Duke Hubert's gaze sharpened like a sword blade after hearing the shocking confession that had just come out of his second son's mouth. The silence inside the carriage made by Kazien once again felt thick and oppressive. The Duke did not respond at all, letting his face harden in cold consideration.
Realizing that it was highly likely his father would not be willing to give his blessing for his request, Haverd slid down from his seat, dropping both his knees onto the floor and bowing his head deeply.
"I beg you, Father..." Haverd pleaded with a hoarse voice, despair clearly depicted in his posture. "Give me a chance to—"
"Brother Haverd!"
A sudden exclamation cut off the plea.
Haverd raised his face in surprise, looking at his younger brother who was still hiding behind their father's back. Hudeon tightly gripped the Duke's robe, his body still trembling slightly, but there was a new courage radiating from both his eyes.
"Just so you know, Brother..." Hudeon said with a trembling yet emphatic tone. "I... I also really like Brother Kazien. I also really want to be able to marry him!"
The honest confession from his younger brother successfully left Haverd stunned.
"But... because right now I am officially Ritalia's prospective fiancé, I have to give up that desire. I don't want to betray Brother Kazien's trust in me." Hudeon continued, his voice sounding much more mature than his age. He looked at his older brother with a complicated gaze. "If you truly care for Brother Kazien as you say, then prove that you are indeed serious! Prove it through your actions, not just words."
Hudeon took a deep breath, trying to suppress the trauma that was still squeezing his chest. "And as for forgiving you... I don't know. Honestly, right now I am still very afraid of you."
"You indeed deserve to hate me, Hudeon!" Haverd chimed in quickly, his voice enveloped by immense guilt. "I am deeply at fault toward you. If you cannot forgive me and still want to punish me, just punish me! I will accept everything with an open heart, even if you want my death right this second!"
Hudeon shook his head slowly. "Didn't Brother Kazien already punish you fittingly? I think... I do not need to add any more punishment for you."
The answer that came out of his younger brother's mouth was like a striking blow hitting Haverd's ears. He was left completely speechless, no longer able to reply to Hudeon's words. His wounded brother's magnanimity instead made his guilt swell further and choke his neck. Now, the youth could only bow his head, mourning and regretting his heinous actions in the past.
"You have heard for yourself what your younger brother just said, right?" said Duke Hubert, breaking the emotional silence between his two sons. The Duke's tone of voice sounded tired yet firm. "Now, you must—"
Thud! Thud!
Duke Hubert's words were suddenly cut off. The sound of two bodies collapsing hit the floor.
Instantly, the Duke's eyes widened in surprise. He saw Haverd lying unconscious on the floor near the sofa, while Hudeon fell in a faint near his feet.
"Haverd?! Hudeon?!" called Duke Hubert in panic, his paternal instincts immediately taking over. He checked Hudeon's pulse, then bent down to check Haverd. Both were breathing normally, as if they had merely fallen sound asleep suddenly.
In his peak confusion and vigilance, a strange phenomenon occurred inside the carriage. The surface of the wooden table in the center of the room suddenly emitted a gentle golden light. Slowly, a series of glowing words appeared and engraved themselves on the table.
Duke Hubert held his breath and read the writing carefully.
"I am the Goddess Nirfelia! I deliberately made your two sons faint to erase the dark memories ruining the bond between them. When the two of them wake up later, Haverd will completely forget what ever happened between him and Hudeon. He will also forget everything about Kazien's existence. If Haverd is allowed to retain his feelings and ends up becoming Kazien's fiancé, the youth will only become a great hindrance to Kazien's destiny in the future."
"The same goes for Hudeon. He will forget all his trauma and fear toward his own biological brother, as if the atrocity Haverd committed never happened in this world. The two of them will live in harmony again like siblings who love each other when they wake up later."
"And as for you, Hubert, listen to this carefully. Never discuss or bring up anything about that dark incident to the two of them. Let Haverd and Hudeon live normally, as if that incident never happened in your family's life."
Duke Hubert was rooted to the spot. His eyes kept staring at the golden writing. He had absolutely never expected that the one who made his two sons suddenly lose consciousness was the direct intervention of Goddess Nirfelia, the Creator Goddess of the World.
Respect and awe filled the Duke's chest. Realizing that this was the best way out from the destruction of his family, Duke Hubert placed his right hand on his chest and bowed his head.
"If that is indeed what You wish, then I swear on behalf of the Guartav family to never speak of this again to my two sons until my breath stops." vowed Duke Hubert with a steady voice.
The writing on the table slowly changed, forming a new reply sentence.
"I will be watching you! And I hope, you never break that oath. Now, I will directly send Haverd back to his dormitory located in the Larkvood Kingdom territory."
"As You wish, Goddess Nirfelia." Duke Hubert replied respectfully.
As soon as that sentence was finished, Haverd's body lying on the floor was instantly enveloped by a golden light.
Zap!
The green-haired youth's body vanished without a trace from inside the carriage, teleported directly to his dormitory room in the Larkvood Kingdom.
Looking at the empty space where his eldest son had just been, Duke Hubert let out a long sigh laden with relief, yet at the same time, a heavy guilt gripped his inner self. As a father, he realized that all this time he had been too focused only on his work as a Duke, to the point he neglected to pay attention to his own children's development.
The glowing writing on the table changed again.
"Carry Hudeon to the mansion, and tell those inside that I have permanently erased your two sons' memories. And also convey that Haverd has been safely sent to his dormitory room. Until we meet again, Hubert."
"I will carry out what You command to the best of my ability." Duke Hubert answered while giving a final respectful bow to the Goddess's presence. "Thank you very much for Your generosity and help to my family, Goddess Nirfelia."
The golden light on the table slowly dimmed and finally disappeared without a trace, returning the atmosphere inside the carriage cabin to complete silence.
Duke Hubert immediately lifted Hudeon's body carefully, carrying his youngest son stepping out of the carriage and walking upright toward the main doors of the Altavis family mansion.
As soon as Duke Hubert stepped into the mansion's family room, all ongoing conversations instantly stopped. Everyone there immediately stood up and looked at him with questioning expressions, realizing that the Duke only returned with Hudeon who appeared unconscious in his arms, while Haverd's figure was nowhere to be seen.
"Hubert, what happened? Where is Haverd?" asked Duke Elgard, representing everyone's confusion.
Duke Hubert laid Hudeon down slowly on one of the long sofas, then looked at the people in the room.
Without covering anything up, he explained exactly what Goddess Nirfelia had instructed him. He recounted the Goddess's intervention, the memory erasure done for the good of his two sons, down to the forced transfer of Haverd to the Larkvood Kingdom.
That explanation successfully left everyone inside the mansion speechless in shock. They never expected that Goddess Nirfelia would be willing to step in directly just to resolve an internal conflict between two brothers from the Guartav family.
However, among everyone feeling shocked and amazed, Kazien was the only person who felt an extraordinary relief in his heart. The silvery-white-haired youth leaned back in his chair while sighing softly.
With the Goddess permanently erasing Haverd's memories and feelings about him, Kazien would not betray his oath and promise to Arken just to make the youth his fourth fiancé.