Chapter 378: Klaus
Elena lay on the bed, staring silently at the ceiling.
She had been here for two days now, despite having recovered quite well. She had not suffered much physical damage to begin with. It was the psychological trauma that concerned them, or at least that was what they claimed.
For fuck’s sake, someone lost an arm and he was discharged this morning.
She snickered inwardly at the blatant favoritism. Everyone knew the real reason she was receiving such special treatment. It had little to do with concern for her well-being and everything to do with the man who had come to see her.
"My baby!"
Her mother arrived first, crossing the room in a hurry and pulling Elena into a tight embrace before she could even get out of bed.
"I am okay, Ma. Jeez, there are people watching us," Elena complained, though she knew there was little point. Once her mother became like this, nothing short of a miracle could make her let go.
Tears had already reddened her mother’s eyes, and she was sobbing again as she held her daughter close.
Elena eventually looked past her mother’s shoulder toward her father and raised her brows.
Seraph Klaus gave her no response. He merely stared at her with a hardened expression, his silence making it abundantly clear that he was not in a good mood.
Seraph Klaus was not a man accustomed to dropping everything at a moment’s notice. He was responsible for handling matters across the South, overseeing the men he had personally trained and raised while maintaining an empire that demanded his constant attention.
For a man upon whom so much of the nation’s security depended, his presence here was surprising.
And, for Elena, a burden.
She had worried them again.
Even after taking every vow imaginable that she would never make her parents shed tears over her again, somehow she had ended up doing exactly that.
"How are you, baby?" Her mother asked as she finally pulled away, immediately cupping Elena’s cheeks between her trembling hands.
Ever since Ava’s death, she had become even more protective of her daughter. The loss had left a wound that never truly closed, and the thought of something happening to Elena had only made that fear worse.
If not for Seraph and Elena joining forces to convince her, she would never have allowed Elena to participate in the training program.
And even then, this was as far as her permission went. Elena had been allowed to train.
She had never been given permission to actually work as a Nightwalker.
"As I said, I am quite fine." Elena spoke with as much certainty as she could muster. "I was never actually wounded badly enough to be admitted here."
"We heard what happened, Elena."
Seraph finally spoke. He pulled the chair beside the bed closer before sitting down, his eyes never leaving his daughter.
"Your instructors tried to skim over the details, but there are people who never miss a single thing."
Elena’s lips pressed into a thin line.
She lowered her head.
So it had happened.
The one thing she had desperately hoped to keep from them had reached her parents anyway.
"You are coming back with us." Her mother turned toward Seraph for a moment before looking back at Elena. Her voice trembled with anger and fear. "I will not leave you in the presence of these... vulgar pigs anymore."
Elena released a slow breath.
"Mom... why don’t you understand?" She looked at her mother, her voice quieter now. "You can’t protect me forever. Not when the world is changing this quickly."
"Who said that?" Her mother’s expression hardened. "Your father built this empire. He trained and hired countless people to protect our family. You can live somewhere safe with me. You don’t have to put yourself through this."
She was adamant about taking Elena home.
But Elena had already made her decision.
"I am not coming back, Mom."
Her mother froze.
"Unless you or Father knock me out and carry me back yourselves, I am not leaving the HQ today."
Elena turned away from them after making her decision clear.
She was not going to abandon this chance.
For once, she wanted to step beyond the enormous shadow her father had cast over her entire life. She wanted to become someone who could stand on her own, someone whose worth was not measured by the name Klaus or the protection surrounding it.
And she was not willing to give that up simply because the path had finally shown her how dangerous it could be.
"Why..." Her mother seemed to lose her words, leaving Seraph to continue.
"Elena." His voice was heavy as he called her name. "Why are you tolerating all of this in the first place? You want training? You want to experience the horrors of the world? You want to fight monsters? I can give you all of that. But I don’t want my daughter struggling among people who don’t even deserve to stand in front of you, let alone hurt you."
Elena exhaled slowly.
"Father... I’ve told you before. I won’t understand what it means to value my life as long as I know you’re standing there, protecting me." She lowered her gaze for a moment before continuing. "If I knew you would always be there to handle things whenever I failed, then giving up would be too easy."
She shook her head.
"Tell me, if I were suddenly forced to face a monster far beyond my strength, would you just let me get slaughtered..."
Her mother immediately covered her mouth.
"Don’t you even think about saying that." Her voice trembled as she spoke. "I hate it. I hate even thinking about something happening to you. You are everything I have left."
Her eyes began to water again.
Elena’s lips curled into a faint, almost teasing smile.
"There is another, remember?"
Her mother stiffened.
For a moment, the warmth vanished from her expression, replaced by a coldness that Elena had seen only a handful of times. Her eyes narrowed as she muttered, "She is no one to me or you."
Then she shot her husband an accusing glance.
Seraph immediately cleared his throat and decided it was wiser to change the subject.
"So, you’ve made up your mind about staying here?"
Elena nodded.
"Father... I’ve learned a lot while I’ve been here. I mean, I’m already one of the strongest cadets, and it’s only been around ten days."
There was a quiet confidence in her voice now, one that had not been there before.
"I’ve learned how to use my wings for more than simply flying. I’ve learned how to fight with them, how to move with them, and how to make them part of my combat style. And the reason I’m lying in this bed right now..." She paused, her expression turning thoughtful. "It’s because I failed to properly assess my opponent."
She looked at her father.
"And that taught me something too."
She had learned more from her battle with Ray than she would ever willingly admit, largely because admitting it would mean giving that bastard credit.
Ray was an asshole she could happily butcher any day of the week. But as a warrior, Elena could swallow her pride and acknowledge the truth. He was exceptional.
Still, if there was someone who had inspired her even more than Ray, then it was probably...
"Kyle. That’s his name, right?"
Her father’s sudden question snapped her out of her thoughts.
Elena’s eyes widened. He had somehow picked the exact name she had been thinking about.
She slowly nodded.
"Y-Yes... He saved me."
Seraph’s eyes narrowed slightly at her reaction. He said nothing about it, however. Instead, he rose from his chair.
"Spend some time with your mother. I will go and pay him a visit."
Elena’s brows lifted.
"Should I come with you too...?"
Seraph raised an eyebrow at the question.
Elena hurriedly clarified, "I mean... you might not recognize him. He’s pretty plain-looking, you see."
Seraph sighed at his daughter’s complete lack of awareness.
"Someone capable of gaining Arthur’s attention would surely have a presence I couldn’t overlook, even if I tried."
He placed a hand gently on her shoulder before giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Get some rest."
His gaze shifted toward his wife.
"And Maya... don’t stress her out too much."
The matriarch merely huffed, clearly displeased by the instruction, but eventually nodded.
Seraph turned and began walking toward the infirmary’s exit.
There was a faint eagerness in his step.
He wanted to meet the boy who had not only protected his daughter when she needed it most, but had also managed to make a name for himself in such a remarkably short time.
Kyle had caught Arthur’s attention.
He had earned Elena’s respect.
Now, Seraph wanted to see the young man for himself.
°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far make sure to leave a comment or review to keep me motivated.