Emilia’s hands shook as she reached out and pulled Ruth into her arms. She had always thought of him as untouchable, distant, and cold. But the moment her eyes met his, she saw something that left her breathless. His expression was not one of anger or indifference. Follow current novᴇls on noveⅼfire.net It was painful and filled with sadness. A quiet hurt buried deep inside that he had never allowed anyone to see. The sight of it struck her like a knife, and her chest tightened as though the sorrow was her own. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder, holding him tighter. The silence between them was heavy, too heavy to bear, but words refused to come. Emilia felt her throat burn with a hundred questions and apologies she wanted to spill, yet none of them seemed enough. Ruth had always been the one she could not reach, the one who stood apart from everyone else. But now, at this moment, he looked more human than ever. He looked broken, and she did not know how to mend him. Her thoughts spun wildly. Why had she not seen this before? How many times had he carried that same sadness, hidden behind a face of steel? Emilia’s heart ached with regret. She realized that while she had thought he was distant by choice, he might have been carrying a pain he could never put into words. That thought made her hold him even closer. Her fingers dug lightly into his back as if anchoring him to her, refusing to let him slip away again. "Ruth," she whispered, her voice shaking. The single word carried everything she felt but could not say. His name was both a plea and a promise. She wanted him to know he was not alone, that whatever shadows haunted him, she would not let him face them by himself. Yet when she looked at him again, she saw that same wounded look in his eyes. It broke her all over again, because it told her how deep his scars went. The sadness on his face was quiet, but it was unbearable to see. Emilia felt tears rising, blurring her vision, but she refused to look away. She wanted to take all of that pain into herself, to carry it for him, if only it meant he could breathe freely for once. She had never thought she would see Ruth , stripped of all his walls, raw and human. And the more she looked at him, the more she felt her own heart crack under the weight of his silence. "Please," she murmured, though she did not know what she was begging for. Maybe for him to open up, maybe for him to stay, maybe just for the chance to be someone he could lean on. Her voice trembled, but her embrace was steady. Ruth looked at Emilia and wrapped his arms around her waist with a sigh. In that moment, the world felt painfully small, narrowed down to just the two of them and the storm of emotions they could not put into words. The quiet wrapped around them, thick and suffocating. Yet within that silence, Emilia found herself clinging even tighter, as though her touch alone could shield him from the hurt. She wanted to tell him that he was not alone, that his sadness did not make him weak. She wanted him to believe that she would not walk away. But all she could do was hold him, her tears falling against his shoulder, hoping he could feel everything she could not say. "I knew that girl was sick in her head, but I cannot blame her fully," Ramos said, shrugging his shoulders. His tone was careless, but Kael’s eyes narrowed at his words. "What do you mean by that?" Kael asked, his voice low. "I mean, you know how your father is," Ramos replied, glancing at him with a knowing look. He turned his attention away and called out, "Elfie, come give your big grandpa a hug." At once, Elfie trembled. Instead of moving forward, she hid behind Kael’s shoulder. Kael’s hand gently brushed over her head to calm her down. His face stayed cold, but there was a trace of comfort in his touch. "You should have seen her reaction," Kael said, pointing slightly, his expression blank. Seeing Adele crying,he enjoyed it a lot. It was quite satisfying. She was a poor girl but pitying him,blaahh.. "I was not at the estate most of the time," Ramos muttered, avoiding his gaze. "I did not see much of the two of them." Kael’s eyes hardened. "Just what were you doing all that time?" His tone carried weight, and it made Ramos freeze. The air grew tense. Elfie peeked from behind Kael’s arm, sensing the heavy silence, but quickly buried her face again. Kael reached down and pulled her slightly closer as if shielding her. His gaze did not leave Ramos. "All I ever read in books," Kael said firmly, "was about you winning wars against the Nightstar and all that bloody mess. Yet after that, it seems like you disappeared. Your name stopped appearing. No records, no words, nothing." He paused, then asked, "And I know almost nothing about my aunt. Her name was never mentioned, as if she was erased." Ramos let out a long sigh and rubbed his forehead. His expression was weary, as though memories pressed heavily on him. "It is complicated," he said quietly. "Your aunt ran away early. She changed her name. The previous Emperor hated her daughter for being a nuisance, so nothing much was ever spoken about them." Kael listened in silence, studying Ramos’s every word. "She did not take part in the war or any great matters," Ramos added. "So her name never became known." Kael wanted to ask how she died, but the heaviness in Ramos’s voice held him back. The reluctance was too clear. So he swallowed his question, though his thoughts remained restless. After a moment, Kael leaned back, his tone sharper. "I feel you are hiding something. You fought alongside the Emperor, yet now he is lying weak and old on his deathbed while you are alive and well. Your age looks like a facade." Ramos stared at him, then let out a dry laugh that carried no humor. "It is because I managed to break through while that fool failed. His failure cost the lives of many." Kael’s brows furrowed. He thought to himself, Breakthrough? To which level? Demi-God?