Chapter 540 Promise Of A Vengeful Mother


    The main hall of Bloodwing Manor was steeped in shadows, its ancient walls echoing the somber history of those who had lived here in the past.


    The scent of old wood and a chilling atmosphere of blood and despair seemed to settle into every crevice of the lower halls. Oberon,once a figure of royal power, now hobbled through this grandeur, leaning heavily on a walking stick, his other arm hanging limp and useless at his side.


    After knowingwho was going toe in through those front doors, he ordered every servant toget out ofhis sight.


    The grand doors of the manor swung open abruptly, admitting a figure that cut through the cold like a beam of warm darkness. It was a woman, her presence chilling yet filled with a maternal urgency that had been absent these past torturous days.


    "Mother!" Oberon''s voice cracked with emotion, his usualposure dissolving as he saw the familiar face of his mother.


    "My Oberon!" Reba gasped, her face overwhelmed with relief and sorrow as she rushed towards her son. But Oberon''s eyes widened when he tripped on his limp foot due to his haste, "Urgh!" He groaned as his face smashed onto the cold marble floor as he fell down.


    "My son!" Reba gasped as she rushed and pulled him up immediately, "Did you get hurt anywhere?" She asked as she held his arms firmly in worry.


    "Urhh...mother...my arm..." Oberon winced, the pain sharp as his mother''s grip inadvertently tightened around his crippled limb.


    Reba immediately released him, stepping back with a gasp of horror. Her hands gently caressed his limp arm, her eyes misting with tears, "I am so sorry, son. I am not used to seeing you like this..." Her voice trailed off, the sight of her once strong son now fragile and broken wrenching her heart.


    He was meant to be the next king, yet here he was, struggling to run and even stand. Why would fate be so cruel to him?


    "Why are you still walking like this? I have no doubt our physicians could make you certain artifacts to help you walk normally," Reba fretted, the pain in her voice echoing around the high ceilings.


    Oberon clenched his jaw, his resolve hardening, "No, mother. They said I might have a chance to recover faster if I keep relying on my own body. I won''t let that vermin get away with this. I will show him that this won''t break me, and heis going toregret it."


    "That is my son. You are doing good," Reba affirmed, her smile cold with vengeance as she admired her son''s unyielding spirit.


    "But...why were you gone for the past few days without even showing your face forevena moment here? I kept waiting for you, and I couldn''t even sleep when this ce became fucking miserable without you," Oberon confessed, his expression twisting with anguish as he recalled the nightmarish visions of getting tortured under that alien bastard and Rhygar that haunted him in her absence.


    Only in her presence did the specters of his fears dissolve enough to grant him some semnce of peace, enough to sleep, even if just a wink.


    "You could have at least shown up here during nights even if you have to work for…" Oberon trailed off with an expression wracked with rage and resentment, thinking how his mother was being ordered around by his worst enemy.


    He couldn''t imagine his strong and proud mother having to bend her back for him and hated that he was helpless to do anything and that she was in this position because of him.


    He then immediately asked with a hint of hesitation, "He…he isn''tilltreatingyou or anything, is he?" He noticed his mother''s face seemed a bit paler and her eyes seemed a bit weary.


    Upon hearing Oberon''s probing question, Reba''s expression momentarily faltered, her features tightening as fleeting memories of her recent humiliations flickered across her mind like shadows.


    She was tormented by an alien fiend, an ordeal bathed in pain and degradation that she fervently wished to shield from her son.


    Her heart clenched—not just with the mental pain of those nights, but with the shame and the unbearable thought of her son seeing her so diminished.


    Struggling to maintain herposure, she mustered an apologetic smile, her voice tinged with a feigned reassurance,"I am sorry, my dear. Mother had to do some important work during those hours, and itinvolvestrying to learn the secrets of the bastard wewantto annihte.So you have to understand if I keep being busy like this. It is to ensure we will get everything we want. I promise."


    Oberon''s eyes brightened, hope flickering within as he grasped ontothe idea of vengeance that his mother presented—a silver lining he was too eager to believe. Yet, a shadow of sadness lingered, knowing these quests kept her from him, "I understand, Mother. I will dly wait as long as you can finally tear him apart once and for all. I am even prepared to sacrifice another limb just to see it happen," he dered, his face contorting with a resolve born of anger and pain.


    Reba''s heart ached at his words, but her voice was resolute, her assurance firm, "You will never have to sacrifice anything more," she vowed, her eyes gleaming with a chilling determination. "I will make him shed tears of blood before us one day. He has no idea what is awaiting him."


    Above them, unnoticed by the intense exchange below, Silvan stood quietly at therailing of the second floor. His presence was like a ghost—seen but unnoticed, his calm demeanorin stark contrastto the storm of emotions swirling below. He watched the mother and son with an unreadable expression. With a silent, thoughtful turn, he walked away, each step echoing softly in the corridor.


    —


    The atmosphere around Dreadthorne Castle was almost palpably tense, the cold air biting as it whipped around the ancient stone battlements. Theusual solemnity of the cewas further intensified on this day, a sense of expectancyhangingas heavily as the dark clouds overhead.


    Suddenly, the stillness broke. A great shadow swept across the ground as a massive creature descended from the sky. Its scales were ck as the deepest night, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. The guards of House Thorne, upon recognizing the arrival,hurried forward, their movements a mixture of reverence and urgency.


    As Grimerasnded with a thunderous grace, Asher dismounted, his presence garnering immediate attention.


    Close behind him, Eradicator followed, her armor dark silver and hercape crimson,a stark contrast tothe bleak surroundings. The helmet she wore obscured her features, save for the dark red lights glowing menacingly from the slits where her eyes would be. The assembled guards bowed deeply in the presence of their king.


    Surveying the castle with a hint of nostalgia, Asher remarked lightly, "It''s been a while since I have been to such a cold ce. Do you like thends around here, Eradicator?"


    Eradicator turned towards him, her voice as cold and emotionless as the armor she wore, "I have no such needs or wants, Your Majesty. I only care about your wishes."


    Asher exhaled a helpless sigh, a wry smile ying on his lips as he moved towards the entrance, nked by the guards, "I don''t know if I should feel d about itor not."


    Eradicator gave him a silent look before turning her head away, her thoughts as hidden as her face.


    As Asher stepped onto the porch of the castle, the heavy doors swung open. Emerging from the shadowed interior were Thorin,his presenceas imposing as the fortress hemanded, and Esther, ethereal with her long silver hair and pale red eyes.


    Behind them, a retinue of servants and guards bowed deeply in deference.


    However, the moment she stepped out, Esther caught Asher''s gaze for a fleeting moment, and his knowing smile made her instinctively avert her eyes.


    Wait…why was she hiding from his gaze when he was the one who put her in trouble.


    "Wee to my home, Your Majesty. You didn''t have toe all the way here when I would have arrived at your castle if you wanted," Thorin greeted, his voice devoid of warmth but not of intensity. He bowedhis headslightly, an acknowledgment more of a formality than subservience.


    Asher''s smile broadened slightly, tinged with an unreadable intent, "Of course.Ipersonallycame here because the matterthatI want to discuss requires me to."


    Thorin''s eyes narrowed briefly, sensing the gravity behind Asher''s words. Esther, meanwhile, stood slightly behind, her mind racing with specting what he was talking about and how he was even thick-skinned enough to show up here after putting her House through so much.


    Howwas he going todeal with Thorin when Thorin had already decided not to let him off this time?


    Did hee here to beg? Esther didn''t know why she was so concerned about Asher''s matters when she should only care about the issues of her House.


    Soon enough, thegrand hall of the castleseemed even more imposing under the weight of silence that had settled after Seron and Asher disappeared into the guest room. Outside, Esther paced slowly, her face expressionless, yet her movements betraying her inner turmoil. Sabina, ever watchful, guided her mother to a plush sofa.


    "Mother, why do you look so tense? I am sure they are going to sort it outin a calm way," Sabina said, her smile a blend of yfulness and reassurance.


    Esther''s expression tightened, her brows knitting together as she considered theweight of the moment, "The future of this House and this kingdom might worsen together. I don''t know what I should do to fix it all," she confessed, her voice briefly wavering.


    Sabina gently ced her hand over her mother''s, her touch soft but firm, "It''s not like you to worry so much, Mother. What happened with Asher exactly?" she probed, sensing the depth of her mother''s distress.


    Esther''s features faltered, a flicker of emotion crossing her face before she regained herposed facade, "Nothing except that Imitted mistakes," she replied, her voice t, attempting to dismiss the topic.


    "Ohh..." Sabina''s lips formed an ''O'', her eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief, "Did he do something bad, Mother?"


    The question unwittingly evoked memories in Esther that she struggled to suppress—the heat of forbidden moments shing vividly in her mind, causing an involuntary blush to spread across her cheeks. The sudden rush of warmth left her momentarily flustered, making her wonder how her blood could move out of control like that. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Your cheeks became a bit red. Are you thinking of anything stressful, Mother?" Sabina askedin a concerned tone, though her ghostly red eyes glowed with an amused light.


    Esther stood abruptly, her breath catching as she fought to regain herposure,"Just wait here and let me know when they are done," she said quickly, eager to escapethe probing eyes of her daughter before she revealssomething unnecessary by ident.


    Sabina bit back a smile, her expression growing more amused.


    However, just as Esthertook a steptoward the grand hallway, intending to find a quiet corner to collect her thoughts, thedoors of the guest roomswung open. Both Thorin and Asher stepped out and the sight of them halted Esther in her tracks,herheart momentarilyfalteringas she wondered the oue of their discussion.