Soulbound: Dual Cultivation-Chapter 57: Kingdom at War

Lucas then said calmly, "I would like to ask a question."

The Seer, standing with her hands gently folded before her, tilted her head slightly and nodded. "Then ask."

Lucas took a quiet breath, knowing what he was about to say was dangerous, but he wasn’t the kind to shy away from difficult truths.

"Do you have a hand in the poisoning of Prince Darius?"

The chamber went completely still. The Seer didn’t answer immediately. Her golden eyes narrowed, not in rage, but in icy disapproval. Lucas could tell she didn’t expect such boldness.

"That’s a bold accusation," she said, her voice even but carrying an edge beneath the calm. "Careful, young Alden... truth and death are often separated by a single breath."

Lucas didn’t flinch. He held her gaze, steady. "I didn’t accuse you," he said coolly. "I asked a question."

She stared at him for a moment longer, then turned her back to him. She walked slowly to her table, where the remains of her herbs and scrolls were still spread out. "No. I did not poison the Prince," she said at last. "But...I’m keeping something."

Lucas took a step forward. "Then why not tell the King everything?"

She turned her head only slightly, just enough for her voice to reach him. "Because sometimes... knowledge does more harm than silence. The King doesn’t need every truth, not yet. What I hold back is for the good of the realm."

Lucas frowned. "That’s not your choice alone to make."

The Seer finally turned back to him, her gaze sharp again. "And yet, it is. Because there are truths this kingdom is not ready for. Including yours."

A long silence stretched between them. Lucas knew she was referring to what she sensed in him, his foreign soul, his unknown technique, his unnatural growth.

He didn’t press further. For now, he had heard enough.

The Seer waved a hand. "We’ve spoken enough for one night. You may return to your quarters."

With a motion, she summoned a servant from the hall. A young woman entered, bowing respectfully before gesturing for Lucas to follow.

Lucas looked at the Seer one last time. "We shall meet again."

"Of that, I have no doubt," she said softly, watching him with unreadable eyes.

He turned and followed the servant out. The halls were quiet as they walked. Lucas’s thoughts were heavy. There was still so much he didn’t understand, about her, about this kingdom’s future, and about the danger his own secrets posed.

By the time he reached the guest chamber assigned to him, his mind was spinning. He gave the servant a simple nod, entered the room, and shut the door quietly.

He leaned against it for a moment, exhaling deeply.

So much was shifting. The Seer’s words still in his mind: "Including yours."

She had seen something. Maybe not everything, but enough.

Lucas knew that he had to be more careful than ever before. Because now... someone truly dangerous was watching.

But what troubled him more was her admission, that she was hiding something from the King.

Lucas wasn’t naive. Court politics, especially at the level of the royal palace, were complex and dangerous. Everyone had secrets. But her certainty, her confidence in keeping this secret "for the good of the kingdom"...left him uneasy.

He exhaled slowly. "Secrets," he muttered to himself. "Everyone has them. But not everyone has the power to guard them."

He walked away from the door and began to unfasten his outer robe. There was much to consider. He needed rest, yes, but more importantly, he needed a plan.

Whatever the Seer was keeping from the King... he would find out. Eventually.

The next few days in the kingdom were uneasy. An air of tension blanketed the palace grounds like an invisible fog. Guards continued to patrol in pairs,security tighter than ever. The poisoning of Prince Darius had shaken the very core of the royal household.

Thanks to Lucas and Lira’s unwavering commitment, Prince Darius was now improving. Slowly, yes, but surely. He could now sit up and speak, though his voice was weak and every sentence seemed to cost him strength. The physicians took turns tending to him under Lucas’s detailed instructions. Black veins still lingered beneath his skin, but they were fading. Life had returned to his eyes, even if only a little.

The King, however, was not at peace. He had held a string of meetings every day since the poisoning. The inner court, the council of elders, even royal envoys from neighboring provinces had come and gone through the massive gates of the palace. Each time the King emerged from those closed sessions, his brow seemed more furrowed than the last, his jaw clenched harder, his voice gruffer.

Lucas noticed.

But he was in no position to ask. Despite his pivotal role in saving the prince, he was not yet part of the noble court.

One evening, just as the sun began to dip, Lucas walked the inner garden paths to clear his mind. He saw Princess Nyx.

She stood near the marble railing of the terrace, her silver gown fluttering lightly in the wind. Her gaze was distant, fixed on the horizon. Lucas took a slow breath and approached her with his usual calm.

"Your Highness," he greeted with a slight bow.

Nyx turned her head slowly. She seemed a bit surprised to see him, but she nodded in acknowledgment. "Xavier."

They stood in silence for a moment, the wind stirring between them.

"I wanted to thank you again," she said quietly, her voice softer than usual. "For what you did... for my brother."

Lucas gave a respectful nod. "I only did what had to be done."

"You did more than that," she said, eyes still on the fading sun. "Many people would have stood by, afraid to fail. You didn’t."

He glanced at her. "I didn’t have the luxury of fear."

Nyx gave him a brief look at that. There was something behind her gaze...perhaps respect, perhaps curiosity. It passed quickly.

Lucas, taking the moment, cleared his throat. "Forgive me if this is too forward, but... do you know what the King and his council have been discussing in their recent meetings?"

Nyx arched a brow and turned her body slightly to face him fully now. "And why would I tell you that, Lord Alden?"

Lucas didn’t flinch. "I’m not trying to pry into royal matters," he replied calmly. "It’s just... every time the King leaves one of those meetings, he looks worse. More burdened. More... disturbed. I’m simply concerned."

Nyx studied him for a long second, searching his expression for a motive. But Lucas gave none away. He was earnest. He didn’t ask as a noble vying for influence....but as a man who had seen enough unrest to know the signs of a storm approaching.

Still, Nyx remained guarded. "Worrying about the King’s burdens is not your place," she said coolly. "This is royal business. Dangerous business."

Lucas gave a faint smile. "That’s exactly why I’m worried."

But Nyx didn’t say more. She looked away again, the wind catching her long hair as the last rays of sun dipped behind the horizon. Lucas could tell she wasn’t going to speak further on the matter.

He nodded politely. "Thank you for your time, Your Highness."

Lucas turned to leave, the conversation with Princess Nyx seemingly over. But just as he took his third step away, her voice followed him, clear and composed.

"Xavier."

He paused.

"Yes, Your Highness?" he replied, turning slightly.

"Stay," she said. "Keep me company a little longer."

Lucas faced her fully again. Though her tone had been casual, he didn’t miss the weight beneath it. He nodded, respectfully, then stepped back toward her. As they began to walk, two palace servants followed behind them at a polite distance, one carrying a ceramic jar of wine, the other holding two slender silver cups.

The palace gardens at twilight were a beauty of their own. Lush green hedges curved around stone pathways, dotted with softly glowing lanterns that hung from ornate poles. A quiet pond shimmered under the pale light of an early moon. The rustle of trees and distant chirping of night birds filled the air between their footsteps.

"I still remember our duel back in the academy," Nyx said with a faint smile.

Lucas smirked slightly. "You almost humiliated me, if I remember correctly."

"You held your own," she replied. "More than I expected, honestly."

He glanced at her. "That’s not saying much."

She chuckled softly. "No, it’s not. But it’s still the truth."

A few more steps passed before she lifted a hand and gestured. One of the servants quickly stepped forward and poured wine into the silver cups, handing one to the princess, then offering the other to Lucas. Lucas accepted the cup with a slight nod.

"Thank you," he said, making sure to direct his appreciation to the servant as well.

The princess took note of that. She sipped her wine quietly, watching him from the corner of her eye.

"You do that a lot," she said suddenly.

Lucas raised a brow. "Do what?"

"You speak to servants like they matter. Like they’re equals."

Lucas took a slow sip of the wine. "And why wouldn’t I?"

She turned her head slightly. "You weren’t raised a commoner, Lucas. You’re from a noble household."

"That doesn’t make me better than anyone," he said simply. "It’s a poor thing when one man treats another like filth just because he can."

Nyx studied him in silence for a few moments.

"That’s rare," she said softly. "Especially in this palace."

Lucas looked straight ahead. "Then maybe this palace could use a little rarity."

She didn’t say anything to that, but her silence was approving. They walked a little further, the path now curving along the edge of the pond. A few white lotus flowers floated on the surface, untouched by the gentle ripples.

Then Nyx’s voice came again, quieter this time, measured, as though weighing each word.

"There’s something you should know."

Lucas looked at her.

"The kingdom is at war."

He stopped in his tracks. His brows furrowed.

"War?"

She nodded, her voice edged with a tension he hadn’t noticed earlier. "The King has declared war against the Kingdom of Blackmare. The council agreed unanimously this morning. The soldiers and Cultivators are already being mobilized."

Lucas’s face darkened. "But there’s no proof. Nothing linked them to the poisoning."

Nyx turned toward the water. "That doesn’t matter anymore. There’s bad blood between our kingdom and theirs. For years. Decades. This was just a spark. The King believes Blackmare saw a moment of weakness, an opportunity...and took it."

"And Blackmare?"

"They denied it," Nyx said. "Fiercely. Said the accusation was insulting. But they didn’t back down. They took our declaration as an act of war."

Lucas exhaled slowly, his jaw tightening. "So the kingdom bleeds... based on a suspicion."

"Not just suspicion," Nyx murmured, her eyes unreadable. "Grudges. Old scars. Unforgiven debts. This... was just the excuse."

The wine in Lucas’s cup felt heavier in his hand now. The quiet pond, the delicate lanterns, the soft beauty of the evening ...all of it suddenly felt fragile, hanging by a thread.

He glanced at Nyx. There was something in her expression, uneasiness, buried beneath the poise. For all her elegance and strength, even she could not disguise the turmoil rising in the kingdom.

The poisoning of Prince Darius had done more than harm a royal heir. It had cracked the foundation of the kingdom itself.

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