A few knights rushed into the mansion, their steps hurried.
"My Lord!" one of them called, searching for Zayden.
"What is it?" Zayden asked as he returned from the dungeon.
"W-We found this in the forest!" The guard extended a piece of glistening jewelry into his hand.
Zayden’s eyes widened. It was the gift he had given Eiran just last night. How did it end up in the forest?
"Where in the woods?!" Ren burst out, panic sharpening his voice. The moment his gaze fell on the anklet, he knew—it was his—and the one Zayden gave Eiran at the banquet.
The knight bowed his head, his voice hurried.
"Near the northern woods, My Lord. Close to the old dragon’s lair. The one we..." he paused, sensing the General’s glare. Newest update provided by novèlfire.net
"We spotted broken branches as if someone had forced their way through. There were footprints too—but the rain already washed most of them away," another knight continued.
Ren’s breath caught. A dragon’s lair? Why there of all places? His fists tightened at his sides.
Zayden didn’t wait for more details. He shoved the jewelry into his pocket and turned on his heels.
"Gather every able knight. We are heading to the northern woods—now!"
"Yes, My Lord!" the guards echoed, bowing as they rushed outside to obey.
"General," Duke Danman stepped closer.
Zayden furrowed his brows. He hadn’t noticed the man standing there, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Why don’t I join you?" the duke grinned, arrogance dripping from his tone. "After all, I am a much better fighter than these knights of yours."
"It is hard when you have a small child, isn’t it?" Danman cut in, his smile sharpening. "They are so easy to abduct due to their innocence."
Clenching his fists, Zayden glared at him, rage flickering in his eyes.
He isn’t even trying to hide it, is he?
Grinding his teeth, he turned on his heel.
"Do as you wish," he muttered coldly, stepping away. After all, it was better to keep him close for now.
Ren rushed after Zayden, barely keeping up with his pace. "My Lord, if they’ve taken him toward a dragon’s cave, then—"
"Then I’ll tear the place apart stone by stone until I find him," Zayden growled, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, his demonic aura seeping through despite his attempt to restrain it. His eyes burned crimson in the flickering sunlight.
Ren swallowed hard. For the first time, he wasn’t sure which was more frightening—the kidnappers who had taken Eiran... or the father racing to find him.
Then, Zayden mounted his horse.
Ren looked up at him, his expression clearly stating his intent to follow. But most of the soldiers had already taken horses from the stables—there wasn’t a single one left for him to ride. Only one was used—and it was the General’s.
"I doubt you will ask. So..." Zayden exhaled, extending his hand toward him. "Come."
Ren froze. His eyes flickered from the hand to the General’s face.
Wind blew through the man’s hair, and his cheeks had turned a slight pink from the chill of autumn.
Sharing a horse with him? He looked at the soldiers, eyes focused on him. His body screamed to refuse, but the thought of being left behind—of not searching for Eiran—was unbearable.
He hesitated only for a second before placing his hand in Zayden’s.
"Then, I will not refuse the offer, My Lord."
With cautious movements, Ren mounted the horse, careful not to put too much weight on Zayden’s hand. He settled in front of the General, who held the reins with one hand and steadied Ren with the other.
The closeness unsettled him. Strong arms loosely circled his waist, the warmth of Zayden’s body pressing against his back. It sent a chill crawling up his spine—a sensation he wasn’t sure came from discomfort or something else entirely.
"Are you uncomfortable?" The soft voice asked, his breath tickling Ren’s nape.
The servant shook his head, although his body stiffened.
Zayden noticed but didn’t say anything. He didn’t understand why holding this man close seemed to soothe his worry. The boiling blood from earlier had cooled, and now he was certain they were one step closer to finding Eiran.
His gaze landed on Ren’s strained eyes. The man surely hadn’t slept a wink the whole night. Perhaps it was because of him—he had kept pestering Ren until they discovered Eiran was missing. He swallowed hard before parting his lips.
Ren nodded, not looking at the General. Only worry for the boy clouded his mind, and the need to know the truth. Perhaps it wasn’t all a coincidence? Maybe all this was happening so that he could confirm if Eiran was indeed his son.
"Which dragon’s lair was the knight talking about earlier?" Ren asked, breaking the silence although unsure if Zayden would answer. After all, he never told him anything clearly.
Dead leaves were blown by the strong wind. The sun shone brightly, but the chill left by last night’s rain remained.
Zayden didn’t speak, silence lingering briefly between them. Then he began.
"...I didn’t want to tell this to anyone, but... he is the child of a dragon I have killed." His head rested on Ren’s shoulder before he realized it.
The servant didn’t move. He simply took the reins from him to make sure they wouldn’t run into an accident while he spoke about such a sensitive matter.
"That was why you said you killed his mother," Ren whispered but the General heard it.
Zayden hesitantly answered, "Yes," his voice low. He couldn’t understand why he had revealed this to Ren, but the words had left his mouth before he knew it.
Ren felt the tremor in the General’s voice, even if it was brief. He didn’t ask another question. He wasn’t interested in what Zayden had done or why.
He only needed to confirm one thing—if Eiran was his son. And by Zayden’s words, perhaps he was not mistaken. Maybe the child truly was his son, and Zayden had found him when he killed that dragon.
The journey was faster than Ren had expected. They encountered some monsters, but none attacked.
Some knights exchanged confused glances. How could that be? But Ren knew all too well that they still dreaded him after what had happened during his last trip through the forest.
None of it mattered to him now. His gaze followed the road he had already traveled once before.
Zayden had his hands wrapped around Ren’s waist, almost clinging to him, his head resting on his shoulder, eyes closed. When the horse stopped in front of the dragon’s lair, the man jolted, eyes darting around.
"...It seems you have fallen asleep, My Lord. But we are here," Ren said, turning to give him a cold glance.
Zayden forced a smile, nodding.
Is he mad, perhaps?...
He slowly straightened, keeping his grip on Ren’s waist just enough to steady him on the horse. His eyes scanned the jagged rocks and scorched ground around the entrance. Broken branches. A few footprints, while some others had faded.
"This is it," he murmured, voice low. "...The dragon’s lair."
Ren’s stomach tightened. The air was thick, fog blurred the view, carrying the faint scent of woods. His heart beat faster, each pulse echoing in his ears.
He remembered that when he had come here before, he hadn’t found his child. But this time, something whispered that Eiran had been here—and that... the child was indeed his.