Silent Crown: The Masked Prince's Bride-Chapter 280: The Sixth Family

Elias froze. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The faint shuffle echoed through the hollow, fire-scarred hall; a soft, deliberate sound against the charred marble floor. His hand flew to the hilt of his sword. Morning light filtered weakly through the broken windows, pale and ghostly, catching the drifting ash that hung like spirits in the air.

He turned slowly, eyes narrowing as he searched the shadows. The scent of smoke lingered, but beneath it, something else. Sharp. Medicinal. Wrong for a ruin. Someone had been here.

His boots crunched over fragments of glass and scorched wood as he moved deeper into the hall. The silence pressed around him, thick and uneasy, as though the house itself was holding its breath.

Then... a flicker. A silhouette by the staircase.

Elias tensed, drawing his blade halfway before the figure stepped into the light.

For a moment, he thought it a trick of his mind. A ghost, perhaps, summoned by longing. But then...

"Sir Al?" His voice came out rough.

Aldric’s reply came quietly, steady as always. "Elias... what are you doing here?"

Elias exhaled, his grip loosening. "I just—felt like it," he said, bowing his head.

Aldric sheathed his sword and stepped closer, a faint, weary smile crossing his face. Seeing Elias there with his displaced demeanor and ash-streaked cloak, yet loyal still, softened something in him.

Elias didn’t have to be here. None of the old staff did. Lorraine had ensured escape routes and safe havens for them all, should disaster strike. Aldric knew Emma would have resisted leaving, but Elias? To see him here, returning of his own will...

"Couldn’t find another job?" Aldric asked quietly. "Do you want me to find you one?"

He was probing, more than teasing. He needed to know why Elias had come.

"The Prince will not return?" Elias asked instead. His usual deadpan wavered, just slightly. His eyes swept the half-burned walls, the still-hanging portrait. "I... I’d like to work here."

"You’re waiting for him?" Aldric pressed. It seemed like Elias was here for his loyalty. And Aldric was impressed. For a moment, he thought about something.

"I... want to wait. But I have to feed my family till then," Elias said. "I found work with a blacksmith."

Aldric’s brow furrowed. Family? As far as he knew, Elias had none left. His parents had been smiths, yes, but that didn’t explain the word family. Then, realization struck.

"You’re living with Emma?" Aldric’s tone shifted to something stern, protective, and edged with guilt. He hadn’t thought much about Emma’s care after the fire. He’d been tending to Sylvia, his ailing wife, and trusted Elias too easily after he heard he was taking care of her.

But to hear this... an unmarried girl, a lady, albeit from a small noble family, living with a strange young man... "You dishonor her by that," he said sharply. "You should’ve refused. Emma is still a child."

"She’s nineteen," Elias countered, heat rising to his face. And I’m twenty-three, he nearly added, but bit it back.

"And unmarried," Aldric said, his voice final.

Elias fell silent. Aldric wasn’t wrong. However innocent their living arrangement was, for now, others would not see it that way. And it appeared that Emma was wrong to think that she had no one to care for her. Emma deserved respect, and if she truly had people who still cared for her, then Elias knew what he had to do.

He straightened, resolve flickering like steel in his eyes. "Then you’ll be my witness, Sir Aldric," he said quietly.

Aldric blinked. "Witness?"

"Witness to me taking Lady Emma Wynmere as my wife," Elias said, and bowed, his voice steady, unshaken this time.

Aldric was stunned for a moment. The words hung in the air like an arrow that had struck true. Then, slowly, the tension in his shoulders eased, and a quiet sigh escaped him. He studied Elias’s face which was earnest, steady, and unflinching. There was no jest there, no youthful foolishness.

It appeared the boy was serious.

Aldric’s stern expression softened as he thought it through. They were young, yes, but not reckless. Elias was a man of discipline, loyal to his core, someone who had survived the war and the fall of their house without losing his honor. And he had personally seen how Elias’ name alone caused her to blush and rant. He knew that girl loved Elias. If anyone could give Emma the steadfast peace she deserved, it was him.

"Then, Elias Harth," Aldric said at last, his tone carrying the weight of both command and blessing, "I will be your witness."

Elias bowed deeply, relief and quiet pride flickering across his face.

Aldric smiled faintly, shaking his head. "You’ve grown up faster than I thought," he murmured. "Make her happy, Elias. She’s seen too much sorrow for someone her age."

"I will, Sir," Elias replied, voice low but certain. "With my life, if I must."

Aldric nodded once, solemn and approving. And for the first time in days, the ruined house didn’t feel quite so empty.

"How much do you want to serve the Prince and Princess, Elias?" Aldric asked quietly.

"With my everything," Elias said. He didn’t hesitate. The answer came as naturally as breathing.

Aldric’s eyes lingered on him. "Why do you like working here?"

Elias blinked, unsure where the question was leading. Normally, he wouldn’t have bothered to explain himself to anyone, but this was Aldric, someone he respected greatly. And Aldric’s expression was so grave, so deliberate, it almost felt like an oath-taking ceremony.

He paused, taking in the weight of the moment, then spoke. "Because... this place gave me my family," he said simply. "And I am willing to serve them for generations."

"You’re willing to bind your offspring to your oath?" Aldric asked, his tone calm but heavy with meaning.

Elias considered it for a moment. "My wife wishes to serve the Princess all her life," he said. "And I will serve her by serving the Prince and Princess. If our children inherit that honor, I’ll consider it a blessing, and a vow I’ll gladly surrender myself to."

Aldric’s lips curved into a faint smile. "You can go now," he said. "I’ll visit you and Emma soon."

Elias bowed and turned to leave.

Aldric watched him disappear down the ashen path, a thoughtful look in his eyes. There had always been six families sworn to the royal line. Now, only five remained.

One family, that was in charge of watching the heir of the last Dragon King... was obliterated. That was how they lost the heir, until Leroy surfaced.

Perhaps this... he thought, was fate’s way of restoring the sixth.

Could Elias and Emma’s new family be the sixth?