novelraw Chapter 406: The Seal Comes as a Pair, Engraved with the Ancient Seal Script "天下为公
Chapter 406: The Seal Comes as a Pair, Engraved with the Ancient Seal Script "天下为公
Delphine looked at the man before her—the Second Uncle of the Cloud Family—crying and laughing at the same time, disheveled and overwhelmed by a mix of shock, ecstasy, and rage. Her eyes instantly grew moist as she tightly gripped the seal pendant in her hand, her heart filled with desolation. Was this man really her biological father? The man she had longed for over twenty years?
"Mr. Cloud Second claims to be Delphine’s father, but I wonder if he has any definitive proof. After all, verifying such a relationship is no trivial matter." Ignatius Leclair, seeing Delphine on the verge of tears, narrowed his phoenix-shaped eyes and coldly asked.
How could such a coincidence exist in this world?
Cloud Jii raised his sleeve to wipe his tears, attempting to regain his usual composure and calm demeanor, and said, "All these years, I rarely returned to the South Sea. In truth, I only learned last night that I have a daughter. What Young Master Leclair says about requiring proof is not difficult. Whether it’s a paternity test or recounting past events, either will suffice. The seal pendant that Delphine carries was worn by her mother since childhood. This seal pendant is part of a pair, with ancient script engraved on it that reads: ’For the Common Good.’ The pendant was split into two. If you don’t believe me, you can check it yourself."
Leah took the pendant and flipped it over for a closer look. As Cloud Jii had claimed, it indeed bore ancient script, with half the phrase "For the Common Good" visible. Since the script was an archaic style and only half of it remained, it would have been impossible to guess what it said if Cloud Jii hadn’t explained it.
"This... this can’t be," Madam Cloud blurted out, her face pale with shock.
"Even if you are my biological father, why did you abandon my mother back then? Why did you leave her to drift alone in a foreign land, only for her to die of illness three days after giving birth to me?" Delphine’s tears streamed down her face as she confronted him icily.
Cloud Jii’s tiger-like eyes grew moist as he choked out, "It was my fault back then. I didn’t know your mother was pregnant."
After speaking, Cloud Jii suddenly turned sharply to the Family Head of the Cloud Family and roared, "When I returned from my voyage back then, you told me that Rosy Wood, my childhood sweetheart, had married and left the Cloud Family. Why was she pregnant? And how did she end up dying of illness in some foreign land? If you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation for what happened back then, I will bring the elders of our clan to demand justice.
How you secured the position of Family Head back then, I can just as easily strip it away from you now."
The Second Uncle’s voice was resounding and stern, his presence commanding.
The Cloud Family’s Family Head instantly panicked. "Second Brother, what are you saying? We’re still outside. Whatever the issue is, let’s discuss it back at home."
"Speak now, and say it clearly here," Delphine said sharply, her tone cold as she realized something was amiss.
Madam Cloud’s expression changed drastically. She grabbed her husband by the arm and hissed, "Second Brother, is that how you talk to your elder brother? You’ve been away from the South Sea for over twenty years; everything has changed. Do you really think, twenty years later, you can shake your elder brother’s position?"
Her disdain was obvious. Just a sailor who had been gone for so many years—did he truly think he could return to the Cloud Family and reclaim the pinnacle of influence he once had?
At this point, the situation had devolved into an outright family conflict. Compared with the twenty-plus years of secrets and the grievance of a lost life, Melody Cloud’s matter seemed utterly insignificant.
Now it was no longer the Cloud Couple demanding answers from Delphine; instead, it had become Cloud Jii and his daughter seeking justice from the Cloud Family.
This sudden reversal of events had grown into a drama beyond what the Leclair Family could intervene in.
"Fine. Then I will summon the elders of the clan," Cloud Jii, now seething with rage, declared. Discovering that his lover’s abrupt departure had hidden truths and learning she had already passed from this world had already devastated him. Now, with his elder brother and sister-in-law conspiring to harm his only daughter, this series of betrayals drove this once open-hearted and magnanimous man into the darkness, leaving him ruthless and unwavering.