Grand Duke Flacrest narrowed his eyes as he looked at his son, who was speaking with Emperor Herman. The possibility that Aldrian ca from the sa place where Aldrey had been trapped was also high.
If, during those more than ten years Aldrey spent inside the secret realm, he built a friendship with Aldrian, then it was more believable than the idea that they had t outside the Everlasting Silent Forest and ford a bond there.
As the Grand Duke’s mind beca occupied by this possibility—which made much more sense to him—it beca a starting point for him to consider many other possibilities regarding the truth about Aldrian.
He then recalled his conversation with Aldrian at that ti. Aldrian had asked him for a favor concerning Aldrey: to give Aldrey a chance to explain himself and not jump to conclusions too quickly if Aldrey did sothing that might seem wrong.
Had Aldrian been implying sothing with that request? Had Aldrey done sothing that he, as his father considered wrong? But from his observations so far, he didn’t think Aldrey had done anything wrong. Aldrey had been acting normally, staying true to his character, and there had been no reports of him doing anything that would cause concern.
But then he sighed, feeling that he had missed one part, and that was—
"During the ti he was trapped inside the secret realm, I don’t know what he did. He hasn’t shared many details about what happened in that place over more than a decade."
That was the only ti the Grand Duke had no knowledge of Aldrey’s activities, and it was the only period he could think of when Aldrey might have done sothing wrong.
If Aldrian truly knew that Aldrey had made a mistake, then it would confirm his suspicion that Aldrian had also been trapped in the sa place.
Now the next question was: what kind of mistake had Aldrey made for Aldrian to ask that kind of request?
While thinking about it, Grand Duke Flacrest walked away in the opposite direction from Aldrey and the others, seeking a more secluded place to gather his thoughts. Aldrey glanced at his father, who seed deep in thought, but since he was still speaking with Emperor Herman and sensed nothing wrong, he paid it no mind.
The Grand Duke continued to think about Aldrey’s possible mistake. What kind of mistake could it be? He was not an unreasonable man. If there had been a mistake, he would not rush to judge. He needed to understand why soone made a mistake—and only then would he consider whether it truly was a mistake.
Even more so for his son—if Aldrey had made a mistake, then he would first listen. He would want to know what kind of mistake it was, and why Aldrey had done it. His compassion for his son was far greater than what he felt toward others. So why would Aldrian need to ask for a favor like that, when he already knew he would not be unreasonable toward his own son?
He would not simply lose control after hearing of Aldrey’s mistake.
Grand Duke Flacrest gave a slight nod to himself, as if trying to convince himself that whatever his son had done would not be sothing that required his anger.
He told himself to believe that.
He convinced himself.
But in the end, the Grand Duke gritted his teeth, still unsatisfied. He was truly curious—what kind of mistake had Aldrey made inside that secret realm? Why did Aldrian need to make such a request? Why?
Was there any clue he could use?
He pushed his thoughts harder, knowing he was the only one who could uncover the truth. If Aldrey really had done sothing wrong, then he would surely not tell him—even if asked.
He thought again—and then, suddenly, sothing ca to mind.
"Wait... wasn’t that bastard’s daughter also trapped inside the Everlasting Silent Forest at the sa ti as Aldrey? Could all of this be connected?"
The mont this possibility surfaced, his mind began working at full speed.
"I already asked about Irene Rivas, and Aldrey said he wasn’t trapped in the sa secret realm as her. He claid he didn’t know what happened to her. And he didn’t show any particular concern toward Irene, so I wasn’t suspicious at the ti."
"But what if he lied to —just like he lied about Aldrian? What if Irene was in the sa secret realm as him? What if all three of them—Aldrey, Aldrian, and Irene—were trapped together for over a decade?"
"Could Aldrey’s mistake be connected to Irene?"
The Grand Duke’s thoughts trembled, and wild guesses began to flood his mind.
It couldn’t be helped, as Irene ca from a family that had long been their rival. Every ti they t, the result was always curses and fighting—and in rare cases, soone could even be killed. This "not so amicable" relationship could be traced back millions of years, to the ti of the great battle against the devils.
The Flacrest and Rivas families, both located near the border, were among the few who had to face the mighty devil forces firsthand. Back then, the relationship between the Rivas and Flacrest families was not as strained as it is now.
When the great war broke out, each family accused the other of failing to do their part in holding back the devils within their respective territories, allowing the enemy to flank their borders and attack their families from behind.
But many knew that the situation at that ti was truly chaotic, and it was never simple to hold the devils at the border.
Many believed that the two families acted that way because they had lost so many people and were nearly destroyed. Flacrest lost both their patriarch and young master, while the Rivas were left only with the patriarch’s younger brother—who, fortunately, was able to rebuild the family.
They must have felt deep grievance and needed soone to take it out on. That just happened to be their neighboring family from a different empire. From that ti on, the relationship between the two families beca what people see today.
Many believe that the Flacrest and Rivas should simply let go of the past, as it was never sothing they could truly bla each other for. It sounds petty to place bla on the other just because the devils happened to attack from each other’s flanks during that chaotic ti.
However, that was not sothing easy to do. Their strained relationship, which had long since turned into a rivalry, was already deeply embedded in the hearts of both families’ mbers. Even if the leader of one family wished to move on from the past, the other would not necessarily feel the sa.
To this day, Grand Duke Flacrest shared the sa stance as his predecessors. His family was not to be blad by the Rivas, and they would uphold their dignity without letting the Rivas push them around. They would not lose.
But now, he wondered—what if the mistake Aldrey made was actually connected to the successor of the Rivas family?
What kind of mistake?
His thoughts raced, and he couldn’t help but continue thinking in that direction.
How could he not?
Aldrey, a noble, handso man full of charisma, had been trapped in the sa secret realm as a woman who—though he hated to admit it—was both a rare beauty and a rare genius. Aside from Princess Loraine, the only woman he considered worthy of Aldrey was Irene.
That only showed how exceptional Irene was—as both a cultivator and a woman.
But the problem was that she was from the Rivas family—their rival family.
What if the mistake Aldrey made was that he was, he was..., he...with that woman?
Grand Duke Flacrest tried to hold himself back from losing control and rushing toward Aldrey to interrogate him, especially since the emperor was still present. He inhaled and exhaled deeply several tis before calming himself down.
"Relax, Carlos. All of this is still just your wild guess without any proof. You can’t lose control just because of your imagination. Relax. Don’t let your emotions control you. Relax," he repeated to himself several tis until calm returned.
Still, his suspicion was not sothing he could ignore. He decided to investigate what truly happened to Aldrey inside the secret realm. Once again, he tried to think positively and not jump to conclusions without evidence.
But then—what if Aldrey’s mistake really did have sothing to do with Irene?
"If Young Master Aldrey does sothing that you consider wrong, please don’t get angry imdiately. Give him a chance to explain himself and try not to jump to conclusions too quickly."
Once again, he rembered Aldrian’s request, which he could not brush off after all that Aldrian had done for his family.
His eyes grew determined. If this involved the Rivas family, he would listen to Aldrey first. He wanted to hear what his son had to say—he would give him a chance.
But first, he needed to investigate thoroughly.
He then walked back to the emperor and Aldrey as if nothing was wrong.
--------------------------------
Ten days later,
While the devils remained active in so parts of the continent, Aldrian and his group were still journeying deeper into the core of the Everlasting Silent Forest.
After more than a week flying through the forest, they were now nearing a new environnt.
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