The Absolute Surrender

Chapter 14: Unveiling Secrets

Obene instinctively stepped forward, placing himself between Lilian and the threat as he drew his sword, ready for an attack. But instead of an enemy, a towering horse adorned with silk and gold emerged from the shadows. Lilian's eyes widened at the opulence, while Obene quickly sheathed his blade and knelt, bowing his head.

"My king..." Obene acknowledged, his voice low and deferential.

Lilian's heart raced as she cautiously looked up, her gaze settling on the imposing figure atop the horse, clad in golden armor from head to foot. She couldn't see his face, but the voice that followed sent a chill down her spine.

"I expected results on the mission I handed to you, Obene," Marlin stated with a calm that barely masked the threat beneath.

"My king...I—" Obene began, but Marlin silenced him with a sharp glance.

"And who is this?" Marlin's gaze flicked to Lilian.

Lilian's breath caught as more soldiers emerged from the darkness behind Marlin. The sheer number of them was overwhelming, and the realization struck her with brutal clarity—they were preparing to attack Silla.

Obene hesitated, the words caught in his throat. "She is..." How could he explain her presence to his king?

Marlin's piercing gaze lingered on Lilian, his eyes narrowing as he studied her intently, despite the helmet that obscured his features. To her horror, Marlin dismounted, his towering presence closing in on her as Obene remained kneeling, his head bowed.

Lilian instinctively took a step back, but there was no escape.

"This is a human. You are a human," Marlin said, his voice tinged with twisted amusement as he reached out to touch her hair.

"Yes, my king," Obene responded, his voice tight with tension, but Marlin ignored him, his focus entirely on Lilian.

Lilian's heart pounded in her chest as Marlin took a handful of her hair and brought it to his nose, sniffing it with a sickening gesture that made Obene's blood boil. He rose to his feet, fighting the urge to yank Lilian away from Marlin's grasp.

Marlin's laughter echoed through the night, a sound that sent shivers down Lilian's spine. "I can't believe it! It's all happening. The prophecy is slowly unfolding!"

Prophecy? What prophecy? Could I be the one King Ardan feared? Lilian's thoughts raced in panic.

"Take this human and bring her to the palace dungeon," Marlin ordered, his tone sharp and commanding. "I have much to confirm if she is truly the key to all my plans."

With that, Marlin removed his helmet, bending down to meet Lilian's gaze with a sinister smirk.

"If you are the human I've been waiting for all these years, then allow me to say... welcome home, my daughter."

He chuckled darkly, and Lilian felt her world crumble around her, the weight of the revelation crashing down on her like a tidal wave.

Lilian winced as a soldier roughly dragged her into the dark dungeon. It had been days since they began their journey to Lavitica, and now she found herself in this grim cell.

Lilian was in a daze, barely registering the passage of time or distance they had covered. Marlin's words echoed relentlessly in her mind, numbing her to everything else. Now, in the cold isolation of the dungeon, the exhaustion she had been fighting off finally overtook her. She began to whimper, overwhelmed by the harsh reality that had been thrust upon her.

Is the King of Lavitica my father? How could this be?

All her life, Lilian had dreamed of finding her parents and reuniting with her family, but in a cruel twist of fate, that dream had shattered in an instant.