Total Eclipse of the Heart (Royal AU Wally x reader)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Arnold's mother was a victim of her King's boredom.
She caught his eyes during a banquet. He sent a guard to go tell her that the King of Spades asked to see her, alone. Very few people – including royalty – have seen him up close. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, she couldn't say no. Now, she loved her husband, but when such a powerful man charms you with empty promises of a fake future where she would never be in need of anything, you can't say no to that.
They spent one night together. And that was the last time she ever saw him.
A few months later, Ivan heard from his butler that a woman was begging to see him, saying she was pregnant with his child and was ready to leave her husband and become Queen. Ivan knew this was a lie, as he couldn't conceive a child. After all, there could only be one immortal being in this world. He confidently denied her claims and asked his butler to make this liar leave.

Arnold's mother was devastated. Her husband accepted her back despite her adultery and told everyone that the child was his. That way, there would be no scandal. Throughout her pregnancy, her husband was supportive, for he still loved her, but there was a certain tension between them that never went away, for she left before they could resolve it.
Arnold was born with an incredible amount of mana. His poor mother was too weak to handle it and she passed away...
In one last prayer, she simply hoped that her child would become a good person, greater than his father.

Arnold knew who he was for as long as he could remember. His mother's husband would constantly remind him of that.
"You're not my son." he would say. "Remember that, but don't tell anyone, I don't wanna deal with a scandal."
"Who's my dad then?" he asked once he developed a sense of curiosity.
"The King. But don't think that makes you special. If you were, he would've accepted your mom when she asked for help. If he denied her, he's gonna deny you ."
Every conversation between them eventually circled back to this topic. As a child, Arnold has accepted that the King wasn't his father, not really. A real father wouldn't leave.

He's never seen a painting of his mother, since her widower threw them all away, out of both grief and resentment. But he's been told by the servants that he resembled her. They had the same pink hair. He also had the King's black eyes, but no one would know. At first, Arnold thought of changing his appearance to make himself look more like his father. But then, he came up with an idea after the two of them went to a fancy party with their fellow nobles. He and his friends got into trouble, but the crowd's eyes were pointed at their parents. Once  they were back home, Arnold got spanked, scolded and sent to his room without dinner. This wasn't the first time this happened, but tonight, his father was being harsher than usual. As the young Marquis wept, that was when he got his idea.
'I'll become the best son ever! He won't get in trouble because of me anymore! I'll make him proud! I'll make him proud!'
"I'll make you proud..." he sobbed.

Once young Arnold turned eight years old, his father hired a lot of tutors for him, experts in various fields of education his father deemed fit (mostly sports and fighting). The young Marquis thought his father heard his wish – some kind of fatherly sixth sense perhaps – and so was very thankful for him. The reality of it was that he did it because, that way, they wouldn't have to see each-other often.
Arnold was a rather slow learner. Not getting it right the first time frustrated him, especially on the occasions where his father would pass by and notice his mistakes.
"Stop slacking, Arnold!" he once said after said child tripped during sword fight training. "Geez, don't make me waste my money on these guys."
"Sorry Dad!"
"Real men don't say sorry, kid, they improve and do better! And I'm not your dad!"
'Right. I'm not worthy of that yet.' he stood up and went back to sparring with his tutor.

By the time he turned fifteen, Arnold had outdid all of his tutors, there was nothing left for him to learn. The young teenager has become more robust, more to-the-point. He kept calling his father 'dad', and at this point, he wasn't corrected anymore! Arnold thought it was because he's finally earned the title of son, something that made him really happy. The truth was that his old man has become tired of correcting him every day.
Now that Arnold didn't have a need for lessons anymore – though he would still train regularly – him and his father would see each-other more often. They would rarely talk, however. Arnold always believed it was because his old man was one of few words. So he was content with simply being in the same room, doing their own thing like his presence wasn't bothering. To him, this counted as father-son time. He would always cherish these moments.