CHAPTER 81: GENERATIONAL FEUD

"It’s nice to meet you again, Lord Stella" Yvaine chuckled as they walked towards them.

"Just call me Trent. Thank you for the favor today" Trent chuckled, standing up, "It’s good to see you, Duke Dumroe"

"That doesn’t count as a favor... Trent" Yvaine chuckled, bowing to Cara

"It’s great to see you in good health, Lord Uriel"

"You look well too" Cara chuckled, waving her hand,

"I hope the old man isn’t giving you too much trouble and---"

"I’m right here, Cara" Duke Dumroe huffed, nodding at Trent as he sat down.

"You don’t think I care now, do you, Robert?" Cara giggled.

Trent sat down and looked at them.

Did both of them call for this meeting?

"As I was about to say before our guests..." Cara turned to him,

"The Pre-Imperial era had a lot of interesting things"

"Talks about that era?" Robert looked at her. "Are you---"

"Do you know the history of the Empire, Trent?" She continued

"I don’t have that much interest in the Empire" Trent shook his head

"It’s an interesting history... The part they’ve kept forbidden now. But I assume you know that it wasn’t always the Empire, two centuries ago"

"Yeah..." Trent muttered.

I’d seen it while I was surfing online once. And the only history I’d learnt was of Westeron

It was connected slightly.

"The Carden Dominion" She mused.

"A world power that dominated everything and had the world in its grasp"

Duke Dumroe leaned his back against the chair and exhaled, looking at Trent.

"The Empire... Or let’s say it’s Founder was under them as one of their nobles"

Trent leaned forward.

That shouldn’t be hidden or forbidden information now, right?

"That’s not the fun part" she scoffed,

"You only know this part when you get to a stage like ours" She glanced at Yvaine.

"I haven’t told her" Dumroe huffed

"Not yet"

Cara chuckled as Yvaine looked at her father confused.

"You’ve heard of the secret war between Kraven and Westeron, yeah?" She turned to Trent.

A war isn’t really one when another has a very wide advantage like Kraven does, is it?

Trent scoffed.

"Yes. I’ve heard about it"

"I’m sure you already know who plays the game and who the pieces are"

Kraven plays. Westeron runs around the board.

"It wasn’t like this around fifty years ago" she leaned against the chair.

"It used to be balanced. And a pain in our butts. A pain we had because of the Emperor at the time"

What?

"The handler program that raised you" she laughed.

"It was formed as a way to protect Westeron against the Emperor, Klaus Kravenberch, at the time"

She’s not making any sense.

First she talks about history and now the Handler’s program?

"You’re not going in one line, Cara" Dumroe exhaled.

"You’ve not cleared the Carden Dominion part. They’re going to get confused"

"Ah... My bad" she chuckled.

"The Carden Dominion ruled the world... Until two great nobles— Berchen and Verathin raised their forces against them" she paused

"Verathin?" Yvaine asked, confused.

"Berchen is---"

"Who people know to have defeated the mighty Carden. The Hero" Cara laughed mockingly.

"What happened to Verathin?" Trent asked, leaning forward.

"What happens to all naive Men?" She asked, chuckling

"They get betrayed and left for dead"

"After Berchen and Verathin won the war and gave freedom to the world, Berchen saw it as an opportunity to replace Carden. He killed all those related to Carden royalty against Verathin’s wishes"

So, Verathin was too naive to cut the loose ends?

"Isn’t that normal to do?" Yvaine asked, looking at her father

"Uproot whatever problem---"

"You’ve indeed taught her well, Robert" Cara laughed.

"You’re right. It was the right thing to do. But not an example to openly set when you want to take their place and it goes against your partner’s wishes"

"So what happened?" Trent asked

"Betrayal. Berchen wanted everything to himself so he pushed Verathin to the West after secretly destroying his army"

"And?"

"They had to struggle since everyone noteworthy left them and joined forces to make an empire— Kraven"

"So the Kravenberch family"

"Berchen didn’t like the name since it associated him to Carden— he changed it to Kraven after the beast of stars"

"What happened to Verathin"

"Verathin..." Dumroe cut in,

"Told his followers to follow Berchen for their safety and changed the family’s name to..." He paused, looking at Trent

"Reeves" Cara cut in

Trent’s eyes widened. What?

The Reeves family were such a great family? So they weren’t simply eliminated---

"I know you’ve got lots of questions..."

"But Westeron gained independence from the Empire---"

"Under an oath with the Reeves family by the Emperor at the time, Gerard Kravenberch who thought they were wronged"

Trent stared at them quietly.

The founding Emperor pushed Reeves away but left them alone most probably out of their friendship and the fact that he could uproot them whenever.

The Emperor over a hundred years ago granted Westeron Independence as a way to compensate them

Thaddeus’ father must’ve removed them using the Sinclairs in a power play to get Westeron.

What the hell is wrong with this Empire? They just keep---

"It’s fascinating, isn’t it? A generational feud going on for over a century"

"...If the Reeves were powerful, how did they get destroyed?"

"The Reeves..." Dumroe answered,

"They didn’t learn from the past and chose to become reclusive. They got betrayed by their subordinates, the Sinclairs"

"That’s---"

"They adopted science and technology and were beginning to rise" he interrupted Yvaine.

"The Emperor, Alphonse didn’t like this"

Damn.

The Sinclairs... Imperial dogs.

No wonder they kept their power so firmly in Westeron.

But... Did Thaddeus not really uproot them because of his ultimate revenge? What if I---

"I’m sure you know Thaddeus’ story, yes?" Cara chuckled.

Yvaine gasped, looking at Dumroe.

Did she... just call the Emperor’s name?

"He’s told me"

"Really?" Her eyes brightened.

"He’s gotten to the good part" she looked at Dumroe who just watched, chuckling.

"Now... We need to know" They stood up together.

"Will you lead us as the Emperor?"

Yvaine gasped.

What do they---

"I do not---"

"Forgive me but this is important to us" Cara cut in,

"The Croft and Dumroe families were followers of Verathin"

"I already spoke to grandfather. I am not ascending the throne as Emperor"

Yvaine’s eyes widened.

Grandfather? The Emperor?

"W–Why?" Cara walked to him

"You’re the blood of all powers— a Kravenberch, Reeves and... Sinclair"

"I am Trent Ackerman and I do not acknowledge that I relate to Sinclair"

Dumroe looked at him for a while

"You must’ve said this to that old man. What did he say?"

Cara turned to Dumroe and then to Trent.

"I’m sure---"

"We have to talk about this on the day of Astralis. You can all be there that day"

"What option did you give him? Thaddeus isn’t someone to just---"

"A new form of revenge. One guaranteed to bring the Sinclair Family and Kravenberch down"

"You want to bring the Kravenberch---"

"And he agreed to this" Dumroe cut in, interrupting Yvaine

"He seemed very excited about it" Trent chuckled

They exhaled, taking their seats.

"You don’t seem convinced" Trent chuckle taking his phone out of his pocket

"If it’s a plan to take those families down, it’s welcome. But it’s not enough to---"

"I’ll give a brief demonstration"

They looked at each other and then to him.

Yvaine looked at all of them.

What the hell is going on right now?

They watched as Trent typed on his phone.

MUSK. FIND OUT THE MOST SECRET ACCOUNTS OF THE DUMROE AND CROFT FAMILIES OF KRAVEN AND TELL ME THE AMOUNT.

After a few seconds, Musk replied

DUMROE— OPHELIA BLYTON— $1.6 BILLION

CROFT— WEST TIMPTON— $1.25 BILLION

He chuckled. They must’ve kept the money as reserves.

"I’m sure you’ll recognize the names" he tucked his phone away

"What names should we---"

"Ophelia Blyton" he mused, looking at Yvaine.

She flinched, looking at her father

"H–How do---"

"What is he talking about, Yvie?"

"...That’s not something he should know. It’s the most secret account we have"

"1.6 billion dollars" he mused

"How does he know the details of our most secret account?" Dumroe raised his brow, looking at her, seeing the shock on her face.

"And you guys have West Timpton with 1.25" he laughed softly, turning to Cara.

She looked at him for a while.

"That would’ve taken a lot of time but without setting any alarms we could’ve gotten same information"

"Alarms would be triggered, a hundred percent..." Yvaine cut in

"...Lord Uriel"

"That still doesn’t give us a complete demonstration of the revenge you plan" Dumroe looked at him.

"I can make that amount disappear. To a place that you cannot track. Even with all the time in the world"

Yvaine’s eyes widened

That’ll be dangerous

"And you can do this to anyone?" Cara chuckled, standing up.

"Exactly"

They fell silent for a while, looking at him

"You’ve got my interest" she laughed, softly.

"See you at the Astralis Festival"