"Wait, Father, let explain," Aldrian said with a rigid smile.
"Brat, you’d better have a good reason. If not, you’ll rember your past when you ran back to your mother crying," Aldrey said, his gaze burning.
Aldrian smiled bitterly, looking at his father like this. It felt as if he were seeing the father of his childhood, who sotis punished him for his mischief.
"Father, I just wanted to let you realize it on your own instead of shocking you with my presence here. I thought it wouldn’t be good for you if I suddenly announced myself," Aldrian said hurriedly.
"Not good for ?! Do you not know who I am? Do you think I’m so old man on death’s door? Even if you had shown yourself at the city plaza back then, there wouldn’t have been a problem—as long as Flacrest didn’t know about your relationship with ," Aldrey replied, sparks of fla already flickering from his attire.
Seeing his father like this, Aldrian quickly thought of a way to divert Aldrey’s anger. Finally, he ca up with sothing that might calm his father down. Though he knew his current body would sustain little to no damage even if Aldrey spanked him with all his might, he still didn’t want to relive those childhood monts—running to his mother crying after being spanked.
However, Aldrian then noticed his father exhale, and the sparks of fla on his body disappeared. Aldrey’s expression suddenly shifted into a smile before he burst into laughter. Aldrian was stunned by how quickly his father’s deanor changed. When the laughter subsided, Aldrey’s face now bore a teasing expression.
"Truly, even after becoming like this, you still have this side of your character. I was afraid you’d grow more aloof and indifferent once you ca out of the secret realm," Aldrey said, his expression softening with relief.
"I worried that after I left you, and when you erged from the secret realm, your character might change—exposed to the ugliness of the outside world. That you’d beco arrogant and forget your past."
Aldrian smiled warmly.
"Of course not, Father. I’m only like this in front of you and Mother," Aldrian said with a smile. "To be honest, after coming out of the secret realm, I’ve learned many things. Naturally, I had to adapt to the outside world. Sotis, I’ve had to go to extres to achieve my goals. Well, you must know what I an, right?"
Aldrey also smiled as he grabbed Aldrian’s shoulder once again.
"I know, son. As long as you don’t go against your moral values, I have nothing to say. The most important thing is that you’re safe. Sotis, I’ve wondered about the situation in the secret realm—how you were doing, whether my son was still okay, whether my son was this or that. But seeing you now, I can finally put my heart at ease."
Aldrey then leaned back in his chair.
"So, what are you planning to do from now on? After the uproar you caused, everyone already assus the Flacrest family was behind the destruction of Boraz Fortress. At this point, the only person who knows your identity is your grandfather, Grand Duke Flacrest. Although he doesn’t yet realize you’re his grandson, he’s interested in you and even wants to et you because of what you’ve done."
"I don’t think it’s the right ti for to et Grand Duke Flacrest yet, Father. I believe the right mont will be after I’ve finished my business here in the empire. By then, I’ll feel more confident eting him."
"What business do you have in the empire?" Aldrey asked.
"Devil hunting."
Hearing this, Aldrey frowned and touched his chin, as if deep in thought.
"Devil hunting? I see. Do you need any help?"
"No, Father. I just need the Flacrest family as my support," Aldrian replied calmly. "Not long from now, another chaos will erupt in the empire. At that ti, Flacrest can pour oil on the fire. With this event, the devils’ network in the empire will collapse. They’ll be forced to stay low and refrain from acting for a long ti—perhaps even until the ti of prophecy."
"What kind of chaos?" Aldrey asked, his gaze narrowing.
A wicked grin spread across Aldrian’s face—sothing Aldrey had never seen from him before.
"The Larson family."
"Larson family? What about them? They hold the sa status as the Flacrest," Aldrey said, his tone warning Aldrian. "I hope you’re careful with whatever you’re planning, Aldrian. While the Flacrest is stronger and has gained montum due to recent events, the Larsons are still a grand duchy with imnse power and connections. If you provoke them, even the imperial family might have to intervene."
Aldrey leaned forward, his expression serious. "In the political landscape, they wield more influence than the Flacrest. Unlike us, who focus on the borders, they’ve spent generations building connections across the empire. If sothing happens to them, it could affect many parties. You must tread carefully."
Aldrian rely smiled in response to his father’s concerns.
"What you said is true, Father. However, no matter how much bigger their influence or power may be, if they are found to be working with the devils, there will only be one result for them."
Aldrey’s eyes widened.
"What?"
"Yes, Father. The Larson family has deep connections with the devils, and once that’s revealed to the world, there will be no escape for them." Aldrian spoke with a serious expression, but then relaxed his face.
"Before I continue explaining the details to you, I have a question, Father. It’s about Princess Loraine."
Aldrey narrowed his eyes.
"Her Highness? What is it about?"
"How is your relationship with her?" Aldrian asked.
"Well, I’ve known her since we attended the sa academy. We were pretty close since we were even in the sa class, and had a rivalry back then, but to this day, our relationship is still close," Aldrey said. Then, realizing that Aldrian’s question likely had sothing to do with his plans, he added, "What’s going on, Aldrian? What does this have to do with Her Highness?"
"Nothing, Father. I just wanted to ask about her since I saw her in the city plaza. I’m just curious because I’ve never seen her directly, and I noticed she was close to you. I wanted to ask about that." Aldrian spoke casually, though in truth, he was unsure whether to reveal the truth about the princess to his father. After hearing Aldrey’s response, Aldrian decided to hold back.
If they were truly close, once Aldrian revealed the truth, there would likely be monts when the princess and Aldrey would et. At that point, the princess might notice sothing strange about his father. Aldrian couldn’t guarantee that his father would be able to control himself, especially considering that the princess was one of the Lust Devil’s lovers.
The Flacrest family had long guarded the border against the devils, and now his friend was revealed to have a connection with them? That kind of betrayal would make his father despise the princess, and it could even lead to offending the imperial family, sothing Aldrian hoped to avoid. Not all mbers of the imperial family were complicit in such matters; they simply didn’t know about the princess’s ties to the devils.
Aldrey continued to narrow his eyes at Aldrian, but since he couldn’t read anything from his son, he chose to accept it and let it slide. Given all the experiences Aldrian had gone through, based on his story, Aldrey knew that his son wouldn’t do anything that could be detrintal to him.
Afterward, Aldrian explained the Larson family’s connection to the devils and the fall of the Duclan dukedom. Of course, his father was already aware of the Duclan family’s downfall. Aldrian deliberately left out the part about the princess’s connection to the devils. When he finished telling his father, Aldrey gasped in shock.
"If that’s the truth, then the empire has truly been manipulated by the devils for so long!" Aldrey thought.
Losing a dukedom like Duclan’s has greatly weakened the empire’s power. Many parties deeply regretted the incident at the ti, but to think it was a ploy of the devils. To soothe his father’s anger, Aldrian explained his plan regarding the Larson family and how the Flacrest could help bring down the traitorous family. Hearing his son’s plan brightened Aldrey’s mood, as he found it to be an excellent strategy.
They continued talking about many things, enjoying the feast in front of them. The atmosphere was light and joyous, and they lost track of ti, letting their conversation flow without a care.
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The Larson Grand Duchy, located in the northwest of the Vindas Empire, shares a border with the Atria Empire. For many years, this region had remained peaceful, as the Atria Empire had not been hostile toward the Doria Empire. The tranquility allowed the Larson family to expand their influence without the threat of border conflicts.
Inside the luxurious room of the Larson family’s mansion, Grand Duke Larson sat at the head of a long table, surrounded by several of the family’s elders. With short brown hair, a beard, and sharp, cunning eyes reminiscent of a sly fox, he exuded an air of cunningness. However, the ugly expression on his face made it clear that sothing had deeply angered him.
"Now, does everyone understand why the hell princess is helping the Flacrest instead of following the plan?"
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