Upon arriving at the mansion, Sophia didn't allow him a single moment to breathe between the end of the journey and the inevitable. With firm determination, she led Lusian straight to his room.
The air smelled of mint incense—clean. Heavy golden curtains hung on either side of the windows, filtering the light from outside.
Sophia closed the door behind them.
Lusian stopped pretending. His doubts were laid bare, and Sophia didn't take even a second to notice.
They sat down.
Lusian sank into the armchair, which felt too large for how tense he was. Sophia sat beside him, perfectly upright, trying to pass on a calm he didn't have while making sure he didn't completely fall apart.
Sophia's maternal side surfaced; she looked at her son with a mix of tenderness and a faint urge to laugh. She was the kind of woman who would burn the entire world if anyone dared to touch a single hair on his head.
"In six days," she said calmly, without raising her voice, "at the Temple of Sangus, god of loyalty and truth, the oath of engagement with the Carters will be held."
The name of the god brought back memories of the game. If you failed a quest involving him, you'd be cursed immediately. Lusian sank even deeper into the chair, as if his own body no longer obeyed him.
His hands gripped the armrests tightly.
"Mother…" his voice broke halfway through the word. "Is it mandatory? All of it… the oath… Is there no way to cancel it?"
He couldn't control the trembling of his hands. The thought of dying—just like in the game—made his stomach churn. Can fate really not be changed?
Sophia watched him in silence. She almost felt like laughing at how endearing he looked, but instead leaned in and wrapped him in a long embrace.
"My son… listen to me," she said, lowering her tone. "I know you're afraid, but you don't need to worry about that."
Lusian swallowed, his throat dry. How could he explain that he already knew what was coming? That the girl he was to be engaged to was destined to kill him?
"Breathe," she whispered, leaning a little closer. "I'm here."
Lusian lowered his gaze and simply nodded.
Sophia smiled and gently adjusted his hair, as if he were still the little boy from years ago.
"Don't worry," she said softly.
A pause.
"This oath is serious. Sacred before Sangus. Unbreakable."
Her fingers rested lightly on him, anchoring him to reality.
"But you're not the one who carries that burden."
Lusian looked back at her. That wasn't it—what he truly wanted was to stay away from the heroes, to put as much distance as possible between them and himself.
Sophia didn't look away.
"Emily Carter… she will swear loyalty before the god. She is the one who binds the contract."
Silence.
Lusian blinked slowly.
Then she took his hand.
Firm and warm.
"Your duty is to accept her," she continued. "To marry her. To give her the place she deserves as the future duchess of the Douglas family."
Her thumb gently brushed over his knuckles.
A small gesture.
"That's all."
Lusian stared at her. He had a thousand things on the tip of his tongue, but couldn't find the words. In the end, he swallowed whatever he was about to say and tried not to show anything.
"I've never seen anything like this…" he murmured. "It's frightening."
Sophia looked at him with that quiet understanding only mothers have and replied in a whisper, almost just for the two of them.
"I know."
She caressed his cheek softly.
"But that's growing up, Lusian."
A pause.
Her eyes never left him.
"This does not threaten your life."
When Sophia left the room, the silence returned immediately.
Lusian couldn't just sit idly by. He had to plan something, or death would come for him sooner or later. He couldn't simply watch the story unfold—he had to act, even if everything went wrong. At the very least, he had to try.
"In six days," he said to himself, "the oath will be held at the Temple of Sangus."
Six days.
Finally, he let himself fall back into the armchair.
First of all, it would be to prevent the death of the crown prince.