"Step away from the door!" He didn’t know what came over him. He never had the bravery to confront his father like this before. But knowing how his mother’s life could be in danger was enough for him to act.
"Benedict, what are you doing?"
The Duke narrowed his eyes. This rebellious child, how could he not see how hard he was working for this family?
Taking care of the nobles of the North who wished to seize power, dealing with his wife’s situation, his son’s behaviour and the blatant greed of the Holy Temple. They were overwhelming him slowly.
What he needed was some time. Some time to slowly deal with the problems but his son wouldn’t understand. If he told Benedict that he was calling someone from the Holy Temple, he would assume his mother would come back.
And when that doesn’t happen, he would be devastated. He couldn’t give him that hope and take it away. That was why he kept this under wraps.
Now they were so close but...
This was enough provocation for Benedict to unleash his earth powers. It had remained dormant till now, he hadn’t awakened it yet.
"Ugh!" The Duke stepped back from the door to avoid getting hit. He moved instinctively, he didn’t expect his son to awaken his powers.
The door to his wife’s chamber had been completely blocked by a wall of earth.
"Benedict!"
"I won’t allow you to hurt my mother!"
The Duke’s eyes widened. What was he talking about?
He turned around to see Edward who looked at what was unfolding in front of him with nonchalant eyes, sometimes it was hard for him to believe he was around the same age as his son.
He didn’t want to fight in front of the guests so he grabbed Benedict by the hand and led him out of the hallway and into his room.
Edward’s calm gaze turned cold, "Get out of there."
From the shadows, a figure slowly emerged.
Anna had been observing the exchange between Edward and the Duke from a distance. Despite the tense atmosphere, she wore a small, knowing smile as she approached him.
"I will get straight to the point, you are a bright child so you’ll know what I mean when I say do not heal her."
Edward raised his eyebrows, she dared to ask him this so openly.
"And why would I listen to you?"
"Your Temple would want someone on the inside, I could be that person, but for that to happen... She has to die."
Edward figured out who she was pretty quickly. She was Benedict’s future stepmother. So she wanted him to let the Duchess die? He would’ve done that anyway.
Sure, he would play along. There was nothing for him to lose anyway. The Holy Temple already got the prime piece of land they wanted.
He knew very well why they asked for it in this lifetime and the last. The water from the heavens that they thought was exclusive to their Holy Temple was found in the Northern parts of the Empire.
No wonder their soil had been so fertile, life was flourishing. But with that land, they decided to cut off the connection to that water. They couldn’t afford to lose their power. If anyone discovered this...
The disaster that struck the Northern Duchy leaving their soil barren was no curse from the Heavens. It was because of the Holy Temple.
Anna left thinking she succeeded. She felt like she was one step closer to her plan. There was still a lot to do before she got what she wanted. Benedict wouldn’t dare to sell her out, she was the only one he trusted in that house.
She successfully drove a wedge between the father and son.
It didn’t take long for the Duke to come back. He undid the spell that Benedict cast and led Edward in.
Edward stood by her bedside and glanced back at the Duke, who held his breath and watched on.
Edward’s fingers brushed the Duchess’s forehead, and he murmured a quiet incantation. White light flickered at his fingertips, soft and faint at first but then grew stronger.
He closed his eyes, concentrating on the delicate wisps of life that remained in her body. She was so close to completely disappearing from this world. He was surprised she held out this long.
The Duke’s gaze was like daggers piercing him, a mixture of desperation and anger.
Edward ignored it, there was something that caught his attention. Even he couldn’t pin point what was wrong with the Duchess. When he sends the holy power into someone’s body, he can visualise all the weak points.
But the Duchess’ figure was dark, everything about her condition was a secret. Just what was this mysterious illness?
Edward finally stepped back, he spoke carefully, "Her condition will not worsen for some time. I can’t say how long, but this is the best I can offer."
"This is it?" The Duke’s voice was increasingly loud. He was barely able to suppress his rage
Edward nodded. "It’s all anyone can do." He carefully observed the expression on the Duke. Seeing that he was able to retain his sanity, he shifted his attention to the Duchess.
Her cheeks were sunken and so were her eyes. Her body was cold but the colour had returned to her cheeks. She wasn’t exactly brewing with vitality but, she could survive longer than her fated lifespan.
He had to admit, he was intrigued by her case. He would love to research and experiment but the Duke obviously wouldn’t allow it. He gently wiped his hands with a white handkerchief.
"Take the sword and leave."
The Duke wanted to spend some more time with this wife. None of which concerns Edward. Without looking back he decisively left.
The priests who accompanied him should already be in possession of the sword. There is no point in lingering here. However, he would love to see the expression on Benedict’s face...