Triune: The broken path

Kael and Garrick were on their way back to his room through the secret passage Kael had walked through earlier.

"As my bodyguard, I would need to know some things about you. Do you copy?" Kael asked as Garrick nodded.

"I am all ears, my prince. I will try my best to answer as much as possible," Garrick replied.

"Well, good then. I will start," Kael paused lightly with a smile.

"How old are you, and when did you join my army?" Kael asked.

"25 years, 5 years ago, prince," Garrick replied.

"Hmmm, short, simple, and straightforward. I like this," Kael thought, satisfied with this type of response.

"Alright, so tell me. Your relatives—where are they currently? And tell me a bit about them," Kael asked.

"My family is relatively small, consisting solely of my parents and my little sister, with no extensions whatsoever. My mom, dad, and my little sis have been moved to the inner city since I joined the army, and this was done by you, Crown Prince, and for that, I am grateful," Garrick said with a respectful expression on his face.

"Well, the Crown Prince has truly changed. He is acting more mature now than before, and I am impressed. Asking all this to gather basic information from me is impressive. If it was earlier, he wouldn't bother asking," Garrick thought.

"Good, good. One last question then, Garrick," Kael said with his arms at his back. Garrick raised an eyebrow, waiting for the question.

"Did you dislike being chosen by your commander, Darius, to be my bodyguard? After all, I am the lustful and perverted, foolish Crown Prince," Kael asked as Garrick kept quiet, filtering the answer he was going to give.

"Your honest opinion, Garrick," Kael pressed.

"Yes, Crown Prince. I disliked it, but just this brief exchange has shown me you are more than what has been said out there, and now I have little to none of those dislikes," Garrick replied modestly.

"Good. I am satisfied. You are officially my bodyguard, and you will be my greatest friend. Don't let me down. Got that?" Kael asked with a smile.

"It is my greatest honor to be chosen to serve the Crown Prince. I won't dare to let you down," Garrick replied, and Kael patted his shoulder.

"Now that that is cleared, I need to inform you of what's going to happen next, so be prepared," Kael said, and his whole expression changed.

"Crown Prince, I'm listening," Garrick said, his expression changing as he became relatively calm and attentive.

"Well, in kingdoms, right from the births of the eldest male heir to the throne and the eldest female in another kingdom, to grow stronger, two kingdoms will form a marriage alliance with one another. It might even lead to the two kingdoms merging," Kael said with a small smile.

"Crown Prince, I will assume a problem occurred, right?" Garrick asked. After all, he didn't know what a marriage alliance was.

"Yes, but it's a developing problem, though everyone already knows the outcome," Kael said and sighed again.

"My engaged bride has shown remarkable talent in being a genius in martial cultivation, and now she has been chosen as a disciple of an ancient warrior," Kael said.

"But Crown Prince, why are you sighing? You should be happy, glad in fact," Garrick said, puzzled.

Kael's face twitched a couple of times.

"He is a green tea, isn't he?

"Well, these arranged marriages are predetermined, but now, with her showing that much talent and having an ancient warrior, she has the right to decide her fate and cut off this marriage alliance," Kael said, observing Garrick's expression.

"You mean... it's forced?" Garrick asked, shocked.

"So they can't make their own decisions and have to be forced for the betterment of the two kingdoms," Garrick thought.

Garrick's face went from shock to solemn, then disgust, then calm.

"He is the son of destiny indeed, with a sense of justice. Sigh, even if this world is nothing but an illusion, it seems real enough, and there must be a particular plotline."

"Am I the villain, or am I someone captured by the son of destiny and becoming a lackey?" Kael analyzed.

Judging from how things were, he would likely be the villain.

He and Garrick would go to the other kingdom, and then she would break up with him. If it was the former Crown Prince, he would be angry and make a fuss about it.

Maybe that's where Garrick and his ex-bride would fall in love without him knowing, and because of what the Crown Prince did, the Jimi Kingdom would attack them. In the end, Garrick would succeed and become the king of the two kingdoms with two ancient warriors and then have a foothold in this world.

"Well, all this is just my imagination. It might not be like this, but I have to tread cautiously," Kael thought.

"Yes, at the beginning, but the groom and bride are kids—babies in fact—and might still be in the womb with no say in decisions between the two kingdoms," Kael paused and let his words sink in.

"Time to change the son of destiny's outlook," Kael thought as he gathered his thoughts.

"I, too, am forced, but I can do nothing about it. One, my position—I am the Crown Prince, and I must put my people's welfare over mine. Secondly, I can do nothing about it. Well, except if I become the king, but she's my ticket to being a king. So you see how stuck I am?" Kael said with a wary smile.

He carefully observed Garrick's expressions. It changed to thoughtful, and then finally, he nodded slightly, which indirectly meant he related to him.

"A small success. At least I let him know I am also forced, so it isn't a one-sided thing," Kael thought as they reached a door.

"Crown Prince, I understand," Garrick said with a slight smile.

"I'm glad you do because in a few days, I and you, along with some guards, will secretly go to the Jimi Kingdom. But I might be assassinated on the way, so I need your protection. After all, this prince has no talent in martial arts," Kael said as Garrick nodded. He had questions to ask, but Kael wasn't ready to answer them now.

With a click, a brick was moved to the side, and his room came into view.

Kael and Garrick entered the large room. Garrick's eyes shrank in shock. Where had he ever seen such an extravagant and lavishly decorated room before?

This was wealth.

"Shocked?" Kael asked with a smile.

"Yes... cough. No, I mean maybe, Crown Prince," Garrick stuttered, and Kael laughed.

"You have a chance to own this and more. Just be loyal, that's all I ask," Kael said, smiling.

"I vow to be loyal to the Crown Prince," Garrick said, bowing deeply.

"I'm relieved. My life and safety are in your hands now," Kael replied with a smile.

Click.

Just then, the door opened, and Ash entered, bowing. She froze in shock when she saw another man with the Crown Prince.

"Who's he? I didn't see the Crown Prince leave. How did he enter?" Ash thought, puzzled. Her senses sharpened as she scanned the room, but apart from the window, there seemed to be no other way in.

"Did he jump through the window? But the Crown Prince's room is on the second floor. He's not a normal human. Did he climb?"

Ash's thoughts were interrupted as she glanced at Garrick, her heart skipping a beat. A deep fear rose from within her.

"Who is he? How can he make me feel this much fear? What rank is he?" Ash wondered, shaken.

Garrick, in turn, looked at Ash for a few seconds before averting his gaze.

Kael noticed the silent exchange and the changes in their expressions. Ash, his maid and a hidden assassin, had a treasure or skill concealing her martial rank. Even now, Kael didn't know her true level, but it wasn't low. Still, it wasn't excessively high either.

But Garrick was the son of destiny. He undoubtedly had treasures capable of revealing her rank.

"My lord, the King has summoned you," Ash said with a slight bow.

Kael nodded. "I guess it's time. Let's go," he said, turning to Garrick.

Garrick nodded and gave Ash one last glance before following Kael outside.

Left alone, Ash stood stunned.

"What does that look mean? Damn, he's dangerous. Where's Master? He needs to know about this. But first... what's the relationship between the Crown Prince and him?" Ash thought, her mind racing.

"I need to figure this out," she concluded as the door closed behind them.

**********

In the hallway, Kael and Garrick walked toward the familiar grand hall.

Trailing behind Kael, Garrick looked around in awe. Everything was foreign and overwhelming to him. Once, he was merely the son of a poor man until Darius claimed he was talented and brought him into the army at the age of five.

Initially a mere soldier, Garrick rose through the ranks under Darius's guidance. Five years ago, Darius brought him back to serve in the Crown Prince's army. He had been trained to be a lethal death soldier, a role he reluctantly accepted as a means of survival. Despite the hardships, Darius had never treated him unfairly and had even moved his family to the inner city. For this, Garrick was deeply grateful.

Finally, Kael and Garrick arrived at the massive doors guarded by two soldiers wielding spears.

The doors were opened, and Kael stepped inside. Just as Garrick was about to follow, one of the guards stepped forward.

"You can't enter. Stay here or return," the guard said firmly.

**********************†************************†************