'Should I interact with her?' Damien thought as he made his way to his brother's office.
He could see his father and consult but given the situation the Duke is in, it's better to see Daeron rather than the recovering one.
He was contemplating whether to see Calen's girlfriend, whom he had imprisoned and enslaved in a dungeon on a mountain.
He could free her, tell her she was being saved by him, not the other way around.
That can possibly save him but the thing is, the moment he interacts with anything remote to her, that plot is going to activate.
It was like this from the beginning, the meeting with Maelys, Celeste, and Calen was unplanned but that arc had already happened in the books, though seldom written about it.
These arcs, which was not mentioned in the novel but can be triggered by various factors are called 'hidden arc.' That is what he decided to call them.
And then there is the 'main arc.' The path that can directly lead to the main path of the story.
Attack on Queen Serielle was one of the main arcs, which lead to a war between the Auorae island and the Spring Kingdom but due to his intervention (not because he's horny), he changed the plot...for better or worse.
The Ferel duchy incident was a hidden arc that he unbeknownstly triggered by interacting with Blaire.
Like that, interacting with Esther can trigger the main path, the main path in which Damien Von Zadkiel was killed by Calen of Aldmoor for imprisoning and enslaving the love of his life.
But that path was supposed to happen in the later part of the story not in the early stage, but if he waits for that to happen then even if he gains strength, he'll die.
Calen will be too powerful by that time. He'll be too frustrated too, which can make him desperate and dangerous.
He had seen how dangerous he can become when he's desperate, I mean, the guy tried to kill a total stranger just because he doesn't know a very random question.
The best way to go around this is by training right now and triggering the event in a few months' time.
He could use his family and even Maelys to guard him, but if he doesn't even have enough strength to protect himself, anything can go wrong and he can end up dead.
And he knows the perfect person to train him; a certain hermit from the 'Seven step mountains.'
He knocked on the large office room, where his father used to sit.
"Come in,' he heard his brother's sound. It was normal, brisk, and commanding.
'Seems like he got a good night's rest.'
He pushed open the door and closed it upon entering.
"Ah, Damien," Daeron said, as he quickly stacked the enormous pile of papers in order.
Damien noticed the bags under his brother's eyes, the stress lines etched deeply into his forehead, and the exhaustion that seemed to emanate from his very being.
He felt a pang of guilt, knowing that he was partly responsible for his brother's current state. But he couldn't let that guilt consume him, not when there was so much at stake.
"How are you feeling, brother?" Damien asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"I'm fine," Daeron replied, though his voice lacked its usual strength and confidence.
Damien could see right through him. He knew that his brother was far from fine, but he didn't press the issue. Instead, he got straight to the point.
"I need your help," he said, his voice serious.
"What kind of help?" Daeron asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Actually, I came here to ask for your permission," Damien said, getting straight to the point. "I want to train under a hermit in the Seven Step Mountains."
Daeron raised an eyebrow, looking at his brother with suspicion. "And who is this hermit from the Seven Step Mountains? Why do you want to train under him?" he asked.
Damien took a deep breath, preparing himself for this conversation. "I don't know much about him, but he's said to be one of the best martial arts masters in the kingdom. And with everything that's been happening, I think it's important for me to become stronger."
Daeron rubbed his tired eyes and let out a long sigh. "I don't have time to investigate every hermit from every mountain, Damien. I have enough on my plate as it is," he said wearily. He rubbed the middle of his forehead. "I'm really busy with work right now. I can't really look into this right away. Maybe you should wait and consider other options."
Damien sighed, feeling frustrated. He knew his brother was under a lot of stress, but he didn't want to wait. He needed to start training now if he wanted to stand a chance against Calen.
"I understand, Daeron. But I don't have the luxury of waiting. I need to do this. Can I please have your permission to train under this hermit?"
Daeron sighed heavily. "Fine, Damien. If that's what you want, then go ahead. But be careful. I don't want you to get hurt or scammed by some fake trainer."
"I will be careful. Thank you, Daeron," Damien said, feeling relieved that he got his brother's permission.
He couldn't wait to start training and become stronger. He just hoped that the hermit from the Seven Step Mountains was as good as the novel claimed him to be.
Well, the guy is supposed to be the legendary hero who defeated the elder dragon, Valek some hundred years ago.
No one knows it's the same hero from the tale, as it was impossible for a human to live this long enough.
"So how's the kid?" Daeron asked, his voice concerned and fearful.
"The kid? Oh, Dani," he gasped. "She was okay when I saw her this morning."
"Pheww," Daeron wiped beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. Maybe it's from the work stress or might be from the fear of the kid.
"You'll talk to her about this 'training trip,' okay?"
"Yeah, sure," Damien said, seeing the concern on his brother.
It was already a mess without Dani, and now that the kid is here, it has only gotten worse. "I'll manage her. See if I can send her back to the academy."
"That's good, that's good," Daeron nodded in full agreement for the arrangement. Then he frowned. "Wait a minute," he said. "Why don't you learn at the academy? I mean, they teach you magic and martial arts there, right?"
"Uh...no!" He shook his head. "No, the academy is all about politics and power. I want to learn from actual practitioners, not people with political aspirations."
Daeron scratched his chin before speaking again. "That's a good way to put it. Alright, then, Damien. If that's what you want, then go ahead. Good luck. And be careful."
He was about to turn around and leave when his brother spoke again. "Ah, Damien," he said. "I almost forgot. Here." He held up a letter for him.
It was pretty and all but something else was the reason that piqued his interest.
A symbol that etched on the front envelope. A royal insignia. But the insignia was not the paddy grain circling on a sword, the insignia of the Spring kingdom, this was a mermaid swirling around an island.
It's from Queen Serielle.
"It must be from the Queen," Daeron said. "Since you saved her- might be an official invitation to her island."
'But I thought she was here? Waiting for me?'
"Alright, see you later, brother."
Daeron wanted to say something but held back from his curiosity. He was too tired for that.
...
·ƈθm Damien returned to his room, it was tidied with utmost delicacy.
He jumped on the bed and tore open the letter, a intoxicating smell filled the room.
"Oh?" He took a big sniff from the letter, sending him through a brief trip down memory lane.
He smelled the aroma of honey, cinnamon, and ginger.
"Ooooh..." he breathed in deeply, savoring the wonderful smell that filled his senses.
He happily read through the letter until he arrived at the bottom of the letter.
His face changed from happy to sad. Then he sighed deeply.
"Well, I guess I've to visit her on a later date," he said, feeling a bit of sadness.
The letter said, something important came, and she had to return to her island immediately. She also officially invites him to her island as an honored guest.
But he wasn't feeling dejected or anything, she at least showed the decency to write him about her leave.
If she was someone from his planet, then forget about writing a letter she won't even look at him without feeling disgusted.
"Well, I guess, I should wrap up about this trip matters. I need to leave immediately before another matter arises!" He said enthusiastically before leaving the room.