The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic

Chapter 178

Chapter 178: 178"Sheesh!"

A groan emerged from the man.

Kael stirred awake slowly. His body still felt weak, but the pain had lessened. As he opened his eyes, he spotted someone sitting beside him, gently pressing a damp cloth on his forehead.

He blinked.

"Lyria?" he said, jolting up in shock. "You... you’re here?"

"Why are you here?"

Lyria didn’t flinch. Her expression was blank, her voice flat. "I’m watching over you. Also guarding the room."

Kael narrowed his eyes. "What about the egg?"

Lyria tilted her head, confused for a second. Then she replied, "It’s in the room."

Kael’s heart skipped. A cold wave rushed down his spine.

’If anything happened to that egg... I’m screwed.’

His mind raced. The promise he gave Carol, the risk of someone tampering with it. He couldn’t stay still. He threw the blanket off and stood up, wobbling slightly, but determined.

Just then, the door creaked open.

Queen Alvera entered first, tall and calm as ever, her icy blue eyes unreadable. Behind her was Iris, who stood with arms crossed, watching him carefully.

Kael’s eyes darkened the moment he saw them.

"I don’t have time for this," he muttered. "I need to check the egg first."

Alvera didn’t budge. "We need to talk," she said coldly.

Kael’s jaw clenched. He stepped forward, glaring at her. "Not now."

"You’re being reckless," Alvera said calmly.

Kael stared at her down, his tone sharp. "That egg matters more than you think. If it’s been touched or moved—"

Alvera raised a brow. "Is it really that important?"

Kael’s gaze hardened. His voice dropped low.

"Don’t pretend you don’t know."

There was no need to act. There was no way someone of her stature couldn’t discern it.

He took another step forward. The air around him grew heavy. His cold presence wrapped the room like a storm about to break.

"I’m not joking," he said, voice deadly calm. "If anything happened to that egg... you’d better be ready. I don’t let anyone lay a hand on what’s mine."

Crimson light shimmered faintly around him, like a flash of killing intent hidden beneath a calm face. The white room dimmed for a moment, tainted by a strange, heavy energy.

Iris shifted slightly, ready to react if needed.

But Alvera didn’t flinch.

She met his gaze, just as cold.

"Then go check it," she said slowly. "But don’t forget—we still need to talk. And this land does not bend to your anger, Kael."

Kael didn’t reply. He pushed past them without a word, heading straight for the room.

Behind him, Alvera narrowed her eyes.

Iris muttered, "He’s too unpredictable."

To which Alvera replied softly, "Yes. And that’s exactly why he’s dangerous."

.....

Kael rushed into the next room, his boots thudding against the stone floor. His eyes immediately locked onto the glowing egg resting inside a bed of woven blankets and enchanted cloth. Soft, pale-blue light pulsed from it like a sleeping heart.

He knelt beside it quickly, his fingers hovering just over the surface. His eyes narrowed as he released a small stream of mana, letting it flow gently around the egg.

He

"Why did you create such a mess?" she asked, voice steady but sharp. "Were you found out?"

Kael didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his hand casually, letting the dull glint of his storage ring catch the light. With a subtle pulse of mana, he checked it—each compartment, each hidden layer.

Still intact.

He exhaled softly through his nose. That was a relief.

"Wasn’t my intention to cause a mess," Kael finally said. "But let’s just say... things got a little hot the moment I saw what they were hiding."

Alvera’s gaze narrowed slightly. "Start speaking clearly."

Kael leaned forward, his elbows resting on the cold table between them.

"There’s a massive port structure being built near the southern edge of Night Star’s coast. Not just for trade. It’s a fortress in disguise. Beneath the scaffolds and smoke, there are containers. Sealed, mana-shielded. Military-grade. I saw sigils from at least three different places... including some that were erased. Deliberately."

Alvera’s expression didn’t change, but her fingers tightened around the armrest of her seat.

"They’re hiding something," she said.

Kael nodded. "That’s not even the strange part. From what I saw, it seemed they were planning a large-scale warfare."