Lucas knew he was asking too much of his brothers, the preparation for King trial were not simple things in fact it had been prepared carefully since five years before they left according to the set schedule and in most case, it's still not enough.

As the most powerful kingdom in the Verrion, Harland has a lot of enemies when they learned the sole heir of the Kingdom left the safety net cocoon of their territory one could imagine how many people tried to take advantage of this situation.

​​

One of the first things they would do is spread false information about the prince's departure, they also prepared several people would disguise themselves as the Prince, and the Archknight thought out the countries to confuse the enemy. Apart from that they also place agent all over the country to watch over the Prince and help the prince when he needed.

Overall the preparations for the King trial require detail and careful planning so when Lucas accelerated the preparation a year before the schedule it shocked a lot of peoples not to mention made them panic.

"Thank you, guys…" Lucas smiled earnestly "I have to go now, the King has summoned me" he shoved his hands on his front pocket the turnaround and left.

The four men watch Lucas back figure and Jay abruptly asked "I'm not complaining but…do you know why he speeds up the schedule, although he likes to act carelessly sometimes, but when it comes to important matter he was more cautious than us"

Fred let out a long sighed "As Archknight we don't have to understand our future King decision but we must support all his decision nonetheless"

"Yeah, trusting him is our main job" Fargo chimed in.

"I know, and I believe him too, I'm just worried for him…." Jay anxiously said.

"Then we have to work harder to eased his highness burden" Cliff solemnly said.

Lory chased Lucas to the stairs she then followed him to the second floor, Lory watched Lucas back as she followed him, she remembered today just months before Lucas's seventeen birthday. The King trial should be held after he graduated high school but Lucas suddenly change the time it gives her a shock too, she once asked about this but Lucas said the same reply to Cliff.

'The sooner the better he said

Lory knew he was hiding something from her but she didn't pry about it because she believed him just like everybody else. However, now she felt she was wrong she should have asked him more at that time, Lory continued following him until Lucas stopped in front of the king study room.

Lory suddenly held her breath, this was the last place he comes before she left the palace, she replays that moment million times in her head, she wondered what if she knocked on the door and met with her father before she left…. would everything changed, if she wasn't so stubborn and stayed for one more year she would be here when Nazareth attacked her kingdom maybe she would able to minimize her kingdom destruction, maybe her father wouldn't have to sacrifice himself…maybe.

'Knock – knock'

The door opened gently and Stephan greeted him with a warm smile "Good evening, Prince Lucas" his eyes behind his gold-rimmed turn to crescent as he welcomes Lucas's arrival.

"Uncle Steve" Lucas nodded.

"Your Father has waiting for you" he made a polite gesture to invite Lucas in.

When Lucas entered the room, Stephan knowingly left the room. Lucas saw his Father sit behind the desk surrounded by piles of paper that need to signed and his eyes fixed on the small laptop on the desk. He was reading a report when he notices Lucas is in the room then he beckoned him to moves closer.

Lucas approaches the desk then he takes a seat on the chair in front of the desk while King Marcus types on the keyboards for a seconds before he closed his laptop and shift his glance on Lucas, he took off his glasses then put them on the table neatly before he speaks "You hasten the King Trial schedule?"

"Yes," Lucas briefly replies.

"May I know why?" Marcus leaned his back as he looked at his son sharply.

"It doesn't matter right, it would happen soon or later anyway…" he gives a half-hearted answer.

Marcus sighed heavily "You know how much people would pay to know your schedule departure in a black market, do you understand how many hackers in the world trying to track you down, do you not realize the prizes tag on your head in a dark web, Do you know how hard to cover all of this?"Marcus narrowed his gaze, he will not believe his Son would be so reckless without apparent reason.

"Not only you risked your own life, but you also risked the lives of everyone who protecting you, I'm sure you understand that?!" Marcus reprimand him sternly.

Lucas lowered his head without answering his father's question because he knows the risk he was taking but he had no other way. Lory furrowed her brows as she watched his father reprimanded his brother. The relationship between Father and Son is always rocky and as a daughter the only woman in the family she always acted as the mediator for his father and brother.

She knew his father stricter to Lucas than her is because Lucas is his heir and he has a lot of expectations from him so Marcus tends to be harder to Lucas while Lucas was burdened by everyone's expectation his wayward behavior came from his anxiety not able to fulfill everyone expectation. Because of that the Father and Son used to clash with each other.

Marcus leaned his upper body against the desk and cupped his hands on the table "So tell me what is your real reason is, I'm not your Archknight so I will not approve your request without a proper reason!" he firmly said.

Lucas stroked his jaw as he looks to his side with a hesitant expression, knowing his father unyielding he had no choice but to tell the truth, he turn his gaze back to his father "There's a prophecy I read….about The moon and the Sun"

Marcus's Expression becomes hard and Lory's heart leaps to her throat 'Is this what they are talking about?' she stupefied.

"You knew?" Marcus struggles to maintain his composure.

"I saw mother's hidden diary in the library, I don't know who put it there, or why but it definitely belongs to her" Lucas shrugged, he didn't look distressed because he already made a decision since that day.

"I went to Djevelskrin, a month ago during the beast subjugation with the others….an I met with Arthea" Lucas calmly said as he straightened his sitting posture.

"You ask Her, what did she say?" Marcus clenched his fist tightly, there was still a glimmer of hope in his heart that everything will turn out fine in the end.

Lucas pressed his lips into a thin line then he says with a heavy tone: "Where there is death, there always gonna be death"

Marcus shut his eyes then he pinched the gap between his eyebrows, his heart sinking like a stone in the ocean. for a while, neither of them spoke and Lory could only watch their distraught expression with a helpless feeling.

This happened after she asked about Lucas's fate, she blamed his father for accepting fate so easily without giving any fight but she didn't know that her father was torn between his son and daughter.

If Marcus saved Lucas then Lory had to die, but if he saved Lory then Lucas will be the one who had to die, it was an impossible choice for any man, but at that time Lory didn't know her father struggle in fact she knew nothing at all.

Lory scoff at how conceited she was, she used to act like she knew everything as if she fights this unimaginable war on her own but the truth she was not alone, she wasn't the only one who suffers.

Lory waddle towards his father, she knew she unable to touch him but she did it anyway. Lory stroked his father's sad face "Father, I'm sorry….I didn't know, I'm wrong…" she whispered softly on his ears desperately begging for his forgiveness.

"Therefore you hasten your departure?" Marcus sighed.

Lucas shrugged again in a careless manner "Who knows, I might find something to break the prophecy, there must be something more out there, right?" He said with determined eyes, the same eyes Marcus saw in his daughter, and a very long time ago he saw the same eyes staring at him saying she will save her children at all cost.

'They are just like you, Lorenna'

"What did you say to Lory?" Marcus ask.

Lucas shook his head "I didn't say anything, she knew I'm lying but she didn't ask further and I don't want her to know, we both know what would she do if she knows about this!" he looked at his Father with a warning look.

Marcus let out a deep sigh 'It's a little late for that'

"Fine, when you are going to leave?" Marcus leaned his tired back on the chair.

"In six moth…" Lucas replies calmly.

"After your birthday" Marcus asked.

"After our Birthday" Lucas corrected.

"Of course…" Marcus looks down with a heavy heart. Perhaps it would be the last time they celebrated their birthday together as a family.

"We should order a big cake then" Marcus forces a smile.

Lucas also understands what his father means, this is perhaps the last time they can be together "And a lot of macarons" he bitterly smiles. Lucas and Marcus not always on the same page but only when it comes to Lory they would be singing in tune.