Queen Catherine had never looked at her son with such love. To Noah, her gaze felt like a cold knife piercing his bones, even though his body hadn't been entirely his since his transmigration.
Mana flowed profusely from Catherine's body. Noah could feel it like heavy air pressure piercing his skin. Without looking at her stats, he knew she was far stronger: She was a Sentinel Extreme, Sequence 9. Meanwhile, Caelthorn—the previous owner of this body—was only a Sentinel Master, Sequence 2.
The power gap was enormous.
Catherine Loans was from the Kingdom of Lings. She married King James Caelthorn to politically unify the two kingdoms. It was a loveless marriage. From what Noah could discern from Caelthorn's memories, Catherine never wanted a child like him.
Now, the woman stood not far from Noah, her dark purple dress sweeping gracefully to the floor. However, her grace didn't erase the coldness in her dark eyes.
Caelthorn had always trembled in Catherine's presence, and the trauma was clearly etched into his body. Noah felt it—the faint trembling of his fingers and his almost labored breathing. But this time, he forced his body to submit to his will.
Catherine watched the change with a frown.
"Since you were in a coma and woke up again, it seems something has changed about you," she said softly yet coldly. "I wonder...what have you done to catch my attention?"
Without exaggerating her movements, Catherine moved a finger downward.
A tremendous pressure slammed into Noah's back as if an elephant were standing on his bones. His knees nearly collapsed. Reflexively, he arched his legs and braced himself with his left hand, clenching it until his knuckles turned white. His breath quickened.
His spine screamed.
His nerves burned.
But he refused to fall.
His eyes never left Catherine's. He stared back strongly, without saying a word.
Catherine's gaze darkened.
"It seems you're brave enough to challenge me right before my eyes," she said, her voice as cold as cracked ice.
The pressure increased. The world seemed to press against Noah from every direction. The pain brought back memories of Caelthorn—fear, torment, and whimpers. His body wanted to give in. But Noah held onto his consciousness, forcing his body to remain still.
His back remained straight.
The bedroom door suddenly burst open.
"Catherine! What are you doing to Noah? Stop your cruel behavior!"
The voice was deep and firm, but not one of burning rage. Rather, it was a mixture of suppressed anger and despair. Noah turned his gaze slightly to see King James Caelthorn standing in the doorway.
The king's face was pale, and his eyes were fixed on Noah, not his wife.
A tall man with silvery-white hair and brown eyes that resembled Noah's stood in the doorway. He wore a fur coat with royal symbols pinned to it, exuding the authority of a ruler.
Amidst the pain still pressing down on his body, Noah glanced at James. Anger was evident on his face as he stared at Catherine. Although the pressure of his mana aura had completely dissipated, Noah's body remained on the ground due to the lingering effects of his coma and his weakened state.
James stepped closer and helped Noah to his feet, supporting his arm. Catherine, on the other hand, simply stared haughtily, arms crossed over her chest, expression cold and unmoved.
"Noah just woke up from his coma. You should have treated him kindly," James said with suppressed disappointment. "I thought that, after Noah almost lost his life, you would at least have a little compassion for your own son."
The enmity between the husband and wife seemed complex and deep. Noah felt as if he were standing on the edge of a precipice for no reason.
Catherine laughed sarcastically. "This weakling foolishly took on an A-Rank Mission and caused the death of a talented Sentinel member at the hands of a Sequence 9 Extreme Daemon. In the end, he brought shame to the Arathen Empire."
"The Aurora Association didn't properly vet the A-Rank mission. It turned into an S-Rank mission," James retorted firmly. "Such vetting errors will not be tolerated by the Arathen Empire. I have already filed an official complaint with the Aurora Association."
Hearing that, Noah fell silent. Shocked, he could only comment inwardly. Could Caelthorn have taken the mission just to prove himself to this terrible woman? How pathetic.
"Noah did that reckless act just to prove something to you, Catherine," James continued.
"Proof?" Catherine chuckled mockingly. "Proof that the Arathen Empire has a useless crown prince—a Sequence 2 Sentinel Master?"
James's expression tensed and he looked insulted, but he held back his anger. Watching the two of them clash over his situation, Noah simply rolled his eyes in annoyance.
Suddenly, Noah saw his father scrunch up his face and cough violently. Reflexively, Noah turned and patted James's broad shoulder, which was trembling from the coughing fit. Out of the corner of his eye, Noah noticed a change in Catherine's expression. For the first time, she didn't seem so haughty. She snorted and left the room without a word.
"Dad, are you okay? You should rest. You've been working too hard," Noah said softly.
James slowly shook his head. "It's okay. I just came to check on you. I was too busy with work to be with you while you were in a coma. But now that I see you're okay, I'm so relieved."
"I'm really fine. It'll probably just take a few more days to recover. Then I can go back to my activities," Noah said casually.
James's expression turned slightly surprised. Noah noticed it immediately but chose not to comment.
"I'm happy to see you in such good spirits," James said with a heavy sigh. "At least for now, I don't have to worry about you anymore. When I saw your heart break, as a Sentinel Healer Extreme, I couldn't even heal my own son."
"Dad, don't bring up the past," Noah replied quickly. "I'm fine now. I'm actually more worried about you. You should take care of your health."
James sighed and brushed back his silvery-white hair. Then he turned and left the room, leaving Noah alone once more.
Noah fell into deep thought. Based on the memories of Caelthorn still imprinted in James's body, he was a gentle man who loved his son sincerely. However, a congenital disease was eating away at his body—one that not even a Sentinel Healer could cure. Ironically, James himself was an Extreme Sentinel of Sequence 9 with the rare Hybrid pathway of Healer and Summoner.
Yet, even Daniel, the Sentinel Healer who treated Noah in the hospital, was unable to repair the most vital organ: the heart. James's congenital disease was beyond the reach of any healing ability. Not even an Extreme Sentinel of the Healer Path like James could heal himself.