Realm Lord
Chapter 142: Meeting at the Wings (4)

Chapter 142: Meeting at the Wings (4)

"What?" Arthur’s voice came out strangled, his face contorting in genuine shock at her words. He could feel his carefully constructed composure beginning to crack under the pressure of her unwavering stare.

"Your time in the rose field. Specifically before meeting Aziel here..." Her voice carried the weight of absolute certainty. "It had holes in it. But never mind that for now..." She leaned back in her chair, her posture deceptively relaxed despite the intensity radiating from her golden eyes. "Tell me what your goals are."

Arthur sat in stunned silence for a long moment, his mind racing as he tried to process how she could possibly know about details he had deliberately omitted. Cold sweat began building up on his forehead, small droplets forming as his body responded to the stress of being cornered. The comfortable atmosphere of the reunion had completely evaporated, replaced by something that felt more like an interrogation chamber than a meeting room.

"Excuse me?" He looked desperately from Kay to Lara, searching their faces for some sign of support or explanation, but both of them awkwardly avoided eye contact, their expressions betraying a mixture of guilt and helplessness. His gaze finally landed back on Ms. Pellion, who continued to stare daggers at him with the intensity of a predator that had cornered its prey.

"You heard me, boy. Your goals... tell them to me." Her voice dropped to a lower register, carrying an unmistakable tone of command that brooked no argument. "And just so you’re aware, I’m not asking... I’m telling. It is very important that you be transparent with me, and you lied to me in your story."

The accusation hung in the air like a blade poised to fall. Arthur, whose nerves were starting to get the better of him despite his best efforts to remain calm, took a deep gulp of air before fumbling with his words as he tried to formulate some kind of response.

"I-I don’t have any..." he stammered, the lie feeling foreign and uncomfortable on his tongue.

"You’re lying!" The words exploded from Ms. Pellion’s lips with such force that Arthur physically recoiled in his chair. "I will give you one more chance, boy. What are your goals?"

Arthur coiled back, genuinely startled by the sudden shift in her demeanor. The angelic facade had cracked, revealing something far more dangerous underneath. ’H-how does she know? I-is it an ability of hers?’ The thought raced through his mind as he tried to understand how she could see through his deceptions so easily.

Lara, who had been watching the exchange with growing concern, swung her head up toward Ms. Pellion with a look of alarm. "Ms. Pellion, maybe we sh—"

"Quiet, Lara." The command was delivered with such absolute authority that Lara’s words were stopped instantly, as if her voice had been stolen from her entirely. The young woman’s mouth moved silently for a moment before she closed it, her eyes wide with shock at the sudden loss of her ability to speak.

Ms. Pellion then turned her attention back to Arthur, her golden eyes boring into him as she waited for an answer with the patience of someone who knew they held all the cards.

"Hey, what’s the big id—" Aziel, who had been watching the exchange with growing confusion and anger, tried to speak up in defense of his friend, but he was immediately shut down with a single look from Ms. Pellion. The words died in his throat as if they had never existed.

Arthur felt a chill run down his spine as he witnessed the casual display of power. ’I don’t know why but something deep inside me is screaming to tell her the truth. I feel like something terrible will happen if I continue to withhold things from her... shit, I was too stupid, coming here without even thinking. The world of the Chosen is a world of sharks after all.’

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He had walked into this situation completely unprepared, allowing himself to be guided by his trust in Kay and Lara without considering the possibility that they might not be in control of the situation either.

Arthur closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to center himself and gather what remained of his courage. When he opened them again, he locked eyes with Ms. Pellion, his gaze steady despite the fear coursing through his veins.

"I’m going to rise through the seven realms and reach the heights of power," he said, his voice growing stronger with each word. "Not for some noble reason like saving humanity... I don’t care about humanity. I wish to be strong so that the people and things I care for are always protected and can never be taken away from me... as long as there are people stronger than me out there, then there are people that can take from me out there."

Arthur spoke with conviction and determination that surprised even himself.

Ms. Pellion sat and stared at him for a long moment, her intimidating gaze softening slightly as she processed his words. There was something almost approving in her expression, as if his honesty had earned him a small measure of respect.

"Good..." she said finally, her voice carrying a note of satisfaction. "Now explain one more thing to me."

She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the polished surface of the conference table, her golden eyes never leaving his face.

"I looked into your records. Parents killed, your core began to develop, and you went to the school. But according to everyone at the school who worked with you... you lacked passion." Her words were precise. "And yet here you are, full of passion. Some teachers there even said you seemed to have already been resigned to a fate of death."

She paused, letting her words sink in before continuing.

"Looking at the boy in front of me, I find it hard to believe. For a change like that, something rather important must have happened to you after your time at the school. But from your story, nothing quite fits the mark..." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "So tell me, what did you leave out?"

Arthur began to shake with nerves, his hands trembling as they rested on the table’s surface. ’How the hell does she know?’ The question echoed in his mind like a broken record. He didn’t want to ever talk about this subject for as long as he lived, but something inside of him continued to make lying feel impossible.

’Why does it feel like my body is rejecting the possibility of lying? What’s going on here?’ The internal struggle was becoming more intense with each passing moment, as if some external force was compelling him toward honesty.

"Someone close to me died before I met with Aziel," Arthur said finally, his voice drained and quiet as he stared down at the polished surface of the table, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.

The admission hung in the air like a funeral shroud, and suddenly everyone in the room was listening with intense focus. The silence that followed was so complete and profound that a needle falling on the ground would have sounded like a bomb exploding. Even the ambient sounds of the building seemed to fade away, leaving only the weight of Arthur’s words echoing in the space between them.

Even Aziel, who was aware of the fact that something tragic had happened to Arthur before their meeting, had never heard the full story.