6kv Chapter 85 85: Run?
Chapter 85 85: Run?
Venus exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple as if warding off a headache. His gaze flickered to me, his black eyes unreadable. Then, without a word, he stood.
I watched him cautiously. "What now?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned toward the grand doors of the throne hall. The air between us was heavy—thick with everything unsaid.
Then he spoke.
"Come with me."
I hesitated. "Where?"
"You'll see."
Something about his tone made me uneasy. But I followed.
Venus led me out of the hall, his steps slow and deliberate. The palace was quiet, the echoes of our footsteps the only sound.
At first, I assumed we were heading toward the estate's deeper chambers—the place where all the decisions of the Romero clan were made.
But we didn't.
Instead, we walked a different path.
One I hadn't taken in years.
It was only when we stepped outside, passing through the estate's private gardens, that realization struck.
My breath caught.
I knew this path.
Knew where it led.
Venus remained silent as we walked, but I could feel his gaze on me, watching, waiting for the moment I would understand.
Then I saw it.
My steps faltered.
A house stood before me, nestled against the estate's outer grounds.
My childhood home.
A place I hadn't seen since my parents died.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
The house was the same.
Untouched by time.
Dark wooden walls, small windows with drawn curtains, a balcony where I once sat, waiting for father to return from his travels. Even the old lantern by the door was still there, hanging slightly crooked, just like I remembered.
I swallowed hard. "Why…"
Venus spoke softly. "I never let them tear it down."
I turned to him, my hands clenched at my sides.
He stared at the house, his expression unreadable. "I kept it maintained all these years. I couldn't bring myself to erase it."
The words hit harder than I expected.
This place… was my real home. Not the grand halls of the estate, not the cold training grounds, but this.
Where my mother's laughter once echoed. Where my father's hand ruffled my hair after long days of work.
My throat tightened.
It had been so long.
Too long.
Venus finally looked at me. "Go inside."
I hesitated.
The past was a dangerous thing.
But my feet moved on their own.
The door creaked as I pushed it open. A rush of air, warm and familiar, greeted me.
The inside was exactly as I remembered.
A small living space, a fireplace with a few stacked logs beside it.
A wooden table near the kitchen where we once ate together. The scent of aged wood and faded memories hung in the air.
I stepped further in, my fingers grazing the edge of a chair.
The ache in my chest deepened.
Everything was the same.
And yet, it wasn't.
Because they weren't here.
My parents.
They would never be here again.
I let out a slow breath, forcing the knot in my throat to loosen.
I wouldn't break.
Not here.
Not now.
Venus entered behind me, his steps quiet. He walked over to the fireplace, running a hand over the mantle. "You were always so small," he murmured.
"I remember watching you sit right there"—Gesturing to the old armchair, the old man continued, "with that ridiculous oversized book, trying to read before you even knew how."
A faint, almost bitter smile tugged at my lips. "I wanted to be like my father."
Venus nodded. "He was a good man."
Silence settled between us.
Then he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I didn't want to lose you too."
The words were quiet, but they carried a weight that I hadn't expected.
I glanced up at him.
His usual sharp, calculating presence had softened, just for a moment.
It was strange.
Venus Romero, my grandfather, the man who cast me out… looked at me not as an enemy.
Not as an heir.
But as family.
The tension in my chest eased, if only slightly.
I exhaled. "I'm still here."
His grip on my shoulder tightened for a second before he pulled away.
"You're stronger than I thought," he admitted.
I scoffed. "You thought I'd break?"
"You nearly did," he said bluntly. "But you held yourself together. That's good."
I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Venus smirked. "You should appreciate it. I don't say things like that often."
I snorted. "I've noticed."
Venus exhaled, his gaze lingering on the dimly lit room.
"You expected me to stay the same?"
"No," Venus admitted, turning to face me. "But I didn't expect you to carry yourself like this."
I frowned. "Like what?"
"Like someone who's already seen the worst the world has to offer."
I didn't respond.
Because he wasn't wrong.
Venus studied me, his sharp black eyes
My breath hitched.
Not a boy.
Not a child.
Not an heir.
Just Noah.
For the first time in years, I didn't feel like I was standing in front of the Clan Head of the Romeros.
I was standing in front of my grandfather.
And for once,
I didn't feel the urge to run.
***