The Return of the Betrayed Heir

11

While Alex was bathing in his room, he looked out the window. His body was in much better condition than before; had it been his former self, he would either be undergoing grueling mana training or playing with his dragon somewhere. He lay back lazily in the bubble-filled bathtub. He wanted to take some time for himself today, as a warm shower after training was his absolute favorite activity.

Tessarion sent a telepathic message: "Are you going to stay in there all day?"

"Are you going to sleep over there all day?" Alex shot back mentally. 

Tessarion didn't need to train because as Alex grew stronger, the dragon evolved alongside him. Still, he shouldn't let his claws and fangs grow dull. Alex wouldn't allow that, yet the dragon preferred sleeping all day without interfering in anything.

Alex took a deep breath and slowly submerged himself beneath the bathwater, remaining underwater for ten minutes, lost in deep thought, when two hands suddenly pulled him out.

"Huh?" Alex gasped in surprise.

Helena looked at him with anxious, worried eyes, shouting, "Young master!! Are you alright?!!"

"Y-Yes, I'm fine," Alex stammered, bewildered. "Is something wrong?"

"Do you know how many minutes you were underwater?!"

Alex tilted his head. "How many?"

"At least seven minutes!!"

Alex looked at Helena strangely. "Is that what you were worried about?"

"Yes!!" Helena said with utmost seriousness. "That is extremely dangerous for someone your age. You're still a young child; you shouldn't put yourself in such risky situations."

Alex sighed and gently pulled his hands away from her grip. "I might still be a child, but I am a One-Star Mage. Nothing will ever happen to me in situations like this, so stop worrying about me and bring me a towel."

Helena hesitated for a moment, then let out a soft sigh and went to fetch a towel. Alex stepped out of the bathtub and wrapped the towel around himself, while Helena brought another towel and began gently drying his dark hair.

"Why do you care about me so much, Helena?" Alex asked quietly.

Hearing his question, Helena froze in place. Alex slowly pulled the towel from his head and turned to face her, looking directly into her green eyes. 

Helena cleared her throat before answering, "I was assigned to take care of you. I am proud of you, and I love you very much. You have never caused me any trouble; you've always helped me in every way possible. Sometimes I feel like you aren't a six-year-old child at all. Your family says you are shy and withdrawn, but I don't believe that—you're just comfortable around me."

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Alex asked.

Helena giggled softy. "Because when you talk to your family members, you say a few brief words and disappear immediately, but you talk to me far more."

"That's just your imagination," Alex dismissed smoothly.

As Alex stepped forward to get dressed, Helena wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head against him. "I don't think it's just my imagination. You only open up to people you feel comfortable with..."

She leaned closer to his ear, her warm breath hitting his skin, as she whispered softly, "...or because your family members hurt you in the past."

The instant those words left her mouth, Alex's eyes snapped wide open. He turned around slowly, radiating a suffocating, lethal killing intent.

(Does she know something...?) Alex thought, his mind racing.

When Helena witnessed Alex's sudden wrath, she was paralyzed with terror. It was the first time she had ever seen the boy she raised display such horrifying hostility. As Alex raised his hand, an immense pressure crashed down on her, as if a mountain-sized hand were crushing her chest.

"Y-Young master..." she whimpered, trembling uncontrollably.

Suddenly, memories of his past flashed through Alex's mind, bringing his rage to an abrupt halt. His dark hair fell over his eyes, obscuring his gaze.

Helena was drenched in cold sweat, her heart beating frantically. She had never felt such overwhelming pressure before—a killing intent this potent could have easily ended her life. Had Alex maintained it for just a few seconds longer, Helena would not be standing here alive.

Alex suddenly pulled Helena into a tight hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for acting like that toward you. I know you care about me. In fact... you're the only person who actually cares about me."

At that moment, Tessarion delivered a sharp telepathic punch to his mind. Alex rubbed his head and quickly corrected himself: "I mean... you are one of the only two people who care about me."

Helena hugged Alex tightly, tears streaming down her face. "As long as I live, I will always care about you and do everything I can for you."

A subtle smile appeared on Alex's face. Remembering how hard Helena had fought for him in his past life, he realized he had almost killed her in a moment of reckless impulse. He still couldn't figure out why he had lost his composure so easily—was it sheer disgust at the thought of trusting someone again, or was Helena hiding something? Either way, Alex knew he had to be extremely cautious with his actions moving forward.

"Helena, could you bring me my clothes?" Alex asked softly.

Helena wiped her tears and stood up immediately. "Of course, young master! I'll prepare them right away."

As Helena walked into the bedroom to fetch his attire, Alex bit his lip tightly, veins bulging on his face from suppressed rage.

(Dammit..! What am I doing?) he thought bitterly. (I almost killed her with that killing intent... Luckily my father isn't home, or he would have been here in an instant...)

The golden dragon sighed within his mind. "You need to try staying calmer. If you lose control like that, they'll figure out what you are sooner or later. Choose your every move carefully from now on, or our end here won't be pretty. We still have a long way to go—I hope going into exile isn't part of your plan."

"No, don't worry, I don't have a plan like that," Alex replied coldly. "Especially not before I take my revenge on that bastard Baelon and this entire family."

"What is your ultimate goal, Alex?" Tessarion asked.

Alex looked out the window and smiled darkly, as Tessarion watched him at the same time.

"Isn't my goal obvious?" Alex replied. "I'm going to restructure this family. To do that, I must become King first. This won't be like the past—my life is starting fresh now. I will make the most of this second chance, to the point where people will think twice before even daring to utter my name. Not just the Dragonblood family, but the entire continent will learn the terror of the Golden Dragon."

Tessarion responded with a broad, wicked grin. "Just like in the past... let's show them why they called us the Golden Terror. Let's burn them all and display the true wrath of the Golden Dragon."

These two dragons had already strayed far from the path of righteousness. While the continent of Edeya was dealing with numerous crises, Alex had planted the seeds of true catastrophe. Everyone would need to prepare for what was coming, though none could stand against someone who had returned from the dead.

In his previous life, Alex was notorious across the entire continent due to the brutal wars he waged, yet the image of the weak, exiled child from his youth had stubbornly persisted in the minds of many. That insult infuriated him, leading him to burn alive anyone who held such thoughts. To send a message, he would sever the right arm of some and the left arm of others before sending them back.

As for the elves who dared to mock him, he hunted them down one by one and impaled them. Before the Elven Royal Family could even react, Alex had wiped out entire towns and villages. When the royal forces arrived at the scenes, they found nothing but ash, burnt forests, and impaled corpses. Wherever he went, he left behind a golden dragon banner as his unmistakable signature.

During that war, Alex amassed monstrous power and a terrifying reputation. Because he brought sheer terror wherever he stepped, people began calling him the "Golden Terror."

Though he was sixteen in his past life and merely six years old now, the current Alex was a top-tier mass murderer and a master of genocide, feared by the entire continent of Edeya.

Alex had always felt ashamed of how he had died in his past life, viewing such an end as completely unworthy of a warrior of his stature.

"Ah, speaking of which... are we going back to the Academy?" Tessarion asked.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Of course we are. What kind of question is that? Do you think I'd let them off the hook without settling the score for everything they did to me at the Academy in the past? I'll give them the response they deserve, but first, I need to become infinitely stronger than all of them."

Alex raised his fist toward the window, pointing across the distance toward Tessarion resting on the far mountain.

"Are you with me, partner?" Alex asked.

Tessarion raised his right wing and extended his small claw toward Alex. "Did you really just ask that? Even if this path leads us to death, I'm with you until the very end."