Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 681: Because Of Me

Hearing Asher’s words, Princess Vaelra remained calm and unflustered, as she knew that she and Asher weren’t friends but merely acquaintances, just the same way he was with Darissa Camber, who was the only daughter and child of a Marquis Noble Household, and even that connection could not be considered anything beyond a formal association.

"I’m sorry for overstepping, Tenth Sun," she apologised immediately, her tone composed and devoid of pride.

Asher stayed silent for a moment, then nodded. He knew the only reason these two were being respectful and calm was because they were talking to him; if it was another person, they might have already started flaunting their Royal status, using it as leverage to extract information without hesitation.

The next moment, he sighed heavily, the exasperated breath leaving his mouth as he set his glass down on the table. At the end of the day, these two were children worried about their family, yet strangely, they didn’t want to take any missions and rush to check up on said family; instead, they were here, asking for information from the supposed enemy, which in itself spoke volumes.

’It seems even the Emperor’s own children are wary of him,’ Asher thought, as that was the only reasonable conclusion he could arrive at. He could already guess that perhaps they didn’t want to return home because if they did, the Emperor might transfer whatever aggression or frustration he felt onto them.

As they were his children, Prince Vaelric and Princess Vaelra knew their father best, far better than any rumours or external observations could ever reveal.

"I will tell you what you want to know, but just because I’m in a good mood; if not, I would have asked for points just for the information," Asher spoke as he crossed his legs, ready to speak, his tone casual.

"Thank you, Tenth Sun," Prince Vaelric spoke this time, his voice steady as he acknowledged the gesture.

"But how will you know that whatever I’m about to say is the truth and not some lie cooked up by me just to mess with both of you?" Asher asked, genuinely wondering why these two were about to trust information from him so blindly without any form of verification.

"Although we might not be friends, Tenth Sun, we have a sense of what type of person you are," the Princess spoke as a small smile appeared on her face, her confidence in her judgment evident.

"Besides, you saying such words means you won’t lie; someone who is planning to lie or mislead someone won’t say such words," the Prince followed up, reinforcing her statement with his own reasoning.

Asher stayed silent for a moment, then spoke, "you may ask your first question," his tone returning to its usual indifference as he gave them the floor.

"Is our father, the Emperor, alive?" Prince Vaelric asked, this being the most important question to him and his sister, the one that weighed most heavily on their minds.

They hadn’t been able to confirm through the rumours whether their father was alive, but at least they could come to the conclusion that Duke Azaron was alive and well; if he wasn’t, then Asher wouldn’t have returned to the Star Academy, and the Ninth Sun, Thalric, would have already left the Star Academy, heading straight to the Wargrave territory.

"He is alive and perfectly well," Asher replied without missing a beat. Although he hadn’t seen the Emperor for himself, the man wouldn’t be organising a meeting if he was on his deathbed or heavily injured. Besides, as the Emperor, certainly the man had Crownstar Life Rank healers on speed dial.

Hearing Asher’s words, the Royal Twins heaved a sigh of relief, as though their greatest fear had just been lifted from their shoulders.

"If it isn’t a secret, can we know what led to the war?" Princess Vaelra asked carefully, mindful of the possibility that such information might be sensitive or deliberately concealed.

"It was because of me," Asher replied flatly, "I’m the reason why a war erupted," his tone calm, as though he was merely stating a trivial fact.

The Royal Twins sat stunned, their minds racing as they tried to comprehend how Asher, who had been on a supposed mission, had led to a war erupting within the Empire.

Seeing their confusion, Asher began to speak. He started from the very beginning, talking about the Emperor’s Mind Manipulation ability, then the battles, the aftermath, all Noble Households using artefacts to check their minds, and finally the former Emperor interfering to save the current Emperor.

Asher hid almost nothing, as there was simply nothing to hide to begin with. He made it known and clear that the Emperor’s image was thoroughly tarnished at the moment, his reputation shaken in a way that would not easily recover.

"This morning, before I returned, all Noble Households and the Emperor were holding a meeting at the Wargrave Estate. I don’t know what the meeting was about, nor did I wait to find out, as I left due to my own priorities, since the meeting had nothing to do with me," Asher concluded with that statement. He leaned forward and poured himself another glass of juice, then drank as though his throat had gone dry from speaking.

Vaelra and Vaelric sat stunned, unable to believe their ears. They didn’t dare ask Asher if he was joking, as they had never even seen him smile genuinely at anybody, let alone joke around about something of this magnitude.

Prince Vaelric couldn’t help but pour himself a glass of wine, as though he wanted to drown out the weight of what he had just heard, his composure slipping slightly.

Asher didn’t speak; he simply stared at the both of them. Asher had always wondered, did one of the two Royal Twins, or perhaps both, possess a second ability, or even a third? After all, the Emperor and former Emperor both possessed a second ability, as though their bloodline was gradually evolving.

But Asher knew he couldn’t get his answers by just staring at them, nor could he simply ask and expect a truthful response.

"So, any questions?" Asher asked, his voice cutting cleanly through the silence and shock that had settled within the room.

Vaelra and Vaelric didn’t speak; personally, they had no questions. Asher’s words and explanations had been too detailed for any lingering doubts to remain, leaving them with nothing but the weight of reality.

’So even Father lost to the Duke of the Wargraves, and had to be saved by Grandpa,’ Prince Vaelric thought to himself, the realization settling deeply within him.

"Thank you for your time, Tenth Sun, I shall remember this favour," Princess Vaelra spoke as she rose from her seat, her intention clear as she wished to return to her room immediately and immerse herself in her thoughts.

Prince Vaelric also rose to his feet. Asher didn’t speak; he simply nodded, then escorted them towards the door. Princess Vaelra opened the door and walked out immediately, as she was clearly in a rush. Prince Vaelric paused for a moment as he stood at the door; he turned to Asher as he spoke.

"How does one become your friend, Tenth Sun?" his voice sincere, as though he genuinely wanted to know.

Asher paused, momentarily stunned, as he hadn’t expected the question at all, but his reply came without delay, "I don’t have a friendship requirement or anything of the sort, but I guess good character, or being a good person in general, would be one if I did have a requirement," he stated calmly.

The Prince stood silent for a moment, then nodded as he closed the door behind him, his voice fading as he spoke, "thank you for your time, Tenth Sun."

If the former Emperor, Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor, had been here to see his grandson, he would have been all smiles and might have even suggested that Zolthemir step down from the throne and let his capable grandson rule in his place.

As for Asher, he merely shook his head and returned to his living room, where he continued to laze around as he sipped his juice, his expression returning to its usual calm indifference.

_____

ANNOUNCEMENT: As this month is coming to an end tomorrow, these bulk Chapters will be coming to an end today, as I will be resuming my 2-Chapter update tomorrow. Four Chapters daily was never my update rate; I only did that because I missed a few updates last month and this month.

Also, I want to use this medium to thank everyone, every single soul who has read this book till this point. The support, the comments, the golden tickets, the gifts, the power stones, everything you all did pushed me to be better than I was. I love the support, I appreciate the love I’ve been shown as an author. And when I always say I love y’all to the moon and back, I don’t say that as just words; I mean every single word. If possible I would wed y’all so we can be one big happy family.

THANK YOU; TRULY (inserts a bowing emoji)