Chapter 279 – Life Goes On
Aspen – Three Years Later
In a modest house nestled at the edge of a sleepy town in Aspen, Prince Rolland sits at a small kitchen table, watching his son with eyes that are far too intense for such a serene scene.
The boy, barely seven, obediently eats his breakfast as his father speaks.
"Remember," Rolland says, voice low and reverent, "you are of royal blood. Of the golden sun. Blessed by the God of Light himself. Never forget that."
His words are obsessive, almost feverish, as if speaking them aloud might make them true.
In the adjoining room, behind a cracked door, another child sits on the floor. Silent. Watching.
He is the same age.
The same frame.
But where the prince's son is dressed neatly, bathed and polished, this child is a shadow.
