate covered his mouth with his right hand as if deep in thought.
"So something like that actually happened in history… and father was famous during that time…" Fate said while his hand still covered his mouth.
Isabelle looked confused.
"You didn't know about that? Didn't your father or anyone tell you that story?"
"Uhm… well… no one told me. Not even father," Fate replied as a small drop of sweat rolled down his face.
Emily had been listening to the entire conversation.
Inside her mind, she panicked.
(I need to help big brother…! His friends don't know he's an otherworlder…!)
Emily suddenly jumped into the conversation.
"I-I also didn't know father had a story like that."
Isabelle looked even more surprised.
"Really? That story about the Winter King is very popular around the continent."
"Hahaha…" Fate laughed awkwardly.
Inside his mind, he began thinking.
(I need to change the subject before they start asking too many questions.)
But another thought suddenly appeared.
(Wait… why am I even hiding my identity…?)
(It's not like it's some life-threatening secret…)
While Fate was deep in thought, the carriage suddenly stopped moving.
The group felt the slight halt.
Then there was a knock on the carriage door.
Knock. Knock.
After the second knock, the door opened.
Standing outside was Isaac.
Behind him stood a large gate.
Isaac spoke calmly.
"We have arrived at our destination."
Kyle slowly woke up from his sleep.
Chloe and Lisa stood up as well.
Isabelle and Autumn were the first to step out of the carriage.
The last two to exit were Emily and Fate.
Emily excitedly grabbed Fate's hand and pulled her big brother outside.
One by one, they stepped out of the carriage.
The moment Kyle, Isabelle, Lisa, Chloe, and Autumn looked forward, their eyes widened.
Behind the massive golden gate stood a beautiful and enormous mansion.
Two knights were guarding the gate.
When they saw Isaac, both knights immediately bowed respectfully.
One of them spoke.
"Good afternoon, sir."
Isaac raised his hand slightly.
"Please open the gates and let us through."
The second knight responded immediately.
"Right away, sir."
Both knights stood up, placed their weapons aside, and began opening the gates.
The large gates slowly swung open.
When they stepped inside, the sight that greeted them was breathtaking.
They saw a brilliant wall of leaves surrounding the manor.
There was also a large and beautiful fountain at the center of the courtyard.
And beyond that—
Standing proudly at the heart of the manor—
Was the Kindspring Manor.
The scenery left everyone silent.
The wind gently rustled the leaves.
The flowing water from the fountain produced a calm and peaceful sound.
Fate smiled slightly.
"Welcome to Kindspring Manor."
Just as he finished speaking, the two giant doors of the manor slowly opened.
However, the one who greeted them was not a servant nor a maid.
Instead, a graceful woman stood at the entrance.
She had long snow-white hair and glimmering sky-blue eyes.
She wore an elegant and astonishing dress.
In her hand was a beautifully designed fan that partially covered her mouth.
The moment Fate saw her, he immediately stepped forward and bowed.
Emily quickly followed.
Fate bowed slightly while placing his right hand over his chest in a respectful manner.
Emily also bowed politely while holding the sides of her dress.
They both spoke at the same time.
"It's nice to see you—"
"Mother."
The moment Fate's friends heard that word, they quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
Kyle, Isabelle, Lisa, Chloe, and Autumn all lowered their heads before the matriarch of the Kindspring family.
Elizabeth Kindspring.
They greeted her together.
"Good afternoon, Matriarch of the Kindspring Manor."
Elizabeth gently closed her fan and held it with both hands before speaking.
"Good afternoon to all of you. You must be the friends my son has been writing about in his letters."
She then turned and slowly walked inside the manor.
"Please come in. We can talk more comfortably inside."
Elizabeth welcomed them warmly.
Fate's friends entered the manor.
They were guided to the living room where they spent some time chatting together.
Several hours passed.
Eventually, it was time for dinner.
While Chloe was speaking, her stomach suddenly growled loudly.
The sound echoed in the room.
Chloe's face immediately turned bright red from embarrassment.
Everyone heard it.
Elizabeth smiled gently.
"I suppose I've taken quite a lot of your time. Let's move to the dining room and enjoy a feast."
Fate immediately agreed.
"Finally."
Everyone then moved to the dining room and sat at the large dining table.
Elizabeth, Fate, Emily, and Kyle sat on the left side of the table.
Lisa, Isabelle, Chloe, and Autumn sat on the right side.
After everyone was seated, Elizabeth gave an order to one of the servants.
"Prepare the dinner. We have guests."
The servant bowed respectfully.
"Right away, ma'am."
He went into the kitchen and informed the cooks and maids.
All the servants quickly began preparing a grand feast.
After some time, the maids and servants began bringing the dishes to the dining table one by one.
Soon, the table was filled with delicious food.
Roasted chicken.
Vegetables.
Warm soups.
Many other dishes.
Despite the food being right in front of them, no one began eating.
It was as if they were waiting for someone.
Moments later—
The dining room door slowly opened.
A tall figure stepped inside.
He had a pair of horns.
His posture was tall and dignified.
He wore a noble coat.
And his golden eyes, which possessed draconic pupils, glowed faintly.
The man spoke calmly.
"Sorry I'm late."
Fate's friends immediately stood up from their seats.
They were all stunned by the overwhelming presence of the man.
Fate looked at him and smiled.
"You're here—"
"Father."
The man standing before them was none other than—
Vale Kindspring.
The Winter King.
Chapter 33 End