aftermath

There was nothing except silence. The people watching were shocked; even the king had nothing to say. The Prime Minister and the first queen were frightened and shocked, their faces pale with fear. Anyone could tell they were afraid of him; they felt as if he had killed them and their dreams at that moment.

The Count of the Ragaltha family, a rich and foolish man, had no idea how, where, or what to say. He believed there was nothing in the world that money couldn't solve. Although he was right when it came to merchants and businesses, money always solved his problems. Today, he was also one of those watching the duel; he was shocked too, but the foolish man remained a fool. His appearance was similar to a joker in a circus, with a long, curly mustache.

He shouted from the audience, "Demon! He is a demon! Your Majesty, your son is a demon! Kill him for the sake of justice!" That was how the silence finally broke. Most people were shouting, "Demon! Kill him!" The scene seemed like a rebellion. Alex stood his ground, turned his hands, making a one-hundred-eighty-degree angle, shivering in happiness. He took up position, closed his eyes, and posed in freedom.

He muttered, "Finally, they are calling me the demon. Just add heavenly too. No, I don't need to be impatient; next time, they will add it eventually. Haha." Someone shouted, "How shameless can someone be, posing in freedom after murdering someone? Kill him, Majesty!" Almost every person in the training hall shouted the same thing, but the next moment, there was only silence.

Alex could not hear their voices anymore; at least, he enjoyed the moment. He asked himself what happened and why he couldn't hear their voices calling him the demon. Finally, he opened his eyes; in front of him, his mother stood, tears in her eyes. She glanced at him with sadness.

"Mother, I won," he said, before she could speak. She slapped him; her voice trembled, "Do you know how frightened I felt this whole time? If something happened to you, what would I do? Where would I go? You are the only person I have left. Have you ever thought about me? I don't want you to try hard anymore for this petty royal hall. For me, just be safe, my son." She hugged him.

There were tears in Alex's eyes; he thought, "Am I crying? The Heavenly Demon, Feng Cheon, is crying over a slap. How pathetic I have become. But why? She slapped me; why can't I feel any anger for her? Why did I feel a wistful burden fading from my shoulders? Why am I feeling that I should rest? When I felt this feeling in my past, is there any single memory of these emotions? I have none. I have never felt anything like that."

In his mind, thousands of memories and thoughts waved. "Oh, now I understand. That's the love of a mother for her child. That's what I saw always from afar." That's how he fainted in his mother's arms.

"Alex, Alex, are you okay?" She carried him in her hands, running in the direction of the restroom. No one tried to stop her, though the head maid followed her. Orcas and the second queen saw her in disappointment; their plan was completely wrecked.

Although the king, who had been silent the whole time, broke his silence, "Everyone who called my son a demon and pointed their fingers at the duel rules will be punished and leave right now before I lose my temper. Prime Minister Orcas, I will personally talk to you after I meet my son."

He woke up in a small room; the bed where he lay was made of steel. He muttered, "Ah, where am I? Ah, my back hurts." The king, his father, sat next to him. "How are you feeling now?" He didn't know how to respond; it was the first time he tried to talk to him, and his presence was nothing similar to the presence he felt at the hall.

"You have become strong. I think I don't need to protect you anymore from your stepmother and Prime Minister," the king said. Alex held his temper, but still, he saw him in awe.

"I know I am not in the place of using gentle words, but you need to know the truth for the sake of your mother." Their conversation lasted for an hour, and he left the room. Alex saw his second wife waiting; he tried to talk to her, but he couldn't, because he was afraid or his pride didn't let him.

There was something between them that no one knew about. "Alex, my son, are you up? I am coming," his mother said, entering the room. Alex gave her a gentle smile.

She asked so many questions and scolded Alex. After an hour, when she finally calmed down, Alex brought up the conversation he had with the king. "Mother, the shameless king wants me to come with him for training at the royal palace. He promised me that he will arrange for the best teacher in the whole kingdom."

Alex thought that his mother would eventually say no. He thought that the woman who couldn't bear the absence of her son for mere seconds, how she would be able to live without him for a month and 20 days.

"You can go with him," she said. "I will talk to him about everything. Don't worry about me. Anyway, you will go to the academy, so I need to make a habit of living without you."

He hopelessly disappointed, shouted, "Mother, you are becoming too pensive! I don't want to go with the shameless king! Please, I don't want to!"

He knew that if he went with them, it would hinder his training. He acted in front of his mother, cute and hopeless, but eventually, she didn't budge from her decision. She also spanked him for calling his father the shameless king.

"Dude, please," Alex thought, frustrated.