97: [Bonus chapter]Those accountable and those to blame

[Bonus chapter]Those accountable and those to blame

"Your Excellency!" Arkin's roar echoed in front of the manor in the darkest hour of the same night, just before dawn. "Come down and face me!"0

Adela who went down hearing the first call her knight made stood shivering at a distance, her heart racing with anticipation as she watched the unfolding drama before her eyes feeling a deep ache inside her chest as she witnessed the intricate tangle of emotions enveloping Arkin.

Consumed by the realization of half-truths he had heard from Egon, Arkin unleashed his anger in a wild display of defiance.

"Your Excellency, you know quite well why I am here. If you even remotely resemble the Kaiser de Lanark I once knew, then come out and face me!" His voice was made louder by the tranquility of the early morning.

"Commander, that is enough!" one of the two guards holding Arkin back snapped, his tone filled with fury. He looked warily at the three platoons standing in front of the manor gate, forced to keep their weapons sheathed in the presence of Lady de Lanark and the absence of any orders from her.

The Commander of the Second Order would have been imprisoned long ago if it were not for Adela's intervention.

Every knight present straightened up as the gate opened, and Kaiser de Lanark stepped out in his formal attire.

"Sir Arkin, you arrive at an odd hour. I had to dress up before coming down to meet you," Kaiser's voice carried remorse as his gaze briefly touched his daughter's figure, her eyes wide with fear in the darkness.

Arkin was about to demand a duel with the Archduke when Baron Gustav arrived at the scene atop his brown stallion. The sight of his son whom he had raised intending to engage in a sword fight with Kaiser — the very man who had saved Arkin's life the day he was born and was now taking the blame for it — almost knocked the Baron off his horse. He swiftly moved to stand between them, preventing Arkin from seeing the Archduke any longer.

"A knight is never blinded by feverish emotions, Commander! Look around and understand that you are not the only one in pain here!"

Arkin glanced behind him and saw Adela standing next to the Baroness who was on her knees weeping. His neck prickled at the sight of his mother in this mortified state, but he was sure that only Adela had been there moments ago.

His habit of being attuned to every breath his sister took made his stomach turn now. Arkin wanted to direct his anger and blame towards the Archduke, to accuse him of being the monster who had torn him from his mother's arms and placed him in the care of others.

The Baron dismounted and approached. "Arkin, hear me out... If you are here to demand compensation then you need to start with me first," Gustav declared, hitting his armored chest once with glistening eyes.

"Hear what out? What is left to hear? That I am the bastard child of the Archduchess and a commoner from Kolhis? You, with a lifetime of habit to cover for the friend you hold dearest to your heart... You took me in... When? Did you force your wife to pretend she was pregnant for months?... Father! Answer me!"

When the Baron's knees weakened, it was Kaiser's arm that steadied him in place, and as she searched her father's face, Adela knew what the storm behind his blue eyes meant.

He was about to reveal it all to Arkin.

"You invade the Archduke's manor like a thug before daybreak instead of discussing things calmly like a gentleman, but we excuse that foul temper of yours. However, I will not stand by and hear you disrespecting your father!" Kaiser chided. 

"That is quite enough," 

As Grace de Lanark made her way out of the gate, accompanied by Larissa, a hushed silence fell upon the witnesses. It was a sight to behold—the Archduchess with her flowing red hair, untamed and rejuvenating, while she donned a satin nightgown concealed beneath a protective shawl. Despite her trembling hands, her voice remained remarkably composed.

"You shall hear the truth from me... Son," she said, walking slowly until she was two steps away from Arkin.

Arkin looked at her as if seeing her for the first time in his life, his hand that clutched the handle of his sword trembled at the wrist, and the Baroness's sobs seemed to be scratching the insides of his head.

"I have one mother, Your Excellency. She is of much lesser status, kneeling on the cold ground because she worries for me."

Grace showed no signs of hurt by his words; in fact, she nodded in agreement.

"I was unwed and young, pregnant with you, when the Archduke sent his marriage proposal. You are well versed in the world of nobility to know that a royal proposal was not to be refused. I was honest in my reply and told him about you, thinking that he would be outraged and withdraw the proposal. But instead, he gave me his word of honor that he would raise you as his own."

Arkin took a step back, locking eyes with the Archduke, who appeared visibly shaken as he recalled the memory.

Grace took a steadying breath and had to swallow before she could continue.

"Your mother and I went into labor on the same day. The Baroness's child was born with a heart that did not beat..." The Archduchess's voice finally faltered as the memory pained her.

She looked up with clear eyes at her son's face who was alive today because of the lie he came blaming everybody for. "There was an order on your life before you even saw the light of day." She outstretched a shaking hand that almost touched Arkin's forehead before retracting it.

Arkin's sword slipped from his grip and landed on the ground.

"Indeed, these two men behind me saved your life that day, and your mother who does not deserve to shed the tears she is shedding now had no idea what was happening. She had passed out right after the final push, and when she opened her eyes, you... you were in her arms."

Gustav took a step closer to Arkin. "Son, the truth is painful but it is in facing it you shall heal and you shall grow. We are all here for you... However, you and all the men here must understand that this is not to be spoken outside of this manor, or you and your families will be annihilated!"

With great effort, Adela helped the Baroness rise to her feet, their gazes fixated on the ascending sun. As its warm rays illuminated the surroundings, Adela sensed a profound shift in the atmosphere—a Lanark that was fundamentally changed, where destinies and identities had been irrevocably transformed.

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