Chapter 551
He had followed Kaelen. Trusted him. Believed in his strength.
But now... now, he saw a shadow stretching behind every noble act. A quiet manipulation behind every alliance. Kaelen wasn’t wrong—that’s what made it worse.
He was winning.
And somewhere deep in Rattan’s chest, a voice began to whisper:
It should be you.
Rattan hated himself in this moment. He had sacrificed so much, played dangerous games, walked moral tightropes, and yet... it still wasn’t enough. Despite all his cunning and compromise, despite the blood on his hands and the burdens on his soul, everything he wanted was slipping through his fingers.
Someone else was going to win. Someone else would hold the prize. And all he could do was watch smile through clenched teeth and play the part of the loyal pawn because he was weak.
But Rattan was not someone who accepted defeat easily.
Not when he saw the triumphant gleam in Kaelen’s eyes, the smug curve of his lips. That smile was a dagger, not just because Kaelen had succeeded, but because it reminded Rattan of what he lacked. Power. Influence. The ability to shape the world rather than be shaped by it.
His thoughts drifted to Vellok. Should he tell him what he had just witnessed? Would it matter? Perhaps Vellok already knew the true aim, the endgame Kaelen had been building toward in silence. If that was the case, then he himself was just another piece and a disposable one at that. He had to act. Do something. Anything to keep Kaelen’s victory from becoming absolute.
Even as envy coiled tight in his chest, he wore his mask flawlessly. With a reverent bow of his head, he spoke with just enough tremble in his voice to sell sincerity: