Horel nervously tugged at his overgrown beard and paced around Terrence’s room, sweeping the floor with a heavy velvet cloak.

After talking with Rick, he spent some more time thinking and analyzing her life and there were moments that did not fit into the shelves, as if there were some missing details, without which the picture did not add up.

To test his theory, he went to Terrence, finding him alone in the room for training. A wooden makenen floated in the air, dodging and attacking with sharp wedges sticking out of the base of the mannequin, while Terrence repelled each attack deftly and maneuverably.

His arms and legs moved so fast, as if he was a skilled fighter, although in fact he had not participated in any war yet due to the fact that Lillian was overprotective of her beloved only son.

When he saw his father, he turned to face him and the dummy immediately disappeared into thin air at the wave of his magic wand.

- I see your magic is back, too. - The king nodded approvingly, making notes in his head.

- Did you do that? - Terrence asked without being overly sentimental.

- It’s not that important. -Horel waved him off. - Do you still think it’s necessary to keep this a secret from your mother? Why?

- Why are you asking this question? - Terrence tensed.

Horel came closer, putting his hand on his son’s shoulder, who followed this insignificant movement with his eyes.

- Let’s sit down. - He beckoned him to sit on the edge of the bed. – Tell me how you treat everyone in our family. I’m just interested in listening.

Terrence was still tense, not knowing what his father was trying to push him to.

- I love my family. - he sounded like a soulless creature.

- And yet you don’t trust your mother with this secret? Or is there something else? - Horel asked him searchingly.

- Let’s get to the point, Father! - Terrence couldn’t stand it and got up from his seat, towering over Horel. – What do you need?

- I want to make sure you’re going to be okay, son. - He got up after him and patted him on the shoulder again. - I may not have been the best father to you, but...

- You’ve been a great father to me. - Terrence interrupted. - But you weren’t a good father to Thea after my mother became your legal spouse.

Terrence’s words cut through the heavy air between them and Horel was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

- Are you worried about her? – he was amazed, because he thought that Thea was like a cornered kitten always, but it turned out that this was not the case. – Son, I...

Horel shook his head, as if not believing himself, and the corners of his eyes tingled slightly.

- I love my daughter with all my heart. With all my heart. I love you and her. - Horel said and hugged the puzzled Terrence. – Always remember this, please.

Patting him on the back, he loosened his grip.

- I am very much to blame for Thea and this is something I will have to deal with later, but I was very glad to find out that you have the same warm feelings for her as I do.

- What about Madeleine? - Terrence squinted, noticing that the king had omitted her name.

- Madeleine. - Horel thoughtfully drew out her name. – Have you ever noticed anything strange about your mother? I’ve raised the four of you since I was a baby, but it’s only now that I realize that I don’t remember Madeleine’s infancy. Tell me, does that mean I’m a bad father?

Terrence thought for a second that his father was going crazy, but then he tried to look into his memory, in those days when he was still a carefree child. In the days when he still lived in the house of the deceased Chester Dinua, his mother’s ex-husband.

His father came very often to visit him and his mother until they could be honored at court. Lillian was angry and suffered from this, Terrence often heard her swear as soon as her father left their house.

And they lived like that until he was five years old, and then at one point Madeleine appeared. His father and mother told him that it was his sister, but she hadn’t been there before, had she?

They were almost the same age and due to the fact that children do not attach much importance to such moments, he also accepted her as his own sister.

- I remember how you and Mom were sitting in the kitchen. You held a sleeping Maddie in your arms. She was probably about five years old... I don’t remember exactly... - he stammered. - It was at the moment when I first saw her. I don’t remember seeing her before, how she grew up...

Terrence didn’t mention to his father about his conversation with Thea’s witch-mentor. He had known for a long time that he was not the eldest in the Rivaldi family and moreover and moreover, his mother was very dishonest towards his father. But what worried him even more was her manic preoccupation with Thea.

- Do you think Maddie isn’t my sister? – he asked his father, continuing to pretend that he did not know, developing this topic.

- No, I think she’s not my daughter. – there was a quick response. –I’ve been thinking a lot about this and why her magic hasn’t weakened like you and me, and I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s not really a magician.

- What do you mean? - Terrence demanded.

- She’s a witch. Just like your mother. – the king commented. – I believe that before I met your mother, even before you were born, she already had a daughter by Chester Dinua. And she hid her so as not to scare me off or to get me caught in her web. That would explain a lot.

- What about me? Are you sure I’m your son, or are you doubting too? - Terrence asked sarcastically.

- I repent that I admit such thoughts in my head, doubting my own children, but the fact that both of us were deprived of our magic quite recently says that you are my most blood, most dear and dear son. The son of a negligent father. - he grinned. - So what about your mother? Do you trust her?

Terrence inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that he had refused to break the mental connection with his family at the time. Otherwise, now he would have to convince his father that he was his son, and this would be much more difficult.

Horel looked for answers on Terrence’s face, but he hid his emotions too skillfully and it was frustrating.

- I met Thea some time ago. – he said calmly, which greatly surprised his father.

- How? Where? Why didn’t you bring her home? – the king asked.

- Precisely because I don’t trust my mother. That’s why I didn’t return her as I originally wanted. – he replied. – Our mother is obsessed, she wants to hurt my sister and I can’t let that happen. I’ve been silent all my life, not interfering and not creating big problems for her, but now it’s time to change everything. I can’t and don’t want to hide anymore. Even if it means that I will be against my own mother.

He blurted out everything that lay heavy on his heart, and at that moment he felt an unprecedented sense of lightness and freedom.

- I wish things were different. – the king said dejectedly.

- Different how? Before you met my mother? Before we were born? - Terrence asked mockingly.

- No. I don’t regret your birth. What was, is in the past. I only regret that I was not able to stop Lillian from the path of self-destruction that she chose. Maybe in another situation we could all live happily together without all these interferences in each other’s feelings.

- Then let’s not think about the past. This is all the past... We need to think about what to do to stop the coming troubles.

- Let’s think about it together. - Horel smiled kindly at his son. – In the meantime, I want to say that I have strengthened the magic barrier around the palace and the guards have been notified that Lillian is not allowed here. It’ll piss her off, but we have to stick together until we figure out what to do next. Are you ready for this?

- Ready. - Terrence’s answer was simple and clear.

And although both of them felt mentally and physically ready, Horel still saw that Terrence kept to himself, not knowing that Terrence was deeply immersed in the cycle of family intrigues, which were a heavy burden for him.

He was returning to the memory of the kind and caring Queen Catherine, who loved him like her own son, who entrusted him with the most serious secret that he could take with him to the grave. The secret that concerned Thea’s powers and the wizardry beginning of these powers.

He promised Queen Catherine that he would protect Thea, so now he is forced to rebel and rebel against his own mother.

- I chose a side. – he whispered, remembering the last words of the Thea`s witch-mentor.