Chapter 410: The Forgotten Past - IV

[Music recommendation: RIOPY - Ukiyo]

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Three days had passed since Gavriel and Hera’s first encounter.

In all those days, despite throwing himself into investigating the strange beast breaches, he had not been able to erase her from his thoughts.

Every evening, the moment he was able to steal some time for himself, he found his footsteps carrying him back to that same blooming rose tree in the quiet forest.

Yet, she was never there.

Her absence only deepened his curiosity.

Who was she, and where had she come from?

He didn’t even know her family name, which would have made it easier to find her without alerting the entire kingdom to the fact that the Crown Prince was searching for a woman.

As he stood beside the stream, his thoughts took a more troubling turn.

What if that high-tier beast had harmed her? Was that why she had stopped coming here?

Or had she never belonged to Tartarus in the first place? Perhaps she came from one of the lower levels and had since returned.

But that would raise another question.

Not just anyone could enter Tartarus at will. To teleport into the highest tier, one needed a magical pass, and obtaining one was no simple matter.

An irritated sigh escaped his lips. It infuriated him that a complete stranger was consuming so much of his mental energy.

Just then, dark energy spilled from his body. Thick tendrils of smoke curled through the air before gathering on the ground beside him, gradually taking the form of a tiny black dragon.

The tiny beast opened its snout and let out a dramatic yawn, releasing a small puff of fire. Unfurling its leathery wings, it opened its sharp red eyes and stared up at Gavriel’s side profile. "You look utterly pathetic."

Gavriel side-eyed the tiny creature. "Who gave you permission to manifest, Bellarios?"

Bellarios rolled his crimson eyes. "Please. I was enjoying a perfectly lovely nap until your incessant moping disturbed me."

Gavriel ignored him and turned his attention back to the tranquil stream.

"Someone had to intervene," Bellarios continued, settling onto his haunches. "You have been depressed for three days straight. It is exhausting to watch, and frankly, it is beginning to affect my mood."

A vein twitched at Gavriel’s temple. "I’m not depressed."

Bellarios scoffed loudly, raising a tiny scaled paw to lick it with utmost arrogance. "Right. And I’m a majestic bird. If you sigh into this river one more time, I might drown myself just to escape your internal drama."

Gavriel cast a lethal glare down at the little beast. "Watch your tongue, Bellarios."

"Or what? You’ll banish me back into your soul space?" Bellarios snorted. "Good luck with that, because I refuse to go back in. The atmosphere there is even worse. It reeks of desperation."

Gavriel’s eyes narrowed. "I could seal you off for the next century."

Bellarios paused mid-lick, then slowly lowered his paw. "And deprive yourself of the only intelligent conversation you’ve had in three days? How tragic."

"I would consider it a blessing."

"Of course you would. You’ve never appreciated the finer things in life." Bellarios tilted his head, his crimson eyes glinting with mischief. "Though I suspect that might change if a certain dark-haired beauty were to make another appearance."

"Say that again, and I will personally ensure you never taste sweets again."

Bellarios’s tiny mouth curled into a wicked grin. "There it is! Finally, a reaction. I was beginning to think you had lost the ability to feel anything beyond irritation and self-pity."

Gavriel turned away, his jaw clenched. Meanwhile, Bellario’s gaze drifted toward the massive rose tree towering above them. "Though I have to agree with you... she smells intoxicatingly sweet. Just like this extraordinary rose tree."

Gavriel did not refute his words. His eyes shifted back to the tree before he stepped closer to it.

Bellarios flapped his tiny wings and plopped himself down onto Gavriel’s shoulder to inspect the rose tree with him.

"I can feel her power resonating from it," Bellarios murmured softly.

Intrigued, Gavriel raised a hand towards the massive trunk, hoping to trace the energy woven through its bark. However, before his fingers could make contact, a rustle came from the bushes nearby.

His gaze snapped towards the sound.

And there she was.

The very woman who had occupied his thoughts for three days emerged from the foliage, cradling Ceri in her arms.

Both of them froze, their eyes widening slightly at yet another unexpected encounter.

A gentle breeze swept through the clearing, sending rose petals spiralling around them.

Hera’s gaze dropped to Gavriel’s outstretched hand, and her expression changed at once.

Snapping out of her surprise, she hurried towards him. "What were you planning to do to Rhu?" she demanded.

Gavriel lowered his hand slowly, turning his full attention to her. "Rhu?"

Hera nodded, gesturing with her chin. "The rose tree. She is Rhu." Her striking eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I hope you were not planning to harm her."

Intrigue flickered across Gavriel’s features, and he tilted his head slightly. "And what if I were?"

Hera did not hesitate. She darted forward, placing herself directly in the narrow space between him and the tree. "Then I will fight you."

Gavriel’s lips curled into a faint, dangerous smirk as he took a deliberate step closer to her. "Is that so? It’s rare to find someone daring enough to challenge me."

Hera’s heart skipped at his sudden close proximity, and her arms instinctively tightened their hold on Ceri. "W-what do you think you are doing? I am warning you to step back."

"Or else?" Gavriel tilted his head, his gaze lingering on her face with unmistakable interest.

"First, you threaten to fight me. Now, you’re ordering me around." His smile deepened ever so slightly. "Tell me, do you always make a habit of giving strangers orders, or am I receiving special treatment?"

Hera blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "I-I’m not giving you special treatment!"

"Is that so?" He leaned forward just enough to make her lift her chin to maintain eye contact. "Then I must be terribly fortunate. I can’t recall the last time a woman was so determined to protect something from me."

He lifted a hand and caught a strand of her hair between his fingers, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Usually, they would much rather lose everything to me willingly... Hera."

Hera’s eyes widened as the scandalous implication hit her.

Uncontrollable heat rushed to her cheeks before she blurted out, "Y-you pervert!"

"Did you just call me a pervert?" Gavriel stared at her in genuine disbelief.

Before either could launch into another verbal exchange, two guttural growls erupted between them, shattering the moment.

Both shifted their gazes to the creatures clinging close to them.

Gavriel looked down at Ceri, whose glowing blue eyes were locked onto Bellarios as he bared his tiny, sharp teeth.

Meanwhile, Hera finally noticed the baby black dragon perched on Gavriel’s shoulder.

She gasped in disbelief. "A dragon!"

Bellarios paused his growling, blinking his crimson eyes in shock as he stared back at her. "Wait... she can see me?"

Hera’s mouth fell open. "H-he can speak?"