Chapter 5: The Duke’s Villainous Son
Inside the Baronet's Castle, in the grand hall of formal occasions, all the prominent figures of the Barony of Thornsreach stood with deference and obedience, pledging their loyalty to the bewildered Arthur, who sat upon the Baronet's throne.
Beside him stood Baronet Edgar Valerius Blackwood, the lord of the region, and his eldest son, Duncan, both also bowing their knees in submission.
Ever since the knights learned of his identity, they swiftly escorted him to the castle and presented him to the other nobles. At first, the Baronet refused to believe it—but the moment he saw the noble seal pendant, crafted with such precision and artistry that it was impossible to counterfeit, he finally accepted the truth. He immediately gathered all the important figures to announce Arthur's arrival.
Despite everything unfolding before his eyes, Arthur still couldn't comprehend the absurdity of the situation. Just a few hours ago, he had been lost in the forest like a vagabond, and now he was being treated like royalty.
'How did things come to this? I can't even speak properly. If they find out the truth, they'll execute me in the most painful way possible.' He cursed his rotten luck, but as he pondered an escape plan, someone asked the question he dreaded most:
"My Lord Arvan, what happened to you? How did you end up in such a state? Where are your guards and attendants? And... you've arrived far too early?" The man who spoke trembled faintly, trying to mask his fear.
Arthur stared at him and sighed.
Arvan Ravenshade—the second son of the Duchy of Ravenholde—was, in the novel "Rise of the Sword Sovereign," described as the most depraved and wicked individual, despised to the core by everyone in the kingdom. In fact, he was one of the key antagonists in Volumes 2 and 3, alongside the protagonist, Novarian Eirnos.
In the story, Arvan had drunkenly assaulted the Third Princess in a moment of drunken stupor. His crime was so heinous that the king nearly beheaded him on the spot. Had it not been for the Duchess's desperate pleas, he would not have been spared. In the end, he was stripped of his rights as the Duke's son and exiled to the remote Barony of Thornsreach until tensions cooled. Though his exile was nominal, in reality, he was granted authority over the barony—the Duke would never allow low-ranking nobles to disrespect his son.