Chapter 92 - The Night of Many Threads (4)

The grand ballroom of the Imperial Palace glittered with opulence, but tension wrapped around its gold like a vice. Silk gowns rustled as nobles murmured, turning toward the commotion near the eastern alcove where the moonlight barely touched.

"What’s going on here?"

The Iron Duke’s voice cracked through the buzz like thunder in a quiet storm. "Why so much noise?"

Murmurs escalated into hushed speculation.

"That’s the Iron Duke!"

"Wait—who is the young man standing before him?"

"Is he mad? That man once crushed an ogre horde with a single command..."

Luca stood still, barely a step ahead of Aurelia. The dark-haired nobleman clenched his jaw. "This brat keeps interfering in our family’s matters!"

The Iron Duke’s sharp gaze zeroed in. His face, ever unreadable, hardened—just a flicker, but it was enough.

Then came the pressure.

Like a mountain had dropped on Luca’s shoulders.

A wave of invisible force crashed into him. His muscles screamed. His knees buckled slightly, but he didn’t step back. He held the gaze of the Iron Duke, unflinching, even as sweat dripped down his temples and along his jaw.

Aurelia’s soft voice broke through. "Stop it, Grandpa!"

But the pressure only grew heavier.

Luca’s fingers twitched. Every bone in his body felt like it was grinding against stone, but he clenched his fists and stood tall—

I don’t know what dispute she has with her family...

he thought, his breathing ragged, eyes stinging,

...but I won’t let anyone force her to do something she doesn’t want to—not even her family."

The ballroom stirred with more murmurs.

"He’s insane. That’s the Iron Duke’s aura—he should be crushed already."

"Does he not know what he’s doing? He’s courting death!"

Elsewhere, behind an ornate column, a hushed conversation echoed.

"Why don’t you do something?"

"You know how Iron Duke is. Don’t worry... nothing will happen to our son."

Across the hall, Aiden’s hand twitched at his side, he was about to move . But Kyle laid a firm hand on his arm.

"He dared to challenge it," Kyle said, eyes serious. "Let him face this himself."

Selena’s brows furrowed, her icy gaze locked on Luca. Lilliane, oddly quiet, watched with a clenched heart.

Back at the center of it all, Luca’s legs were trembling now. His eyes, once sharp, were bloodshot—veins visible as the Iron Duke’s pressure bore down on him like divine punishment. His spine screamed, and his ribs felt like they were creaking inward.

Still, he stood his ground without flinching..

Aurelia’s voice cracked. "Stop it, please. Please, Grandpa..."

As she moved beside him.

Luca moved just enough to shield Aurelia fully again, arm barely rising in front of her like a broken wall refusing to fall.

She grabbed the hem of his coat with trembling fingers, voice nearing a sob.

Aurelia looked at her grandfather almost pleading ,"I beg you—"

"NO!"

Luca’s voice burst out, hoarse, raw, as if dragged out through blood.

"I don’t allow it. I won’t allow you to beg anyone neither for my sake nor for any other reason."

The entire ballroom went silent. Even the music had stopped long ago.

Aurelia’s breath hitched. She turned, wide-eyed—not at the pressure, but at the strength in his defiance. This wasn’t the Luca who smiled softly and stayed quiet in corners. This was someone who stood for her.

She thought

I’ve always seen him as calm, quiet—maybe even passive. But now... watching him stand like this, like a shield refusing to fall...

something shifted inside her.

Pressure slammed down again. Something cracked—maybe a rib—but Luca didn’t fall.

Damn it...

he thought, darkness clouding the edges of his vision.

It’s suffocating...

His lips parted, blood threatening to well up. But he didn’t let it fall—not yet. Not in front of them.

Behind him, Aurelia whispered again. "Please..."

Still he stood.

And then, finally—

"Isn’t it enough of a test?Are you still not satisfied?"

As the pressure reached its peak—enough to make even seasoned knights tremble—a sudden shift rippled through the grand imperial ballroom.

A gust of mana brushed the air. The crowd instinctively parted, like waves before a storm.

A woman walked through them—her long white hair cascading like moonlight, violet eyes gleaming, a white veil that concealed the lower half of her face. Regal. Unapproachable. Beautiful beyond compare.

She was perhaps the only woman alive whose presence could rival the Empress herself—both in majesty and sheer, terrifying strength.

Luca’s bloodshot eyes flickered toward her, and for the first time since the Iron Duke unleashed his pressure, he looked away.

...Master?

The oppressive weight vanished all at once.

Luca’s knees buckled under the sudden release, his balance lost.

"Luca!"

Aurelia caught him quickly, her arms trembling as she steadied his frame. His chest heaved, sweat drenched his shirt, and a faint trace of blood lingered at the edge of his lips.

The Tower Master stepped forward, her footsteps silent yet commanding. She placed a gloved hand against Luca’s chest and silently infused a wave of mana into his body.

Warmth surged through his limbs, soothing his aching muscles and calming the storm raging inside.

Her gaze softened—just slightly.

"Don’t you think," she said, her voice calm yet sharp as steel, "you’ve gone too far?"

The Iron Duke didn’t answer immediately.

Then, he threw his head back and laughed. A booming, guttural laugh that filled the hall with disbelief.

"HAHAHAHHA" he declared, his tone amused, "A test of his spine. What use is talent, if a man can’t even remain standing when faced with true power? Nobody can stand besides my grand-daughter who folds under pressure."

He looked toward Luca, now slowly straightening, supported by Aurelia.

"You’ve grit, boy. Stupid, stubborn grit. I still have my doubts... but at least now, I acknowledge your will."

Murmurs rose like wildfire.

"A test? All that was just a test?"

"He faced the Iron Duke’s pressure and didn’t fall... how is he still alive?"

"Wait—is that really the Mage Tower Master? I thought she won’t be arriving"

"When did she even arrive? I didn’t feel a thing!"

Amidst the chaos, Luca stood again—barely.

Blood clung to his lip, his breathing ragged. But his gaze was steady.

He didn’t say a word.

Because he didn’t need to.

Aurelia looked up at him, her eyes wide with emotion—there was something trembling in them. Not fear. Not shame.

But awe.

The Tower Master flicked her slender fingers, casting a soundproofing barrier around them as she stepped closer. "Sorry," she said softly, violet eyes shimmering , "I guess I was too late."

Aurelia blinked in disbelief.

Did the Tower Master... just apologize?

Her expression froze, unable to process what she was seeing.

Why would she ever apologize to Luca?

Luca, too, was momentarily stunned. "Why are you apologizing, Master?" he asked quickly. "I should be thanking you instead!"

She gently patted his head, her gloved hand brushing his head. "Don’t worry. He wouldn’t have harmed you," she said, casting a glance toward the Iron Duke. "It was just a test."

Luca gave a slow nod, though confusion still lingered. "But... where were you, Master?"

"I had some problems to handle," she said, her voice vague but composed. "Don’t worry about it."

Luca’s brows furrowed for the first time since the encounter began. The pressure from a Grand Duke hadn’t made him flinch, but

this

—his master facing trouble—clearly disturbed him.

The Tower Master noticed. "What, not even a duke’s overwhelming pressure could shake you," she said with a light, melodic laugh, "but hearing I had problems makes you frown?"

She laughed again, softer this time, then turned her gaze toward Aurelia—who still looked bewildered and speechless. "Well, it seems like you’ll have some explaining to do," she said to Luca with a knowing tone. "I won’t take more of your time."

With that, she lifted the soundproofing spell and disappeared into the crowd.

Luca rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as Aurelia stared at him, clearly expecting answers. Before he could speak, a loud voice echoed across the hall:

"Everyone is to gather in the main ceremonial hall! We will now honor those who fought against the darkness and played key roles in the battle. They shall be awarded the Medal of Honor by the leaders of each major faction!"