Chapter 938: Alternate Timeline: The Meet (1)

Gideon fell silent and thought carefully before answering.

"Everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves," He said at last. "But it is easier to forgive those who once held a place in our hearts. We may not embrace strangers who hurt us, but for family and close friends, we can at least leave the door open once."

Then he added, "Unless they are determined to destroy you."

Kiara said nothing.

Part of her knew the prince was right.

But another part, the part forged in bitterness and revenge, rejected the idea entirely.

If not for her desire for vengeance, would she have pushed herself this far?

Would she have built her business, amassed weapons, and climbed to where she now stood?

Or would she still be running a modest shop, dependent on Lucian Storm’s favor and living a smaller, quieter life?

Revenge had become her fuel.

At least, that was what she believed.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Kiara listened as Gideon completed his plan.

The Prince was counting on Kiara’s strength to ensure that the meeting remained under control.

Kiara had already prepared herself for war if necessary.

Serving as a bodyguard sounded almost too easy.

And, if the meeting turned violent, she would finally have an opportunity to display the power of her weapons before the royal family.

That thought did not displease her.

Caleb Crescent reluctantly agreed to his son’s proposal. Outwardly, he accepted the possibility of forgiveness. Inwardly, he had already resolved to exile his wife, his brother, and their household once Gideon’s position was secured.

Soon afterward, the Prince withdrew a communication talisman.

The thin slip of enchanted paper crackled faintly as ether flowed through his fingers. Golden symbols lit up across its surface like fireflies gathering on a leaf.

Kiara watched closely.

Until that moment, she had thought Gideon’s heart was too soft.

Then she heard the message the Prince sent.

Gideon summoned both his mother and Edward Crescent to Ironvale City and ordered them to meet at Leafway Restaurant, the very place Kiara had reserved earlier for a simple family reunion.

He gave them four hours.

And then he firmly stated the consequences.

If they failed to appear on time, he and his father would publicly announce the truth to the kingdom. Edward’s usurpation would be exposed. The queen’s role in the conspiracy would be revealed. Her reputation would be shattered before the eyes of history.

Gideon had no intention of carrying out every threat.

But he wielded those words like a skilled commander placing siege engines before a city wall.

Kiara watched the message burn into sparks and vanish.

Her opinion of the Prince changed immediately.

"A velvet glove," Kiara thought, "with iron hidden beneath."

Whether the queen and Edward would come out of fear or because they had a plan of their own, Kiara did not know.

But exactly three and a half hours later, the answer arrived in person.

The queen, Edward Crescent, and an unfamiliar elderly man entered Leafway Restaurant.

The establishment was eerily silent.

The entire ground floor had been emptied. Chairs were stacked neatly. The scent of roasted duck lingered in the air, mixed with polished wood and the faint fragrance of extinguished candles.

A royal knight escorted the three guests to the third floor, where an open-air garden had been prepared.

Fire lamps flickered among ornamental shrubs, casting dancing shadows across stone tiles still warm from the day’s heat. Above, the night sky stretched clear and dark, with stars scattered like silver dust.

At the center of the garden sat Gideon Crescent and Caleb Crescent.

Father and son.

Truth and memory.

Behind them stood two silent figures in black robes.

Kiara and Zion.

Their faces were hidden behind blank masks, their hoods casting deep shadows over their features. But only Zion looked like a bodyguard with her attire. Kiara, even with the mask, in no angle looked like one.

Kiara and Zion had entered the royal palace as honored guests, welcomed with all the courtesy reserved for important allies.

And then, at midnight, the Irontraz Prison was attacked out of nowhere, resulting in the death of a 7-star rank Warden.

By morning, Kiara was spotted entering the palace, meaning she was outside. However, Zion wasn’t seen by her side.

Then, after lunch, Kiara departed with Gideon Crescent seated beside her.

Several hours later, the Prince sent a message to her mother declaring that he had found Caleb Crescent, the true king, and demanding that the queen travel nearly 150 kilometers to meet them in secret.

And now, when the queen finally arrived, she found her husband seated before her, her son at his side, and two masked figures standing silently behind them like dark sentinels.

One of those masked figures had blonde hair like Zion, while the other one is a long-legged female who wore linen clothes and had a very high ponytail hairstyle, positioned near the crown of the head with wispy curtain bangs on the front. The same hairstyle as Kiara has.

Most importantly, she could not sense the cultivation of either one. Just like Kiara’s.

Anyone with a functioning mind could follow the threads and weave them into a complete tapestry.

The queen and Edward Crescent needed no further explanation.

They recognized the two masked figures immediately.

Kiara had known from the beginning that the disguise was unlikely to fool them. Gideon had already warned her as much while they were preparing.

Even so, Kiara still chose to wear the black robe and mask for three simple reasons.

First, if by some miracle the queen failed to connect the obvious dots, then the disguise would serve its purpose.

Second, a mask concealed more than a face. It hid expressions, hesitation, and amusement.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, it spared Kiara the embarrassment of standing openly behind someone else like a hired guard.

Fortunately, even though the queen recognized Kiara and Zion, she gave them little more than a passing glance.

Her full attention was fixed upon Caleb Crescent.

She looked at him with remarkable calm, as though she were meeting a husband who had merely returned from a long journey rather than a king she had betrayed and imprisoned for ten years.

Edward Crescent, on the other hand, was far less composed.

Although he tried to maintain an expression of practiced confidence, the slight tension in his shoulders and the stiffness around his mouth betrayed his unease. He also misunderstood that Kiara accepted his invitation, not for business purposes but to release the real king. But how did she know? Edward was worried about the possible existence of Kiara’s deep spy network within Celestra.

The queen sat gracefully and offered the first greeting.

"It has been a long time, my dear," she said, her voice smooth and steady. "You seem to be in good health."

The words were so ordinary that they felt almost surreal.

Caleb Crescent’s face darkened.

The veins on the back of his hand stood out as he slammed his fist onto the table.

The dishes rattled. Wine in the cups trembled. The sharp crack echoed through the garden like a small thunderclap.

"Seraphina," he said, his voice shaking with anger, "is that truly all you have to say?"

The queen did not even flinch at that.

She folded her hands in her lap and answered with the same calm tone.

"You were standing between the Church of Doom and its great ambition, my dear. If I had not pleaded on your behalf, you would have died long ago."

For a moment, both Caleb Crescent and Gideon Crescent stared at her in stunned silence.