CHAPTER 642: THEIR TRUE FEELINGS

Hearing that Aldrian wanted to discuss something with them, the three elves looked at him in wonder. They had never had any direct connection or communication with Aldrian. Even when he stayed in the Ivory Empire in the past, Duke Valerin, who belonged to the conservative faction, never spoke to him and only observed him in silence.

That was why, when Aldrian came to Duke Valerin with Sylphia during the wedding ceremony, they were truly curious. The only thing that made them slightly nervous was the lingering fear that this might somehow involve a fault of theirs for some unknown reason. It was only natural for them to think that way, as they had never interacted with Aldrian, yet he suddenly approached Duke Valerin.

At the ceremony, Aldrian simply told them to meet him at his palace today, and said it would be better if Duke Valerin brought his entire direct family. The duke, of course, complied, as it was a direct request from Aldrian himself.

And so, here they were, all seated inside Aldrian’s palace.

"My apologies, Your Majesty, but I suppose what you want to talk about isn’t something I made a mistake on, right? I’m afraid I might have somehow done something wrong without realizing it and offended Your Majesty," Duke Valerin said with a worried expression.

"Oh no, Duke Valerin. You haven’t done anything wrong. I simply invited you here for another matter, and it’s not something that has wronged me, so you don’t need to worry," Aldrian replied, which made the three elves sigh in relief.

"Then?"

"Duke Valerin, as far as I know, you have one more child, named Vera Valerin. Correct?" Aldrian asked, which left the three elves stunned.

At this moment, Aldrian’s expression remained calm, but he was reading the thoughts and emotions of the elves. He wanted to understand what went through their minds the moment the name of a child, who had run away from home years ago was brought up.

Then he felt it. These elves were angry, but that anger was scattered in many directions. They were angry at Vera, angry at each other, and even angry at themselves. And after the anger came sadness, the kind that felt like they had truly lost someone dear to them. Aldrian could sense that, despite everything, they still held deep affection for Vera as part of their family.

"Yes, Your Majesty, that is correct. I have another child named Vera, our youngest. However, she is no longer with us," Duke Valerin said after a moment of silence. But then his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. Why would Aldrian suddenly ask about Vera out of nowhere?

He wanted to ask, but Aldrian spoke first.

"No longer with you? Ah, my apologies. I heard she suddenly disappeared, so you must mean she is no longer with you because of that?"

Duke Valerin sighed.

"No. She is already dead," he said, which made Aldrian raise his eyebrows. He was inwardly amused by the duke’s answer. Dead? How could he come to that conclusion?

"Why do you think she is dead?" Aldrian asked.

Duke Valerin released a sigh before opening his lips.

"Not long after the war ended, I continued searching for her. After a long time, we finally received a clue from an ex member of the Vicanton family. We went to that person, and they told us that Vera had been living in a town within the Atria Empire all this time."

"Vicanton family? Why would it be connected to the Vicanton family?" Aldrian asked, feigning ignorance.

Duke Valerin hesitated slightly before answering through gritted teeth.

"She ran away from home because she eloped with their young master."

Hearing this, Aldrian raised his eyebrows as if surprised. He also observed the expressions and emotions of the duke’s wife and son, anger mixed with grief. They were clearly mourning, but alongside that grief was deep regret, both for what had happened to Vera and for their own part in it.

"Is that so? I never imagined someone from Duke Valerin’s family would elope with someone, and with a human, no less. I thought your family was rather conservative," Aldrian said.

"It’s true that in the past we strongly embraced that kind of conservatism," Duke Valerin replied. "After Vera disappeared, I began to suspect that her escape was made possible with the help of the young master of the Vicanton family. I had heard they spent some time together when he visited the Ivory Empire."

"However, I could do nothing to them, because I had no proof connecting Vera’s disappearance to that young master. Still, I had already guessed that Vera might have had a special relationship with the Vicanton family’s young master, which truly infuriated me," Duke Valerin said, clenching his fists as he took a deep breath.

"However, as time passed, I came to understand why Vera ran away from home. I realized she felt trapped within her own family. She felt constrained by our conservatism and chose to pursue her own happiness."

"In the end, she ran away because she couldn’t chase her happiness under the weight of our family’s beliefs."

"After reflecting for a long time, I came to regret that I never understood how my daughter truly felt. I regret that she felt caged within her own family because of our beliefs. I regret everything. I truly regret it."

As Duke Valerin continued speaking, his wife and son showed the same sorrow in their expressions.

They seemed to feel the same way, which genuinely impressed Aldrian. This family was a rare case, one where every member shared the same sense of remorse. Usually, in a situation like this, such feelings might appear in only one or two people, but all three of them felt it deeply.

"It looks like their love for Vera is stronger than their belief in conservatism," Aldrian thought.

"You are truly unique, Duke Valerin, to feel remorse over your daughter eloping with a human, especially considering your conservative background. In most cases, people in your position would blame the Vicanton family or someone else, but not feel regret," he said.

"Well, it’s true that we come from a conservative family, but we still have hearts and minds to think. We’re not so extreme as to blindly blame others because of it. Though, to be honest, at first I did blame the Vicanton family. But as time passed, I realized I also shared the responsibility. In the end, my daughter ran away because she felt trapped by the beliefs I had instilled in her since childhood," Duke Valerin said.

"However, even though I feel regret and remorse, all of that is meaningless now. I later found out that the town where she lived with the young master of the Vicanton family was massacred by a Pride devil. I know it’s already too late. The young master was killed along with thousands of townspeople, and we assume that Vera was among the victims," he added, his eyes brimming with sadness.

Aldrian looked at Duke Valerin for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the duke’s wife.

"Madam Valerin, do you also share the same thoughts as your husband?" he asked.

Hearing the question, Madam Valerin, whose eyes were already red answered softly.

"Of course, Your Majesty. Even to this day, there hasn’t been a single day when I don’t feel regret and remorse for not understanding my own daughter until it was too late. That was the moment I began to reflect and contemplate deeply, about myself and about this family."

Aldrian nodded, then turned his gaze to Vera’s older brother.

"And how about you, young master?" he asked.

The response came immediately.

"I always pampered and supported my little sister, Your Majesty. Although I also shared the same conservative views as many elves, I still loved my sister the most. If she truly wanted to pursue her own happiness, I would have gladly helped her, even if it meant going against our family’s beliefs," the young master, named Vilan, answered with unwavering conviction.

Hearing his response, even Duke Valerin and his wife were slightly taken aback. They had always known their son truly cared for his sister and held deep affection for her, but they had never heard him speak so firmly about Vera like this. These were the strongest words he had ever spoken about her since her disappearance.

But then, something clicked in Duke Valerin’s mind. The emotional talk about Vera had made him forget Aldrian’s original intent. Why had Aldrian brought up Vera in the first place? Why now?

"My apologies, Your Majesty, but why did you ask about her?" he asked.

Aldrian suddenly smiled, a gesture that only deepened Duke Valerin’s confusion.

"What if I told you that Vera is still alive and well?" Aldrian said, causing the three elves to freeze in shock.

Duke Valerin couldn’t help but stand up at once.

"What are you talking about, Your Majesty? Is she really still alive? But her town—" His voice trembled with disbelief, but the rest of his words caught in his throat as something suddenly began to unfold before his eyes. His wife and son also froze, shocked by what they were seeing.

Not far behind Aldrian’s seat, two figures slowly began to appear, emerging as if a veil covering them had been lifted, revealing them at last. One was a beautiful elf, tears already streaming down her face, and beside her was a child. She held the child’s hand as the two of them stood side by side.

The beautiful elf looked at Duke Valerin with trembling eyes.

"Father."