A dangerous smile played across Maena's lips, her silver-black hair catching the dying light. "That was dangerous; if I had been a little late, my nephew would have died." Her words carried a subtle warning, wrapped in velvet courtesy.
"Nephew?" The word fell from Raayani's lips like a stone into still water.
Maena's smile widened marginally as she gestured to Jolthar. "Meet my nephew, Jolthar Kaezhlar."
The name hit the silent area like a thunderbolt.
In the shadows, Roblan, who had been watching them, was horrified.
Belan, still weak from her injuries but now propped up against a pillar, felt her breath catch.
The name carried weight that even deities respected.
The Kaezhlar family didn't rule kingdoms or command armies. They did something far more dangerous—they collected secrets and debts from beings both mortal and divine.
"What!" The whisper rippled through the gathered people and the women of Blue Rose, their perfect discipline cracking for just a moment.
Raayani's face remained carefully neutral, then realization dawned on her face. "So you were the ones who came for that toy." The 'toy' was Roblan she talked about. Upon hearing that he was being hunted by Blue Rose, no one dared to intervene.
Only Kaezhlar would dare to come to their lands so boldly.
She had been briefed by her women while rushing here, warning about an unknown, powerful figure challenging her daughter in her territory. She was alerted by Akurnni himself. She was surprised to hear from him after a long time.
Raayani and Akurnni once shared a deep, passionate connection. He had been her one true love, and she bore his child, believing for a time that their bond was unbreakable. Yet, when he departed, leaving her to face the emptiness alone, her heart grew colder. Raayani returned to her old ways, drawing in different men as fleeting comforts, each one a temporary balm for her lingering ache. They became mere playthings to her, discarded once she'd had her fill. Despite her past habits, she had been devoted to Akurnni alone during their time together, a rarity for someone with her appetite for excitement.
Years before Akurnni, Raayani had set her sights on the patriarch of Kaezhlar, renowned as the fiercest swordsman of his time. She sought him out, desiring a child with his strength and stature.
Yet her approach was too brazen, and the fierce warrior dismissed her advances, leaving Raayani to abandon the idea altogether. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N0velFire.ɴet
Within the society of Blue Rose, such liaisons were not uncommon.
The women often sought powerful men to bear strong children. If a daughter was born, she would be brought back to the Blue Rose's seraglio, trained and raised as a warrior.
Sons, however, were left with their fathers, to be moulded by the paths of their own lineage. This tradition reinforced the ranks of Blue Rose while honouring the strength of their line.
But her pride wasn't so easily swayed, even by infamous names. Her eyes hardened. "That doesn't change anything. I will kill him here."
The temperature in the area dropped several degrees as Maena's smile turned razor-sharp.
"You can. Not even I can stop you." She paused, letting the words hang in the air before continuing. "But remember, my brother... he won't be happy with what you will do.
You know very well, he isn't a man of forgiveness when it comes to family."
The unspoken name seemed to darken the very air – Caelum Kaezhlar, Patriarch of the family.
Raayani knew him personally and had crossed swords with him in the past. The scars from that encounter, both physical and otherwise, still lingered.
Memory flickered behind her eyes...
Twenty years ago, in the Gardens of Twilight. Steel clashing against steel. Caelum, younger then but no less dangerous, his blade moving like liquid shadow. "The difference between us, Raayani," he had said, blood dripping from a cut above his eye, "is that you fight for pride. I fight for family." The scar she still carried from that day ached at the memory.
The present moment stretched taut as spider silk as Raayani weighed her options.
The boy had defeated Belan fairly, showed mercy, and even offered diplomatic solutions. Now his name explained his unusual abilities—the Kaezhlars were known to dabble in powers that deities themselves feared to touch.
Jolthar stood quietly through this exchange, his posture relaxed but ready. The void energy still whispered around him, but there was something else now – a familiar shadow in his stance that spoke of his bloodline.
The watching crowd had retreated even further, feeling the weight of her fury in the air.
"Still, you dared to stand against my Blue Rose," Raayani's voice carried the weight of storms, "and I can't let you go away . I don't care from what clan you are." Her hands began to glow with power, the very stones on the ground trembling beneath her feet.
But before she could act, Belan's voice cut through the tension. "Mother, no." She pushed herself to her knees. "Don't kill him."
Raayani paused, surprised by her daughter's intervention. "Belan?"
"Today, I lost to him." Belan's voice was tight with suppressed emotion, but her eyes blazed with newfound determination. "They have all witnessed my defeat, and I can't live with such shame." She raised her head, meeting Jolthar's calm gaze with fierce intensity. "One day, I will kill him myself. Until then, let him leave."
The gathered Blue Rose women exchanged glances. Never had they heard such raw conviction in their young mistress's voice. Gone was the entitled arrogance, replaced by something harder, more focused.
Raayani stood beside her daughter, studying her face.
She saw in Belan's eyes not just wounded pride but genuine growth - the first real understanding that power must be earned, not merely claimed.
A slight smile curved on her lips as she turned back to Jolthar. "Well, young Jolthar," she said, her tone lighter but still carrying an edge of warning, "today is your lucky day. So scram before I change my mind."
Jolthar just stared at her; she was letting him go? The thought that he was at the mercy of someone made him feel frutrated, to say. He didn't want that feeling.
And it all happened because of power. Having the power to crush a clan or a kingdom was the real power. And Jolthar wanted it.
"Might I ask one thing?" At Raayani's raised eyebrow, he continued, "Can you ask your daughter to stop pursuing Roblan?"
"Roblan?" Belan spat the name like a curse, her eyes never leaving Jolthar. "I don't care about that pampered noble anymore. All I want..." her hand clenched into a fist, "is to kill you."
Raayani waved them all away dismissively, her gesture clearly ending the confrontation.
The gathered crowd began to disperse, their whispers already spreading the tale of what they'd witnessed.
Maena let out a heavy sigh.
In the sudden quiet, Jolthar turned to her. "You didn't have to intervene."
"Oh? And how exactly were you planning to handle a reaper out for your blood?"
"Indeed, big man, indeed." Maena sighed.