The Long Lost Tale (Part XI)

Alex's gaze flew to Zeres' face, eyes narrowed with suspicion as his heart thudded in his chest. Alex clenched his fists but kept his face and tone neutral, as if those words bore no weight.

"Don't fabricate things, witch. The king would never look for me," Alex replied, seemingly unbothered. Alex knew that there was no way his father would ever look for him. He was the black sheep of the family, a waste of space and time. But even so, a small light of hope flickered inside of him. Even though his brain knew for a fact that he was nothing in his father's eyes, Alex still wasn't able to crush that hope that maybe his father did care, that maybe his father was actually looking for him. And he hated himself for it. He hated the fact that he couldn't seem to stop himself from hoping. He loathed himself for giving his father this kind of control over him, hated the fact that even after what his family had put him through, he still wanted their acceptance.