Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Chapter 167: Lady Kane

"Does that fulfill your requirements, your majesty?"

The young man's words echoed throughout the ballroom. All of the attendees stared in stunned silence as Lucius declared himself a member of the nobility. In addition to that, the house he reportedly belonged to was a 'great house' of Eroa.

For the leaders of the Five Kings Union, this information meant something… more profound. All five of them had dedicated a certain number of resources to tracking the whereabouts of the descendants of House Kane, yet here he was, right in front of them.

Aleksander sat there, his mouth slightly hung open after the young man's reintroduction of himself. He felt the blood in his veins turn to ice as he remembered the actions they had taken. The king found his eyes tracking up and down Lucius's body and settling on the slightly visible burn marks on the back of his neck that curled around the front.

"Oh?" Lucius said. Aleksander watched as his eyes landed on Richard von Petra. "Simply a wound I incurred during the war against Alorek. Many soldiers walk away with scars… don't they, Lord Petra?"

Richard maintained his silence but acknowledged the question he was asked with a curt nod. It was with that statement that Aleksander suddenly realized. Once again, he eyed the man up and down. He knew. Aleksander did not know how, but Lucius survived the attack against him, and he knew who was behind it.

The prophecy echoed in the back of his mind:

~ "Betray not, the last of the House of Kane, lest the curse of death fall on the lands of man, elf, and beast. A threat forgotten by all, save the gods above and devils below, will walk the earth. Heed this call, or Creation will crumble at his touch. Reality will bend to his will. And the gods will fall under his might." ~

Though he could not sense a single ounce of mana coming from the young man before him, his glowing eyes showed a look of hunger. It felt as if they stared into the depths of his soul and found something delectable.

"W-well, if that is the truth of it, then yes! Let them be wed. Richard, you have no objections?" Aleksander looked over to Lord Petra and made sure to give him a look that would brook no arguments.

He also intended to ignore the fact that the man had disclosed the parentage of the young Oracle, Lyrah. It was almost unthinkable to believe that Lucius was indeed the older twin who was said to have died in childbirth; however, a single glance at Kalivas, then Lyrah, then Lucius told everyone everything.

Though Lucius had one golden eye, the silver one matched that of his mother and sister to the letter.

"Of course. It is a momentous occasion that my daughter should marry into another powerful house. May their matrimony also lead to closer ties between the human nations and Eroa." Richard answered flatly.

"Then! Without further ado, with my right as king of the nation of Arcadios, birthplace of my ancestors, home for my descendants, I hereby declare Rena von Petra and Lucius Kane to be husband and wife." Aleksander proclaimed and then stamped the sword by his side onto the marble twice.

King Verdayl then spoke, "As part of my promise to assist King Aleksander, so to do I, King Verdayl Eroa, proclaim that Lucius Kane and Rena von Petra are now wed. Congratulations, Lady Kane. A joyous occasion for you and your husband both."

An uproarious applause overtook the ballroom, drowning out the music being played by the quartet. The loudest among the cheers came from the young Oracle, Lyrah. Even Lady Adellia abandoned some of her social manners to celebrate the marriage of her son.

Such behavior made him wonder how much the Oracle and her daughter knew. How did the infant that supposedly died come to live and grow this strong…

"Ah, your majesty," Lucius…or rather, Lord Kane, called out as he began to step away from their seats. "I was raised by a commoner family in Pelith. From what I know of how I came into their home; I was stolen away in the night and delivered to them. Whoever brought me to them are people who I owe my life. Perhaps it would be best to let their good intentions exist in memory.

I believe we owe it to their endeavors to leave the past where it lies?"

"Perhaps you are right, Lord Kane," Aleksander answered with an exhausted half-smile.

He noticed that his cohort, Lady Voltara al Famyn looked like she was about to have a heart attack. She was likely planning to do as much digging into Lord Kane's past as she could, but with a clear threat such as that, she would not dare, at least for the moment.

Something that he needed to understand was whether they had already triggered the prophecy. Or did they have time to backtrack from it? For now, there was no way to tell. Their best option would be to ingratiate themselves with Lord Kane where they could and leave him be at all other times. Until such a time comes that they could determine how badly they had screwed up, they had few options open.

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Aleksander watched the two newlyweds walk away. It was far from a standard wedding, which was typically performed by a priest in the Church of Celestia. However, the church would never have agreed to perform the ritual due to the young man's mark.

Lady Kane was undoubtedly more than aware that this would be the way of things. The look on her beautiful face, the smiles, and the threat of tears show that this may be the happiest day of her life. In a different universe, the girl may have eloped.

Aleksander then looked to Richard von Petra. The man's eyes were full of anger, and he tracked his daughter and now son-in-law as they danced across the ballroom floor. The quartet began to play a louder and more upbeat song for dancing, and several other couples moved to the floor to join in the fun.

All the final four from the competition were present, and so were most of the final ten. The only one not present was the young man who wielded a mace in the match against Lady Kane. As such, the ballroom was filled to the brim with the competitors, their families, and various nobles from all of the participating nations. This certainly was a night to remember.