Chapter 233 Did he try to merge pixels?
The door creaked open, and Gregoria's weary but relieved face appeared in the doorway.
"Julian... you're back," she said, her voice a mixture of relief and a touch of exhaustion. She stepped aside to let him in, her hands trembling slightly as they brushed against the door frame.
Julian entered the room and he quickly scanned the dimly lit room. His gaze landed on the bed where his grandfather, the Grand Duke, laid still and unmoving.
"How is Grandfather?" Julian asked.
Gregoria sighed deeply before speaking. "I don't know," she said. "No matter what we do, he doesn't seem to wake up. We have tried everything, potions, spells, even mana-based healing, but nothing works. It's like he is trapped in a deep slumber... or worse."
Her eyes flickered towards her husband's unconscious form, her fear growing with each passing second.
Julian stepped closer to the bed. His brow furrowed as he took in the sight of Augustus's body. He could feel his weak aura but it was mixed with something impure.
Something was clearly wrong and it was not simple.
He closed his eyes and began to focus on the underlying problem of his grandfather's condition. His surroundings seemed to blur and change to pixelated versions, as though he were slipping into a different world.
He focused even harder and what he saw next stunned him. The fire pixels that were his grandfather's primary element, were swirling around him chaotically.
But there was something else mingling with them. His eyes widened in shock as he processed the sight.
"What… how can this be?" Julian whispered.
His grandfather was absorbing not just the fire pixels but also the pixels from another element. A strange mix that was disrupting the natural flow of his mana.
He focused deeper into the energy surrounding Augustus and found the fire pixels wanting to intertwine with other pixels but were constantly being repelled.
He tried to merge the two elements, Julian thought as his mind raced to make sense of why his grandfather would attempt such a task.
Julian was aware of the natural barrier that kept pixels of one element away from another, and to try merging them meant acting against the natural flow, which was too risky for even a grand mage.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
No wonder he was bedridden... Julian muttered. It's a surprise he didn't die.
Julian couldn't help but let out a quiet, amused chuckle in his mind. He sure is bold, he thought as his lips curled into a smirk.
But as he observed the situation further, a sense of calm washed over him. Since he is slowly absorbing the fire pixels back, he should recover soon enough.
His gaze then shifted toward his grandmother, Gregoria, who stood by the bed, watching her husband with concern.
Julian's mind wandered as a mischievous thought crossed his mind. Well, we can have some fun before he wakes up, he thought, his eyes glowing with a mix of mischief and lust.
He stood up, his expression softening as he looked at his grandmother with a warm smile. But beneath the mask, a sly grin tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Grandmother," he said, "since nothing has worked so far, I think we should let grandfather recover on his own."
Gregoria looked at Julian with a mix of concern and defeat. "Yes, that's the only option we have," she said. "We can't do anything else."
Her eyes lingered on her husband, as though hoping for some sign of improvement.
She turned her gaze from Augustus to Julian. "How was the royal palace, Julian? You had to return so fast." she asked.
"It was fine, grandmother," Julian replied. "I had some talks with the king, and he has acknowledged me as his grandson."
Gregoria's eyes widened in surprise, her voice shaky as she leaned slightly forward.
"What... what? You are not joking, right?" She had not expected the king to acknowledge Julian as his grandson after this long of a time.
Her curiosity only deepened as she asked, "And how did the queen take it?"
Julian let out a simple laugh, his eyes gleaming with a mix of pride and mischief. "Well... she has acknowledged me as her grandson too."
Gregoria's eyes widened once more in disbelief, and she gasped "What...? She did what? Did she forgive you?" The words seemed to escape her in a rush, as the weight of Julian's statement settled in.
"Well, she had to....," he replied, a subtle smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Gregoria was overwhelmed by the revelation. One of her guilts was how their complex past had hindered Julian's growth, and now that he had been acknowledged as the royal blood, her burden seemed to carry less weight.
She couldn't help a tear from falling as she walked toward Julian and embraced him.
She pulled back slightly, wiping away a tear as she looked at Julian with pride. "I'm proud of you," she said softly.
Julian patted her back gently. His hands slowly lowered, and he could feel the tension in the air shift as they found their way to her ass.
Gregoria gasped softly, her body tensing in surprise at the sudden contact.
She took a step back, her voice trembling as she quickly regained her composure. "What... are you doing, Julian?" she asked.
Julian feigned innocence, his grin widening as he tilted his head. "What, grandmother? What happened?" he asked, his voice calm and casual, hiding any hint of mischief.
Gregoria hesitated for a moment while her face flushed with embarrassment. "Not... nothing," she replied quickly, her voice shaky as she tried to brush off the moment.
Julian straightened up. "Well, grandmother, I will go now and have a rest." He gave her a small smile before turning toward the door.
As Julian left the room, Gregoria stood in place for a moment, her thoughts drifting back to her conversation with Regina.
Her mind raced as she wondered what had truly changed in Julian. Was he always like this? she asked herself, her heart heavy with both confusion and something else entirely.