[Present]

Arthur stood in front of Sylvia and Jessica, the cool night breeze of the Ashford Empire’s royal palace brushing against his face.

Old memories crawled up from the back of his mind—blood on stone, rain, laughter, silence.

"Why the hell am I remembering all that now..." he thought.

They were standing in the garden before the palace, lanterns casting a soft glow over marble paths and trimmed hedges.

In front of Arthur stood Sylvia Evan Imperius.

Her golden hair fell in smooth waves over her shoulders, and her crimson eyes—so much like his—held a depth of maturity and hard-earned wisdom. The years had sharpened her beauty rather than dimmed it; every line of her posture spoke of dignity and strength.

Beside her stood Jessica, her expression softer than usual, a faint smile on her lips as she watched Arthur.

Arthur stood with his hands in his pockets, back straight, expression unreadable. A pair of red eyes met another pair—same color, same origin—and yet felt oceans apart.

Sylvia slowly walked toward him.

Her steps were measured, almost hesitant, until she stopped right in front of Arthur.

She lifted her hand, fingers trembling slightly, reaching out to touch his cheek. A hundred questions burned on her tongue—How are you? Have you been eating properly? Are you hurt?—but none of them made it out.

Arthur’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

Then he took several steps back.

He stopped and looked at Sylvia, his gaze coldly polite.

"My lady," he said, his voice distant, "may I ask why I have been called here? I have places to be. Princess Evangeline might be looking for me."

He paused.

"Also, please keep your distance. I don’t have the status or lineage to be touched by someone as esteemed as you."

Each word landed like a knife in Sylvia’s chest, carving through whatever defenses she had left.

A broken smile appeared on her face as she slowly lowered her hand.

"Forgive me," she said quietly.

Jessica stared in disbelief.

"Arthur, what are you saying?" she shouted. "That’s our mother you’re talking to—"

Arthur almost lost control of himself.

His voice came out louder than he intended.

"She is not my mother!" he yelled. "Not... not... my..."

The last word died in his throat as he looked down at the ground, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Something inside Sylvia cracked at those words.

For the first time in her life, she felt a pain she couldn’t block out with logic, duty, or pride.

Jessica’s face flushed red with sheer disbelief.

She couldn’t reconcile this Arthur with the boy she remembered—the one who had loved his mother, who had worked himself half to death just to hear a few words of praise from her.

She bit her lip.

"Why?" she demanded. "Why are you saying that? I admit... I admit that what happened to you was unfortunate and shouldn’t have happened. But I’m here to apologize. And even Mother—"

Arthur suddenly burst into quiet laughter.

"Haha..."

The sound made Jessica flinch.

"An apology?" Arthur said, still smiling, though there was nothing warm in it. "A damn apology?"

He took a step forward, his eyes cold.

"Tell me—what will an apology fix?"

His voice cut through the night.

"You treated me worse than strangers in my own home—whatever that place was supposed to be. Even a dog’s owner shows it some affection when he raises it. But you treated Arthur... me—worse than a dog."

His words hung heavy in the air.

"And one day," he continued, "when you find no value in that damn dog, you just throw it out on the street and expect it to die."

He looked straight at Jessica, then at Sylvia.

"The same thing happened a few months ago when I left that damned house... as you all expected I would die in a ditch somewhere."

Arthur’s lips curled into a bitter smile.

"When the great Adrian Evan Imperius ordered me to disappear from that hellhole."

Jessica cut in.

"Aren’t you the one who took the oath and lost the duel?" she snapped, anger and panic mixing in her voice.

Arthur laughed again, but this time there was a wild edge to it.

"Yes," he said. "And I’m glad to say it was the best decision of my life."

He tilted his head slightly.

"But what do you think? Who orchestrated all of that?"

Jessica’s breath hitched.

Slowly, she turned to look at Sylvia—who still wasn’t meeting her gaze.

Arthur watched them both.

"I don’t know if she was directly involved," he said. "But she stayed silent and watched."

His eyes narrowed.

"As this ’dog’ you call Arthur was dragged through the mud and left that hellhole."

Arthur’s gaze shifted from Sylvia to Jessica.

"And you," he said, lifting a hand to point at her, "you’re no different."

Jessica’s fingers curled at her sides.

"There was a time when I looked up to you," Arthur continued. "When I wanted to become like you. When I wanted to make you feel proud."

His lips twisted.

"But that’s all gone."

He took a slow breath.

"Because now, when I see you two... do you know what I see?"

Jessica remained silent.

"A bunch of strangers," Arthur said quietly. "Strangers I never want to see again in my life."

It felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over Jessica’s head. Her throat moved, but the words she wanted to say wouldn’t come out.

"I’m not trying to blame you," Arthur added. "I’m just... tired of seeing you guys in my life."

Both Sylvia and Jessica bit their lips, saying nothing.

"If you’re expecting the Arthur who once desperately wanted your affection and attention," he went on, "then I’m sorry to say this—but he died a few months ago."

He looked up, his eyes calm in a way that was almost worse than anger.

"What was left of him when he was thrown out onto the roads," Arthur said, "was just an instinct to survive, to live, and to leave the past behind."

"I am nothing but an orphan."

"You are not an orphan—" Sylvia started instinctively.

Arthur raised a hand.

"Let me finish."

He held their gazes.

"Arthur Evan Imperius," he said slowly, "the greatest failure of the Imperius family—the one you hid from the world—is already gone. Long dead."

He tapped his chest.

"The one standing in front of you is Arthur Celestian. An orphan who is trying to climb his way up."

He stepped back slightly.

"Please don’t try to drag him down... as he is not a forgiving guy."

Both Sylvia and Jessica flinched.

"In this world," Arthur said, his eyes softening just a fraction, "if I have anything even close to a family... it’s a crazy master."

As he spoke, a bush in the distance rustled.

Sylvia’s eyes flicked toward it. Her lips lifted in a faint, knowing smile.

Arthur didn’t look back.

"Now, if you’ll give me permission to leave..."

He turned, ready to walk away.

"Wait."

Sylvia’s voice stopped him.

He paused but didn’t turn.

"I won’t stop you," Sylvia said. "And I won’t ask for your forgiveness. I know I don’t deserve it."

Her voice wavered slightly before steadying again.

"But I want to warn you."

Arthur stayed silent.

"In the Imperius family, anything deemed a threat is eradicated," she said. "Now that you’ve awakened a bloodline, and now that I know you will never come back... they already see you as a threat. They will come after you."

She clenched her fists.

"I will do my best to stop them," Sylvia said, "but please... please take care of yourself."

She took a slow breath.

"And join Celestias Academy. It’s the only place that can keep you safe."

Sylvia’s voice softened.

"It’s a mother’s request," she said quietly. "From someone who has already lost a child because of her own failure. So please... listen to this one request of mine."

A faint killing intent bled out of Arthur before he could stop it.

He looked at Sylvia and Jessica, his eyes turning colder.

"Then tell that man I once thought of as family," he said, "that if he comes for my head... I’ll go for his."

Both Sylvia’s and Jessica’s eyes widened.

The boy standing before them was openly challenging the might of the Imperius family.

Challenging Adrian Evan Imperius himself.

"Is that a threat?" Jessica demanded.

Arthur smiled.

"Take it however you want," he replied. "Just know I can make it reality."

As he spoke, his thumb brushed over the ring on his finger.

Both Sylvia and Jessica stiffened.

For a brief moment, an ominous aura seeped out from the ring—ancient, suffocating, filled with hatred so dense it was almost tangible. It was nothing like Arthur’s own aura.

It was the containment ring holding Elizabeth, the Vampire Queen.

Jessica’s lips twitched.

Then she burst into loud laughter.

"Hah... seriously," she said, half in disbelief, half in madness. "Just what did you end up trapping inside that thing?"

Her laughter faded, replaced by a bitter smile.

"Maybe... if I hadn’t left that day for the Null Realm, after that rainy night," she said quietly, "and had given you the affection you deserved, things would have been different."

Arthur turned his head slightly.

"I don’t think it would have made much difference," he said. "Not anymore."

He slid his hands back into his pockets and walked past them, leaving the garden without looking back.

Sylvia and Jessica watched his retreating back in silence.

They both understood.

The Arthur from the past was gone.

The person walking away from them now was someone else entirely.

Sylvia’s gaze shifted toward a certain direction.

"Yuna," she called softly. "You can come out now. He’s gone."

A pink-haired woman materialized from behind a tree, stepping into the open.

Yuna stood there, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

"He thinks of you as family," Sylvia said. "I’m... glad."

Yuna started walking, her steps following the same path Arthur had taken.

"Just stay the hell away from him from now on," she said without looking back.

She glared at Jessica as she passed, and Jessica returned the glare in silence.

Then Yuna disappeared into the garden, chasing after her disciple.

—

Arthur walked through the palace corridors with heavy steps, emotions churning in his chest.

He couldn’t stop the tears from slipping down his face.

He wiped them away with his sleeve, annoyed at himself.

Despite everything he had said to Sylvia, he was still human. He still had emotions, even if he refused to show them to anyone.

On Earth, Arthur had been an orphan. Only he knew the value of family. He had watched children play with their parents while he, in the orphanage, had only one priority—survive, get whatever education he could, and make something of his life.

The Arthur in this world had a family.

But they had never considered him part of it.

"Damn, these gods really have it out for me," Arthur muttered, his voice hoarse. "Looks like they enjoy watching me suffer..."

He walked with his head tilted back, glaring at the sky as he cursed whatever higher power was listening.

Then his face collided with something big and soft.

"Mm—"

He staggered, realizing too late that his face had landed right in someone’s chest.

’This feeling... it can’t be.’

"Short time no see, disciple," a familiar voice said.

Arthur froze.

His face was still pressed against Yuna’s boobs.

Yuna looked down at him with a menacing smile, cracking her knuckles with deliberate slowness.

Arthur swallowed hard.

’So that’s where this bad feeling was coming from...’ he thought.