The Arcane Prince

Chapter 1: Promise

Ark Kingdom Royal Palace
Year 4023

The last rays of the sunset illuminated the room where a middle aged man could be seen, anxiously pacing back and forth. Even at the age of 62, he still had had the charm that could woo young maidens but of course that didn’t matter to him because he only one person in his heart, his wife, Seraphina. Beads of sweat was trickling down his face as he waited for news about his daughter-in-law’s delivery. He was thrilled at the thought of becoming a grandfather but he was also worried for giving birth could cause a lot of complications which could harm the person giving birth. “If only my wife was here,” he thought to himself, “maybe he would be a lot calmer than he is now.” Lord Alteon Arkwright didn’t know much about giving birth so it scared him to think about his daughter-in-law, Serenity, going through such. If his wife were here, she could at least tell him words that could put him at ease. However, Seraphina was in Cali Kingdom along with their son, Janus Arkwright, the current King of Ark Kingdom. Janus had urgent matters to settle in a country near  Cali Kingdom while Seraphina was visiting her sick father. Janus and Seraphina planned to be here upon Serenity's delivery which is supposed to be two weeks from now but to everyone's surprise, Serenity is giving birth earlier than expected. She experienced the symptoms yesterday which prompted Alteon to deliver a message to his wife and son, letting them hurry back home immediately. He was lost in his thoughts when he suddenly heard the knock on the door. It was his most trusted person, General Scarlet Lin. She was his cousin whom he grew up with since he was little and they always had each other's backs. Scarlet was a beauty, with red hair like his and a pair of scarlet eyes that could read people like the back of her hand. It was because of this that he couldn't keep the family secret from her, she read him like an open book. “Al,” she made a long pause before she uttered the next few words she needed to say. Although she tried her best to suppress her emotions, the worry that filled her eyes couldn't escape Alteon’s radar. As a matter of fact, he noticed it instantly. “Serenity,” she continued to say, “gave birth to twins.” Alteon lost his composure, his knees lost the strength to keep him up, upon hearing the words he dreaded the most. His heart tightened as he felt his world crumble and fall apart. He gripped on to the arm of a nearby chair to keep him from stumbling forward as tears began to fall from his eyes. “Twins,” he thought to himself, “had their family not been under an oath that seemed more like a curse, he would have been happy. But they have an oath to fulfill, should they not follow through, the wrath of Lorelei will befall upon their Kingdom.