Soulbound: Dual Cultivation-Chapter 391: We will do our duty

Lucas reined his horse to a halt as the terrain ahead subtly changed, the air carrying a tension that had nothing to do with the wind, and he raised his fist for the squad to stop. One by one they slowed, hooves pressing into the dirt until silence settled over them. A day’s ride ahead lay the usurpers’ camp, close enough to feel but far enough to avoid detection, and Lucas knew this was as far as they could safely push without the main force behind them.

"We wait here," he said, his voice calm but heavy, as his eyes swept across the land ahead. "No noise. Keep rotations tight."

Bartho nodded. "So they’re really that close now."

"Close enough," Lucas replied quietly, his thoughts already drifting to what awaited them once the king arrived.

They did not have to wait long. By the following day, the banners of Valerion finally crested the horizon, the army moving with discipline, and when the king arrived, his presence shifted the atmosphere immediately. Orders were barked, formations adjusted, and a tent far larger and more reinforced than the others was erected with urgency at the center of the temporary camp.

The king dismounted without ceremony and entered the tent, his face carved from stone, before turning back briefly. "Send for Xavier and Henrietta," he commanded. "Now."

Inside the tent, the air felt heavier than outside, thick with unsaid words and fractured trust. The king stood near a table littered with maps and markers, his back to the entrance, his hands resting flat on the surface as though anchoring himself. Lucas and Henrietta entered together, both instinctively alert, both aware that this meeting was not one that would end cleanly.

"You summoned us, my king," Lucas said, bowing slightly, his tone respectful yet cautious.

The king did not turn around immediately. When he finally did, his eyes were restless, and tired.

"I did," the king said. "And I will speak plainly, because there is no value in masks anymore."

Henrietta crossed her arms slowly.

The king let out a short, humorless laugh. "I trust no one."

The words landed heavily between them.

"Not my council. Not my commanders. Not the army," he continued, his gaze locking onto Lucas first, then shifting to Henrietta. "Not even you."

Lucas did not flinch, though something tightened in his chest. "If this is about the army in Rus," he began carefully, "then you already know I tried to warn you without breaking..."

"I know what you tried to do," the king snapped, cutting him off. "And that is precisely the problem. Everyone has reasons. Everyone has explanations. And all of them could be lies."

Henrietta took a step forward. "You think one of us betrayed Valerion," she said flatly.

"I know one of you did," the king replied, his voice low and dangerous. "Someone close. Someone who knows my mind. Our plans did not leak by chance."

Lucas felt a chill crawl up his spine, not from fear for himself, but from the realization of how deeply this suspicion had rooted itself. "And you believe that makes us bound to fail," he said slowly. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The king’s jaw tightened. "Yes. Because a war cannot be won when the man leading it does not know who stands at his side and who holds the knife."

Silence followed, thick and suffocating. Lucas’s thoughts raced toward consequence. If the king truly believed this, then every order from this point on would be second guessed, every victory hollow, every loss magnified. An army could survive inferior numbers. It could even survive poor terrain. But it could not survive a leader who no longer trusted anyone.

"My king," Lucas said at last, choosing his words with care, "if you see betrayal everywhere, then even loyalty will begin to look like treason."

The king’s eyes narrowed. "And if I see loyalty where there is betrayal, then Valerion dies."

Henrietta exhaled slowly, her voice controlled but edged with emotion. "You kept us close because you trusted our judgment. You confided in us because you believed in us. If you strip that away now, then what exactly do you expect us to do."

The king looked away, his shoulders sagging for just a moment before he straightened again. "I expect you to do your duty," he said quietly. "Even if I cannot trust your intentions, I can still rely on your competence."

Lucas absorbed that, a bitter taste forming at the back of his mind. So this was what it had come to. Being useful without being believed. Standing close enough to command, yet far enough to be doubted.

"Then we will do our duty," Lucas said, inclining his head. "Whether you trust us or not."

Henrietta nodded once. "Valerion still stands. That much has not changed."

The king studied them both, his expression unreadable, before turning back to the maps. "You are dismissed. Prepare your forces. We move soon."

As Lucas and Henrietta stepped out of the tent, the weight of the conversation followed them like a shadow. Lucas glanced at the canvas behind them, his thoughts heavy and conflicted.

If the king no longer trusted anyone, he thought grimly, then the greatest danger ahead might not be the usurpers at all, but the doubt already eating away at their command from within.

He did not slow until he reached the edge of the command circle where the ice belle stood apart from the noise of the camp, her presence calm yet distant as frost beneath moonlight.

He stopped in front of her and exhaled quietly, the tension finally slipping into his voice. "I need Tom," he said, meeting her eyes. "Can you find him for me."

She studied his face for a heartbeat longer than necessary, as if reading the unrest beneath his composure, then nodded once without asking questions. "He will come quickly," she replied, her voice soft but certain, before turning and gliding away through the shifting lines of soldiers.

Lucas remained where he was, listening to the distant clatter of armor and low murmurs of men preparing for what lay ahead, his thoughts spiraling despite his efforts to anchor them. Distrust from enemies was expected. Distrust from allies cut deeper than any blade.

Tom arrived moments later at a hurried jog, his expression alert the moment he saw Lucas. "You sent for me," he said, straightening immediately. "Is something wrong."

Lucas shook his head slightly. "Something is wrong, yes, but not something you can fix with a sword," he replied, his tone calm but weighted. "I need you to find the girls for me."

Tom frowned. "Lady Lira, Lady Selene and Princess Nyx."

"All of them," Lucas confirmed. "They should be stationed near the center of the army with the healers and reserves. Tell them I need them here, as soon as possible."

Tom hesitated, reading the strain in Lucas’s eyes. "Is this about the king."

Lucas did not answer immediately. He glanced toward the command tents, then back to Tom. "It is about what comes next," he said quietly. "And I would rather they hear it from me than from rumors whispered through the ranks."

Tom nodded slowly, his jaw setting with resolve. "I will bring them," he said. "All of them."

As Tom turned and disappeared into the ordered chaos of the camp, Lucas remained standing, his fingers curling briefly at his side before he forced them to relax. He knew the moment the girls arrived, the fragile calm he was holding onto would be tested, because with them came honesty, concern, and questions he was not sure he was ready to answer.

Still, he squared his shoulders and waited, knowing that whatever fractured trust now hung over Valerion, he would face it with those who had already proven they would stand with him, even when the world itself seemed to turn its back.