During the night, Darian, Tetoya, and Zelkov headed together to the royal castle. Darian noticed that the princess seemed a bit thoughtful, while Zelkov showed a strange kind of fear toward something.

When they entered the castle, they made their way toward the central palace — a huge, open place built to host grand celebrations.

As they walked through the halls, they saw countless attendants and soldiers coming and going. The movement was intense, but no one dared make even the slightest noise, which made the atmosphere feel suffocating.

"Do they really have to be this serious?" Darian asked in a light tone.

"Shh, keep your voice down!" Tetoya snapped — ironically, louder than him. "This is a State banquet, not a casual family meal between princes and princesses, or entertainment for officials. We only hold State banquets for foreign diplomats. We didn't get any prior notice, but judging by the scale, we'll be seeing more than just a few diplomats this time."

Darian scoffed, then turned toward the uneasy Zelkov. The guy looked like he was walking down death row, not to a banquet.

After a few turns through the hallways, they finally reached the palace entrance.

"!"

Suddenly, the three of them felt a sharp aura rushing toward them at high speed from behind.

On instinct, Darian was about to react and block the attack, but Tetoya grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

"We just need to watch," she said coldly.

Feeling how familiar that aura was, Zelkov reacted quickly and drew his saber.

*Clang!*

Two sabers clashed, sparks lighting up the area. But the power behind the strike was overwhelming — Zelkov was sent flying several meters away, unable to resist.

"Brat! How has your progress been this pathetic?!"

The furious voice came from a tall, imposing woman wielding a saber. Without hesitation, she charged toward Zelkov as if she meant to tear him apart.

The woman had nine rings, and Darian had seen her before — back in the meeting room when he first met Painita. She was an important Elder of the royal family.

Darian watched, dumbfounded by the scene.

Beside him, Tetoya muttered, "It'd be weird if his mother wasn't pissed. That guy's always been lazy and never puts in enough effort to train his body, so he can't reach a decent level."

Zelkov unleashed all his power to resist, but the woman didn't even need to use her ring's power to completely overpower him. Within seconds, he was being crushed — crying and running away miserably.

She attacked mercilessly, her blade dancing with impressive skill. Zelkov was forced to retreat nonstop, not even daring to think about counterattacking.

Darian couldn't help but sigh.

After nearly three minutes of brutal fighting, the woman shouted, "Pathetic!"

*Bang!*

Zelkov was thrown across the floor. His body was covered in wounds, blood dripping everywhere, but his mother had shown some "mercy." Even so, the prince was in terrible shape, his clothes soaked in blood.

He stood up trembling, not daring to say a word, head lowered. He was clearly terrified.

When the woman looked ready to strike him again, Darian let out a sharp breath, and the power behind it made her stop.

She turned toward him with a furious glare and roared:

"I'm the one who gave birth to him, so I'll discipline him however I want! I don't need you interfering!"

"Even if you hadn't given birth to him and had found him in the wild, would it still be okay to beat him up like that? Just because you gave him life doesn't mean you have the right to take it, does it?" Darian replied, sounding helpless.

She roared back, furious:

"He was blessed by the gods and carries the purest Baize Lion bloodline our race has seen in almost five hundred years! His potential is limitless, and he was even accepted as a prince by the Matriarch! Yet he wastes it all like a fool! Who do you think you are to tell me that?!"

Suddenly, Zelkov stepped forward bravely, putting himself in front of Darian.

"He's my older brother! If you want to hit and yell at me, I don't care. But don't you dare shout at him!"

"Older brother? You're a prince, and you accepted some foreign human as your older brother? You don't care about your future anymore?!"

She said those words with pure contempt — even though she already knew who Darian was. To her, seeing her son depend on someone else instead of growing stronger on his own was nothing but shameful.

Zelkov clenched his fists. "Mother—"

"Don't call me mother, brat!" she snarled, gripping her saber so tightly she almost lost control.

"Then call her big sister," muttered Darian.

"Big sister—"

"I'll kill you, you little brat!" The woman's short temper exploded, and she lunged forward again. But instead of using the saber, she raised her hand to slap him.

Darian snorted and stepped in front of Zelkov, blocking her. He couldn't just let the kid get humiliated like that. He knew Zelkov — his potential, his kindness. People that pure, if pushed the wrong way, could end up turning into the exact opposite.

The woman froze mid-motion.

"Move!" she roared. "He refuses to train properly, wasting his youth! Instead of improving himself, he wastes time with useless things like reading! Look at Princess Tetoya! She was named princess after him, and she's already a thousand times stronger!"

Darian replied dryly, "Well, you can't really blame Zelkov for that. Maybe it's hereditary."

"Are you saying my race isn't strong enough?!" she asked, her voice cold and her glare murderous.

"Not your race," Darian said indifferently. "But maybe he takes after you."

"You…!"

Darian kept going. "Did I say something wrong? You're a weapons combat specialist, unlike most beasts on this planet, right? You must've dedicated your life to it — walking a long, uncommon path around here."

"But Zelkov might just be a tree that takes time to grow roots before it can rise. He's got the drive and will to follow his own path, no matter what others think. Even when you beat him all the time, he doesn't get angry — just sad. And still, he never gives up on what he believes in. No one can predict the future. As for you... who do you think you are to decide his path for him?"

Hearing that, Zelkov shuddered. He'd never really thought about things that way — he just did what he believed was right, and he felt he could help the people of his planet more that way.

That's why he studied everything he could about the planet and its inhabitants. This world already had countless powerful figures — even an invincible immortal. If he was going to be the next emperor, why did he need to be the strongest in battle? Wouldn't it be better to take care of people in another way?

"That's the excuse you gave him to justify being lazy?!" the woman snapped. But her tone shifted — she suddenly sounded thoughtful.

Darian sighed deeply and met her gaze.

"A warrior's only born and becomes unbeatable if there's a real reason behind it. Forcing him won't get you anywhere close to the ideal result. You can push him for a while, but not for life. In the end, the fruit of everything he sows will be his to harvest. Everyone's got their own fate and opportunities, and things don't always turn out the way we expect. Sometimes something way greater than we ever imagined only reveals itself at the end. So maybe we shouldn't judge others based on our own point of view, don't you think? Everyone's goals and dreams are different. It's hard to say who's right or wrong."

Zelkov's mother fell silent, thinking over his words. She hadn't expected Darian to say something like that.

Now that she thought about it, all these years she'd been forcing her own beliefs onto her son. But... he was already an adult and had never fully given in to her will. She'd just gotten more frustrated and harsher over time. Yet, even the Matriarch only ever gave him light scoldings and didn't seem to care much.

Maybe the problem was her? Could it be that the Matriarch — and that human — saw something in her son that she couldn't? Her mind raced.

When those thoughts finally sank in, most of her anger melted away.

"Come here…" she said suddenly, motioning with her hand.

Zelkov jumped, startled. He thought she was going to hit him again, but he didn't dare disobey. He just braced himself and walked toward her.

In the past, seeing her son act so afraid would've only made her angrier. But now, noticing something different, she spoke softly:

"You're my son. Your mother made new clothes for you... if you really want to follow a path I don't understand... even if I feel uneasy about it, I'll do my best to support you. You've always been more important than my own life. I won't force you anymore."

Zelkov froze completely, stunned. He'd never seen his mother speak to him so gently. Ever since he'd become an adult, the distance between them had only grown — to the point where fear outweighed love. Just calling her "mother" stirred too many emotions.

Seeing her son's shocked face, the woman felt a sharp pain in her chest.

Had she really become such a cruel villain — someone who only brought pain to her own child? How had things gotten this far without her realizing?

Almost desperate with that realization, she pulled him into a tight hug.

Zelkov, surprised, felt the warmth of her embrace and suddenly couldn't hold back his tears.

A few seconds later, the woman swallowed hard, trying to control her emotions, then dragged him away to help him change into the new clothes.

When they came back, she met Darian's eyes. There was gratitude in her gaze — and concern too.

"Don't worry," Darian said calmly. "Since he calls me big brother, I won't mistreat him."

She nodded silently in response.

Just then, Tetoya noticed the movement and said, "Hurry up, the banquet's about to start."

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