Chapter 70
Chapter 70
Emilia stood beneath the twilight sky, her son cradled in her arms. The garden was quiet, bathed in soft golden light from the manor windows. Birds murmured from the treetops, but her mind was far away drifting between peace and something she couldn’t quite name.
Calista joined her, looking paler than usual but smiling gently. Her own child was asleep in a sling wrapped against her chest.
“They’re nothing like us,” Calista said, brushing a leaf from Emilia’s shoulder. “And yet... everything like us.”
Emilia chuckled softly. “They’ll be stronger. Kinder. Wiser, I hope.”
They sat on the stone bench, shoulder to shoulder. The silence that settled between them wasn’t empty, it was thick with friendship.
Vivienne approached, her arms crossed but her face softened. “You two are glowing,” she teased. “Exhausted, but glowing.”
Emilia smiled. “We were talking about the babies. And how we hope they’ll change everything.”
Vivienne nodded. “They already have.”
After a pause, Emilia turned to her. “Have you seen Kith today?”
Vivienne tilted her head. “Not since early morning. He was headed to the eastern wing, said he wanted to go through the old scrolls in the archives.”
Calista looked up. “Always researching, that one.”
“He’s always been like that,” Vivienne agreed.
They fell quiet again, and this time, the silence had edges.
Later that evening, inside the manor, Luca sat with Emilia in their room, the candlelight casting soft shadows on his face. He was polishing the silver crest for the naming ceremony, his fingers working with care.
“You’re quiet,” he said.
Emilia leaned against the bedpost. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
"Kith.”
Luca stopped polishing. “What about him?”
“He’s... almost too perfect. Too present. I appreciate him, I do, but sometimes I just can't shake off this feeling.”
Luca chuckled, but there was tension in the sound. “He’s always been calculated. Never cruel, though.”
“No,” Emilia agreed. “But calculated people scare me more than cruel ones.”
Luca set the crest down. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”
She met his gaze. “No. Don’t confront him. Not yet. I just... want to be sure.”
He nodded. “Alright. We move carefully.”
The next morning, preparations for the naming ceremony were in full swing. The grand hall buzzed with activity flowers being arranged, tapestries hung, silver dishes laid out in shining rows.
Cyrus arrived with Calista, the pair of them looking radiant despite sleepless nights. The air between them had softened, and Cyrus now hovered protectively beside her, always one step behind.
“We’re almost ready,” Vivienne announced. “Just need the final blessing stones.”
“Where are they?” Emilia asked.
“Vault chamber,” Vivienne replied. “Kith said he’d bring them once he’s finished sorting the lineage tablets.”
At the mention of his name, something flickered in Emilia’s chest. An unease she couldn’t name.
She left the others and made her way down the eastern corridor, feet soft on the cool stone. The path was quiet too quiet for this time of day.
She reached the archive chamber. The door was cracked open.
Inside, Kith was alone.
He stood in front of a glowing map carved into the wall. His voice was low, almost a whisper, but Emilia could hear it through the crack.
He murmured some words then paused, running his hand over a set of ancient markings.
“Two sons. One legacy. And the old blood returns. It has always been about the blood. Theirs is only the beginning.”
Emilia took a slow, silent step back.
She didn’t understand everything, but she understood enough.
He wasn’t who he claimed to be.
Back in the hall, she returned to the others, her expression calm but her heart racing.
Vivienne handed her a folded linen for the ceremony. “Everything alright?”
Emilia nodded slowly. “Everything’s fine.”
But her gaze flicked once more toward the corridor Kith had come from.
And in her arms, her child stirred.