Chapter 458: Savior ?
Duke Thaddeus remained still. His sharp gaze bore into the young man before him, not in a glare, but in assessment. The cavern walls flickered with the eerie glow of the bioluminescent rock, casting shifting shadows along the stone and water—but none of that mattered now.
Because this Luca was standing right in front of him.
Alive.
And that—
That was the most impossible thing of all.
Thaddeus' expression remained unreadable, his voice slow, deliberate.
"Yes," he said at last. "I have heard of you."
Luca's smirk widened slightly, his posture still relaxed, casual—but there was something unspoken lurking beneath that amusement.
The Duke continued.
"Eryndor vouched for you."
Luca blinked, his smirk tilting slightly, as if caught between curiosity and genuine surprise.
"Did he now?"
Thaddeus didn't stop. His voice remained steady, but there was a distinct weight behind each word.
"You fought alongside my men during the expedition. You stood against the Kraken. And despite being only a 4-star, you—" His eyes narrowed slightly, scrutinizing every subtle reaction. "—fought as if you were much stronger."
Luca let out a quiet chuckle, tilting his head slightly.
"Ah." He exhaled, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. "So that's what they told you."
Thaddeus' expression didn't change.
"They said you broke through to 4-star in the middle of battle."
Another pause.
A flicker of something strange passed through Luca's dark eyes before he grinned again, stepping away from the cavern wall.
"Ahh, now that was a good moment," he mused, rolling his shoulders as if reminiscing about a casual spar rather than a battle against death itself. "Nothing like a good life-or-death situation to push past your limits, right?"
Thaddeus didn't smile.
Instead, his voice hardened.
"And yet," he said slowly, "Eryndor also said that even as a 4-star, you felt like a 5-star. That you were holding your own against knights far above your rank."
Luca stopped moving.
Just for a second.
His smirk was still there, his body still held that same effortless ease—but Thaddeus saw it.
The way his fingers twitched slightly.
The way his breath hitched, ever so subtly, before smoothing out again.
It was small. Barely noticeable.
But to Thaddeus?
It was everything.
He had commanded soldiers for decades, watched the best of warriors, knights, and mages rise and fall. He knew what it looked like when a man was choosing his next words very, very carefully.
Luca let out a short chuckle.
"Well," he finally said, tilting his head with an exaggerated sigh, "I suppose that's quite the compliment, isn't it?"
His black eyes met Thaddeus' directly—unwavering.
"An elite knight thinks I'm stronger than I actually am? I feel honored."
Thaddeus didn't move.
Didn't react.
He simply stared.
Because he knew.
That reaction—that phrasing.
He hadn't denied it.
Hadn't agreed.
He had sidestepped the entire thing.
And that was more telling than any answer could have been.
Aeliana, standing just beside them, watched the exchange carefully. She had known Luca was hiding things, of course. That much was obvious. But watching him now—seeing how he handled a man like her father—
That was something else entirely.
For the first time, she realized something.
Luca wasn't just avoiding the truth.
He was playing a game.
And Duke Thaddeus knew it.
The cavern remained still.
Neither man moved.
Neither looked away.
Until finally—
Thaddeus exhaled slowly.
"…Eryndor called you dangerous."
Luca blinked. Then, his grin returned, a little sharper than before.
"Ah. Now that's an interesting word."
And then, with infuriating ease, he shrugged.
"Can't say I blame him, though."
His smirk widened.
"I've been told I have that effect on people."
Duke Thaddeus felt something strange.
Not anger. Not offense.
But something close.
Something that demanded acknowledgment.
Because this young man—Luca—stood before him, speaking with such ease, such boldness, that it was almost unnatural.
No fear. No hesitation.
Not even the slightest sign of deference.
It wasn't arrogance. No, Thaddeus had seen arrogance before—he had crushed men who spoke too highly of themselves, who dared to wield empty pride in front of him.
This wasn't that.
This was something else.
A disregard.
As if his title, his power, his very presence did not demand the respect that it should.
And that—
That was not normal.
Because Thaddeus was not just a Duke.
He was the Duke of Thaddeus Duchy.
The Ruler of the Eastern Seas.
A Pillar of the Arcanis Empire.
There was no one in the Empire, save for the Royal Family itself, who stood on equal footing with him.
Even they showed him the respect he was due.
Even they acknowledged the weight of his name.
Yet this young man, this adventurer, spoke to him with neither reverence nor caution.
It was almost insulting.
Thaddeus let out a slow, measured breath. His golden eyes darkened, his mana pressing just slightly into the cavern. Not enough to be a threat—but enough to be felt.
His voice, when he finally spoke, was calm.
Cold.
Steady.
"Are you a fool?"
Luca blinked.
The cavern air thickened.
Thaddeus' presence, his authority, weighed down—not in a crushing wave, not in a show of force, but in a reminder.
A reminder of who he was.
Of what he was.
"I have tolerated much today," Thaddeus continued, his gaze sharp, his tone cutting through the silence like a blade. "But you—" He stepped forward just slightly, his voice lowering, "—either lack understanding or lack respect."
Luca didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't bow.
Instead—
He grinned.
And then, he spoke.
"I had assumed," Luca said, his tone light, as if the weight of Thaddeus' presence did not exist, "that you were not here as a Duke, but as a father looking for his daughter."
His head tilted slightly, his smirk widening just slightly, his black eyes unreadable.
"It looked like so in my eyes, at least."
The air tightened.
But Luca didn't stop.
"But—" he lifted a hand, as if offering a choice, "—if you want me to treat you as a Duke, then just state that."
His smirk curled, his eyes dark with amusement.
"Your Majesty Thaddeus."
Luca did not break eye contact. His smirk remained, his posture unwavering, as if Thaddeus' presence, his authority, was nothing more than a passing breeze.
And then—
He spoke again.
"Of course," Luca said smoothly, tilting his head, his voice carrying that same infuriating lightness. "I could certainly bow, offer my due reverence, and ensure my words are laced with proper decorum."
His smirk widened, mocking but not hostile.
"But tell me, Duke Thaddeus."
His black eyes gleamed.
"Is it proper for you to act like this in front of your daughter's savior?"
Silence.
Once again.
Chapter 459: Savior ? (2)
"Is it proper for you to act like this in front of your daughter's savior?"
A tension that shifted.
Luca took a casual step forward, his presence unshaken, speaking as if this conversation was of no greater consequence than idle gossip in a noble's parlor.
"If that is how things are done," he continued, "then perhaps all that talk about the Thaddeus Duchy and the people of the sea being genuine and honorable is just that—talk."
The air coiled tight.
Even Luca could feel it now—the subtle shift in the storm surrounding Thaddeus.
Because that had landed.
That had struck deep.
Duke Thaddeus of the Eastern Seas was a man of unshakable will, of unquestionable might—but above all else, his name carried honor.
Luca had just called it into question.
The tension in the cavern sharpened.
And then—
A voice cut through the silence.
"Father."
Cold. Sharp.
Thaddeus' gaze flickered, moving away from Luca—
And onto Aeliana.
She stood firm.
Her body was whole. Her presence unbroken.
Her eyes burned with the fire of someone who had walked through death itself—and returned.
And she was glaring at him.
Not in fear. Not in discomfort.
But in anger.
Her next words were quiet, but they held the weight of a command.
"Drop it."
Thaddeus did not speak.
But he saw it.
The way her arms remained crossed, the way her shoulders were tense—not from exhaustion, not from battle, but from something deep-seated.
She wasn't fine.
She had survived. She had returned. She had healed.
But she was still angry.
And that anger—
It was directed at him.
The air did not crack.
The storm did not surge.
But something changed.
Because Thaddeus understood.
His daughter may have returned.
But their relationship had not.
The cavern remained heavy with unspoken tension, the storm between father and daughter silent but ever-present.
Duke Thaddeus had faced countless warriors, kings, and enemies who thought themselves his equal. He had stood firm against empires, led fleets through storms, and crushed those who dared to challenge him.
And yet—this was different.
This was his daughter.
Aeliana, standing before him—whole, unbroken, defiant.
Her glare was not of a child seeking approval, nor of a noble lady subdued by expectations. It was of someone who had walked through something else.
Through death.
Through change.
And she had returned not as the daughter he had locked away, but as someone reborn.
Still, anger flickered within him.
Not towards Luca.
Not towards the sea, the vortex, or even the gods themselves.
But towards her.
For making him go through this.
For forcing him to endure the loss of another loved one.
For standing there with that look in her eyes—the one that told him, You don't control me anymore.
But Duke Thaddeus was a man of control.
And so he swallowed that rage, pushing it deep within, where it would not show, where it would not weaken him in front of those watching.
This was not the time.
This was not the place.
His golden eyes flickered back to Luca. The boy remained calm, too calm, his smirk still playing at the corners of his lips as if this were a game to him.
This kid.
The one who had survived the abyss, who stood before him without fear, who had—if the reports were true—saved Aeliana.
That alone changed everything.
And that alone was why Thaddeus did not act.
Not yet.
With a measured breath, he straightened, his presence once again shifting—not as a father, but as a Duke.
"Let us return." His voice cut through the cavern, cool and absolute. "This is no place to talk."
Luca's smirk widened slightly, his gaze twinkling with something between amusement and curiosity.
"Ah, yes." His voice carried an easy, almost lazy humor. "We need your grandiose mansion for that, don't we?"
A sharp comment. Aeliana's voice—cool, edged, biting—cut through the air like a blade.
She had not spoken to him like this before.
Not so openly.
Not so boldly.
For a moment, Thaddeus remained silent.
Then, without acknowledging the jab, he simply turned.
Aeliana's lips pressed into a thin line. She had expected some reaction, a remark, a reprimand—but instead, she got nothing.
The Duke was not taking the bait.
Fine.
She would not give him the satisfaction of expecting obedience, either.
Without another word, she followed.
Luca followed, his pace slow, almost leisurely, as if none of what had just transpired mattered in the slightest. Aeliana walked ahead of him, her shoulders tense but her expression unreadable.
Duke Thaddeus led the way, silent and imposing, his mind turning over everything that had happened.
Luca knew the Duke hadn't let this go.
Not really.
The man had only postponed it.
Which meant Luca had **delayed the storm—**not avoided it.
Fine by him.
They moved through the cavern's winding tunnels, past the eerie bioluminescent stones, the foreign symbols etched into the rock pulsing ever so faintly as they passed.
Luca glanced at them one last time, his fingers itching to trace over the engravings, to understand what they meant.
But not now.
Not yet.
The group finally reached the edge—the place where Thaddeus had broken into this abyss in his pursuit of Aeliana.
And the moment they stepped out—
The ocean shifted.
A barrier formed around them.
It came suddenly, seamlessly, as if the water itself bent to Thaddeus' will.
The swirling currents parted, forming a vast transparent dome, encasing them in a bubble of breathable air while holding back the crushing weight of the deep. The light from above filtered through the dark ocean, casting eerie rays of silver through the barrier.
Luca exhaled sharply, glancing around.
"So this was the place the space was attached to," he murmured, his voice carrying with ease through the enclosed space.
Thaddeus turned sharply.
"What space?"
Luca hummed, his fingers tapping lightly against his arm as he gazed at the rocky ocean floor.
"When we were teleported by the vortex," he explained casually, "we weren't thrown into the depths of the ocean. We were taken to an entirely different space. A separate dimension."
A pause.
He tilted his head slightly, watching Thaddeus' expression shift just slightly.
"But this isn't the place to talk details, is it?"
His smirk returned.
Thaddeus' golden eyes narrowed, but then—
"…No."
His agreement was cold, decisive.
Whatever had happened to Aeliana, whatever had happened to this young man, it was clear now—
This wasn't just about the sea.
This was something far greater.
The barrier around them shifted, the ocean currents bending to Duke Thaddeus' presence as if obeying an unspoken command. With a single movement, the vast dome of water surrounding them began to rise, pulling them upward through the abyss.
Lucavion watched the way the water parted so seamlessly for the Duke, the way the sea creatures lurking in the shadows withdrew as if in silent reverence. There was no force, no spoken spell—just will.
The Storm Sovereign's Dominion.
Lucavion had already heard stories of Thaddeus' unique bloodline, how it gave him a connection to the seas that no other noble—no other warrior—could match. But seeing it was something else entirely.
Even in the crushing depths, the ocean bowed to him.
The ascent was quick, far quicker than any natural movement through water should have been. The darkness of the deep faded, giving way to a softer blue as light trickled down from above. The closer they came to the surface, the more defined the glow of the sun became, cutting through the murky veil of the ocean.
And then—
They breached.
With a rush of displaced water, the three of them emerged into the open sea. The waves lapped gently around them as the massive fleet of Thaddeus' navy stretched out in every direction, their sails casting long shadows against the shifting waters. The flagships of the Thaddeus Duchy stood in formation, their dark banners fluttering against the wind, the emblems of the Eastern Sea Lord unmistakable against the sky.
The moment Thaddeus surfaced, a sharp horn blast echoed across the fleet.
The signal of his return.
All along the decks of the surrounding ships, knights and sailors rushed forward, their gazes locking onto their Duke as he walked atop the water like it was solid ground. His boots barely disturbed the surface, ripples spreading outward with each deliberate step.
Luca followed behind, less elegantly—though his movements were controlled, the water bending subtly beneath his weight as he adjusted to the unnatural energy lingering in the air.
Aeliana was silent.
And then—
A shift.
One by one, the knights and commanders standing along the decks froze.
Not because of the Duke.
But because of her.
Chapter 460: She didn't forget
Sharp, unguarded gasps broke through the disciplined ranks. Some knights, usually trained to remain composed under any circumstance, stumbled slightly where they stood, their expressions breaking into shock.
Even Reinhardt Valsteyn, the Knight Commander who had served Thaddeus for years, momentarily lost his usual stoicism.
Because they had all known Aeliana.
They had seen her before.
And the woman who now stood beside the Duke—**without her veil, without the sickness that had once clung to her like a second skin—**was not the same girl they remembered.
Her hair, long and cascading like woven silk, swayed against the ocean breeze, reflecting the light with a midnight sheen. Her eyes, burning amber and sharp as a blade, no longer held the weary, feverish weight of someone struggling against death.
Her skin—
There was no more illness.
No more pale, brittle complexion, no more frailty that once defined her.
The sickness that had plagued her for years—the one that had been deemed incurable—was gone.
She was whole.
And it was impossible.
The air on the flagship's deck felt heavier.
It wasn't just shock.
It was something closer to awe.
Aeliana felt their gazes. She saw the subtle disbelief in the way the knights' hands clenched at their sides, how their eyes flickered between her and the Duke as if searching for confirmation of what they were seeing.
Her expression did not change.
She did not shrink back under their scrutiny.
Instead, she met their gazes directly.
And that, more than anything, was what made some of them truly pause.
Because the Aeliana they had once known never looked people in the eye.
The Aeliana they had once known was hidden, veiled, her sickness making her fragile, leaving her with little reason to meet the world head-on.
But this Aeliana?
The one standing beside Duke Thaddeus was not broken.
She was unshaken.
Aeliana took a step forward onto the deck.
And no one could look away.
Not out of pity.
Not out of concern.
But because it felt like something new had been born.
Duke Thaddeus did not acknowledge their shock.
He did not offer explanations.
He simply walked forward, as if daring anyone to question what they saw.
And not a single knight spoke.
Not yet.
Lucavion, standing at the edge of the deck, exhaled sharply through his nose, watching the entire interaction with a flicker of amusement.
"Quite the homecoming," he murmured under his breath, mostly to himself. His dark eyes flickered toward Aeliana, watching the way she carried herself under the weight of so many stares.
She did not waver.
A smirk pulled at his lips.
"Interesting."
But whatever thoughts he had, he kept them to himself.
Because this—
This was a moment between father and daughter.
And Lucavion?
For now—
He would just watch.
******
A beat of silence.
And then—
A sound erupted across the flagship.
A deafening cheer.
The knights, the sailors, the mages—all who stood on the deck, who had been watching in stunned silence just moments ago, suddenly shouted as one.
"WOOOOOOO!"
"LADY AELIANA IS SAVED!"
"THE YOUNG LADY IS SAFE!"
A wave of relief, joy, and pure disbelief crashed through the gathered forces.
Some knights slammed their fists against their chests in salute. Others raised their weapons high into the air, their cheers carrying across the entire fleet.
The crew banged their shields, their roars of victory and celebration rolling like thunder across the ocean. Even the more disciplined veterans—**the ones trained to suppress emotion in the face of war—**could not hide their grins.
This was not just a victory.
This was a miracle.
The Duke's daughter, the frail girl whom everyone thought doomed to sickness, the young lady they had seen veiled for years—was standing before them, strong and unbroken.
Their joy was genuine.
Because this wasn't just about the Duchy.
This wasn't just about duty.
Aeliana had been one of their own.
Even if they had never spoken to her, even if they had only seen her from a distance—they had all known.
They had all known about the girl hidden away behind walls.
And now, that girl was gone.
What stood before them was something else entirely.
Aeliana remained still, watching them.
The cheering, the pure joy—it wasn't something she had ever experienced directly.
It was…
Strange.
She didn't dislike it.
But she wasn't sure she liked it either.
The ship continued its course home, the waves pushing them forward as if the ocean itself had accepted this as a moment of triumph.
Duke Thaddeus stood at the ship's helm, watching everything unfold. The cheers, the relief, the way his men celebrated his daughter's return.
And then—
His gaze shifted.
To her.
She stood at the edge of the deck, her arms crossed, her amber eyes focused on the sea ahead.
Aeliana.
He had been so consumed by everything else—by the **journey, by the battle, by the impossible reality of her survival—**that he had not once asked her—
Not once.
If she was okay.
His voice came out lower than he expected.
"…Aeliana."
She turned slightly, her expression neutral, waiting.
Thaddeus exhaled.
"Are you—"
He stopped.
The words felt foreign in his mouth, as if he had never needed to say them before.
Because he hadn't.
He had never asked her how she was.
Not before the sickness.
Not during.
And even now—
She beat him to it.
"I am okay, Father," Aeliana said.
Her tone was blunt, sharp—almost crude.
"As you can see."
Her amber eyes, once bright with fire, dimmed slightly, as if she had already expected the question too late.
Before he could react, she continued.
"And I know you're curious."
She turned fully now, tilting her head ever so slightly, as if already predicting his thoughts.
"So let me answer beforehand."
The wind brushed through her hair, the ocean stretching infinitely behind her.
"The illness… Yes, it is gone."
The words rang clear.
Unshaken.
Final.
And for the first time in a long time in his life—
Duke Thaddeus did not know what to say.
Chapter 461: She didn't forget (2)
The silence between them stretched.
The fleet continued its steady course through the waters, the cheers and celebrations of the knights fading into the background, becoming nothing more than distant noise. The waves lapped gently against the hull, the rhythmic sound filling the space between father and daughter.
Duke Thaddeus remained still, his gaze never leaving Aeliana. She stood with her back straight, her expression unreadable, her arms loosely crossed as if she had already braced herself for whatever conversation would come next.
But none came.
There were countless things he wanted to ask.
'Are you sure?'
He had seen it with his own eyes—her skin, once marked with sickness, was now flawless. Her stance, once fragile and careful, was now firm. The sickness that had chained her to her chambers for years, the one that no healer, no mage, no scholar had been able to cure… Was it truly gone?
His instincts told him yes.
But there was a part of him, deep and relentless, that refused to believe it so easily. A part of him that had spent too many years expecting to lose her.
'What happened to you?'
His daughter had vanished.
Swallowed by the abyss, lost to the same vortex that had consumed so many
Swallowed by the abyss, lost to the same vortex that had consumed so many lives. He had accepted—been forced to accept—that the ocean had taken her. That she, like the others, had been erased from existence.
And yet, she was here.
Standing before him.
'What was that place?'
He knew enough now to understand that wherever she had gone, it had not been the depths of the ocean. Luca had said something about a 'different space.'
Was it another world? Another dimension? Something unnatural, beyond human comprehension?
Did she suffer there?
Did she fight? Did she struggle?
Did she change?
She was not the same as before. That much was obvious.
The fire in her eyes wasn't new, but now it held weight.
'Did that adventurer help you?'
Thaddeus' gaze flickered toward the young man standing off to the side, arms lazily folded, his expression unreadable. Luca had spoken so easily, so carelessly, but there was something else beneath that ease. Something deeper.
The way he stood in that cavern, as if he belonged there. The way he had answered his questions with carefully chosen words, never revealing too much, never revealing too little.
The way Aeliana hadn't dismissed him.
Thaddeus had spent years learning how to read people. He knew when someone was lying. He knew when someone was keeping a secret.
And Luca was keeping something.
But most of all, what gnawed at him the most—
'How did you survive?'
His daughter had always been strong-willed, but this was something beyond will.
This was impossible.
And yet, he could not bring himself to ask.
Not here.
Not now.
Instead, he did something he had never done before.
He said nothing.
The silence continued, unbroken between them, the ocean stretching endlessly around them.
And Aeliana did not break it either.
She simply stood there, facing forward, her hands tightening just slightly around her arms.
She knew.
She knew he wanted to ask.
But she didn't offer anything.
Not yet.
The silence stretched, the rhythmic sound of the waves filling the space between them. Duke Thaddeus stood beside his daughter, his gaze drifting across the endless horizon. He had been drowning in questions, in everything he wanted to ask, but if she wasn't ready to answer—then pushing wouldn't help.
Instead, he exhaled quietly and shifted the conversation to something simpler.
"Are you hungry?" His voice was level, calm. "Should I have something prepared for you?"
It was a surface-level question, nothing deep, nothing intrusive.
But even as he said it, the realization settled over him.
I should have asked this years ago.
He had spent years ensuring that Aeliana received the best care, that she had what she needed to survive, but when was the last time he had simply asked her if she wanted something?
It was such a simple thing. Too simple.
And yet, it felt strange now, as if he had missed an opportunity that had long since passed.
Aeliana didn't look at him when she responded.
"I don't have any appetite."
Thaddeus was silent for a moment.
".....I see."
But before the silence could stretch again, Aeliana added, "But I want a glass of Everhollow Reserve."
Thaddeus' head turned sharply. His golden eyes narrowed.
Everhollow Reserve.
A wine from the northern vineyards, aged for decades, known for its rich, deep taste. Expensive. Sophisticated.
And something Aeliana had never been allowed to drink.
"No." His response came automatically, firm, without hesitation.
Aeliana finally turned to look at him, her expression flat but her eyes sharp.
"I am cured now."
There was no uncertainty in her tone. No question. Just a statement—unshaken, undeniable.
But Thaddeus did not yield so easily.
"You were forbidden from drinking because it would weaken you further. Just because your body is well now doesn't mean—"
"Doesn't mean what?" Aeliana cut him off, her voice rising slightly. Her amber eyes burned with something different now—not just frustration, but something that had been building for years. "Doesn't mean I can make my own decisions? Doesn't mean I can do what I want? Father, you always do this."
The tension on the deck thickened. The waves still lapped gently against the hull, the air still carried the scent of salt and steel, but the space between them had shifted—sharpened.
Duke Thaddeus' golden eyes darkened, his gaze locking onto Aeliana's with an intensity that made lesser men falter.
But Aeliana did not falter.
She stood firm, her posture rigid, her amber eyes burning with the same defiance he had once thought illness had extinguished. But no—it had never been the sickness that made her fragile. It had been his own expectations, his own restrictions, the walls he had built around her.
He had thought they were for her protection.
Now, she was standing before him, whole, and she was breaking them.
His jaw tightened.
"You always do this."
Her voice rang clear, cutting through the air between them like a blade. There was no hesitation, no deference—just a challenge. She wasn't holding back anymore.
"You decide what is best. You dictate what I can and cannot do." Her hands clenched at her sides, and for the first time since stepping onto this deck, she wasn't looking past him. She was looking at him. Through him. "Even now, after everything, after I—" She stopped herself. A brief pause. Then, a sharp exhale. "You haven't changed."
Something in Thaddeus snapped.
"And you have?" His voice was low, steady—too steady. A dangerous calm, the kind that came before the storm.
Aeliana did not flinch.
"I am not the same person you locked away, Father." Her words were cold, her tone clipped. "I am not the same girl who had to ask permission to step outside, who had to beg for the right to breathe fresh air, to see the sea." Her chin lifted slightly, her expression unreadable but unyielding. "You cannot control me anymore."
Thaddeus inhaled sharply, his breath measured—too measured. His fingers curled into his palms, the leather of his gloves creaking from the pressure.
"You think I did all of that to control you?" His voice dropped lower, a storm brewing beneath his tone. "To oppress you?"
Aeliana's eyes flickered with something he couldn't place. Not fear. Not anger. Something deeper.
"I th-"
But then a voice echoed.
"Let's stop."
It was the young man who was standing beside the deck calmly whole the time.
"You have put quite a show, but everything has a location, don't you think?"