6 The dark dream.

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"You are aware that there is a little probability of this?" Eragon remarked.

"There isn't any other option," Carlos said. "You're also aware of it."

He sat on the other side of the table in Carlos' large study as he pushed a sealed envelope toward him.

They had enough light from the moon to converse while being able to see each other's features.

"You know you're lying to Lydan about everything," Eragon exclaimed in agony.

"He is my son, and I am acting responsibly," Carlos retorted firmly.

"Are you certain you won't go on to lament it?"

"I won't."

"He could begin to detest you."

"To begin with, we aren't that close."

When the door finally opened, Isabella entered with a sorry face as Carlos and Eragon turned to look at her.

"My lady," Eragon called out.

Isabella responded to Eragon by placing her hand on her chest and nodding. She walked a little distance before sitting next to Carlos, holding her robe firmly and casting her gaze downward.

"My Queen, what did he say?" Carlos asked.

"He will leave, but not voluntarily," Isabella said.

"How about the pendant?"

"He said he'd put it on before leaving."

"That's sufficient."

Eragon gently patted the letter. He stopped caressing the letter and looked directly at Carlos while Isabella and Carlos were talking.

"Is this the only favor you require, then?" Eragon said while flapping the letter in the air.

"Yes, for the time being," Carlos answered.

"Then I'll leave."

Carlos rose to his feet and came over to hug Eragon. Eragon grinned as he squeezed Carlos' back and then nodded to Isabella as he exited the room.

"Er, Isabella?" Carlos, who was scrupulous, called.

Before Carlos could finish his statement, Isabella stood up from her chair and exited the room without turning around.

Stepping near the large window, Carlos peered at the moon, which was as brilliant as it could be. He grinned.

Carlos muttered, still looking at the moon, "I don't know anymore." 

…

Even though it was a July night, Lydan's chamber felt as frigid as a winter night.

The room was still as Lydan did his best to keep his eyes closed, and a deep, unnerving whisper formed a hole in his sense of reason.

He felt a cold breath on his nape, and a shudder ran down his spine.

Lydan couldn't see the pendant glistening within the box. He was keeping his eyes closed, trying to make sense of it all.

"Sh...sh...sh..."

He struggled to not open his eyes, but as soon as he heard the whisper again, he did. Lydan was exhaling loudly as he attempted to see his girding, but it was too dark. His room wasn't where he was.

As a hand moved over his waistline from the back to the front, he suddenly had the impression that he was sitting on someone's lap and being held.

Lydan struggled to see the face of the person holding him, but he was unable to do so since they were holding his waist with one hand while caressing his long, candescent hair with the other.

Lydan made every effort to get away from the person, but the grasp on his waist prevented him from moving even a fraction of an inch.

Lydan only saw the attractive, slender-yet-bragging hands, the sleek, black nails, and the tan of those hands, which matched the fair clearing of durum, were visible to Lydan.

When Lydan sensed the icy breath approaching his ear, he stopped stumbling. He didn't move.

An awful voice accompanied the icy breath, saying, "Lovely."

As soon as Lydan heard the word, his eyes opened and he began to breathe heavily. He took a glance around him and noticed that he was in his room, which caused him to exhale with relief.

He began looking for the call bell but couldn't find it; his body was covered in cold sweats, and he was breathing heavily. He finally located the bell and forcefully quaked it.

Ellen shambled into Lydan's chamber and yelled, "Your Highness, what happened? Are you okay? "

Ellen noticed Lydan on the bed, his body trembling. Lydan was gripping the blanket with both of his hands when Ellen went over to him.

Disturbed "Your highness, are you alright?" Ellen inquired.

Lydan was silent and not responding. Ellen hurried over and retrieved a glass of water from the nearby table.

"Drink it, Your Highness," Ellen stated while presenting the glass.

After taking a few sips, Lydan handed Ellen the glass.

"Is there a problem, Your Highness?" Ellen approached Lydan and said, "This has never occurred before," while he waited for him to settle down.

"Should I request a doctor?" Ellen spoke as he gaped at Lydan.

Quivering, Lydan gestured, "No, a dream..."

When Ellen saw Lydan's symptoms, his stare grew more intense. His face had a hint of mockery, and his eyes were gaping oddly.

Lydan gestured, "Ellen, get ready" with a bone-tired expression as he glanced up, confusing Ellen.

…

"I'm still in disbelief. Your Highness, why did you come in such a manner?" Ellen said in a puzzled manner.

"Where is the academy located?" Lydan signed as he turned to look out the window.

"You won't respond to me, then?"

Lydan continued to stare out the window in the absence of a response.

"It barely takes half a day to go to the academy," Ellen added.

"In addition to the royal heirs, will there be other students?" Lydan again gestured.

Ellen said, "You didn't even notify the king and queen before you left."

"When was the building project completed?"

Ellen was requesting the reason, but Lydan kept responding by asking a different question each time.

"There will be further Nobel heirs, and the building was completed last year; the pupils are already enrolled," said Ellen.

In the carriage, Ellen was arranging a few frequently used daily accouterments.

"Ellen, what are you doing?" Lydan signed off after banging on the carriage's wall to gain Ellen's attention.

"Oh, this?" He pointed to the items strewn on the seat and added, "Your Highness, I am organizing your daily habitual belongings, some books, and all this as we left in a hurry, so I didn't have the opportunity to do it earlier."

Lydan delegated Ellen's work to him. When his gaze landed on the box, he was going to turn to face the window.

Lydan asked in hysteria, "What is that?"

Ellen said, "This is your present, Your Highness."

As Lydan moved closer to grabbing the package, his hands began to tremble.

"I deliberately left it there. How come you brought it here?" Lydan aggressively signed.

Ellen pleaded, "Your highness, the queen would give me an earful if I did not."

Indignantly, Lydan demanded, "Give it to me."

As Lydan grabbed the box as Ellen held it out to him, just as he was ready to hurl it outside, he ceased.

"What is that?" Lydan babbled in his head.

"Don't, Your Highness," Ellen shouted.

"Why do I feel at ease?" Lydan murmured, "It's nothing like last night."

Lydan was intensely staring at the box when the carriage abruptly came to a stop.

To be continued...