Chapter 206: The Weight of the Name
The thick oaken doors creaked shut behind him as Albrecht Thorne stepped into his private study. His boots left faint prints of dust and sweat on the marble floor, and his shirt clung to his chest. His broad shoulders rose and fell with each breath, but his expression remained unreadable.
Behind him, a soft but firm tapping of polished shoes announced the arrival of his ever-faithful butler.
Frederick moved like a ghost of discipline: thin, slightly hunched from age, dressed in impeccable formalwear. His skin was pale and deeply lined, his pure white hair combed neatly back. Despite nearing ninety, his eyes retained the sharpness of a hawk.
"I told you at Lady Livia’s wedding," Frederick said, voice dry as parchment. "Sooner or later, it will kill you. You do know you have soldiers who could assist with this, don’t you?"
Albrecht grunted, pouring himself a glass of chilled water from the crystal decanter by the desk. He didn’t sit.
"Are any of them as strong as I am?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "You know damn well they’re not. Some are close... but none have stepped into the Ascendant threshold."
He downed the water in one motion, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and turned toward the window.
"Right now, they’d just get in the way. I won’t throw lives away without reason. I’m still capable. Alone, for now."
Frederick folded his hands behind his back and let out a quiet sigh.
"If you say so. But you know the burden will fall on one of your children eventually. That means choosing a proper heir. And I assume Lady Livia is no longer in the running."
Albrecht didn’t answer. He only stared out at the darkening horizon beyond the glass. The lands of Thorne stretched far — forests, rivers, cold winds — all his to protect.
’And eventually... someone else’s.’