Chapter 226: Compensation
Chapter 226: Compensation
Even though the mercenaries had alighted from the carriage, they didn’t stray too far out of concern for Roel’s safety. Cynthia shot a gaze at the mercenaries in the area, warning them to keep their silence.
Meanwhile, in the carriage they had gathered around, Alicia sat with a lowered head under Roel’s intent stare.
‘Night assaults’, this was something which Roel had often seen in movies and dramas, and it was usually a fun plot development that guaranteed some hilarity… but it turned out to be ‘not so fun’ when he was the one being assaulted.
The reason was the implications arising from it.
Nobles were all about grace and etiquette. In ancient times, there were even standard positions that nobles ought to take during their consummation of marriage so as to appear graceful even during coitus. Of course, the strict traditions had loosened up greatly since then, but it was still important for a noble to maintain modesty.
Being assaulted at night was utterly ludicrous, not to mention that it was a younger sister assaulting her older brother!
Such a thing had never happened to Roel before. There were always guards and maids on standby outside his room, preventing anyone from trespassing. Aside from that, the people whom he associated himself with tended to be nobles too, and they were unlikely to do such a thing themselves.
His own reputation didn’t matter as much; what distressed him far more was the implications it would have on Alicia’s reputation!
It was fortunate that those who barged into the carriage earlier were from the Unyielding Sect, his own people. Otherwise, the consequences would be dire.
“Tell me, what in the world are you thinking?”
“I… I just didn’t want to part with Lord Brother, so…”
“So that’s why you lied to me and snuck out?” asked Roel with a sharp tone.
Alicia’s face immediately collapsed as she bit her lips pitifully.
“But… Anna is handling the internal affairs of Ascart House properly, so there’s nothing for me to do even if I return. It would be much better for me to spend my time accompanying Lord Brother instead…”
“Accompanying me? Does that involve sneaking into my carriage in the middle of the night? Do you know how others will take this matter?!”
It was rare for Roel to lecture Alicia—he simply doted on her too much that he could hardly raise his voice against her—but it looked like he was really fuming this time around. Alicia’s eyes swiftly turned moist, and before long, she began sobbing pitifully.
Seeing this, Roel was left utterly distressed. He had no choice but to swallow the harsh words he had on the tip of his tongue down and mellow down his tone a little.
“Haa, do you know that you might not be able to marry if this matter were to get out?”
“Wuuu, I’m sorry. I… Ah?”
Alicia reflexively apologized for her actions, only to suddenly come to a halt.
I won’t be able to marry… There’s actually such a huge benefit to this too?
Alicia was stunned by the sudden revelation of the unexpected benefit, giving her a moment of epiphany. Her momentary daze, however, perplexed Roel.
“Alicia?”
“Ah? Uwuu, I know that I was at fault here…”
Noticing Roel’s bizarre look, Alicia quickly continued crying while apologizing profusely, but the eyes hiding behind her hands were gleaming brightly.
“Lord Brother, will I really be unable to marry in the future?”
“Well, that depends. You’re lucky that the ones who witnessed the sight are my guards, so they won’t leak it out.”
“Uwuu! Will Lord Brother take care of me if no one wants me in the future?”
“Look at what you’re saying. So be it if you aren’t able to marry anyone. I’ll take care of you for life!”
Hearing the tearful sobs of the silver-haired girl, Roel thumped his chest and gave his promise. Little did he know that his words had caused Alicia’s heartbeat to hasten as she realized that she might have just grasped the keys required to make this relationship work out…
I see. So all it takes is for the rumors to get out…
She continued her weeping while entertaining these thoughts in her mind, not wanting Roel to sense anything amiss. Seeing how remorseful she was over her actions, Roel found himself unable to criticize her anymore.
He thought of himself as half a parent to Alicia since Carter was hardly around, and he believed that the important thing in educating a child was to make her earnestly admit her own mistakes and ensure that it didn’t happen again in the future. Scolding a child excessively was nothing more than venting one’s emotions.
So, Roel heaved a deep sigh and changed the topic. He began asking Alicia how she had been faring over the last few days, and it turned out that Alicia’s case wasn’t as ridiculous as he had thought.
It turned out that Alicia had rushed to leave back then not just to deceive Roel but to catch up with Carter too. In fact, she had gotten permission from their father regarding this matter. It was just that no one could have imagined that Alicia would choose to remain hidden and sneak into Roel’s carriage night after night.
During the day, Alicia would follow the carriage from the back. It was fortunate for her that Roel was posing as a merchant convoy, so their traveling speed was much slower than a military convoy would. It wasn’t too difficult for her, as an Origin Level 4 transcendent, to catch up with them. Subsistence-wise, a transcendent of her level could easily go on for days without eating. As for rest, where else could be comfier than Lord Brother’s bed?
“That’s not right. Cynthia is an Origin Level 3 transcendent. It doesn’t make sense for you to be able to escape her notice.”
“It’s because of the full moon. My bloodline spells will be greatly enhanced in the presence of the full moon, allowing me to reduce my mana pulsations to almost nothing at all. Wherever the moon shines, I can infiltrate with ease,” explained Alicia while pointing at the moon.
This plunged Roel into shock. The revelation really renewed his common sense of what was possible and what wasn’t on the Sia Continent, especially when it came to bloodline abilities.
Now that he really thought about it, Nora, Alicia, and Charlotte had extremely powerful bloodlines that couldn’t be gauged using normal standards. In fact, Roel was the same too. Others would simply think that he was mad if he told them that he had a connection window with the ancient gods.
“Ah, it looks like you’ve really grown up.”
Roel looked at Alicia as he sighed deeply. He suddenly felt a profound feeling of loss from the realization that the little girl from yesterday was swiftly maturing into an adult and no longer needed his protection and doting anymore. However, barely as those thoughts arose in his head, it was interrupted by the other party right away.
“Lord Brother, are you intending not to care about me anymore? Am I annoying you now?”
Seeing the glistening tears in Alicia’s ruby eyes, Roel immediately shook his head to deny it. Alicia stepped off the bed and leaped into Roel’s embrace.
After a short cry, she finally calmed down once more in Roel’s arms. She adjusted herself to sit on Roel’s knees and lean on his body. On the other hand, Roel found himself sighing helplessly once more.
He would be heading to the academy next year, and the difference in age meant that Alicia would only be able to join him a year later. While he would still return to the Ascarts’ manor for the holidays, she would probably be lonely with his absence.
Forget it, I should think of this journey as a way to make up to her in advance.
With such thoughts in mind, Roel hugged the silver-haired girl in front of him.
Meanwhile, a far distance away, deep in the lush Karon Forest, a towering ancient tree that rose to the clouds opened its eyes. It lowered its gaze down upon a slender silhouette.