Chapter 512: Caged Man
Her eyes lingered on Kain, waiting for the horror, for disgust to play on his face. What she had just asked of him was anything but normal; any sane man would have recoiled, turned away, perhaps even cursed her name.
However, nothing came. His expression remained unreadable, his face devoid of any emotion.
Then, at last, he finally moved. Rising fully, he towered over the bed, his lips curling into a faint smirk.
"Mother," he whispered. "Is that it?"
Rael’s grandmother tilted her head, startled by the question.
"All this fear, all these centuries of the curse suffocating us generation after generation..." He let out a low laugh. "...and the answer is this simple?"
She narrowed her eyes, measuring him carefully. "Simple, you say? Do you think the weight of such a command is simple? To ask a mother to take her son into her womb?"
Kain looked down at her, his smirk deepening. "We already live in chains, mother. Bound to a curse that mocks us every day we breathe. You’ve carried it longer than anyone—you should know. And now, you tell me there is a way to end it. A way to bring hope."
His voice dropped lower, conviction hardening each word. "And you expect me to step back?"
He halted for a moment, staring down at her transformed face, at her glowing belly.
"I won’t," he said firmly.
Her brows lifted ever so slightly in amusement, though she gave no more emotion than that.
"So quick to accept. Are you truly so devoted to the village, or is there something else lurking in you, Kain?"
The words slithered between them, and for a moment his composure faltered. But then, his smirk returned.
"I am devoted," he answered sharply. But then his eyes softened "...and I am not blind. Annie has beauty. Strength. You think I haven’t noticed?"
That earned the faintest curl of a smile from her lips. "So you admit it."
His jaw clenched, and he exhaled sharply through his nose. "Desire or duty—does it matter? If she must lie with her son, then so be it. Rael will do his part. And Annie..." He hesitated "...Annie will not be able to resist forever."
Rael’s grandmother studied him in silence for a long while, her hand gliding lazily across the swell of her stomach. Finally, she spoke:
"Be careful, Kain. A man who convinces himself too quickly often hides fear in his heart."
Kain’s eyes met hers, hard and unwavering. "Fear?" He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low growl.
"No, mother. Not fear. Only certainty. You asked me to believe this was the Patriarch’s will. I do. And if that is true..." His lips twisted into a cold smile. "...then I will make it happen."
He straightened again, his presence almost suffocating in the room now.
"Annie is ours to guide. Rael is young, uncertain, but he will follow if we give him no other path. And if the prophecy demands their union..." He spread his arms, as though embracing the weight of it. "...then I’ll see it through."
Her eyes gleamed at his words. "Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. The Patriarch was right to show himself in my dream. He knew you would not falter."
But as she spoke, she could not entirely hide the faint smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth—the smile of a woman who had just seen the last piece of her scheme click into place.
Kain noticed it. And though he smirked in return, the question lingered unspoken in the depths of his mind: was this really for the prophecy’s sake?
Turning away, he walked toward the door and did not even look back, not once. The door creaked open, then closed behind him, leaving the room with silence once again.
Only when the sound of his footsteps faded fully down the hall, Julian pushed the cover aside and stood.
A sly smile pulled at his lips.
"Didn’t think it would work this well, eh, Grandma?"
Rael’s grandmother let out a soft chuckle, leaning back against her pillows.
"Well, that’s what a cage does to a man," she murmured, taking a deep breath. "Lock him long enough, starve him with despair, and he’ll carve his way out one way or another."
Her grin sharpened, almost lethal. "Whether it’s by cutting his own arms... or those of another."
Julian’s eyes glinted at that, and he nodded slowly. "And father seems willing to do either."
For a heartbeat, silence held them again. Then Julian’s gaze drifted toward the door.
Well... it seems he might have gone to meet me." His tone carried a note of satisfaction, as though everything was falling neatly into place.
"I’ll come later, Grandma."
Without waiting for her reply, he slipped out the door, leaving her alone, her one hand curled protectively over her glowing stomach.
By the time Julian returned to his room, the world outside had already erupted into chaos. From the window he could see women running around, holding the slips of notice as though they were holy relics.
The first wave of names had been published.
Those who were chosen were practically glowing, screaming with delight, some laughing until their voices cracked, others hugging and jumping in small groups as though they had just been blessed by the gods themselves.
Julian leaned against the window frame, his eyes narrowing as he observed. For every face lit with joy, there were three more steeped in envy. Some women collapsed to their knees, trembling and wailing at their misfortune, begging the heavens for their names to appear in the next rounds. Others spat curses words at the chosen, accusing them of cheating, of bribery, of secret favoritism from the elders.
The whole village had become a frenzy of hunger.
Julian smirked, running a hand through his hair. So this is what it looks like, he thought, when people are starving, not for food, but for seed.
The corner of his lip curled higher.