Free Web NovelChapter 265: Secret Of The Bracelet
A while later...
The car moved steadily along the road toward the palace.
Ethan sat in the back beside Isabella. Neither of them had spoke much, but their hands found each other at some point as they exchanged a brief glance and a nod.
Annette drove in silence, and beside her was General Iroh with his gaze fixed ahead.
The rest of the team had already been redirected. Ethan had given the instruction to regroup and wait at Stark Industries while he followed the princess.
—
Not long after they reached their destination, the palace gates opened without delay.
Within minutes, they were moving through the inner corridors, guided toward the throne room.
The atmosphere inside was very much tensed.
The King was standing in front of his throne seat, already waiting. There was fury on his face, and his eyes glowed a fiery orange.
To one side of the hall stood his gathered wives. All five of them.
One bore wolf ears and amber eyes. Another had white hair and the red eyes of a vampire.
An elegant dark-haired elf stood beside them, and near her, was a blonde-haired queen.
And finally, Lenora. Isabella’s mother.
She wore a black gown, and had blue hair swept up in a careful arrangement; with blue eyes that carried both elegance and a visible undercurrent of worry.
She broke formation almost immediately. "My child —"
Her voice trembled as she moved forward, reaching out and grabbing Isabella’s hand with both of hers.
Her frantic expression now had some level of relief in them.
Bella at her almost confused. Then, slowly, she pulled her hand back. They hadn’t spoken in months, so Lenora didn’t get to act like nothing had happened just because the situation called for it.
A brief flicker of pain crossed Lenora’s face. But she said nothing more as she stepped back and returned to her place among the others.
Bella moved forward, with Ethan following just behind her as his attention already moved across the room.
Bella stopped before the throne. "Father, you’ve summoned me"
The King’s gaze moved past Isabella for just a moment and landed on Ethan. Without saying anything, he returned focus back to his daughter.
"Are you part of this?" he demanded. "Part of whatever foolish attempt your siblings might be making against me? Against their own family"
There was this bitterness in his tone as he spoke.
Bella’s eyes widens slightly, so did Ethan’s as they both realized that their Father had figured it too.
The princess turned instinctively, scanning the room to realize that none of her siblings were present.
Then she turned back to face the King. "I am not part of whatever it is they are planning."
As she spoke, she moved her left hand subtly behind her back , the one bearing the bracelet, pulled just out of direct line of sight.
The King’s eyes narrowed. "Yesterday, Alistair escaped confinement. He was aided by Andrea... and one of my own commanders. Leona."
At the side of the room, Annette gritted her teeth in annoyance, and Iroh looked heavily disappointed.
The King continued. "Not only that. Every one of your siblings left this palace before that night."
His voice dropped further. "And not a single tracking spell can locate any of them. They have all been cloaked." freewebnovёl.ƈom
"So no, I will not take your word for it," he said. "I will confirm the truth myself."
He tilted his head as a signal to the head of the Verity Order who stepped forward calmly.
He raised his hand, and a magic circle formed beneath Isabella who looked down at it briefly, then around the room.
A few seconds passed, and then a frown formed on the man’s face. "...That’s strange."
He lowered his hand slightly, narrowing his eyes as he maintained the truth-seeking spell.
There was supposed to be a sort of a connection between his consciousness and the mind of his target. It was the foundation for the spell
But right now, nothing was nothing.
He lowered his hands slowly.
"Your Grace." He turned toward the throne, with uncertainty threading into his voice. "The spell is not taking hold."
King Carson’s expression darkened. "What do you mean?"
The man glanced back at Isabella before answering carefully. "This spell fails under two conditions. Either the caster lacks sufficient mana to sustain it... Or the target exists at a level that places them beyond what the spell can affect."
Carson’s gaze returned to Isabella, with a puzzled look on his face. Then his eyes widened. "This... is not possible."
Ethan exhaled, already knowing what had been found. But Isabella still held her composure, trying not to give anything away.
Normally, a regular awakened person had a peculiar color to their mana that naturally flowed around them.
But the Grand Class was different.
Your mana was seen as the purest kind once you reawakened. And only another member of the Grand Class could perceive this distinct nature of mana.
Carson stepped forward toward her. In his eyes, a certain, almost colorless, whitish form of mana seemed to evaporate around Bella.
But even so, there was something different about it.
Aside from the natural volume of mana around her, which looked very thin, as though she were suppressing it, it carried a different kind of presence.
A feeling that suggested that even if she was reawakened... it still felt different. Different from what a normal reawakened would feel like.
He stopped in front of her and asked, "How long has this been?"
Isabella looked past him. "I don’t understand what you mean, Father."
"You cannot hide this from me, child" His voice tightened. "How long?"
She exhaled. "...Five months."
Carson’s eyes widened. "Five months. In this palace." He shook his head slowly. "How?"
Isabella brought her left hand forward, the one she had kept hidden behind her back, bringing the bracelet into view
Carson’s gaze locked onto it. "...That was enough to conceal this from me?"
His eyes narrowed again. "Does Mr Stark know about this?"
"Yes." Bella nodded, which made Carson’s head turned sharply toward Ethan. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
The King laughed a short humorless laugh and clapped briefly. "So, this is why you wanted her specifically."
His voice then suddenly flared, "Mr. Stark... was it always your intention?! To take my daughter’s power for yourself and build something greater from it?"
Isabella quickly responded on his behalf. "That’s not true. We were together before any of this."
Carson gave her a cold glare. "Let the man speak."
Ethan met the King’s eyes without looking away. "Your Majesty... if you would simply listen to your daughter, she’s right"
Carson held his stare for a moment longer. Then he turned away, moving back toward his throne and sitting after.
"Iroh."
The General stepped forward.
"How long until Luther returns with Rayleigh?" Carson asked
And the General Replied, "Within a few hours, Your Majesty. Word has already been sent."
The King gave nod then moved attention back to Ethan. "This is a private family matter, I will have only those who belong to this palace remain."
Ethan tilted his head slightly. Then shook amusingly.
General Iroh’s expression darkened immediately. "You’ve heard His Majesty, Leave."
Ethan Instead, walked forward calmly until he stood beside Isabella who glanced at him with surprise on her face.
"I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here,"he began, "but I will not be able to leave this place, until I know she is safe"
"Are you questioning my orders?" Carson asked, with a new level of fury burning through his face.
Iroh’s frown deepened as he lifted his hand, forming a magic circle in his palm.
Before anything could go further, Isabella gave Ethan a smile. "Babe, it’s fine, I promise I’ll join you soon."
Ethan looked at her. "You’re sure?"
She nodded.
He exhaled, then turned back to face the throne. "Not once have you regarded your daughter fairly. And yet she has shown you nothing but respect... even while carrying the power to challenge your authority, if she ever chose to."
The Queens exchanged shocked glances amongst themselves. Carson’s expression darkened further.
Ethan then turned. "I hope you remember that...Your Majesty."
Then his body vanished in a burst of black smoke.
—-
A/N:
Votes Bonues: (35/54)
Gift Bonuses: (1/13)
