The Starforged Peaks

The first Prince of the Solene Kingdom, Price Caspian Marcell, was an ambitious prince known for his tactical brilliance but also his cold detachment.

Just like the other nobles of the kingdom, he had heard about the incident that befell the heir of Duke Thaddeus and although he had no hands in it, he knew what was going on.

In fact, he had plans of bringing James to his faction. Unfortunately, his father was more ruthless than he gave him credit for.

'Such a shame. He would have been a good ally in my claim for the throne from father.' Caspian sat in his office within his own estate as his subordinate stood at attention informing him of the latest trends in the kingdom.

Right now, he was of the mind to either bring James to his side as an ally or a pawn he would use in his fight for the throne.

'With what he's been through, it would be difficult for him to trust again, especially a noble, not to mention a prince even with his personality.'

With furrowed brows. His mind spun as he came up with many plans for his path ahead.

'But I don't have to let him know it's me necessarily. Just a bit of goodwill should convince him of my desire to ally with him.'

Naturally, he had also received the news of the appearance of the inheritance grounds and knew James would definitely be there.

He knew that, his father knew that and he bet James knew that as well. That meant if James made an appearance, it wouldn't be in a way that would make him recognizable. 

'There are other ways to flash a person out as well,' 

A smug grin appeared on his face liking his plans more and more.

Then he looked at his subordinate and instructed.

"Inform the captain to prepare a squad that would go exploring the inheritance ground. Also, tell him to come see me once he's done. I have some special instructions to give~"

"Yes, Prince Caspian."

The subordinate bowed and then left the office.

The prince watched him in silence and a sinister smile graced his beautiful face. His dark hair, blue eyes and elegant mannerisms gave him an air of a superior man that was hard to miss.

'Things would be getting interesting very soon…'

....

The journey from the Sunnbound sanctuary to the Starforged peaks was a half-day on-foot journey. 

And while those from all over the kingdom and even from the other two kingdoms needed more time to make the journey, it wasn't an issue as those who could afford it could make use of the teleportation guild owned by the Magic Conclave spread out through the lands.

James had been lucky enough to appear where he did as the sanctuary was very close to the Starforged peaks so he only needed one day to arrive there.

Of course, he wasn't alone as Thalia had vehemently decided to come along with him. He had no issue with such an arrangement; however, he did keep an eye out for the stalker he knew would be following them.

James was currently dressed in adventuring gear that was common among the masses and while its defensive capabilities failed in comparison to his own clothes, it would have to do.

His appearance, however, was different as there were many spells out there that could be used to cover a person's identity. It was a common spell most adventures used as some preferred to keep their adventuring persona separate.

Naturally, there were ways to tell when a person was using such a spell, but no one really cared. However, it was illegal to use face-changing spells in formal settings.

A few hours later, James and Thalia arrived at the mountain range that sprawled in all directions. Up ahead was a sea of people all gathered there to enter the inheritance ground once its barrier separating this dimension from the one it was in came down.

He observed the floating land mass that appeared high in the sky and although it looked small from where he stood, it was much larger once you entered.

Once they got close to the mass of people, James and Thalia caught the mumblings of the people around. Some chatted about what they wished they found while others made alliances.

"From now on, call me Jay."

Thalia turned to face James after she heard what she said. She got curious as to why he would prefer she called him a different name.

The facial spell should have been enough to hide that even if he still used his real name. Of course, wanting to know why he changed face was also something she wanted to ask but ultimately decided to keep everything to herself.

"Oaky…"

She nodded in acceptance as her eyes drifted to the beautiful sight above her. Looking at her profile, James appreciated her discretion in keeping her questions to herself.

'She understands I'm not ready to talk about myself. I like that…'

He smiled slightly before looking around.

Then he heard something that instantly caught his attention. His head snapped so quickly in that direction that., Thalia noticed it instantly, prompting her to pay attention too.

"You heard what happened in the late Duke Thaddeus Domain?"

An adventurer asked the people around him.

"Oh yeah, I heard something, though not sure if it's true."

"Of its definitely true. Word from the royal capital was that months after the passing of the duke, a past enemy of his saw this a chance to exact his vengeance on his descendant."

"What?"

"Exactly. That enemy had managed to invade his estate kill most of the knights there and almost succeeded in killing his son. I think his name is James?"

Hearing the words those people said, James clenched his teeth and hands as rage boiled within.

'So that was the story they fed to the public? Those spandrels!' 

His rage burned so strongly that Thalia who stood by him and observed finally got a hint of his identity.

'So that's who he is… No wonder he carried around so much hate and anger.'

She subtly took hold of James's right hand to show her support.

"Huu,… Don't worry. I'm fine."

He reassured her as his anger slowly dissipated, but that was just the beginning.

"Also, as a way to protect one of their own, the kingdom issued an announcement to the whole kingdom and even the neighbouring ones. It stated that whoever found the heir of the late duke should reach out to the forces of the kingdom so they could go find him before the enemy got to him.

"What's more, there is a reward for anyone whose help led to finding him. Of course, those who gave out false information will be penalized too."

The adventurer chuckled at the end of his statement.

'To protect their own?!'

James sneered in his heart as he struggled to hold back his anger. At the same time too, Thalia noticed something as James's body began emitting that strong aura that drew her in.

The aura was so intense that, some people turned to look their way and even began walking away from them.

"Who's that guy and what's his deal?"

"Who knows? But that murderous aura of his someone is definitely going to get what's coming to them."

As the commotion continued to grow, there was something else too. Something that only the females among the adventures and knights could sense.

A strong level of attraction towards the one with the suffocating aura. Some even attempted to approach, however, Thalia noticed all this as soon as it began.

"Jay… I think we should get away from the crowd. You don't want attention to yourself, right?"

She whispered and then began pulling James away who made no efforts in resisting. His mind was still burning with rage and hatred, wishing so badly he had those bastards before him.

Sometime later, Thalia and James arrived under a tree far away from the crowd and the growing commotion.

"Are you alright?"

Thalia inquired with concern in her voice. While she didn't know the full story, she wasn't naïve to also believe everything she heard.

'There's always something more when dealing with nobles.'

She would know, after all, she had her own experience with them.

James took in deep breaths to calm himself before replying, "I'm fine. Thanks for what you did."

"Don't mention it."

She reassured him by holding on tightly to his hand.

James looked at their connected hands with a pondering look before raising his head to look directly into Thalia's eyes.

She returned the gesture with bright eyes that held no judgement whatsoever.

"Aren't you curious about my identity and what you just heard?"

Thalia nodded as her gaze shifted to the still growing crowd.

"I do. It's just that I don't want you to feel pressured into telling me anything until you're ready."

Turning her gaze back onto him, she continued with a resolute look.

"I chose you, James. And while I don't know anything about you, your presence makes me feel alive. All I want is to just stay by your side."

For a moment, James remained silent not sure how to respond to that.