Chapter 112: The broken pact

"Mona?"

Mona giggled, reaching desperately for Elias. As soon as Elias brought Mona closer to his chest, the baby quieted down. He put his little arms around Elias’s neck, hugging him tight.

Elias left the baby dangling around his neck without holding him, and turning to stare at Rowen.

"It wasn’t my fault. That’s what came out yesterday." Rowen shrugged. "My heart almost came out of my mouth."

Lady Anny sighed.

"Rowen, take your child from him."

"I told you, the child isn’t mine." Rowen pouted.

"So whose child is it?!"

Rowen tilted his head and all eyes followed. Elias was staring at the child and the child was staring back at him.

"Ehhhh?!"

"W...w...w... what..." Lady Hinger muttered. "The child is his?!"

It came as a shock.

In this world, finding a spouse was a secondary priority, and they didn’t have to watch the birth rate because many chose to not even have children. People in Qld live for up to two hundred years, so most find a spouse at age fifty or higher.

A child fathering a child was extremely rare.

Elias wasn’t interested in explaining that Mona was also him, so he just stuck to staring at the child.

They composed themselves right away and chose to speak about the most pressing issue on ground.

"How did he get here in the first place," Lord Joe asked. "It’s not normal for a Black-eyed to cross our boulder and dwell among us."

Elias immediately lost interest in the conversation. He turned around to grab the remaining buns, only to find it empty. Tyler was licking his fingers.

"..."

Things almost went ugly, if not of Rowen watching the scene.

"I’ll make you another." He yawned.

He couldn’t afford the two princes fighting over buns and pulling both empires into trouble.

Elias walked out right after. Tyler immediately ran after him, catching up by the hallway.

"You’re a Black-eyed right?"

He hovered around Elias who didn’t reply.

"Is this really your child?"

"..."

"Duel me."

"..."

"Elias." He ran forward and turned around, blocking his way. "Let’s fight."

Elias went around him.

"C’mon!" He ran after the taller male.

The few students who were not in class by that time stopped to stare at them.

Children weren’t allowed in, yet one was dangling on Elias’ neck. At the same time the prince who was a student but had never showed up, is walking the academy halls.

"Strange things are happening, I tell ya." Someone muttered.

Tyler continued to bug Elias till they arrived in class. Elias pushed the door, drawing all attention. Even the professor was startled, especially when he saw a child.

"Who are..."

His eyes landed on Tyler. He straightened up and bowed.

"Welcome, your highness."

All the students rose up and bowed, repeating the same greetings.

Tyler wasn’t even replying. He was too busy trying to get a reaction out of Elias.

The class was anything but peaceful. Tyler kept nagging, while Mona kept giggling at every little thing. Half of the girls were drooling over the guys, while the second half were searching for a chance to touch the baby just once. His looks were opposite of Elias. Like the light and the dark.

"Class dismissed." The man had aged sixty years in sixty minutes. He grabbed his books and walked out.

Murmuring grew louder, but no one approached them directly. In the end, Elias stood up and began heading towards the student council room.

"Why are you ignoring me? How old are you?!" Tyler ran after him, stomping his foot.

"Eighteen?"

"We’re the same age!"

"So?"

"Don’t ignore me!"

"How is that a logical reason?"

They entered the room. All members of the council were present, except Ume and Tiana. They all turned around as soon as they heard the child whimper.

"Goooooo mornings." Tyler sounded like he had lost a tooth.

"Greetings, your highness." They all respectfully bowed.

Elias pulled Mona’s little hand from his clothes and handed him over to Kael.

"Baaaa! Bahh!" Mona broke into tears, reaching out.

"Why is he crying?" Kael frowned.

"He wants his father." Tyler replied.

"..."

"..."

"His father?!" They all chorused.

"You have a child?!" Claude gasped.

"What’s wrong with that?" Elias raised a brow.

"Aren’t you too young for that?" Fayera coughed silently.

Elias reached out his hand to the child who quieted down right after.

"He’s a piece of me. A split. In short, he’s still me."

They all just stared.

"You split your soul?" Tyler caught on first. "How is that possible?"

"A strange creature in another world did it." Elias remembered the dragon.

"Oh..make sense..."

"For a moment, I thought you..." Kael coughed. "I won’t even be surprised. Afterall, you seem like the type that’ll strangle a prince for buns. No offence, your highness."

Tyler felt shivers up his spine.

Mona was no longer crying even after Elias let go, but he didn’t look away.

Elias walked to his seat, but had barely gotten to it when another hand grabbed him.

He glanced back.

"Can...we talk?" Coco muttered, her face red in embarrassment.

The council room was larger than an average classroom, so they just had to walk away from the rest.

Elias leaned against a wall while she stood before him, fumbling with her fingers. Looking at him before, he looked like a grumpy tall kid, but now, with the undercut and sharp gaze, she realised how much of an idiot she was to go after his blood.

Who would look at him, and think he is normal?

"I ...arrrr..."

She gulped.

"I..."

"Get to the point."

She flinched.

"I wanted to say... I’m sorry."

"Sure."

He wanted to leave, but she grabbed his wrist. "Wait, you don’t understand. I cannot be the one to break the pact. You have to keep what happened a secret. I’ll do anything."

"I’m not interest—"

"Elias." She squeezed his hand tight. "You know the rules. I’ll be beheaded." Her hand trembled. "Please..."

"..."

"I wasn’t trying to kill you. I...was just curious... about your blood..."

"..."

He stared at their hands for a moment before he turned his gaze sideways. Claude had just shown up, smiling mischievously.

"Oh? Something stew..."

"Aargh!" She jumped back, letting go of Elias’s arm.

"Claude! What the hell are you doing!"

The council president chuckled. "I saw something interesting. Are you trying to be that little boy’s mother?"

Her face flushed even more. "No! I... it’s not..."

"C’mon, tell me." He probed. "I heard something about making a pact for the baby."

"Are you hearing with your eyes?!"

"But..."

"Shut up!"

He laughed for a moment longer, before he quieted down. Now, the three stared at each other for no reason. Coco was beginning to feel nervous. ℯℯ𝑙.

"I..."

"You," Claude shut his eyes and when he opened them, she flinched. It was the gavel and scale. He had activated his ability.

"You broke the pact."

She moved back as he frowned.

"It’s always your damn family."