20demayo Chapter 512: Vera’s stories
Chapter 512: Vera’s stories
Chapter 512: Vera’s stories"It happened not long after the second prince of the Atria Empire, Prince Wilmar, started the civil war," Vera said.
"Wait, before you tell your story—Evin, come here," Aldrian said, stopping Vera as he looked at Evin with a warm smile.
The little girl that her eyes full of admiration, obeyed and walked toward him.
When she stood in front of Aldrian, he gently picked her up and set her on his lap. He stroked her head a few times, which made her feel comfortable and close her eyes. Before long, her breathing settled, her body relaxed against his side, and her head leaned on his chest. She seemed to have fallen asleep.
"My lord, what are you—"
"You don’t want your daughter to hear something unpleasant, right? You can tell your story more freely this way," Aldrian said, cutting her off.
She fell silent, then sighed as she looked at her sleeping daughter’s face and nodded.
After a few moments to gather her thoughts, Vera continued.
"My husband, Evin, and I live in a town within the territory of the noble Zurk family—one of the families that support Emperor Raymond. We knew our town would be one of the targets."
"Moreover, my husband, Rachter Vicanton, is important figure. He’s the heir to the Vicanton family, a merchant house with significant influence in the Atria Empire, second only to the Golden Swan Commerce."
Hearing the name of the husband, Sylphia narrowed her eyes.
"Rachter Vicanton? I see, if my guess is right, you escaped from the Valerin family and eloped with Rachter. You lived in that small town so your father couldn’t find you, didn’t you?" she said.
Vera paused for a moment before nodding.
"Yes, that’s right. With how the Valerin family works, there’s no way they would ever agree to me marrying a human."
She then looked up at the ceiling, as if recalling a beautiful memory.
"I first met him when he visited Balin City on behalf of his family to expand their business. Coincidentally, I was there at the time as a representative of the Valerin family for some business as well."
"It was truly a coincidence that we met, even talked about business. After that day, we often met to discuss work, but as time passed, our conversations shifted to other things. Even after I had to return to the Valerin family, he would sometimes sneak into our territory just to see me," Vera said, smiling at the memory.
"I was raised under the strict conservatism of the Valerin family, so I had always been curious about other races—especially humans. Maybe that’s why I became so interested in him. He was the first human who ever got that close to me." Her smile grew warmer as she remembered those days.
"As time passed, I fell in love with him—and he felt the same. I truly wanted us to be together, but I knew exactly how my family would react if they found out I loved a human. Even when I tried to bring it up subtly with my father, he became furious at the mere suggestion that I might be paired with a human. So I could already imagine what would happen if he knew I had actually fallen in love with one."
"My mother couldn’t do much either, since the one who held all the power was my father."
"After thinking it over for a long time, I finally gathered the courage to run away from my family and follow him to the Atria Empire. The last I heard, my family was
"Alright, then excuse me." Aldrian moved closer to her with careful movements, not wanting to wake Evin, who was still sleeping in his lap.
Once he was in position, he gently touched Vera’s forehead and began to look into her memories. He sifted through them softly and gently, making sure she felt no discomfort as he delved into the memories she considered a nightmare.
After a minute or so, he released his touch from her forehead and nodded in understanding. He finally knew who the figure was.
"That movement, that sword technique, there’s no mistake."
"One of the Seven Deadly Sins."
"Pride."