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Chapter 636: Relationship Issue

Loyalty was a tricky affair in the Austine Empire.

As the country propagating the infamous Pure Bloodline Theory, the Austine Empire placed high importance on bloodlines. In fact, the Ackermanns’ mandate to rule was based on their bloodline.

Years of reinforcing this justification had cast a halo on the imperial family, but ironically, it had also undermined the emperor’s authority.

While the emperor had the right to rule as one bearing the noblest bloodline, he was not the only one with the qualification. Other members of the imperial family would fit the criterion too, so they, theoretically, could claim their right to the throne.

Unless the emperor had a strong base of supporters, the other members of the imperial family could overthrow him at any moment as soon as they amassed sufficient power.

On top of that, the Austine Empire, in a bid to avoid religious influences from undermining imperial power, had embraced secularism, which meant that the emperor couldn’t claim to have the mandate of higher beings.

This contrasted with the Saint Mesit Theocracy, where the Holy Eminence further consolidated their position via religious influence.

It was not easy to be an emperor of the Austine Empire.

However, the Ackermanns, in their long history, had stumbled upon a convenient way to resolve this issue—fratricide.

If I eliminate everyone else with the mandate to rule, all of the nobles would have no one but me to pledge their loyalty to.

This logic had motivated countless incidents of bloodshed among the Ackermanns in the last thousand years. Most emperors of the Austine Empire had stained their hands with the blood of their siblings.

This damned tradition was the reason Lilian was disgusted with her own clan.

From a young age, she had already seen through the bootlicking and coaxing of those around her, and she knew that this was her fate as a member of the imperial family. She quickly learned how to maintain her poker face around hypocrisy and vileness.

Even so, she couldn’t understand hostility among family members, who should have been one another’s stalwart allies. Every time she looked at other families and subconsciously compared them to the Ackermanns, she felt extremely uncomfortable.

Are you that intoxicated with power? Do you not feel the slightest kinship to your family members?

Every now and then, Lilian would feel an urge to ask them this when her older brothers attacked her in the imperial court, only to swallow the words back down. It was a redundant question; the answer was right in front of her.

The endless rivalry she had with her siblings exhausted her. There was even a period of time when she wondered if she was the weird one.

It was then that she met her true bloodline kin and lover.

Looking back, his appearance might have saved her humanity. Were it not for him, she might have just killed her emotions as a human and resigned herself to a life devoid of familial warmth.

Lilian looked at the towering palace walls in front of her as her eyes hardened with conviction.

Behind her stood a brawny old man and a huge army.

In the darkness before dawn, tens of thousands of soldiers and their steeds breathed white vapor as they stood solemnly in formation. They couldn’t help but occasionally glance at the brawny old man with looks of respect, for the latter held an important place in their hearts.

The brawny old man, dubbed as the Military God, was the hero who had led humankind to victory in the fourth war against the deviants. He was the previous Seze Duke, Layton Seze.

It was only normal for the soldiers to be awed when a person from the legends suddenly appeared before them. The prestige he had accumulated over the years was resounding, and it greatly boosted the army’s morale.

A while later, Lilian retracted her gaze from the palace walls and turned around to face her army.

The soldiers who had fought with her on many battlefields puffed up their chests and stood at attention. Their eyes reflected neither confusion nor hesitation. They were prepared to put their lives down for this operation.

Lilian acknowledged their determination with a nod before turning to Layton Seze.

“Duke Layton, I am grateful for your goodwill, but is it fine for you to stand with me?” she asked with a calm and earnest tone. “You may have resigned as the Sezes’ patriarch, but your actions are bound to implicate the Sezes. What we are going to do will adversely affect your clan.”

Layton Seze laughed heartily, replying, “Hahaha! You’re absolutely right, Your Highness. I’m flattered by your concern, but please rest assured. My actions reflect the Sezes’ will.”

“The Seze House is siding with me?”

“You can say so.”

“I see. I am honored and grateful to receive the Sezes’ help, but may I ask the reason? I know that I am still at a disadvantageous position compared to His Majesty’s influence.”

Instead of losing herself to excitement, Lilian enquired about the Sezes’ reason for standing with her. Layton Seze nodded in acknowledgment, knowing that their intervention was indeed abrupt.

“My descendants have prepared many answers for me, but I don’t think Your Highness is fond of those fawning words. Let me offer you a more practical answer instead.”

“Please.”

“There are two reasons behind this. One is personal. It’s your relationship with that Ascart lad.”

“You’re talking about Roel?”

“That’s right. He’s a descendant of a friend. I ought to take care of him a little, but he matured too fast while I was bogged down by other matters. I figured that I could make up for it through you.”

Lilian blinked her eyes in surprise before her lips curled into a faint smile. “If that’s the case, I’d like to assure you that I’ll be with Roel forever. May I know what the other reason is?”

“The second reason is what has been bogging me down, preventing me from helping that Ascart lad… Your Highness, please have a look at this.” Layton Seze’s expression turned grim as he handed a document to Lilian.

Lilian took the document and quickly browsed through it. It didn’t take long for her eyes to narrow sharply, and her expression darkened.

“That’d explain a lot of things. Lord Layton, I am grateful for your help.”

“It’s my duty. It’s the only way I can make it up to Ro,” Layton said with a sigh as he reminisced about the past. He then turned to Lilian and said, “Other than this report containing my many years of investigation, the other reason I came here is to advise you to back down and opt for a more peaceful resolution method instead.”

“…I appreciate your advice, but I have my own plans too and I have to push it through.” Lilian firmly but courteously turned down Layton’s advice, bringing a conflicted look to the latter’s face.

“Your Highness, Emperor Lukas is an Origin Level 1 transcendent, and I haven’t been able to get a good gauge on how strong he is in so many years. It’ll be a dangerous operation. I am on your side too, but I won’t be able to reach you in time from the city walls if anything happens…”

“I understand your concerns, but please put aside your worries,” Lilian said.

She gently raised her finger, and stifling pressure abruptly fell upon the surroundings. The soldiers in the vicinity moaned in pain. Layton was taken aback.

“This…”

“I have overcome my bottleneck,” Lilian explained as she looked at the palace walls. “Lukas doesn’t have the power to kill me anymore.”

…

Overexerting before recovering from a severe illness was taboo, but that was what Roel did.

His body felt heavy as if pumped with lead, and his soul was still languishing. To say that he was in a terrible state was an understatement, but somehow, his mood was better than it had been in recent days.

He had always unconsciously drawn a line between him and Alicia, which led to him turning her down time and time again. It was only after seeing her letter that he tried his best to change his attitude, and he finally overcame that mental barrier.

Despite having an adorable silver-haired woman lying next to him, Roel couldn’t help but smile bitterly when he saw her arm wrapped tightly around his, as if frightened that he would escape. As if to reassure her, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

As a high transcendent with an Indestructible Body, there was no question about Roel’s stamina. He and Alicia, in a way, were like a match made in heaven. No matter how aggressive he was, Alicia, with her Silverash Child Bloodline, was able to withstand everything.

Initially, he had gone easy on her in view that it was her first time, but with her Silverash Child Bloodline, she quickly adapted and even tried to turn the tables on him. If not for his superior stamina, he might have just lost the battle.

Thinking about what a close shave it was earlier made Roel pat his chest in relief.

It could have been that his movements were too forceful or that she wasn’t deeply asleep, but Alicia suddenly opened her eyes at this juncture. She initially looked a little confused, but shortly after she met Roel’s gaze, her confusion turned into affection.

“Lord Brother…”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Alicia first reached out to touch Roel’s cheek before slowly calming down, saying, “You’re… real. I’m relieved. I thought it was another dream.”

“Another dream? Did you have such dreams before?”

“O-occasionally, but I always wake up feeling lonelier than ever.”

“My apologies, Alicia,” Roel said as he hugged her.

Alicia shyly shook her little head and replied, “It’s good now.”

“That’s good to hear. Are you still aching?” Roel asked concernedly, stroking Alicia’s hair.

Alicia was slightly taken aback by that question. She looked at the bloodstain on the bed sheet, and a peculiar expression appeared on her face. “Lord Brother, I… I think I have recovered.”

“That’s a relief.”

“No, ‘recovered’ is not an apt term. What I mean is that I have reverted.”

“Reverted? Wait, do you mean to say…” Roel was dumbstruck.

Alicia shyly nodded with a furious blush, confirming his statement.

While transcendents with recovery abilities healed quickly from their injuries, their cells still regenerated through a normal biological process. There were no instances of transcendents reverting to their previous state as Alicia did.

This meant that her body recovered in a different way to other humans, and this stoked some worries in her.

“Will this hinder me from having a child?”

“I don’t think that it’ll be a problem… I guess.”

Roel tried to console her, but he couldn’t offer a definitive answer since he wasn’t sure how things worked in the Sia Continent. To his relief, Alicia soon calmed down, but her eyes gleamed with determination.

“Don’t worry, Lord Brother. I’ll overcome this hurdle for the sake of our child!”

“Alicia, are you that fond of children?”

“To be honest, I can’t say that I really like children… but I’m sure I’ll be fond of ours!”

“…”

Watching Alicia say those words while dotingly stroking her belly, Roel felt a sudden rush of heat into his head, and he dove down to seal her lips. Alicia responded passionately to his kiss.

This kiss lasted for a while before the two reluctantly pulled away from each other.

Roel felt another wave of strength, but when he looked at the stained bed sheet and recalled their current situation, he held himself back from going for a second round.

Alicia lay on his chest as her eyes rolled in contemplation. After some hesitation, she finally spoke up. “Lord Brother, there’s something I have been wanting to ask you.”

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“What is it?”

“What’s your relationship with Lord Mother?”

“…”

Alicia looked at Roel with worried eyes, whereas the latter lowered his head and fell silent.