Valdis listened to Nyxaria's laughter echo faintly through the room before rolling his eyes.
"I have two questions," he said, sitting up properly now. "And I hope you can answer them."
Nyxaria arched a brow, clearly amused.
"Oh?" she said lightly. "Since when did you start asking politely?"
Valdis ignored that.
"The first," he continued, his gaze steady, "what exactly is your problem with the royal family?"
A brief pause.
"From the way you talk about them…" he added, "…it goes beyond what happened with my brother and the crown prince."
Nyxaria stared at him for a moment, then she chuckled in a low but amused manner.
"Is it that obvious?" she asked.
Valdis nodded without hesitation, as her hatred for the royal family could always be heard clearly in her voice any time a discussion involving them came up.
"You talk about them like you want them gone."
And that did it
Nyxaria burst into laughter, not restrained, not subtle, but a full, unfiltered laugh that carried something deeper beneath it—something sharp.
"Gone?" she repeated between breaths. "That's a mild way of putting it."
She shook her head slowly, her expression shifting as the laughter faded.
"When I was still with Lucien…" she began.
Her voice changed, quieter and colder.
"The fifth patriarch of the Ebonhart House. The royal family was quite persistent in trying to make things harder for him."
Her eyes darkened slightly as she recalled the memories.
"Not openly. Never openly," she said with a faint scoff.
"They weren't fools."
She leaned back slightly, her gaze distant now, as though recalling something long buried.
"They used their influence, Politics, even assassins weren't left out, and when that didn't work, they turned to spreading stupid rumors to try and taint Lucien's reputation."
A pause.
"But while they did all this, they made sure that nothing could be traced back to them."
Valdis didn't interrupt, but his eyes were asking why they would spend time doing that.
"Because they feared him," Nyxaria said simply.
"Lucien wasn't just powerful; he was someone they couldn't control as they wished."
Her lips curved slightly.
"And that terrified them."
She crossed her arms.
"So they tried to bring him down again and again."
"But—" Valdis started.
"But he ignored them, as none of their schemes could ever hurt him," Nyxaria cut in.
Her tone carried a hint of frustration.
"For the sake of 'peace.'"
She mocked the word lightly.
"He endured it, tolerated it, and let them scheme in the shadows while he stood in the light."
Her gaze sharpened.
"But I…"
A faint, dangerous smile appeared on her face
"…was not so forgiving."
Silence settled for a moment.
Then Valdis spoke again, his tone thoughtful.
"So that's why you didn't stop grandfather from wreaking havoc in the royal capital, during Malriks incident with the crown prince, but stepped in to save him when things started going south," he continued slowly.
After saying this, Valdis paused and looked at her as though he had just uncovered something.
Nyxaria stared at him for a moment, then a slow smile spread across her face.
"You're sharper than you look," she said.
Valdis didn't react to the comment.
Nyxaria stood up from the bed and walked a few steps toward the window.
"I had no reason to stop him," she admitted. "They totally deserved it, and that time the crown prince really angered everyone."
Her tone was calm.
Too calm.
"But, letting him die for such a stupid reason would portray the Ebonhart house as weak, and I couldn't let that happen."
Valdis raised a brow as he smiled.
"So, if I'm correct, you let my grandfather do all that so the royal family can give you an actual reason to start a bloodbath, but I'm guessing they already know how much you hate them, so when you appeared, they quickly prevented the situation from escalating any further," he said
Nyxaria glanced back at him, a faint smirk forming as she nodded
Silence filled the room again.
Valdis leaned back slightly, absorbing everything she had said.
The royal family.
Lucien.
The hidden conflicts.
The quiet war that had existed beneath the surface.
"I see," he muttered.
Nyxaria watched him for a moment before speaking again.
"You said you had two questions."
Valdis nodded.
"Yes."
Valdis's expression shifted slightly.
More serious now.
"It's about my cousin Darius."
The moment the name left his mouth, Nyxaria sighed
"Of course it is."
Valdis's gaze remained steady.
"Why is he considered a talent almost on the same level as my brother? And how come I've never seen him before?"
Nyxaria leaned back slightly, folding her arms as she fell into thought for a brief moment before she turned to look at Valdis.
"Your cousin, Darius… is what you'd call a generational prodigy, the kind that appears once in a millennium," she said
Her tone carried weight.
Valdis's eyes narrowed slightly because he never thought he would ever hear Nyxaria praising someone's talents, as her standards were just too high.
Nyxaria ignored Valdis' reaction as she continued
"Darius was born to dominate his generation, but he's just unlucky."
Valdis raised a brow.
"Unlucky?"
"Yes, unlucky because he was born in this generation," she said simply as a faint chuckle escaped her lips.
"This generation is filled with monsters."
Her gaze lingered on Valdis for a moment.
"Your brother."
"Yourself."
"And a few others."
Valdis didn't respond.
But he understood.
Nyxaria continued.
"The strangest thing about Darius wasn't his talents; it was his choice."
Valdis leaned forward slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"He avoided the spotlight," she said. "Completely. Always staying in the shadows."
"And for some reason, I simply can't explain, he decided to follow your brother, even swore loyalty to him."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Valdis's expression shifted slightly.
"Loyalty? Why?"
Nyxaria shook her head and said, "I'm as puzzled as you are".
"He even followed him to the Ashen Threshold and became the Vice Captain of the Black Requiem Fortress."
She clicked her tongue lightly.
"Which, by the way, is ridiculous for someone of his caliber."
Hearing this, Valdis frowned slightly as he knew that talented individuals usually had a sense of pride that didn't allow them bow to anyone.
After a brief pause, Nyxaria continued.
"And this was someone who is ranked fourth in his generation and can comfortably hold his own against the crown prince and that girl from House Pyraxis at the same time and win if he wanted to."
Silence.
Valdis looked at Nyxaria in shock because if what she was saying was true, it meant that Darius was immensely powerful.
"And yet he stays in my brother's shadow?"
Nyxaria scoffed.
"Exactly, it's ridiculous."
Valdis leaned back slightly.
"I see…"
Then another thought crossed his mind, and he quickly asked.
"…Does he have a physique as well?"
Nyxaria nodded immediately.
"Yes."
"What is it?"
Her smile returned.
"The Titan Dragon Physique."
Valdis's eyes sharpened slightly.
"It enhances everything," she continued. "Strength, speed, durability… all of it. It's a physique built for combat. It's destructive and overwhelming, built to crush anything in its path."
Valdis exhaled quietly as he lay on the bed and looked to the ceiling, and said
"This family really doesn't hold back."
Nyxaria, hearing him, chuckled.
"Not even a little."
She was about to continue when a knock came from the door, and the sound echoed through the room.
Both of them turned toward the door.
"Valdis?"
A familiar voice followed.
"Can I come in?"