Roxanna didn’t want to imagine that her children would die in the future, but if she were in that position, she was sure she would choose to love them during the precious time they had left.
Yes, it would be painful to watch them die. After all, there wasn’t a single parent in this world who wanted to see their children die before them.
But even so, loving her children would never stop being her responsibility. As a mother, she wanted them to grow up knowing they were loved. She never wanted them to spend their lives wondering if they were worthy of that love.
"But I’m not in your mother’s position, so... maybe my opinion doesn’t matter," she said with a heavy sigh.
"No, you’re right," Azul replied without hesitation. "As parents, we shouldn’t follow my mother’s path. It’s... it’s painful for the children."
The young Azul might have looked more carefree and cheerful than the man standing beside Roxanna now. But if someone could look inside his heart and hear all the thoughts he kept hidden, they would realize that his childish behavior was only a way to cover the emptiness inside him.
"For some reason, my mother never liked spending much time with me," Azul said with a low sigh. "If she really knew I would be the only son who survived, then why did she treat me more coldly than everyone else?"
Roxanna looked at him in silence because she didn’t know the answer to his question either. The only person who could answer it was his mother, and it didn’t seem like it would be an easy task.
Fortunately, Roxanna didn’t have to reply because the young Azul suddenly said, "But I... I can’t even see the future."
"We don’t know that yet," Mera replied at once. "After all, it will still be years before your ability awakens."
"Then all of this talk is nonsense!" the young Azul exclaimed. "How can you be so sure that I have such incredible talent when you’re not even certain about it yourselves?!"
"Then all of this is nonsense!" the young Azul burst out. "How can you all be so sure that I have some incredible talent when you’re not even sure yourselves?!"
"Our Mother saw it, and I’m simply choosing to believe her," Mera replied. "The others don’t know about this, but they do know that it would be a terrible waste to see you die so young. So, Azul, please... just this once, don’t make things so difficult."
The young Azul stared at Mera without saying a word. His jaw tightened as he struggled to hold back the words rising in his throat. Right now, he was angry, confused, and hurt. If he spoke without thinking, he knew he might say something he would regret later.
For a moment, Mera looked like he wanted to explain something, but before he could speak, the entire palace suddenly shook. The walls trembled violently, and a deep rumble echoed through the room.
Mera and Azul exchanged looks and immediately straightened their backs, knowing that this was not an ordinary earthquake.
"Your Highnesses! You need to leave now!" A soldier rushed to the doorway and shouted at the top of his lungs. His face was pale, and panic was written all over it."
"The Devourers are arriving faster than expected! Your siblings will be leaving the palace soon as well, so you must go now!"
"Azul, we have to go!" Mera grabbed his hand and immediately pulled him along.
Azul looked like he wanted to grab a few of his belongings, but Mera quickly said, "We don’t have time! Besides, I’ve already packed a few things for you in the carriage."
Azul hesitated. "What about Father and Mother? Are we really going to leave them behind?"
"Father is strong, so I think he’ll be fine. As for Mother... Mother will be our last line of defense," Mera said through gritted teeth. "She has to stay in this kingdom."
Azul’s eyes widened, and he immediately shouted at Mera in panic. "What do you mean?!"
For some reason, he knew that something was wrong with his mother.
Mera didn’t answer right away. For a few seconds, he simply kept pulling Azul toward the carriage as if he hadn’t heard the question at all. But he knew his younger brother too well. Once Azul wanted an answer, he wouldn’t stop asking until he got one.
In the end, Mera let out a soft breath. "Mother has tied her life to this kingdom," he explained quickly while guiding Azul toward the carriage. "If the Devourers kill her, the entire kingdom will collapse along with her. They’ll be destroyed too."
Azul froze in place. His tails came to a complete stop, making it impossible for Mera to pull him any farther.
"What?" he whispered. Then his face turned pale. "No!" Azul shouted. "Why would she do something like that?!"
He and his mother had never been close. Most of the time, she barely looked at him, but no matter how distant she had been, she was still his mother.
The thought of her sacrificing herself—of her body being destroyed just to take the Devourers down with her—made his chest tighten.
"If we can’t protect this kingdom, then the Devourers won’t be able to take it either," Mera said firmly. "Our people will suffer even more if they end up under the Devourers’ rule."
"Why... why do you keep trying to choose who lives and who dies?" Azul asked softly. His blue eyes had already become glassy with tears. "I don’t like that."
"Who do you think likes making those choices?" Mera asked, staring straight at his brother. "I don’t like it. Father doesn’t like it either. Damn it, Azul, none of us like it!" His voice rose for the first time, frustration slipping through the calm mask he had been wearing.
"But what other choice do we have?" he continued. "Do you really think our people will be able to live peacefully if the Devourers take over this kingdom?"