Chapter 42: The Name That Should Not Remain
723 Words
The name lingered.
Verillion.
It had not left Diana’s mind since it was spoken. Even now, standing in the council chamber, she could still feel the weight of it pressing faintly against her thoughts—like a memory that refused to fully surface.
“Start from the beginning,” she said.
Theon nodded once, stepping closer to the map. “Verillion was once a dominant kingdom. Not the largest—but one of the most influential.”
“Because of power?” Diana asked.
“Because of bloodline,” Kaelen corrected.
Diana exhaled softly. That word again.
Dylan hadn’t moved far from her side. His presence remained steady—quiet, grounding in a way she didn’t want to acknowledge too much.
“The royal family of Verillion was known for producing exceptionally powerful heirs,” Theon continued. “But power often creates division.”
Kaelen’s tone darkened slightly. “Especially when succession is involved.”
Diana’s gaze sharpened. “What happened?”
A brief pause passed between the brothers.
Then Theon spoke.
“The king had two sons.”
Diana’s attention locked in.
“The first…” he continued, “was born to a concubine.”
Diana frowned slightly.
“And the second?” she asked.
“The son of the empress,” Kaelen replied.
Diana didn’t need anything else to understand the tension that must have followed.
“The first son was born earlier,” Theon said. “Which technically made him the rightful heir.”
“But not the desired one,” Diana muttered.
Kaelen gave a small nod. “Exactly.”
Silence settled briefly before Diana asked, “What was his name?”
This time, it wasn’t Theon who answered.
It was Dylan.
“Caelion.”
The name settled differently.
Heavier.
Diana turned slightly toward him. “…Prince Caelion.”
Dylan met her gaze. “Of Verillion.”
Something stirred again in her chest.
Not recognition.
But something close to it.
“What happened to him?” she asked quietly.
Theon’s expression shifted—subtle, but noticeable.
“He was never meant to thrive,” he said.
Diana’s brows pulled together.
“After his mother died giving birth to him, the empress ensured he remained… insignificant.”
Kaelen’s jaw tightened slightly. “Neglected. Overlooked. Restricted.”
Diana’s fingers curled slightly at her sides.
“…So he grew up alone,” she said.
“Yes,” Theon replied. “And underestimated.”
Dylan’s voice came again, calm but firm.
“He hid his abilities.”
Diana looked at him again. “Why?”
“To survive.”
That answer settled deeply.
Diana looked back at the map, her thoughts shifting.
“He pretended to be weak,” she murmured.
Kaelen nodded. “And everyone believed it.”
A pause.
Then Diana asked the question forming in her mind.
“…Where does Camilla come into this?”
The room grew quieter.
Theon answered carefully.
“She was arranged to marry him.”
Diana blinked. “And she accepted?”
“No,” Kaelen said flatly. “She rejected him.”
Diana frowned. “Why?”
“Because he appeared weak,” Theon replied. “Unworthy of her status.”
Something in Diana’s chest tightened again.
“And that was it?” she asked.
“No,” Dylan said.
Her gaze shifted to him once more.
“That was the breaking point.”
Silence followed.
Diana felt it.
The shift in the story.
The moment everything changed.
“What did he do?” she asked.
Dylan’s eyes didn’t leave hers.
“He left.”
A pause.
“He abandoned the palace… and everything tied to it.”
The room felt heavier now.
Darker.
“Where did he go?” Diana asked, though something in her already knew.
“The forbidden forest,” Theon answered.
Diana’s breath stilled slightly.
“He was injured when he entered,” Kaelen added. “Gravely.”
Silence.
Then—
“He should have died,” Theon said.
Diana’s eyes narrowed. “But he didn’t.”
Dylan’s voice was quiet this time.
“No.”
A pause.
“Someone found him.”
Diana didn’t ask who.
Not immediately.
Because somehow—
She already knew the answer would matter more than everything that came before it.
And the way the room had gone completely still…
Told her she was right.
- Writer
