The Hidden Monster of House Vale

Chapter 106: Chapter - 106 - The Heart That Will One Day Break

Prince Rumil stood among the soldiers surrounding him, his posture straight and composed, carrying the quiet authority of someone accustomed to giving orders rather than receiving them. The soldiers had formed a respectful perimeter around him, their weapons at their sides as they watched the approaching figure.

Lady Aelvera walked toward him without hesitation.

There was a fierce look in her eyes, one that made it clear she had not come merely to exchange pleasantries.

She stopped before Prince Rumil and looked directly at him.

”It’s an honor to see prince Rumil in good health,” said Aelvera.

”Don’t worry. No need for pleasantries, I know you are here to ask about your father and he was a great man, giving up his life to save Azurefall,” said Aelvera.

Prince Rumil’s expression remained calm, but Aelvera’s words did not soften the anger burning behind her eyes.

”I know about that prince Rumil, what I’m here to ask is when you will give my father justice, when you’ll find that Man Eater, all I see is there are more soldiers to protect your vaults, seems like you are just thinking about yourself,” said Aelvera.

The atmosphere around them immediately grew heavier.

Several soldiers exchanged glances but remained silent.

Prince Rumil slowly sighed.

”I know your father has died but that doesn’t mean that, you will disrespect a royalty.”

Aelvera smirked.

”Just because you avert your eyes from the truth that doesn’t mean it’ll become a lie, what will you do, huh, try to kill me as well.”

Her voice was sharp, but there was something deeper beneath it.

Grief.

Anger.

The helplessness of someone who had lost a person she could never replace.

Prince Rumil’s jaw tightened.

”What do you want me to do then? They have slaughtered so many people and we don’t even know if it’s just one person or a group you want me to just give up everything and use every resource to find that Man Eater.”

For the first time, the frustration in his voice became impossible to hide.

Rage simmered beneath every word.

The soldiers around him lowered their gazes. None of them dared to interrupt.

Aelvera, however, did not back down.

”Prince Rumil this part of Azurefall falls into your hands it’s your responsibility to take care of the problems arrived and if you really wanted to do something then just give me a royal permission to use my soldiers to hunt down that Man Eater... That’s it,” said Aelvera.

Rumil stared at her for several seconds.

He clearly wanted to say something else.

Instead, he exhaled through his nose and rubbed the space between his brows.

”If that’s what it takes to shut you up...then permission granted but you have only one week for one week you’ll follow no one’s order and do everything to kill that Man Eater, after one week if you failed then I’ll handle things by myself,” said Prince Rumil.

Aelvera’s expression finally eased slightly.

”Thank you prince Rumil, I’ll make sure, I get revenge of my father,” said Aelvera.

”I hope so, I want this to end more than you,” said Prince Rumil.

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Aelvera’s gaze shifted toward Lucien.

She studied him from head to toe, as though she were trying to understand what kind of person could stand beside Prince Rumil so casually.

”And it seems like you have found a new friend, seems like he is just like you...selfish,” said Aelvera.

She did not wait for an answer.

Aelvera turned around and immediately walked away, her footsteps firm and unhurried.

She never looked back.

Lucien watched her disappear into the distance before glancing at Prince Rumil.

”It seems like she hasn’t gone through Heartfall Trial yet,” said Lucien.

”Yeah, bitches like that can’t control emotions naturally,” said Prince Rumil.

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The Heartfall Trial was not an ordinary trial.

In the cultivation world, emotions were considered one of the most dangerous forces a cultivator could possess.

Rage could distort judgment.

Fear could shatter one’s will.

Grief could sink deep into the soul.

Desire could consume reason.

Even love, despite being considered beautiful by ordinary people, could become a fatal weakness in the heart of a powerful cultivator.

The Heartfall Trial existed to force cultivators to face those emotions directly.

A cultivator who successfully passed the trial could stabilize their Astral Pool and gain control over the emotions that threatened to disturb their cultivation. They did not become emotionless. Instead, they learned to recognize what they felt without allowing those feelings to control their actions.

But failure came with a terrible price.

The cultivator could suffer permanent soul damage, lose control of their cultivation, become trapped inside their own consciousness, develop an Inner Demon, have their cultivation crippled, suffer cultivation deviation, or die outright.

And the stronger the cultivator’s emotions were, the more dangerous the trial became.

That was why even among Realm Masters, very few had ever dared to undergo the Heartfall Trial.

For most cultivators, controlling their emotions sounded simple.

It was anything but.

And Prince Rumil was perhaps one of the clearest examples of why.

He had been born with extraordinary talent.

From the moment he was born, the Emperor of Azurefall had considered him the kingdom’s greatest hope.

Rumil was the only male heir, and his talent promised a future far beyond what most cultivators could imagine.

That talent was precisely why he had never been allowed to undergo the Heartfall Trial.

The Emperor had judged the risk to be too great.

If Rumil failed, Azurefall would lose the person it had placed its greatest hopes upon.

So instead of allowing him to experience fear, anger, grief, frustration, or any other powerful emotion, the emperor tried to prevent those emotions from ever taking root.

Rumil was surrounded by guards.

Whenever danger appeared, someone protected him.

Whenever he became frightened, someone removed the source of his fear.

Whenever a problem appeared, someone solved it before he had the opportunity to face it himself.

The protection that was supposed to keep him safe had slowly become a prison.

Rumil had never learned to analyze his emotions.

He had never been forced to ask himself why he was afraid, why he was angry, or why something mattered to him.

He had simply learned that whenever an unpleasant emotion appeared, someone would make it disappear.

Even his first experience of fear had been handled the same way.

When the raging bull frightened him, Erion’s father had been the one who saved him.

Instead of allowing Rumil to understand that fear and learn from it, the emperor had decided that the person responsible for awakening that emotion was a problem.

Erion’s father was eventually killed.

Rumil had even been ordered to create a poison that would eventually lead toward the situation that existed now.

The emperor had believed he was protecting his son.

He had believed that if Rumil never allowed his emotions to grow, he would eventually become a perfect Realm Master.

But emotions could not simply be erased.

Suppressing them only forced them deeper.

A cultivator who repeatedly forced their emotions down created something known as Heart Repression.

The emotions did not disappear.

They accumulated.

Rage buried beneath calm.

Fear hidden beneath confidence.

Grief locked behind indifference.

Desire restrained until it became obsession.

Eventually, the pressure could erupt.

It could damage the soul, trigger cultivation deviation, or even create a second personality in the form of an Inner Demon.

True emotional mastery was therefore not suppression.

It was something far more difficult.

It was Heart Sovereignty.

A cultivator who possessed Heart Sovereignty did not become emotionless.

They could still feel rage.

They could still experience fear.

They could still love, grieve, desire, and suffer.

The difference was simple.

Their emotions belonged beneath their will.

Their emotions could speak.

But they could not command.

Prince Rumil had never learned that lesson.

He was strong because of his talent.

Yet he was weak because he had never been allowed to understand himself.

He was powerful enough to stand among the strongest young cultivators of Azurefall, yet the foundation of his emotional control was dangerously unstable.

He was a ticking time bomb.

And Azurefall had no idea.

Lucien looked at Rumil for a moment longer before speaking.

”Prince Rumil what are you going to do about the assassins that was meant to take your life, do you think you should inform the emperor?” said Lucien.

”No, I’ll handle it myself, right now I don’t even want to think about these stuff, would you like to join me for dinner, my fiancee will be there, I’m planning to meet her and if you’ll be there the conversation would not be boring,” said Prince Rumil.

Lucien gave a small smile.

”Yeah if it’s that you want, I’ll definitely come and meet the future her highness,” said Lucien.

”Great...also I have a favour to ask since that Aelvera is under me and I’m afraid she will do something stupid and reckless if no one would monitor that bitch and if that happened father would definitely be disappointed in me,” said Prince Rumil.

”Isn’t she one of the commander of your soldiers? She must have the aptitude to lead them right?” said Lucien.

”She’s good at fighting but she’s like bull dog when she gets angry there is no stopping you’ll know. Who knows maybe this bitch has send assassins,” said Prince Rumil.

Lucien’s expression remained calm.

But internally, his thoughts were anything but calm.

What the fuck? Then why did that fucker Baldwin tell Brant to protect his daughter when his daughter is already like this? No doubt Brant wanted to stay there to die rather than protecting this bitch Aelvera.

Lucien had expected complications.

He had not expected this level of absurdity.

”Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it if anything happens.”

Prince Rumil smiled.

”Then Axel I’ll meet you tomorrow at the dinner and if you have someone special bring them as well,” said Prince Rumil.

”Of course, prince I won’t forget about the dinner,” said Lucien.

Prince Rumil nodded before turning away.

He began walking with his soldiers, casually talking with them as though the confrontation from moments ago had already been pushed to the back of his mind.

Lucien watched him leave.

Always running away.

Running from the things he should do and going toward the things that make him feel good...

A faint smile appeared on Lucien’s face.

Well, it’s time for phase 2 of Prince Andrin.

Another prince who is waiting for his demise.

Elaria was working inside her chamber.

The room was filled with the sharp scent of herbs and medicinal ingredients. Bottles and containers covered the nearby table, while several half-finished mixtures sat beside pages filled with notes.

She mixed one potion, examined its color, then moved to another container.

Antidotes.

That was all that mattered.

She had spent countless hours researching them.

Days had become weeks.

Weeks had become years.

Sleep had become something she could sacrifice without hesitation.

Her mother was the only thing that mattered to her.

Nothing else could compare.

Not food.

Not rest.

Not comfort.

Not even her own body.

Elaria continued working despite the exhaustion weighing heavily on her. Her fingers moved with practiced precision, but her movements had become slower than usual.

She had been working for hours.

Perhaps longer.

Then her vision suddenly blurred.

A wave of weakness passed through her body.

Her Astral Energy had been nearly exhausted.

Elaria tried to steady herself against the table, but dizziness overwhelmed her.

Her knees weakened.

She was about to fall.

But she never reached the ground.

Someone caught her.

Elaria’s unfocused eyes slowly lifted.

Lucien was standing beside her.

”I think it’s time for you take rest,” said Lucien.

Elaria shook her head weakly.

”No.... I’ll take rest when my mother awake,” said Elaria.

Her voice lacked its usual strength, but her resolve had not weakened.

Lucien looked at her for a moment.

He knew she would continue until her body simply stopped responding.

”Then how about this I’ll give you the last item you need for your antidote,” said Lucien.

Elaria’s tired eyes immediately widened.

”What do you mean? Did you successfully took his blood?” said Elaria.

” What do you think? I told you consider it done and it’s done,” said Lucien.

He reached into his void and took out a small vial.

Inside it was blood.

The final ingredient she had been searching for.

Elaria stared at it.

For a moment, she simply stood there.

Then the exhaustion disappeared from her expression, replaced by overwhelming happiness.

Lucien handed the vial to her.

The moment she held it, all the years of waiting seemed to crash down upon her at once.

Her hands trembled.

Her eyes became wet.

And without thinking, Elaria stepped forward and hugged Lucien.

There was no hesitation.

No calculation.

No concern about how it looked.

She was simply overwhelmed.

She had finally obtained what she needed.

For years, she had imagined this moment.

Now it was actually in her hands.

Lucien allowed her to remain like that for a moment.

Then he calmly took the vial back.

Elaria looked at him in confusion.

”Right now you are not in a state to make the antidote, there are chances you might mess it up so take rest and I’ll give you these vial for extraction,” said Lucien.

Elaria immediately protested.

”What are you saying I’m waiting for this day for years there is no way I’m going to mess it up,” said Elaria.

She reached toward the vial again.

Lucien stopped her.

He gently touched her cheeks and cupped them in his hands, forcing her to look at him.

”Think again, are you in a state? Just for this night take rest and you’ll be able to see your mother tomorrow,” said Lucien.

Elaria froze.

Those words struck deeper than he probably intended.

She had spent years thinking only about her mother.

She had pushed her body far beyond its limits because she was terrified that stopping even once would mean losing the chance to save her.

Yet Lucien was telling her to stop.

Not because he wanted the work delayed.

Not because he doubted her resolve.

Because he did not want her to ruin the one thing she had spent years trying to accomplish.

For a moment, Elaria felt something stir inside her chest.

It had been years since someone had shown her this kind of concern.

She knew this was nothing more than a deal.

She knew Lucien had his own reasons for helping her.

Yet he did not have to care whether she ruined the antidote.

He could have simply handed her the blood and walked away.

Instead, he had stopped her.

Elaria lowered her head.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

Her fingers intertwined nervously in front of her.

”You...you are right i shouldn’t mess it up,” said Elaria.

Lucien released her and turned around.

He did not say anything else.

He simply began walking toward the exit.

Elaria watched his back.

For a few seconds, she remained silent.

Then, just as Lucien was about to leave, she suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand.

”Th...Thank you Lucien, i never thought you would keep your promise...thank you,” said Elaria.

Lucien paused.

He did not turn around.

He merely raised his free hand and waved it casually.

Then his figure disappeared into the void once again.

Elaria remained where she was, still holding the feeling of his presence in her heart.

For the first time in years, tomorrow no longer felt like an impossible dream.