novelraw Chapter 231 : Is This Meeting the Parents?
Chapter 231 : Is This Meeting the Parents?
Chapter 231: Is This Meeting the Parents?
“Shiltina’s father… that would be His Majesty Allen, the current Emperor of the Granwell Kingdom?”
“He invited me… to visit the Imperial Capital tomorrow…”
Last gently stroked the white envelope, his fingers brushing against the three engraved sword marks.
Even though several hours had passed, the sharp aura still lingered on the sword grooves, causing a faint tingling sensation at his fingertips.
“To discuss the engagement between me and Shiltina…”
Last recalled the scene he had witnessed not long ago on campus.
At that time, Shiltina’s stepmother—also the birth mother of the Second Imperial Princess Ophelia and the current Empress of the Empire—had come to Starfall University to visit Shiltina.
From what Last had overheard during their conversation, it seemed the Empress had come to persuade Shiltina to return to the royal family, to inherit the Holy Sword, and to become the heir to the Imperial throne.
But in the end, the conversation between Shiltina and her stepmother had ended on a sour note. Neither side succeeded in convincing the other.
So, this latest invitation from the royal family… was it a continuation of that earlier incident?
“What, what? A letter from Little Tina?”
“Let me see! Let me see!”
As if her internal radar had caught the scent of juicy gossip, Dean Silver instantly perked up and eagerly scooted over.
However, after she wagged her tail and read Shiltina’s letter over Last’s shoulder word by word…
The once lively tail drooped in an instant.
“Ah, it’s from Little Tina’s dad. That old geezer Allen is looking for you…”
Dean Silver immediately lost interest. “Rather than going with you to see him, I’d rather find a pocket in subspace and catch up on sleep.”
“Dean Silver, are you really in any position to call others old geezers?” Last glanced sidelong at her.
He hadn’t forgotten—the true age of this ferret was one of the top ten unsolved mysteries at Starfall University. It was even possible she existed before the university was founded.
A living fossil through and through.
“How can that old geezer Allen and I be the same?”
Dean Silver yawned, utterly dismissive. “For long-lived races like Ancient Dragons and High Elves, living for hundreds or thousands of years is just another Tuesday… not to mention angels who have achieved Eternal Immortality and practically never age.”
“For those angels who have survived since the Age of Gods, thousands or even tens of thousands of years… are just numbers.”
“Therefore, within the realm of the Legendary and even Mythic Beings… the age of a being isn’t measured by how many years they’ve lived, but rather by the ‘purity of their soul’ and the ‘state of their spirit.’”
“So, no matter how many years I’ve lived, as long as my soul remains untainted and my heart remains pure, I’m still a three-year-old snow ferret baby.”
She used her tail to scoop up a dried fish and popped it into her mouth. “And that includes you too, Little Last. If we’re counting from the Echo of History of the Sixth Era, you’re technically a relic from the previous era, aren’t you?”
“But it seems you’ve hypnotized yourself into freezing your mental and spiritual state at a certain point, keeping your soul pure. That’s why I still call you Little Last.”
“As for that old geezer Allen—don’t be fooled by his official age being only a few decades. The erosion on his soul? Even some monsters that have lived for millennia or more can’t compare.”
“Besides, the emperors of the Granwell Kingdom have, for generations, inherited the Holy Sword. Relying on its power, even without achieving angelhood, they can still experience the scouring of the River of Time. They can even manipulate the flow of time to aid in their cultivation… Who knows how long that guy has really lived, or how deep he’s buried his secrets.”
“Dean Silver, you really don’t seem to like His Majesty Allen?”
Last picked up on the repulsion in Dean Silver’s tone.
He knew she had always worn her affections on her sleeve. Those she liked, she would draw near with enthusiasm. Those she disliked, she never bothered to hide her contempt.
In Dean Silver’s own words, those with pure souls that shone like gold were a gourmet feast to her. Simply being near them was bliss. She’d cling to her “meal ticket” every single day if she could.
But those whose thoughts were murky and whose souls were mottled? They were like fermented seabirds that had been buried for years—the polar opposite of the former.
The last time Dean Silver had shown such clear distaste, as far as Last could recall, was toward Ingrid… and Shiltina’s sister, the Second Imperial Princess Ophelia.
“So His Majesty Allen… has a personality like Ophelia?”
“Not even close. Though Little Tina’s sister is a bit deep and has all sorts of nasty little hobbies…”
“In my view, it’s really just a twisted, childish case of sister obsession.”
Dean Silver flicked her tail, as if recalling the traumatic experience of being toyed with in every conceivable way by the Second Imperial Princess Ophelia during a livestream they had watched together in the Arcane Tower.
“But that old guy Allen is different…”
Her words paused unnaturally for quite a while, as though she were searching for the right phrase to describe him—but ultimately failed to find it.
“Without a doubt, he is a true sovereign.”
“But… he is absolutely not a qualified father.”
A true sovereign… but not a qualified father?
Last silently repeated Dean Silver’s evaluation of Allen in his mind.
Although he had known Shiltina for quite some time, Last had never truly delved into the family background of the proud female knight and rapier wielder.
His understanding only lingered at the level of academy rumors, or the rare fragments of gossip occasionally mentioned by Dean Silver and others…
As for the rest, since Shiltina herself was unwilling to speak of it, Last had never pried further.
However, considering that their relationship had now progressed to the point where a marriage proposal had been formally initiated by her parent—in other words, the stage known colloquially as “meeting the parents”…
Last felt it was time for him to better understand Shiltina’s past.
“Dean Silver, could you tell me more about Shiltina’s family? About her parents.”
“And now, at this moment, you finally remember me, the gossip master? No longer complaining that I’m always wasting time on gossip?”
Dean Silver proudly flicked her tail. “Well, I suppose it’s about time. You two have come this far. There are indeed some things you ought to know…”
“At this point, even if I tell you, Little Tina probably won’t blame me.”
Her tone turned more serious, no longer lazy as before.
“Allen’s first wife, that is, Little Tina’s birth mother Cecilia, was the Lord of Autumnleaf Domain, and also the head of the Shoreguards family.”
“Over a decade ago, a sudden Twilight Calamity struck the Autumnleaf Domain… and it just so happened to coincide with the critical moment when the former emperor was gravely ill and the kingdom was holding the Royal Selection to choose the next heir.”
“At the time, Allen faced an agonizing decision. On one hand were the people of his wife’s domain, whom she had sworn to protect for generations. On the other was the urgent crisis at the borders—and the succession of the new emperor.”
“In the end, Allen chose to support the borders and, through military merit, won the Royal Selection… while Shiltina’s mother, Cecilia, sacrificed her life to contain the spread of the Twilight Calamity.”
“Originally, these would have just been old matters long buried by time.”
Dean Silver blinked her ruby-like beast eyes.
“However, for Little Tina—who was only three or four years old at the time—that incident left an incredibly deep mark on her heart.”
“She treated her mother’s family creed—the creed of the Shoreguards—as her own life’s guiding principle… and viewed her mother’s back in that final moment of sacrifice as her life’s ideal.”
“Because of this, Little Tina deviated from the royal family’s preordained path at a very young age. She chose to enter Starfall University and outright rejected her royal title.”
“She refused to accept the Holy Sword, refused the throne that should have been hers by right, and declined to become the next Empress of the Granwell Kingdom.”
“Because to become a qualified Empress, one must make hard choices, must be willing to sacrifice… and at times even retreat first, trading the lives of citizens and soldiers for the safety of the sovereign. And that, precisely, is what Little Tina refuses to accept.”
“You’ve probably heard of this, haven’t you? If I recall correctly, you once entered Little Tina’s dream during the Echo of History in Frozenwater Town.”
“Yeah.”
Last nodded slightly.
Back in Frozenwater Town, the Crimson Moon Contamination had drawn all living beings into the dreamscape it had woven.
Last’s dream was a vision called Canaan.
Shiltina’s dream, on the other hand, was the scene of a lone figure walking into a raging inferno, chestnut hair billowing in the fiery winds.
That was the final image of Shiltina’s mother—the female knight Cecilia—before her sacrifice.
And back then, Last and Shiltina had witnessed that memory together within the dream.
“To be a noble is to protect one’s people no matter what, even at the cost of one’s life. To be a knight is to ensure no comrade dies before oneself, as long as one draws breath.”
That was the creed of the Shoreguards, which Shiltina had once personally told Last amidst the flames of Deep Blue Harbor.
It was the creed of her life—the ideal she had pursued her entire existence.
Just like Last’s inner wish to “become a Shoreguard” had supported him through the hundreds of cycles within Deep Blue Harbor, never once succumbing to despair…
For Shiltina, it was also that same ideal of the “Shoreguards” that fueled her to endure all the rumors, all the doubts and rebukes from her companions—even her closest friends—and push forward to where she stood today.
“To most people, what Little Tina did probably seems hard to understand.”
“She gave up a guaranteed heirship, abandoned the royal family’s resources and status, and refused to become the next Empress… all for a seemingly irrational ideal.”
“Such obsession, some might even call it foolish.”
Dean Silver blinked. “But to me, Little Tina’s soul is radiant. Such a brilliant ideal… is something worthy of comparison to you—a top-tier Prismatic-grade meal ticket.”
“That’s why I’m a little surprised by the contents of this letter.”
Dean Silver narrowed her eyes. “Though I don’t like to admit it, you’re actually quite the ladies’ man. It’s not just that Grey in the Echo of History… even Little Tina’s no exception.”
“But for Little Tina, accepting this engagement proposed by her father would be tantamount to bowing to him.”
“It would be an emotional bond… and also a shackle.”
“One that would require her to abandon her obsession.”
“Or rather, voluntarily relinquish her ideal of the ‘Shoreguards’.”
…
The next day, at noon.
Last boarded the express train to the Imperial Capital from Starfall University’s outer platform.
Similar to the one that had taken him to the Arcane Tower before, this train also bore the emblem of the Granwell Kingdom—the insignia of the Black Eagle—engraved on its exterior.
However, unlike the previous military-use train, this one had far more exquisite interior decor. The entire carriage was matte black, polished to a smooth finish, exuding a subtle opulence that clearly marked it as a vehicle belonging to the royal household.
This royal train seemed equipped with the latest technology. It moved with great speed—yet nearly silent.
The scenery outside the window passed by rapidly.
The boundless golden plains outside Starfall University, where wind stirred the grass and cattle could be seen grazing, slowly disappeared from view.
In their place emerged a city so vast and splendid, it defied comparison—
The “place where dawn meets starlight,” the “city of ten thousand cities”… this metropolis had many names.
But to the citizens of the Granwell Kingdom, there was one name they all knew best—
The Imperial Capital.
It was the political and economic heart of the entire Granwell Kingdom—and even of the entire Western Continent.
Across the continent, only a handful of cities could rival the Imperial Capital: the Holy Court of the Holy Kingdom, and perhaps the neutral City of Knowledge.
The train entered the city but did not slow down. It continued for several more minutes before finally coming to a halt amidst a cluster of palatial buildings.
“I’m heading into subspace to catch up on some sleep. Call me when you’re done.”
With a wave, Dean Silver vanished straight into the rift of a sub-dimensional fold.
That was just her nature. When she disliked someone, she truly wanted nothing to do with them ever again.
Boom—
The train doors slowly opened.
Waiting outside was a court maid who stood respectfully to the side.
“Mister Last.”
“His Majesty and Her Lady are waiting for you in the manor.”
…
“So this really counts as… meeting the parents, huh?”
Last smiled and stepped into the opulent palace under the guidance of the maid.