Once again, he was stopped at the foot of the steps of the main castle, but Borena still did not lose his demeanor.

"Then I don't think you would mind if I stood here while His Majesty had finished his 'urgent business'?"

He asked, even with a smile on his face.

The guards in their full body armor exchanged awkward glances and said nothing. It was, after all, the king's son, and the order they received was only to prevent him from entering, not to drive him away.

So they had to revert to their original posture and simply ignore Borenna.

It was still early in the morning, and a thin, grayish-white mist filled the air, shaking like a veil in the breeze. But that couldn't hide the curious eyes of people coming and going. Soon, the news that His Majesty's ambitious eldest son was standing in front of the main castle would spread to every corner of the Black Castle, which was exactly what Borena wanted.

He stood there straight. This time he will not turn away again, and flee as he did before with those trumped-up charges.

It is true that he does not understand the rules of the game here, but he understands the trust between people and the bonds of blood. He could have wanted nothing, he could disappear again – completely and completely. Until then, he must see his father again and make everything clear. He believed that Joaquin would not be deceived by those rumors...... At least not fully convinced that his eldest son came here to take everything from him.

He thought he could ignore the gazes that were directed at him, but when time passed. All the gazes, even sympathetic ones, seemed to be weaponized, piercing him one after the other. Let him be drenched in blood from the inside out.

Borena felt his smile a little overwhelmed.

Perhaps it would have been a good idea to draw his sword and rush in, and he should have been twisted straight into front of the king—but today he had no sword with him at all.

He didn't know how long he had been waiting, but on the high steps, a cold voice finally floated down.

"Let him come up. ”

Queen Kazia stood there, looking condescendingly at Borenna, the mist making it impossible for him to read the woman's eyes, which was definitely a good thing.

"It's too ugly. Don't you think Blackcastle hasn't been buzzing enough lately?"

Kazia sneered.

As Borena walks up the steps. The guards on either side just glanced at him uneasily, and didn't stop him any longer.

"You are truly glorious today. ”

Borena saluted respectfully to Her Majesty the Queen. His compliment is half sincere and half sarcastic.

Kazia wore a simple white dress today, the thin gold belt was an interlocking honeysuckle, which drooped elegantly after a loose circle around her waist, and a few small golden bells at the end must have made a crisp and pleasant sound with her every step. She brought a small crown. In the middle was a blue-green gem of the same color as her eyes, and her long blonde hair just hung down casually, which made her look extremely young.

Her Majesty the Queen was clearly in a much better mood than the other day, and Borena certainly knew why. He just didn't know how much of the current situation was done by this beautiful queen...... But it didn't seem to be the style of Kazia Longfu, a woman who had grown up with power, wealth, and favor, and was much more simple and brutal. In a sense, she's not really good at this kind of game. She was just born with a good hand.

"I'll take you to your father. Kazia glanced at him, undisguised in her contempt, "lest you be stopped again." ”

"You're so kind. Borena couldn't contain the sarcasm in his tone.

Kazia sneered. Didn't say any more nonsense, and walked in front of him.

The golden bells on her belt were indeed crisp and pleasant—but the road with the ringing of bells was probably the hardest and longest of Borenna's life.

Without any notice, Kazia waved away the guards and attendants who greeted him, and led Borena directly into the South Hall. After a brief moment of astonishment, all eyes in the room fell on Borena.

Smile. Keep smiling. What else can you do but smile at such a time?

"I brought you your son. Even in the face of the king, Her Majesty the Queen held her chin arrogantly. "You'd better have a good talk. I'm fed up with you putting that gloomy face every day at me and Sergio, at our daughter, as if everything was our fault!"

She threw this sentence and turned away, as if she didn't want to stay any longer.

Everyone in the room looked at each other with embarrassment on their faces—except for Joaquin.

His Majesty, as the Queen had said, put on a gloomy face and glared at Borena in silence.

Borena feared that if he didn't say anything, everyone here would suffocate to death. He barely heard anyone breathing.

"I have come to bid you farewell, father. He spoke.

"Get out, everyone. Joaquin growled, still glaring at Borena.

Only the gray-haired old Prime Minister Gilbert nodded gently to Borina as he went out, and Borina even lost the mood to return the salute.

When only father and son were left in the room, the air became even more oppressive.

"You shouldn't be here. After a long look at each other, Joaquin spoke abruptly.

That's right—but Borena's anger is spontaneous.

"That's right, I should die in a quiet corner somewhere, like Mother and Esther, so that you only need to think about it once in a while when there is nothing urgent to deal with, and be a little sad, right?"

Blurted out words with genuine resentment.

The thought of his mother and his sister, who had died at a young age, made his heart ache. Esther was two years younger than him, less than ten years old when she died, one little hand held by her mother, and the other hand clutched her pony, a wooden carving, cute little pony, which Joaquin had bought her and the only toy she had.

May she be able to ride her pony around on the sacred mountain of Anduhe. Carefree.

Joaquin's face turned pale for a moment.

Borena waited for him to get out of the way, roaring at him or calling the guards to get him where he was going. But Joaquin remained silent. Silent.

Borena took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"You don't really believe those hell rumors, do you?"

When he spoke again, his tone was calm and earnest.

Joaquin shook his head, his face tired, "You don't understand, kid. Sometimes, it's not what I believe that matters, it's what people believe. Or what most people would like to believe. ”

"And they want to believe that I'm a grudge-filled bastard, and would even make deals with necromancers and barbarians. Just to let his father and his siblings all go to hell?" Borena smiled wryly, "where did I offend them?"

"Because it makes everything so much easier. Borena, the people of this country are fed up with war and turmoil, and some of them just want everything to settle down. And settle down forever, others ......" Joaquin didn't finish his sentence.

"And I'm the damned stone, which jumped into the lake by itself, and it's not likable, and I only end up sinking to the bottom and never turning over. Borena spread his hands weakly, "I see. So what do you want me to do? Leave dead or leave alive?"

Joaquin frowned, "Who told you what? I never wanted you to die. ”

That's probably a consolation.

Borena lowered his hand and dragged a chair casually. Sitting down without any figurative image.

"Well, that's a real resignation. He said, "I'll leave as soon as I can." ”

He glanced up at his father's relieved face. There was a hint of bitterness in the mouth.

He remembered those who had died...... He doesn't owe them a reason forever, and those who should pay the price will have to pay the price one day. Even if Ethan refuses to ignore him, he is not without other friends, some adventurers should help him, and he can always find out the truth.

"Don't be discovered. Joaquin rubbed his forehead and reminded him, "Some people do want your life. They feel like you're a threat to be alive...... I can give you a sum of money and take as much as you can. ”

Taking advantage of the darkness to roll up the money and sneak away - it is really similar to the last time, to the point of irony.

Borena almost burst out laughing. But as before, he would not refuse the gold coins that had been sent to him, and when his son or daughter was about to be born, he would let his child grow up happily.

When a wisp of gray-white mist drifted through the corner of his eye, he thought it was fog from outside the window.

But he soon realized that something was wrong. The gray mist writhed as if it had life, and as it swept over his feet, it brought with it a chill that penetrated deep into his bone marrow and even into the depths of his soul.

“...... What the hell is that?" Joaquin had apparently spotted the mist, too.

"Get out of the way!" Borena instinctively jumped up and yelled as he watched the gray mist pounce on Joaquin, "Get out of there!"

Joaquin's movements are not slow. But one of his reactions was not to avoid it, but to stand up and draw his sword.

What can a sword do against a fog!

Borena almost wanted to yell at him.

The gray mist was neatly split in half from the middle, like a raged gray blanket.

But instead of falling to the ground, the cracked blanket wrapped around Joaquin's body in an almost graceful gesture. The king didn't even make a sound, but stood stiff, like a statue surrounded by mist, for a moment before slowly falling to the ground.

It happened almost instantaneously. When Borena rushed to his father, he could only hold his cold corpse in a daze.

The dead king's face was pale and his eyes were glaring in disbelief.

His body was unusually cold.

Borena didn't know how long he knelt with him in his arms, and his mind was cold and confused, as if the gray mist had directly penetrated his body and replaced his soul.

Then endless sadness and despair overflowed everything.

When the door was opened again, he only glanced blankly, and his sight was his "brother", the little blonde prince, whose eyes were wide in horror, and he could not say a word with a pale face.

Behind him, Behring Grion drew his sword and charged at him.

(To be continued)