Dream's throat felt dried from that statement and Night noticed that she is troubled by it.
He made it clear this time.
"You see, they are just humans too. No human is perfect. Cloverians have an impeccable unison and they all strictly think alike. They must help the ones in needs, keep peace on their land, smile even it is hard and protect their seal bearer at all cost because they are the foundation of their land."
Dream tilted her head. She doesn't see anything wrong about it. Night continue on...
"If you flip the coin to see the other side of the truth it will be, for the fate of the many, let's sacrifice this one person."
Dream then flinched.
"What do you mean sacrifice? The seal bearer of Clover? Are they a cult or something?"
"Cult? That sounded the most accurate ha ha ha." Night laugh with it's dark feathered wings. "Sacrifice might had been a strong word but their obsession was on that level. Obsession on maintaining that peace even if one person have to carry all that burden by herself."
"Is that what Clover's fate? The very first clover seal bearer."
"Of course they royally treated her like she was like a precious gem but thanks to that she was extremely lonely. Believe it or not, the reason she erected the barrier back then, was because she was the only human in Clover Country that have shadows lurking inside her. She had to do it, so that the spreading darkness won't reach and corrupt her further. Then the rest were history when Diamond found Clover."
The owl shrugged its dark feathered shoulders like the last statement was not of importance.
"The Cloverians never meant any harm but they are extremely selfish when you look at it deeper. Clover admitted that she was at fault too for letting the people of Clover rely on the seal."
Dream fell on a deep thought. Something does not add up.
"If they treasure the Clover Seal to the point of obsession, then why my mom is in Spade? Also, won't Cloverians go crazy when they found out about her passing? They were.... Extremely calm about it."
As matter of fact, the first Cloverian she met was her grandfather and only for a short time. Her father never let them near her nor left her with her grandfather to bond with. Dream found it odd and thought that her father was just extremely protective. But her grandfather did not even went and tried to meet her and not even after that.
"I found that odd too. Actually as soon as I infiltrated the Spade Castle I form some guesses. So here is one of my hypothesis. Your father used the Spade seal and trade that poor soul with your mom."
Dream nod her head.
It is plausible as her father never denied that he had the seal or did not have seal. The nobles never found the seal again after the former one died. The King of Spade was so confident that no one will found it that everyone really believe that the king do have the seal. Leaving the seal in another Country's protection is actually the only way to cut cycle of the civil wars. Thanks to that, Spade had been in peace if we are not going to count the small rebellion of nobles and the barbarians.
"Or..." Night paused ,this hypothesis is quite far fetch but not entirely impossible. "Your parents have a child in Clover."
Dream was stunned. She does not know her parents that well. However by the look of his father's overly protective nature towards her, will the man leave his own child in another country. Moreover if the child is between him and his most loved person.
Yes they had a rough first meeting as Magdalene unknowingly died but it did not took long for him to bare his fangs to any other hands that tried to reach out to Dream.
Dream does not want to believe that the perfect couple that she hears story about from the people around her will just go up and leave their own child. Moreover their first child.
But then again, Dream who was a first child in her former life suffered quite a bit more compare to her younger sibling, simply because of being born first.
Are her parents here the same? They regretted their actions after their first child was born?
But then, why Magdalene gave birth to her.
Dream massaged her head. There are so many questions and they just keep on piling up.
"Child ...."
Dream flinched, she forgot about Night as she was in a really deep thought.
"Don't think too hard. We do not know the truth and all I said were hypothesis."
"Y-you are right."
Night sighed after noticing the old shadows of this young soul started resurfacing. Night realized, that parents, no more accurately, family is the trigger of this young soul's sadness.
"You know, it doesn't mean your parents are bad, just because they left a child in another Country."
Dream looked back to Night.
"Whether it was their child or not, the best course probably at that time is to leave the child behind. As I said Cloverians are overly obsessive with the seal and I meant not only the Clover seal. That Spadian child might had grew way better than anyone because no one would treat that child any better than those Cloverians. Also the spell is not easy to do, so for sure that child wanted the barrier to protect the Country which raised him. If he was born in Clover, inspite of having Spadian blood, Clover is his home. And just like you, his royal blood is responsible to protect his own people."
Night is absolutely right. Also he is right that they do not have the knowledge of the whole story. Dream remembered that her father adamantly refused of her leaving Spade and it might be the same for the Spade seal bearer. She is not so sure whether that person is related to her but she kind of feel ticklish when she thinks of the Spade seal bearer. She feels warm inside. It might be because, even if she have the Clover seal, she still have Spadian blood running in her veins. The Spadian blood might have a sweet spot for the seal bearer.
At the same time, Ace is also thinking of the same.
He is taking a break from work after one of his people started groveling on the ground and refused to get up unless Ace move away from his desk.
Ace walked around the Castle of Clover. And through the windows, Ace could see the vast garden. The ones that used to be beautiful trees and flowers were now slowly tilting and drying. The land is dying to keep up the barrier that protect Clover from the outside.
The dying flowers reminded of the sister that he never met. He is regretting of his decision of not meeting her.
The Crown Prince of Spade, Kahel, urged Ace to at least see his younger sibling once the two men got closer, however, Ace refused to step a foot inside the Spade Country. The Country which killed his mother.
Now being older, he realized that his excused was petty. If his mother heard him, she would be mad at him.
As matter of fact, even when he got separated from his parents when he was young, his mother who always join the King of Spade to his expeditions, never fail to visit him.
He finds the couple admirable as they protect the continent from the greed outside of it's borders. That is the reason, Ace stepped up and decided to follow their footsteps.
When a young baby bird died on the palm of his hand. He felt helpless. Even if he was so strong, he fails to protect the living around him. His mother always reminds him, that not everyone can be saved but we have to try. Sometimes, trying is not enough, we have to make sure we have the right tools, knowledge and experience. Things that should not be learn while people are dying, but can be learned from the events of the past.
Ace studied hard. Trained hard. Live hard. And that was his choice. Time went fast like the blink of an eye. He was busy getting stronger until the couple who gave birth to him stopped coming. And the news of his mother passing came like a rushing waterfall.
Ace was broken for a while. For the second time, he cried and cried and cried. The first time he cried is when the couple left for Spade. He thought he cried a life time worth of tears but he cried more than ever for the second time.
Ace never thought he could picked up himself again. Until Kahel passed him a ragged letter. Kahel sneaked out the letter with out the Spade's knowledge, nor even the King of Spade knows that the letter exist.
In that letter is his mother's last words to him. Magdalene said, that she asked Kahel to pass this letter instead of her husband and his father, Joseph. Because she believes Ace will never received it, if by chance the king of Spade got a hold of it. Magdalene entails that Joseph wish was for Ace to never leave Clover as it will protect Ace from the prophecy.
Ace was mad of his father upon reading those words. Ace studied and trained hard so that he can fight along side with him. However, his father plans to shoulder it all.
The letter was written right after she gave birth to his younger sister. Magdalene wrote a lot about how the little girl just look like Ace when he was a baby himself. The words were happy and full of excitement. Magdalene was truly happy that his sibling was born healthy and safe.
Magdalene also shared a secret, she only intend to keep it with herself and her loyal maid Faith, that his younger sister was born with the Clover seal. Magdalene was happy as the young girl will have many ways to fight off the prophecy even if that will also means she will also in grave danger.
Ace read on that letter the very sad words. As Magdalene is no longer a seal bearer, then that means the chances of her dying soon is inevitable. Magdalene assured Ace that she was already slowly getting sick even before she left Clover.
As matter of fact, Magdalene's soul was a transmigrator. Her soul originally died from another dimension but God transmigrated her soul to the dying body of the daughter of the Duke of Virgo.
In that letter she confessed to Ace that no one else knows. One day, she woke to the body of the fourteen year old daughter of the Duke. What everyone knows is that she is a reincarnator. That is how everyone comprehend her unusual memories upon waking up. She kept her mouth shut about not remembering anything prior the day she woke up. She does not have any memories of the original Magdalene. No one will understand her case of transmigration. No, everyone was in denial that Magdalene died and some other soul is in her body. Moreover, the Cloverians readily accepted the new Magdalene as she woken up with the Clover seal.
Magdalene confessed that she is scared to break the father who raised and love her ever since she woken up.
Ace was trembling as he reads the letter. Magdalene said in that letter that she suffered a lot before becoming Magdalene. She was orphaned and homeless, she ate trash and was scorned by the adults. She was always running for her life to survive. Then she was blessed by God. Magdalene could not understand why her, but the angels told her, her soul deserves a good life.
It had been a really great one, Magdalene confessed through the letter.
She was raised with love by the Duchy of Virgo. The Clover Country treasured her like a precious and gorgeous gem. She met the person she first ever loved and that person gave her everything. Joseph was the greatest person she ever met. Then he gave her an opportunity to meet the most precious children, Ace and Dream.
Magdalene wrote in the letter that she was really happy and could not ask anything for more. It might look too short for some but it feels like an eternal happiness to her.
At the end of her letter, she said that she will love to meet Joseph, Ace and Dream again in her next life.
Thanks to that letter, Ace did not break. He found new meaning to his life. He is happy that at least once, him and his mother could share one secret.
Ace bend forward and picked a three leaf clover. It is drying and only have a bit sense of life.
He wished to this Clover that his sister is well and healthy. That she is eating good food and have time to play.
Ace does not know what kind of life Dream had prior to this life she has now. However, if she had the same life as Magdalene had, then Ace will not like it if Dream become entangled with the upcoming war,.... No the prophecy.
His mother and younger sister deserves a happy and great life. Once this is all over, Ace will pick up Dream from the Spade castle.
Here in Clover, she will be treated well better than a princess no...way better than the king.
They all could enjoy the peace here.
Ace could hear the rushing footsteps of a knight. By the sound of the heavy armor, he is aware it is someone from the Spadian King's army.
"Sire!!!"
Ace slowly turn back to the knight. The remaining Spadian knights insist on calling him as Sire even though Ace is not legitimately been titled under the Spadian Royalties.
The knight was out of breath which is a sign that he run here from the deep gorge where the Crown Prince of Spade is conducting search for the missing Spadian King.
"Th-they..." The knight's throat is extremely dry. He could not speak properly but Ace patiently wait for him.
"They ...ha.....hah... They found a ...hah...ha...a body!! The! ....hah..Prince Kahel!! Hah...ha... Found a body!"
Ace was stunned and dropped the clover on his hand. He was lost for words and did not know what to ask back for confirmation.
'Are they alive? Who is it? Male? Female? Is it the k-......'
Ace shook his head. He does not want to think further. He needs to see everything with his own eyes. He needs to feel every thing with the tips of his finger.
"Let's go!" Ace walked past the knight and yelled to the first attendant he saw. "Get my horse ready!!!"
"Sire!!!" The knight followed Ace and tried to stop him but Ace avoided that hand.
To the Spadians and the Cloverians, Ace is still a child. They want to treasure him as is, however, Ace have a totally different idea. He is their ruler, and he is also the strongest person here. The conclusion he will get once he reached the bottom of the gorge, his instincts is telling him, that will dramatically change their fate. The fate of the Continent.
Did his father won the first verse of the prophecy or did he failed? Did he died as what the prophecy entails?
Moreover, he needs to see everything himself so that, he can tell to the other person, who this man is precious too.
He needs to see and feel everything so that he can bravely relay the information to her. Because at the same time, he have to tell her that her older brother who studied hard, trained hard and live life hard still failed.
He failed to protect her most precious person. He failed to be that invisible Spadian Seal bearer.
No one knows that the child they are trying to hold unto is having such thoughts. That he is fighting within himself.
"Go."
A very weak voice came from behind. Ace eyes widened upon seeing his very weak and sick grandfather.
"No, do not come here."
The Duke of Virgo stopped Ace from running to support the old man's ragged body. The Duke who thinks differently than the other Cloverians, sees how this is important to Ace. Even if the conclusion might be the worst. The Duke who barely gain his consciousness avoid being together with Ace as he does not want his grandchild to look weak.
The Duke of Virgo in his blurring vision could see the determined look that Ace have which reminds him of of his son-in-law, Joseph. That look that made the duke gave in and handed his precious daughter's hand to the man who seemed to be reckless. A man who looked like troubles will chased him by the end of the planet.
"Go and come back with a harder sense of determination. The Spadian blood in your veins needs it in order to grow stronger."
Ace bowed, and then he hurriedly ran towards the stables. He just needed that one 'yes' to give him a push.
"Duke!!!"
The other nobles who started showing up one by one after hearing the commotion showed expressions of disapproval.
The Duke simply and weakly shook his head. The Cloverians have long way to go from getting fix their over zealous attitudes. His grandson is different from these old nobles' grandkids. His grandson have to feel pain and experience pain and as he does all of that, face the truth. This way, he will get stronger.
The over doting grandfather knows that so well as he raised a daughter who is so strong as she suffered a whole lot.
As ironic as it can be, pain is the only way to make humans strong.
The duke look at the old and weak nobles who is now yapping at his old and weak ears because they think making the young Ace sees a potential dead body of his father is wrong. That it might cause a trauma.
The Duke agreed, if the one who sees it are these foolish nobles grandkids. They are scared because they know themselves how weak they are and how they failed to face the truth.
The Duke look down to himself too. He is also very weak and on top of that very sick.
That blinding light that he received that day made him like this. If that light is not a hoax and it is the enemy's weapon, then only Ace is capable of fighting.