Daegel nods. “My father?—”
My heart sinks.His father will be entering the trials.Fuck. Of course, the man with ambition and greed as Daegel’s father would want to become the ruler of the whole country.
Caligos would be unstoppable then.
And I would be fucked. The man dislikes me already, and I barely said a word to him.
Before my mind can spiral any further, Daegel adds, “He wants me to enter the trials and become the next Ezkai General.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
PHOENIX
My mind is reeling by the time I reach the plum orchard in the castle grounds.
I couldn’t sleep at Daegel’s. Not after the declaration he made.
“Will you?” I choked the question out after he told me hisfatherwants him to enter the trials. “Is that something you want?”
Daegel hesitated. A frown formed between his eyebrows. Finally, he said, “It’s an honor. One that’s so rarely bestowed upon Ezkai, to become the General. I’ve been climbing Ezkai ranks for years. It would be the height of my career as an Ezkai.”
I was not surprised to hear that. I knew about Daegel’s ambition from the start. If he had come up with this idea by himself, I wouldn’t bat an eye.
But it’s his father’s wish. His father who’s a Caligos.
And Daegel promised me he’d cut ties with that part of the family legacy.
“What does your father have to do with any of it? Why did he ask you to enter these trials? Why not enter them himself?”
“I was born into a family who had plans and expectations for me when I was just a fetus in my mother’s womb. For them, it’s their way, or no way at all.” The look he gave me was full of resignation. “All the members in my family have roles to play.”
Daegel opened up in way he hadn’t before.
“My father, as the current head of the family, runs all of the operations that our family is involved in with Caligos. It’s his legacy, and one day it’s supposed to be mine, too. My mother has a higher position in the Order of Ezkai than my father, so she’s not as involved in the Caligos business, and focuses more on keeping up the family name in the public eye. And me… Well, I’m their heir who’s supposedly destined to be the next Ezkai General,” he said.
That’s when I realized how much trouble we’re in.
Not only does his father not approve of him dating me, but Daegel’s ambition and loyalty to his family, even if he says he doesn’t like the tight leash around his neck, goes above everything else.
Even me, and his love for me.
If we’re to have a future together, I’d have to bite my tongue and accept it. That I’d always come second, if not third.
Tears spring to my eyes, blurring the sight of a tree in front of me as I draw the arrow. Scorpio hums in my hand. Since the day my bow allowed me to bond with it by revealing its true name, I’ve noticed that it only ever awakens when strong negative emotions rule me.
Anger. Rage. Aggression.Heartache.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Let go.
The arrow whizzes through the air and hits the trunk of the tree right as a lone tear escapes and rolls down my cheek.
With a sniffle, I brush it way. Pull another arrow from the quiver.
Life’s as fragile as a house of cards. One moment everything may look and feel like a dream, everything you’ve always wanted. And the next, it’s gone in a blink of an eye.
