316: The first descendant of Andreas

The first descendant of Andreas

"I don't understand. Why is something so valuable appearing now?" Leopold was brimming with questions.2

Egon sighed. "I had seen this artifact with my father once, Uncle. He concealed it within the walls so well that even the restoration work didn't uncover it."

"An item that my brother kept hidden like this?" Leopold asked emotionally. "What does that letter say?"

Seeing the vein on Egon's face throbbing, Adela decided to take control of the conversation.

"The letter is written in the script of the fallen Empire. It's addressed to Atticus and mentions that his tree in Lanark has borne fruit, and the sender must come and see it."

When Leopold's pained expression showed signs of confusion, Adela decided to be direct; there was no need for circumlocution.

Locking eyes with Andreas, she readied herself to ask the question she had come here for.

"Egon told me that his father was always capable of relocating their home and providing a better one for his mother. Could it be that he was anticipating a visit from someone dear to him, with no means of communication? Is that why he never changed his address?"

Adela flinched when Bastian abruptly pushed his chair back, creating a loud noise, and then stood up, glaring at his brother.

"I see no reason to be part of this meeting. It's none of my concern."

With those few words, Bastian walked out of the room, leaving Adela stunned in her seat.

"I'll be back. Continue without me," Egon mumbled before silently leaving his chair and following his brother out.

Leopold's solemn gaze shifted to Adela's face. "Please pardon Bastian... Actually, if you'll excuse me."

Leopold rose from his seat with a bit of commotion and staggered out of the room.

Adela's heart sank along with her spirits. "...I should have requested a private audience with you, Andreas."

"You should have," Andreas responded in his usual soft-spoken manner.

Swallowing her next burst of sadness was not without difficulty. It was a hard lesson to learn, but marrying into the von Conradie family didn't automatically grant her the privilege of discussing sensitive matters freely with them. Suddenly, she felt like a complete outsider in this household.

"You must have questions. I can answer them," Andreas encouraged.

She hesitated, feeling like an interloper.

All the men who had left the table were descendants of Andreas and the first Empress, but she didn't even know if it was through the maternal or paternal line. Wouldn't it be natural for him to keep an eye on his own children?

Gathering her courage, she fixed her eyes on his blue ones. "...Is the last Emperor still alive?"

Andreas smiled but the warmth didn't reach his eyes. He picked up the letter from the box in the middle of the table and unfolded it. Instead of reading the words, he ran his forefinger over them, and his entire countenance softened, reminiscent of the way her father's face would soften when it concerned her and her sister.

"Egon doesn't understand why you have issues with mind control, but I can completely understand you."

She regarded him with a puzzled expression.

"I rarely used it with malicious intent. Being inside someone's head can be terrifying, especially when it's not a clean place," he continued, placing the letter on the table, his hands clenching into fists next to it.

"I despised every one of the first Empress's descendants. I loathed their black hair which constantly reminded me of her, I abhorred the legacy she was so obsessed with, and I was as eager as she was for our blood to finally merge to ensure Larissa's safety, even before I ever met her."

"...And when one of her descendants finally carried your child?"

His blue eyes blazed with intensity, "Not much changed. I renewed my vow to obliterate that wretched empire."

"The last Emperor... my father openly respected him. It's not my place to ask, but... where exactly does your lineage intersect with the last Empress?"

"Opheleos, or the person you know as the last Emperor, was my first child," he revealed. Seeing her widened eyes, he quickly added, "I say 'first' because I came to consider his line my own children too."

The color drained from Adela's face. The last Emperor, the one Andreas had just referred to as his first child, was the man her father had slain. Or was that piece of history fake too?

Observing her conflicted emotions, Andreas decided to ease her distress.

"Opheleos was different. He was nothing like her… well, only in looks, like the rest of them. But on the inside, he was..." He trailed off, his eyes darting around the room. "He was good."

She nodded. "They are like you. All of them."

His eyes finally smiled. "No. They are all better than I am. I couldn't let go of my vengeance. I couldn't release my vow and had to erase that Empire's name from history."

Everything fell into place in her mind, why he had started this conversation with mind control.

"...You were the one who planted the idea in the murdered King's head?"

He nodded, his hands clenching further on the table.

Reaching out, she placed her hand over his.

"You had every right to be angry."

He clenched his jaw. "I was in the shadows when Kaiser de Lanark knocked Opheleos unconscious and made him bleed so much, I came to realize that I loved my son right then, I wanted to save him. And I was only able to because of your father."

Adela tensed.

"He carried my son with his Commander to a physician and gave the order to get him and his children to safety."

"...Did the physician save him?"

Andreas shook his head. "If he had been humanely treated, he would have been left with disabilities so severe that death would have been more merciful. I reached him at the last moment. It was my first-ever selfish wish." He gazed coldly into her eyes. "I turned him."

Adela's tongue was tied. Not only was the last Emperor alive, but he was now a magnificent vampire!

"...Why did he leave his children to suffer the way they did when he could have..." She bit her tongue realizing that she had spoken too much. "... I'm sorry, I'm not in a place to judge."

"Lady Adelaide. Don't take this information to your father. Just let my son be."

She withdrew her hand from Andreas, her mind filled with contemplation. How could she possibly refuse him when he had endured so much to ensure her sister's safety?

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