"Stay with me," Elias whispered, hugging Caelum tighter as they settled onto the couch.
Alexander and Matheas materialized inside the room a few minutes later.
"The knights are watching over them," Matheas reported, walking to stand beside Elias. He placed a supportive hand on Elias' shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to witness that," he said, his voice low with regret.
"I'm sorry I didn't anticipate this, son," Alexander apologized, his kingly demeanor momentarily replaced by a father's remorse.
Elias slowly lifted his head from Caelum's neck, his gaze meeting his father's and Matheas'. "Can I truly trust both of you?" he asked, his voice sounding weak and utterly exhausted.
Alexander nodded firmly. "You absolutely can," he assured him. "I may hold the title of king, but I am your father first and foremost."
"And I am your godfather," Matheas added, his expression earnest. "I swore an oath to never bring you harm."
Elias simply nodded. He eased himself out of the hug, leaning back against the couch. He gently guided Caelum to lean back as well, then rested his head on Caelum's shoulder. "Could we go to my grandfather's?" he requested. "I want to spend some time by the beach and get away from the capital for a while, at least until the trials commence and I must return."
Alexander and Matheas exchanged a look and nodded in agreement.
"We've been delaying that visit for a while now," Alexander commented. "Would you like to leave immediately?" he asked.
Elias nodded, his grip tightening on Caelum's hand.
"If you're going, I'm going with you," Caelum assured Elias, his words a silent promise that he wouldn't leave his side.
Alexander and Matheas smiled faintly, seeing a slight, genuine smile touch Elias' face despite the traumatic events he had just experienced.
Elias rose, pulling Caelum up with him, and then teleported them both to Imperial Port Manor. This grand estate was the residence of Alexander's father, the former king Julias Samuel Sol Ingris, and his mage and knight, Raphael Jade Hilston.
"Elias?" Julias called out, already walking toward the front door as he sensed the telltale surge of teleportation magic.
Julias bore a striking resemblance to Elias, the most noticeable difference being his distinguished silver hair.
"Grandfather!" Elias exclaimed, forcing a smile that he knew didn't quite reach the desolate look in his eyes.
Julias immediately noticed the forced cheerfulness. He quickly walked to Elias and pulled him into a tight, comforting hug, not minding how Elias instinctively clung to Caelum with one arm.
Alexander and Matheas materialized at the front door a moment later.
"Alex?" another man called, stepping out of the manor. "What has happened?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
"Sir Raphael," Matheas greeted with a respectful nod. "Elias wished to visit His Highness Julias and spend some time relaxing by the beach."
"What exactly transpired?" Julias pressed, looking pointedly at Alexander and Matheas. "Weren't the trials scheduled for a few weeks from now, before the start of the third school term?" he inquired.
"They were, Your Highness," Caelum confirmed, looking at Julias. "Until we uncovered another accomplice," he added with a slight wince, knowing Elias' tight grip on his arm would surely leave a painful purple bruise later.
"Alex?" Julias questioned, directing his attention to his son.
"It was Arthur, Father," Alexander admitted with a heavy sigh.
"And Isolde?" Julias asked, his gaze shifting to Elias with renewed concern.
"She knew exactly what Arthur was planning," Elias stated, his voice flat. "She simply didn't care. She didn't care that one of her children was actively plotting to harm the other," he reiterated. "And she still feels sympathy for Aurelius," he whispered, his voice laced with self-contempt. "I was a complete fool to ever believe she loved me."
Caelum immediately wrapped his free arm around Elias' back. "You are safe right now. I am here, His Majesty is here, Matheas is here. I believe His Highness Julias and Sir Raphael are also on your side," he murmured reassuringly. "You are safe when you are with us."
"His mage and knight?" Julias asked Alexander, seeking clarification.
Alexander nodded gravely. "Elias found the boy himself."
"That isn't true, son," Isolde's voice rang out as she stepped from behind a cluster of trees, only to be stopped abruptly by the shimmering holy barriers protecting the manor. "I love you. Your mother still loves you," she insisted, tears streaming down her face.
Arthur stood beside her, looking as though he had been forcefully teleported to the Imperial Port Manor against his will.
"You escaped when I explicitly ordered you both to remain in the Emerald Manor," Alexander stated, his eyes narrowing into a furious glare directed at his consort and his son.
"Caelum," Elias called out, slowly relaxing his painful grip on Caelum's arm. "Could you make Arthur drop to his knees for a moment?" he requested, a dangerous edge creeping into his voice. "I have a few choice words I'd like to share with him."
Caelum nodded his understanding.
Alexander began to move, intending to stop Caelum, but both Matheas and Raphael restrained him. "Let him speak," they advised in unison. "We need to hear what he wants to say, and then we will handle the consequences. Just let him pour his heart out."
Alexander looked back and forth between Caelum, who was ready to carry out Elias' order, and Elias, whose expression was a disturbing mixture of heartbreak and murderous intent. Finally, Alexander nodded his reluctant permission.
"I crafted this specific rune for just an occasion," Caelum said, looking at Arthur, who was now trembling visibly with fear. "Seal," he commanded.
The rune he had expertly carved, a sealing circle, immediately glowed and formed beneath Arthur's feet. Caelum then walked over to Arthur, caused two solid pillars of earth to rise up and lock Arthur's hands securely in place, and then placed the actual sealing ring onto Arthur's wrist. He had already efficiently restrained Isolde before he even took a single step toward Arthur.
"On his knees?" Caelum asked, looking back at Elias for confirmation.
Elias looked at Arthur and slowly shook his head. "I believe this position will suffice perfectly," he said. He then walked closer to them.
"Did you ever know that the very brother you admire so much has tried to kill you numerous times?" Elias asked Arthur, his expression stone cold.
"He wouldn't!" Arthur shouted, his voice filled with denial.
"He did, son," Alexander confirmed, his voice grave. "Because Elias intercepted the killers from reaching you, he suffered the prolonged effects of the poison himself."
Arthur began shaking his head uncontrollably, muttering the word "no" over and over again.
"Do you remember that time you suffered a severe stomach ache that Lady Isolde had to call Nathan?" Elias asked, lifting Arthur's face by the chin to force him to meet his gaze. "Nathan told me you were poisoned, and that it only manifested as a stomach bug because I noticed the difference in your tea leaves and added a few neutralizing leaves to it before you drank it," he sneered, a cruel satisfaction in his tone. "I thought that act might finally change your misguided opinions about me and Aurelius, but do you remember what you told me instead?" He scowled, remembering the pain. "You told me you hated me for causing you discomfort. Yes. Perhaps I should have simply let you die that day. Then at least I wouldn't have been poisoned later."
Elias then shifted his glare to Isolde. "And you never once corrected him, even though you noticed what I was doing with a pleasant smile on your face," he accused her. "I initially thought you simply didn't want to reprimand him. He almost died, so I convinced myself to let it go. And with all the resources at your disposal and the entire mage department under your command, you could have at least discovered who brewed that poison. But since Arthur was the one who inadvertently led to our capture, you let the matter drop. You let your older son come close to death almost every single day," he shouted, his voice cracking with years of suppressed pain.
Isolde frantically shook her head, tears still flowing. She opened her mouth, about to speak, but Caelum's sharp blade was instantly pressed against her throat, the cold metal a stark warning.
"Please remain silent," Caelum warned, his voice dangerously quiet. "I honestly don't believe I can restrain myself from killing you if you begin to argue right now."