Chapter 14: Exactly

Kalon clutched his belt with one hand as he sat down on the chair opposite his father and looked down at the floor. He needed something to hold onto to help him calm his nerves a little bit. The fact that his father was so imposing was something that he wasn’t prepared for and he couldn’t stop his heart from thumping against his ribs.

Luna’s ears twitched a little bit as she heard Kalon’s heart rate increase now that he was so close to their father. She reached across under the desk and grabbed his hand once again. She thought that he was about to have a heart attack if she didn’t do anything.

As Luna held Kalon’s hand he looked back up at his fathers face.

Dorian looked a little tired. His face was covered in day-old stubble and there was a red stain on the collar of his white shirt. The room was also a mess with stacks of papers littering the room and a table with two plates on top was sitting by the door.

It looked as though he was holding himself up in his study for some reason but neither Kalon nor Luna questioned that fact. They were more concerned about what was going to happen to Kalon now that his mother had been thrown into the dungeons.

It seemed as though Dorian was starting to show a little more concern about his youngest son now that he was officially an orphan and that made Luna both sad and happy. She was sad that it took this long for him to recognise Kalon as a family member but she was happy that there was a chance that Kalon could finally live with them again.

“You seem nervous my boy. Don’t tell me that you are scared of your own father…” Dorian smiled as he cracked a joke to lighten the mood but that didn’t go over well with Kalon. He didn’t know his father could joke and took what he just said as a literal question.

“Well, you are the emperor and the strongest fighter within the Sylton empire sir.” Kalon bowed his head as he spoke. He thought that since Octavian demanded that kind of respect that it surely meant it was normal to bow to the emperor if you are to speak to him.

Dorian seemed a little shocked by his answer and then looked at Luna with questioning eyes before looking back at Kalon.

“Kalon, It’s okay to address me as your father. There's no need to show me respect. I know I haven't always been there for you. And quite honestly I don’t deserve it.

I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry. I know that you probably don’t trust my words but I hope that you will soon come to understand that what I did to you and your mother was for your own protection. I couldn’t keep you both safe within the palace so the best thing was to send you off somewhere far away from here.

I know you have faced so much hardship since I banished you from the palace but I feared that if you stayed then your fate would have been a lot worse than how things turned out.” Dorian said before resting his head in his hands and then looking down at the desk.

He couldn’t bear to look his son in the eyes after all that he had made him endure by not being the father that he should have been and he seemed like he was genuinely sorry. Although there was no excuse for what he did Kalon accepted his apology.

That was all he wanted ever since he was a child. He wanted his father to apologise for what had happened to his mother. And although his mother wasn’t there to hear the apology he could rest easy knowing that he didn’t mean to make her suffer. But that was the only thing on Kalon’s mind.

He just didn’t know how he would phrase it. He didn’t feel like it was the right time to ask him for a favour but at the same time, he wasn’t saying anything. So from his lack of experience with social interaction Kalon changed the conversation from a touching reunion into a tense situation.

“Do you think it’s possible to let my mom go? I know she didn’t have anything to do with Ranwalds attempt to dethrone you. She sits by the window all day and doesn’t dare to say a word to me let alone anyone else. And when it's night time she would head straight to bed.

I’m a really light sleeper since I have to chase predators away so they don’t eat the chickens. And I have never heard her talking to anyone during the night.

There's no way at all that she-” Kalon began to say but Luna suddenly grabbed his hand to silently urge him not to continue. Dorian noticed Luna trying to make him hold back and then raised his hand into the air.

“It's fine Luna. Let the boy say what he has to say. He is almost an adult. I doubt anything you do will stop him from speaking his mind.” Dorian said as the room grew silent.

“I guess that is one trait you inherited from me,” Dorian said to himself as Kalon stuttered. He then picked up where he left off.

“There's no way that she had anything to do with it. I promise you. Can you please let her go? You won't have to see either of us again. I will take her far away from here.” Kalon said before looking down at his feet once again.

“You want to go far away from here? I’m sorry… If I had known then I would have given you both a house in another city far away from here. I thought that it would be better to keep an eye on you from the shadows so I kept you nearby…

But I understand… But I also need you to understand that I can’t release your mother from the dungeons.

It was a decision made by the imperial court and to be redacted would need every member of the court to agree to it. Unless you have physical evidence that your mother is innocent then they won’t even hear you out.

Although if you really wanted to then you could buy her freedom. Yet you would need a well-paying job… And then there is the fact that treason is a really heavy sentence. It would cost so much to buy her freedom that you would need to have your own bank vault full of gold.” Dorian started to explain but then suddenly his demeanour changed as he mentioned that Kalon could buy her freedom.

When he started talking he sounded concerned and caring but when he finished he sounded evil and sadistic. Kalon didn’t notice but Luna saw it for a brief moment and began to question what it meant until Kalon replied.

“Please. Can you help me find a job then? I will work every single day until the middle of the night if that is what it will take. I don’t care what it is. I just need to free her.” Kalon jumped up from his chair and smacked his hands against the table a little too enthusiastically.

Dorian went silent in thought and so did Luna as she thought that Kalon had made him mad by smacking the table but as he spoke up again he seemed to fade back to the way he was acting before while sounding kind and caring.

“Well… I don’t know of many jobs that could pay that high… But there is currently something that the imperial court needs someone to take care of… If I have a word with them then maybe I can get them to agree to lower your mother's sentence. But I should warn you that it will be risky. So make sure you think carefully.” Dorian responded with a smile after a few moments.

“I will do it! I will do anything. Even if I have to put my life at risk every single day. I will do it if it means that I will be able to see my mother again.” Kalon shouted out excitedly. He couldn’t believe how smoothly it went. He thought that his father would flat out reject his request but he thought that it was worth a shot.

And surprisingly it seemed like everything was starting to work out.

“Then that settles it. I will talk to them later this evening and tell them that I have found someone willing to do it. I’m sure that Luna will look after you until I send someone to bring you here again.

But if you both don’t mind. I have something to take care of before I attend the meeting tonight.” Dorian's attitude changed once again. He was kind and caring before but now he seemed eager to make them both leave although he had just met with his son again.

Kalon thought that maybe that was a usual occurrence since he didn’t know any better but Luna knew all too well when her father was scheming something. Although she didn’t have the slightest clue what it was this time.

Luna grabbed Kalon’s hand and led him back out of the office.

“Well have a good day father.” She said before closing the door behind her.

“Yeah have a good day.” Kalon managed to say before the door closed.

Suddenly within the room, a dark shadow flashed in the corner of the room revealing a man dressed in a dark hooded robe.

“Seems like he bought it.” The man’s voice gently hummed around the room without an echo before Dorain started to laugh to himself and then removed the glasses from his face and threw them down on the desk before standing up.

“He fell for it so easily that it makes me ashamed to be his father. To think that a child I created would turn out so stupid is laughable. I see why you came up with this plan.

It kills two birds with one stone. I can finally get rid of that embarrassment from my family's name and in the process, we will gain valuable information on the Human’s defences.” Dorian cackled while brushing his beard with his fingers.

“Exactly” The man in the dark robe then held out his arm to reveal skeletal fingers that poked out from underneath. But between his fingers was a chain like pendant with a red gem on the face of it. Dorian was a little bit confused but reached out to grab it anyway.