Chapter Ninety-Six: Departure 2

By nightfall, Count Krei had apparently not returned to the castle. Reyel had also not sent anyone to fetch Xius, so Xius did not go back either and stayed at Count Ulot’s place for dinner.

It was plain to see that Count Ulot was in high spirits. Xius kept him company and drank quite a bit as well. At first he only had a little; the taste was nothing to speak of, merely harsh, burning his throat like fire. But seeing how pleased Ulot was, Xius forced himself to drink much more.

“How much did I drink last night?”

When Xius woke early the next morning, his head felt swollen and aching.

He only remembered being helped into his room the night before. What happened after that, he had no idea.

Xius had some hot water prepared, washed up again, and felt much better afterward. Only then did he leave his room.

For the next stretch of time, Xius remained in Count Ulot’s castle, telling him about what he had seen and heard outside, and Count Ulot listened with great interest.

Only when evening came, after Xius declined Count Ulot’s invitation to dine together, did he prepare to return to his own castle.

The sky had already darkened, and Xius’s figure moved swiftly toward the castle.

As he drew near, he saw a carriage parked by the gate.

“Go back and rest early, Henry. You’ve been out playing for two days; you must be tired.”

As Xius stepped closer, he heard Count Krei’s voice.

“Yes, Father!”

A youthful voice answered at once, sounding quite cheerful.

“Father, many people at today’s banquet praised my swordsmanship,” Henry said as he followed behind Count Krei. It was easy to tell that he greatly enjoyed the compliments.

“Haha, of course. The swordsmanship I taught you myself would naturally be no poor thing!” Count Krei, walking ahead, burst out laughing at Henry’s words. After Xius left, he had decided to make Henry his heir and had begun teaching him swordsmanship personally. Though Henry’s talent was not as good as Xius’s, he was willing to endure hardship and kept working diligently. If he continued thus, taking over his position would not be impossible.

The two entered the castle one after the other. Listening to their conversation, Xius felt an unfamiliar distance creeping over him.

“Master Xius...” The two guards hurriedly bowed when they saw him return.

Xius raised a finger to his lips, signaling them to keep quiet. He did not want to disturb Count Krei.

The two guards glanced at Xius, then at the direction of Count Krei, and quickly clamped their mouths shut. They did not know why, but it was enough to obey.

So Xius followed behind Count Krei all the way into the castle.

After some thought, he simply stepped inside as well. Once inside, he saw Count Krei seated alone, while Reyel stood beside him, saying something.

Henry must have gone to rest. After Xius entered, he no longer saw Henry’s figure, so Count Krei must have sent him off to sleep.

“Father.” Xius stood before Count Krei and looked at his astonished face.

“Xius!” Count Krei rose and embraced him tightly.

Reyel, standing nearby, tactfully withdrew without disturbing the reunion between father and son.

“I only just heard that you had come back. I was even thinking of going to Ulot’s place to bring you home. Yet the moment you returned, you went straight to him instead. How am I supposed to take that?” Count Krei was clearly delighted to see Xius and even rarely made a joke.

“I saw that you weren’t in the castle, and I also thought I hadn’t seen Uncle Ulot in a long time, so I went to pay him a visit,” Xius said, sitting down across from Count Krei.

“Oh... I was just joking. There happened to be a banquet, so I went out for two days.” Count Krei, who had been joking a moment ago, felt a little awkward after hearing Xius say that.

Just then—

“Sir, look, Dana has been crying this whole time!”

Count Krei was about to ask Xius something when a soft, sweet voice interrupted him.

Xius, hearing the voice, had a few guesses in mind. He lounged lazily in his seat and watched the scene before him.

“And this is...?” A woman in her twenties entered, holding a crying infant in her arms.

“This is my eldest son, Xius, the one I told you about,” Count Krei said, looking at the woman. But with the child’s cries ringing on and on, annoyance had already crept into his face.

After hearing Count Krei’s words, the woman bowed to Xius. Though she was Count Krei’s wife, she also knew her place. Besides, she had long heard that Count Krei did not place much importance on Xius, who had even gone off to the legendary wizard academy. So she did not feel reluctant to perform the courtesy.

“If there’s nothing else, go. I have some things to discuss with Xius,” Count Krei said impatiently, waving her away.

“Then Dana...” The woman seemed unwilling to leave and held the sobbing child out a little.

“If you don’t want to look after her, hand her over to the servants!”

Count Krei seemed to be losing his temper, his tone growing heavier.

“Father...”

“Brother?”

Hearing the word brother, Xius looked toward Henry, who had frozen stiff not far away.

Henry stared in disbelief at the familiar figure before him. He had not expected Xius to return so soon. Was his good fortune already at an end? Looking at Xius seated there, he once again remembered the days when Count Krei had given him no heed at all.

“Henry, is it? Come over and sit down,” Xius said after a brief pause, surprised to be called brother by him. In his memory, he had seldom seen this younger brother, let alone been addressed that way.

“Yes.” Henry also obediently sat down beside Count Krei.

In an instant, the vast room was left with only the baby’s crying.

The woman holding the infant looked at the three silent father and sons and understood that this was no place for her. After bowing to Count Krei, she carefully withdrew.

“Brother, when did you come back? Why didn’t anyone say so?” Henry asked with a strained smile.

“I only just got back. Not many people know,” Xius replied.

“I see. Then I...” Henry trailed off and lowered his head.

“All right. Go rest early.” Count Krei seemed to have forgotten whatever he had intended to say to Xius. He was the first to leave the room.

“Go back and rest early,” Xius said, watching Count Krei’s departing figure before turning to Henry.

“Yes, you should rest early too,” Henry said, eager to escape the room as quickly as possible. He hurried out.

That left Xius alone in the room. He lowered his head and smiled, then went out as well, intending to return to his own chamber.

“Xius!”

No sooner had he stepped out than he heard Reyel calling to him from the side.

Seeing that Reyel looked as though he had something to say, Xius walked over.

“Xius, the count...”

“I know. I’m fine. You should rest early too.” Before Reyel could finish, Xius had already understood what he meant. After saying that, he went upstairs.

Reyel looked as if he wanted to speak again, but in the end he only sighed at Xius’s retreating back and left as well.

Back in his room, Xius lay down on the bed, emptied his mind, and thought of nothing at all, preparing to sleep soundly.

Xius could rest peacefully, but not everyone could. Henry lay on his bed, turning over and over without sleep.

Every time Henry closed his eyes, he saw the days when Count Krei had not valued him, and he heard the words of the servants as if they were whispering right beside his ear. He could not fall asleep at all.

“No.”

Henry threw off his blanket, pulled on his clothes, and quietly slipped out of the room.

He made his way to his mother’s quarters and found that the lamp inside was still lit.

After a moment’s hesitation, Henry still went up and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Lady Bejan was startled by the sudden knock.

“Mother, it’s me. Henry,” Henry said softly from outside, keeping his voice low.

“Henry?” Lady Bejan found it strange that Henry had come to see her so late at night, but she still opened the door.

Henry slipped inside at once. In the room was not only Lady Bejan, but also the woman holding the infant whom Xius had just seen.

Henry looked at his mother in surprise.

“Oh, Yara and I were just chatting,” Lady Bejan said, seeing the strange look on her son’s face. She understood why he had come.