The Duchess drifted back into the crowd, leaving Kyle standing awkwardly at the edge of the hall. That's when Duke Drake Oriana approached him directly, calm steps, unreadable eyes, a presence heavy enough to silence the air around them.
Kyle bowed clumsily, unsure how to act in front of the kingdom's most feared noble.
"No need for that," the Duke said quietly. His gaze lingered on Kyle's chest, specifically on the small silver pendant hanging under the boy's collar. A faint shimmer of an emblem peeked from the chain.
"May I?" the Duke asked.
Kyle nodded and lifted the pendant out.
The moment the emblem caught the light
the Duke's eyes sharpened. His fingers froze inches from the pendant.
It was the sigil of a house that no longer existed. A crest wiped from history. A bloodline that was supposed to be extinct.
House Midgar.
The house of the first-born line of the First King.
His old friend Lloyd's house.
His breath slowed. His pulse tightened.
This wasn't coincidence.
A forgotten heir the last remnant of a slaughtered line was standing right in front of him, alive, breathing, wearing the emblem of a ghost.
The Duke inspected it with trembling control, then gently released it and handed it back.
No shock showed on his face. No gasp. No reaction.
Only a slow, relieved exhale.
And then he placed his large, warm hand on Kyle's head.
A small gesture. One only the boy would notice.
"It seems," the Duke murmured, voice low enough for only Kyle to hear, "that destiny has allowed us to meet again."
Kyle blinked, confused. "Again… sir?"
"Yes," the Duke whispered, though his tone held more weight than the boy could ever understand.
But as his hand rested on Kyle's head, another puzzle struck him hard.
Back then when Kyle was just a toddler his hair had been white as frost, an inherited trait of the Midgar line. His eyes had been the same chilling blue, sharp even as a baby.
Now, his hair was black.
A clean, perfect black that could only be achieved one way: dyed.
But why? To hide him? To protect him? Had Baron Landergrey known the truth all this time?
Questions flooded him like a storm. Threads he hadn't pulled in years suddenly tangled around him again.
The Duke slowly withdrew his hand.
"I'll be watching your growth, young one," he said gently.
Kyle bowed, unsure, feeling the pressure in the Duke's voice but not understanding a single thing.
When the Duke walked away, his expression remained calm…
…but inside, his heart was racing.
The heir lived. The boy was not aware of it but he would walk a path Destined for vengeance.