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墨書 Inktalez
The swirling mass of Magic Energy in the center of the hall quietly rotated, resembling a silent star, slowly and coldly tugging at everyone's nerves. The air was thick with the anxious stirrings of magic, as if even the flickering lights were responding to some impending eruption.
Luna bit her delicate little fingers, her gaze no longer innocent, and a trace of the Great Mage's Shen Hun brilliance quietly seeped through her being. "He is not just your child," Luna finally spoke, her voice still soft due to her youth, yet imbued with an inexplicable firmness that commanded attention. "He carries the Ancestral Demon Bloodline. You should know this very well."
This statement struck like thunder. Aelia's arm trembled, nearly causing her to drop the child she held, her face turning pale as if all color had been swept away by a Cold Wind. "What... what did you say?" Her voice was hoarse, tinged with panic. "Are you saying Leonard has another child out there? One with Ancestral Demon blood?!"
She could not deny such a possibility. Memories of that child's eyes flooded back to her—she had seen them once by chance in the southern garden of the estate, a blurry face with a pair of Silver Purple interwoven pupils. Those were not ordinary eyes; they belonged only to descendants with the Inheritance of Ancient Demon Rune.
Luna looked at her with an unsettling calmness that belied her age. "I knew long ago, but... at that time, you wouldn't believe it and couldn't bear it."
Aelia nearly ground her teeth in frustration. "You knew all along?"
"I was still just an infant," Luna replied, meeting her gaze with indifference. "What could I say? Even if I told you, would you believe me? Or would you rather uncover this rift yourself to accept it more easily?"
The air seemed to thicken. Aelia wanted to speak but found her throat dry, unable to utter a single word. Yet in the next moment, she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "No... you're right; this matter indeed requires me to be prepared."
After a few breaths, she opened her eyes again, no longer filled with panic. Instead, there was a resolute calmness wrapped in sadness. She turned to Luna and instructed, "Qin Si, come with me to his study."
The study in the West Wing of the Glorious Demon Fortress was even colder than the Lord's hall. The heavy black wooden door let out an incongruous thud as Aelia kicked it open.
Leonard sat at his desk, poring over a yellowed Ancient Rune, his brow furrowed. Upon hearing the noise, he did not lift his head but coldly remarked, "Who allowed you to barge in—"
Before he could finish his sentence, he looked up and saw Aelia's face along with Qin Si and the child whose features were obscured by Magic Patterns; his expression changed instantly.
"Aelia? What are you doing?"
Aelia did not pause in her stride; she walked straight to the desk and placed a Silver Patterned Jade Tablet on the black wood surface, speaking icily: "I have come to divorce you."
"What?"
Leonard sprang up suddenly, slamming his palm on the desk so forcefully that thick scrolls flew into the air.
"Who has stirred your mind? Or have you gone mad again?!"
"Mad?" Aelia looked up at him with a smile that carried an unsettling calmness. "Since you had children with Leonard's Concubine, it no longer matters whether I am mad or not."
"You... did Luna tell you?" His gaze shifted abruptly to the child, anger flaring in his eyes.
"No." Aelia slowly withdrew her hand from around the child's waist inch by inch. "I figured it out myself. And I had to figure it out because only I know how your gentle eyes turned cold and hard as stone."
The air in the room chilled abruptly. Qin Si stepped forward quietly but was halted by Aelia's raised hand.
She had come today not for love or resentment but for resolution.
"Our relationship has reached this point without any debts," Aelia took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on Leonard sharply. "But this child is different. I am willing to divorce you so that your Illegitimate Child can grow up as a Legitimate Son under the name of a rightful wife in Magic Castle."
"Have you lost your mind?! He is not your child!" Leonard shouted furiously. "You would do this for someone else's child—"
“Not 'others,'” Aelia coldly interrupted. “He has the blood of the Ancestor Demon. The Glorious Demon Fortress cannot afford to lose such an Heir, and as long as I am here, you cannot elevate him to the status of Legitimate Son.”
Leonard was taken aback.
He never expected Aelia to see through this layer…
Images of Leonard's Last Night flashed through his mind—her offering warm tea under the pavilion while they sheltered from the rain in their youth; her suppressing her noble demeanor to help him manage every sealed tower when he first entered the Magic Castle; her sitting in the rain-soaked night when San Zi was born, waiting for him to return amidst the Thunderstorm.
That was a time they both thought would last a lifetime.
But now, she stood before him with a divorce decree in hand, unwavering.
A dull pain surged in his heart, mingled with embarrassment and shame.
He knew he had erred too early and too deeply.
“Fine,” he said softly, as if biting down on hard stone. “I agree.”
“I want you to publicly announce it and give me and our three children an explanation,” Aelia insisted, her steps unyielding, leaving no room for any Gap in this matter. “Although I have severed my feelings for you, I will not take less than my rightful status and compensation.”
Leonard lowered his gaze, his knuckles tightening into fists without Awareness.
“You really are… even more ruthless than before,” he said hoarsely, lacking the momentum he once had, only left with resignation.
She merely smiled, but it was devoid of joy, as if even her anger had been extinguished.
“Ruthless?” she shook her head. “This is what you taught me. If you refuse, I will expose your child outside in front of the noble assembly.”
Qin Si gasped nearby.
Leonard's expression twisted instantly, as if his dignity were struggling after being trampled upon.
Finally, he ceased to argue, tightened his robe sleeves instead, turned away with a long sigh:
“Seven Days later, summon the elders for discussion. You all… go back and prepare.”
The hall fell silent as water; no one spoke, only the howling Wind Sound outside echoed like a castle collapsing.
Aelia did not leave another word; she turned and stepped out of the study one step at a time, Qin Si silently following behind her, her pace slowing as if she wanted to voice her unease but ultimately kept her Lips tightly shut.
The quiet night spilled over the Window Lattice, half-draped moonlight slanting down onto the carpet.
Aelia quietly returned to her chamber; the tea cup beside her had long gone cold, a thin layer of ice forming on its surface.
Qin Si followed behind; once the door closed, the entire room seemed to fall into a soft yet oppressive barrier.
The candlelight flickered nearby, casting shadows that revealed Aelia's weariness between her shoulders—a clarity that only comes after a breakage, tinged with an unmistakable sense of fear and emptiness.
“Madam…” Qin Si held out a freshly prepared robe for her but hesitated at the moment of offering it. “In the future… if we lose support from Lord’s side, the situation in this Magic Castle may not remain stable.”
Aelia did not take the robe; she slowly lifted her eyes, her lashes brushed gently by the night breeze—soft and hazy.
“Stable?” she murmured to herself, a slight smile gracing her lips but devoid of any joy. “Qin Si, how have I managed to stay stable all these years? You know very well.”
She stood up, clad in white like snow; her wide Sleeves swept past the chair beside her, leaving behind strands of Light Gold embroidery.
She walked step by step toward the window, gazing through the half-open curtains at the Magic Castle shrouded in darkness outside.
“This castle is not stable because of Leonard; it is because of me—Aelia.”
Qin Si's eyes suddenly reddened.
Such a cold statement struck deep into one's heart, piercing through all the grievances and exhaustion she had endured while serving Aelia day and night over these years.
“Madam, you are right,” she said softly. “In the future, our family will live better than we do now.”
Aelia turned around; there was finally a hint of Temperature in her gaze.
She tossed a stack of unsent old letters into the fire; flames leaped up suddenly, illuminating her slender Lucius frame.
“I am not doing this for him nor for dignity,” she said in a low tone. “I am doing this for them—my three children and Luna. I want them to live upright lives even in this place filled with power struggles; they must hold their heads high.”
The next morning, voices echoed through the Emerald Corridor of the tower; several servants whispered among themselves as if an oppressive gloom still lingered in the air.
The eldest brother pushed a Wheelchair into the inner hall and saw Qin Si just emerging from within; her eyes were still slightly red-rimmed.
He frowned and asked softly, "Is she... alright?"
"Very well," Qin Si forced a smile, wiping his eyes discreetly. "She has decided to sever that emotional bond."
The three brothers gathered again in the courtyard.
Second Brother leaned against the doorpost, silent for a while before slowly exhaling, "She has finally let go."
"It's not about letting go; it's about necessity," Brother San said, tapping his knuckles against the stone railing with a somber tone. "We must stand by her side. All her struggles over the years were not for the likes of Leonard to toy with."
The eldest brother lowered his gaze and spoke calmly, "When the council convenes at the castle, I will step forward. I still hold fragments of the elder council's decree; if he wants the Illegitimate Child to ascend, he must go through us first."
Second Brother's expression changed slightly, while Brother San suddenly laughed—a wild laugh devoid of Killing Intent. "Good! From now on, let Glorious Demon Fortress see that a household led by Aelia is far superior to that of Leonard!"
Never had the three of them been so united, like a spine that had been suppressed for years but was now gradually taking shape, emanating a subtle strength.
The autumn wind swept through the courtyard, swirling dry leaves into an incomplete Reincarnation, as if reflecting a new beginning after the storm.
Meanwhile, in the study of the West Wing.
Leonard read through the divorce document line by line; each ink mark felt etched deep within his heart.
As he finished reading the last word, the pen in his hand trembled slightly before he pressed down hard and signed his name.
"Notify the steward," he said hoarsely. "Within three days, prepare all announcement materials... I will publicly declare this at the elder council... just say it is my decision."
The steward hesitated and glanced at him; seeing his furrowed brow and pale lips, he could only retreat silently.
He sat alone at the desk as dawn broke outside; crows flew by, casting slanted shadows.
He reached out to cover the divorce document with his hand, as if that could delay something.
But the paper was cold, and the signature clearly read: Aelia.
His knuckles moved slightly as he forced a smile and said, "Perhaps this is... for your best."
There was no anger in his tone; even the last shred of pride melted into the morning light.
He tried to convince himself that it was a release that might not necessarily lead to ruin—perhaps in the future, they could glance at each other in another way from some corner of their lives.
Yet what he did not voice was that as he looked at this name, the deepest Magic Pattern within him seemed to begin cracking gently.
In the end, he said nothing; he quietly closed the divorce document and placed it on the top shelf of the bookcase—a corner even he had never touched.
Just as the door swung open, a small figure burst into the room with a Baby Voice laced with coldness, cutting through the air.
"You were indeed... just putting on an act all along."
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