The Third Prince Of Darkness

As Avanne walked towards the palace, the surrounding knights allowed her to pass. After all, she was Ethan\'s aide, and therefore, she was allowed inside after a brief security check. Avanne asked a servant where Ethan was, and the servant informed her that Ethan had just arrived and had immediately gone to the back garden.

As Avanne made her way there, she thought about the extremely serious conversation she was about to have with Ethan. Avanne was already prepared to do anything for her child and wanted to ensure its safe upbringing. Because of this, she was very nervous about the conversation she expected to have with Ethan.

After all, she was about to tell Ethan that she wanted to give birth to the child at her own home, away from the palace. She planned to go even further by telling Ethan that she intended to keep the child\'s father a secret until Ethan ascended to the throne.

Avanne\'s only desire was for her child to grow up happy and peaceful. Of course, she loved Ethan, but she didn\'t want to sacrifice her child for that love. After all, Ethan\'s enemies could use both her and the child in the struggle for the throne. And although she didn\'t want to believe it, there was also the possibility that Ethan could lose the battle for the throne.

If that happened, both she and her unborn child would certainly be killed.

As Avanne moved closer to the back garden, she tried to calm the pounding in her chest. This palace had always been a source of power and danger for her. Now, she wasn\'t just protecting her own life; she was also safeguarding the future of the child she carried. She trusted Ethan\'s power and abilities, but she also knew how ruthless the struggle for the throne could be.

She thought the best way to protect herself and her child was to stay out of this battle.

"But what if he doesn\'t agree?" Avanne wondered.

As she walked towards the back garden, she considered the possible reactions Ethan might have. After all, if he refused and wanted the child with him, what could Avanne do? Where could she run? As these thoughts flooded her mind, she hesitated on the path leading to the back garden and began to clench her fingers in contemplation. Should she tell him?

Would it be better to give up on everything now, return to her viscountcy, and give birth to the child in secret? Then, once Ethan ascended to the throne, she could tell him everything… But what if he claimed the child wasn\'t his? What if Ethan accused her of lying about the child for the sake of the throne? What would she do then?

Just at that moment, she saw several royal knights coming out of the back garden in an orderly fashion. The knights were dragging a large, lifeless man by his four limbs, hastily carrying his massive body away. Since the man\'s face was turned downward, Avanne couldn\'t see it, but when she saw the numerous marks on his body, her eyes widened in horror.

She had seen those marks hundreds of times before and immediately knew to whom that body belonged. As she stared wide-eyed at the knights and the man they were carrying, she felt as though her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

After the knights passed, a girl\'s fainted body and a man with a severed arm emerged from the back garden, but they were walking towards the palace with a healer beside them. When Avanne looked at the face of the man with the severed arm, the wheels in her head started to turn, and she began to piece together what had happened here.

She also realized that Althea hadn\'t been at Ethan\'s secret mansion, which she was supposed to protect, after Herself returning from the Tamerid Empire. She quickly turned around and began walking at a normal pace towards her carriage. If she started running now, someone might become suspicious of her, and everything could be over for her. At least, that was what she thought.

As Avanne made her way towards her carriage, the fear and anxiety in her heart grew stronger. The desire to get away from the palace increased with every step, but from the outside, she still appeared calm and collected. However, there was one thing she wasn\'t yet aware of: the events within the palace had already spiraled out of control, and this situation was putting her plans in jeopardy.

When she reached her carriage, she turned quietly to the coachman and said, "Move immediately." The coachman, not noticing the tremor in Avanne\'s voice, obeyed without question. As the carriage pulled away from the palace, Avanne tried to gather her thoughts. She decided it was already too late.

Even though She had even considered the possibility of staying at the palace to secure her child\'s future with Ethan, but the horrible moments she had just experienced had changed her mind completely.

As the carriage quickly departed from the palace and blended into the busy streets of the capital, Avanne observed her surroundings for a while. The growing fear inside her was like a knot tightening around her throat. Her instincts told her to leave the palace and the capital as quickly as possible. However, she also knew she had to act rationally, considering the child she carried.

•••

The carriage soon arrived at the mansion Ethan had built under his secret identity. Avanne bounced upstairs and began packing all her belongings into suitcases. She had to move as fast as possible, and with the help of a few of her servants, she managed to gather all her important possessions and load them into the carriage in less than an hour.

Since the servants who assisted her belonged to her own viscountcy, she trusted them. While two carriages waited readily in the mansion\'s courtyard, Avanne wrote a special letter to Ethan, then left the mansion and walked towards her carriage.

As the evening darkness settled in, the two mysterious carriages departed from the capital at speed, and once again, things had taken a turn for the worse for Ethan... For now, of course Ethan didn\'t know it.

Avanne leaned back in the carriage and took a deep breath. The night\'s darkness made the surrounding silence even more pronounced. The fear she had felt had driven her to act quickly, but those actions had also made her more determined. Now, there was no turning back; her dreams of being with Ethan had melted away under the threats of the palace.

But now, her only priority was to ensure the safety of the child she carried.

As the carriage sped away from the capital, Avanne wrapped her arms protectively around her belly. Her thoughts were filled with Ethan and the complex events at the palace. Ethan\'s defeat would upset the balance within the royal family, and this situation worried Avanne even more. If Ethan failed in his struggle for the throne, their entire lives could be in jeopardy.

As the carriage headed towards Avanne\'s viscounty, she began to formulate a plan. Everything would be different now. She would have to use all her strength and intelligence to secure her life and her child\'s future. Although her love for Ethan was still fresh and deep, that love had now been replaced by a greater purpose—the desire to protect her child.

"Don\'t worry, my sweet. Your mother will protect you, no matter what..." Avanne whispered as she caressed her still-developing belly.