Chapter 70 A Fated Encounter
At midnight, the moon was obscured by dark clouds, plunging Eldoria into darkness.
Nathan paced in his room, feeling unusually restless, as if something ominous was about to happen.
He turned to his father, wanting to speak but unable to find the words.
"Your heart is troubled. What's on your mind?" Carter's aged voice broke the silence. "They've been on such missions before. Your current behavior makes it hard for me to entrust them to you."
"I'm sorry." Nathan quickly apologized, his forehead beaded with sweat.
Despite their father-son relationship, Nathan knew that if his father was displeased, he would be cast aside, living as a puppet, a mere tool for procreation.
"You must learn to control your emotions. Even if you're angry, you must wear a smile on your face. It's the refinement of nobility, something you still lack." Carter reprimanded sternly.
Today, his anger had not yet been fully vented. He thought, 'Does that low-born peasant think that by becoming a noble, he can look down on others? Today, I will take his head to use as a wine cup and then display it in the most prominent place in the study. And that vile female orc, if only I had killed her that day. I never expected the two of them to join forces; it's despicable, detestable.'
"Yes," Nathan replied respectfully, recalling a rival of his father's. They would meet with smiles, but behind the scenes, it was a battle of wits.
"They should be back by now. Prepare to move back to the castle." Carter instructed.
"Yes," Nathan replied.
Carter stretched his stiff back, sighing. "I'm getting old. These days, young people have no respect for their elders. What a tragedy."
He smiled wryly, thinking of Henry's young and handsome face, now perhaps stained with blood and dust.
A breeze caused the candle flames on the desk to flicker, and a new shadow appeared on the wall.
Carter's peripheral vision caught the movement, and his body tensed, his heart feeling as if it were being squeezed, his breathing heavy and rapid.
"What's wrong with you?" Nathan noticed Carter's reaction and asked with concern.
Carter's eyes were fixed on the new shadow on the wall, and Nathan, following his gaze, was also startled.
"Who's there?" Nathan shouted, both of them turning their heads towards the window.
All is silent. The window was empty.
Carter and Nathan's eyelids trembled, their teeth chattering, their bodies covered in cold sweat.
They both had the same thought, a tale of a devil who stole hearts at midnight.
"Close the window." Carter commanded, his voice trembling.
"I... I..." Nathan hesitated, but Carter's stern look made him comply.
With a trembling hand, Nathan closed the window, and a sense of security returned.
They both let out a sigh of relief, their fear subsiding.
"It must have been an illusion. We must have been worked up today." Carter said, patting his chest.
"An illusion? What kind of illusion? Are you talking about me?" A cold voice sounded from behind them.
Carter and Nathan screamed in terror, clinging to each other, their eyes wide with fear as they turned toward the source of the voice.
"It's you! The female orc!"
Mila appeared, sitting at the table, tossing the dagger up and down. If she wasn't careful, the blade could pierce the palm of her hand.
"The hypocritical Carter and Nathan, We meet again," Mila said, her icy blue eyes filled with a coldness that matched the midwinter.
She remembered the dark and damp dungeon, where hunger and cold seemed like yesterday.
"What do you want?" Nathan shouted, his voice trembling.
"Such naive words. Henry was right. People like you are all bark and no bite." Mila said, getting off the table, her grip on the dagger tight, and her eyes devoid of emotion.
"You can't kill me!"
Carter was afraid, truly afraid. The way the female orc looked at him was as if she was looking at a prey, not a person.
"You shouldn't have targeted Henry."
Mila raised the dagger, her voice full of murderous intent, a black arc cutting through the air.
The sound of a body hitting the ground. Before the person even fell, Mila had already left through the window, leaving behind a few drops of blood on the wall, the shadow cast by the candlelight crumpled.
"Is it fate?"
Mila paused by the wall, looking up at the dark sky, just as dark as that dungeon.
A strong wind blew, dispersing the dark clouds in the sky, and the moonlight shone down, illuminating the castle.
Mila stared at the scene, a faint smile playing on her lips, her eyes forming crescents.
Mila murmured, "It's as if I've found redemption. Henry should be like this moonlight that pierces through the darkness!"
She remembered the first day she met Henry when he said he would let her go, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to leave.
She muttered, "It must be time for a midnight snack! I wonder if Willow has prepared my food!"
The slender figure ran towards the castle in the moonlight, a whisper carried by the wind.
Mila muttered, "Meeting Henry must be fate! Yes, that's what I believe!"
