Chapter113

"Yes, he knows who I am," he said plainly. "He is the one who threw me out. As far as he is concerned, I am just a talentless stain on his perfect reputation. That is exactly why I really don't want to go in there right now."
He stopped walking for a second, rubbing the back of his neck. 
"Look, I already told you, I really don't need a royal reward for this," he added, trying one last time to find an easy exit. "I just wanted to make sure you got back safely. I can just leave right now, and you can tell the King whatever you want."
Didi simply reached out, grabbed his sleeve again, and physically pulled him forward. 
"It is way too late to back out now," she said, her voice dropping all traces of her earlier whining as the massive double doors of the throne room finally came into full view at the end of the hall. 
"My father is completely expecting to meet the person who saved my life. If you run away now, he will just send his guards to hunt you down anyway."
He stumbled forward, following her lead while his boots dragged slightly against the floor. 
He looked up at the towering doors, guarded by heavily armored knights who were already reaching out to push the handles open. 
He felt his heart pounding like crazy against, the sheer anxiety of facing the Patriarch drowning out almost everything else. 
'Fuck,' he thought, his hands clenching into tight fists inside his pockets as the doors slowly opened. 'There is really no other choice, huh.'