THE GENERAL'S DISGRACED HEIR

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: THE EARL.

The weight of their shared secret hung heavy between them as they traversed the castle halls. David's gaze was drawn to Shay, a magnetic pull to the storm of emotions swirling within her. Her flushed cheeks and determined expression were a captivating enigma. Yet, the looming shadow of duty forced him to focus.Finally, they reached the Lord's chamber. Shay stepped aside, allowing David to enter. "I'll be in my quarters when you need me," she whispered, her eyes reflecting a mix of emotions. David nodded, a silent promise passing between them.

With a final, lingering look at Shay, David straightened his shoulders and rapped his knuckles against the imposing wooden door. The rhythm of his heartbeat echoed in his ears, a counterpoint to the expectant silence beyond.

"Yes, come in." A deep, authoritative voice, like the rumble of distant thunder, granted him entry. The door creaked open, inviting him into the sanctum of power.

The door closed behind him with a soft thud as he took a few steps toward the Earl, who was seated at his desk. Beside the desk was a stack of books, and in his hand, Lord Hilton held a parchment paper. David could see the writing on the back slightly glowing.

Lord Hilton read the contents of the paper without paying David much attention. After a painfully long minute, he finally pointed at a seat opposite his desk, still not sparing a glance at David.

David knew the Earl was formidable—terrifyingly so. This man had slain an Elder dragon, creatures in Ternion revered as the first race granted dominion by the sovereign. And not just any dragon, but an Elder, rumoured to carry traces of the silent and dead sovereigns.

The air around Lord Hilton was dense with power, yet David managed to withstand it...somehow. He had faced powerful individuals on Earth, though none could shatter mountains with a mere swing of their blade.

"You've been to Willowmere, so I've read," Lord Hilton broke the silence, placing the parchment paper on his desk.

"Yes, I have," David replied calmly.

"Interesting..." the Earl mused aloud.

An aura, insidious and suffocating, seeped from the Earl. Men of lesser will would have crumbled, their spirits broken. But David, tempered in the crucible of adversity, stood unyielding. The Earl's gaze, a cold laser, scanned him,

With a final, lingering glance at the fading light filtering through the stained glass windows, Lord Hilton steeled his resolve. The path forward was fraught with peril, but he would face it head-on, driven by the memory of Mekala and the unyielding duty to his family and realm.