Chapter 993: 16.39 First Red Star - Esther"s Declaration
Ca.s.sius Ambrosia narrowed his eyes pointedly and mumbled after hearing the lady Earl"s response.
"I see."
Apart from these words, there were no additional remarks. The Progenitor of Blood appears uninterested in everything, and his expression barely changes, making it difficult to interpret his thoughts. Only Instructor Skoll twisted his lips slightly, as if amused; he certainly understood what was going through his wife"s mind at the time. Of course, he wasn"t interested in explaining things to strangers.
Instructor Skoll said, "Maybe you can ask Luther to postpone the task of looking for a new heir for the Blood Clan. There is no need to look for a successor with your subordinate still young and kicking." He said these words to Ca.s.sius Ambrosia.
The Headmaster agreed to his advice and said, "Then... You can tell him."
"My Lord, please let this servant in front of the Duke. This one shall be meeting him afterwards for the plan about the Temple." Thana Daybreak said
Ca.s.sius Ambrosia said, "Be cautious."
"How about you, mother and child, have a private conversation of your own? Since Madam Dawn has signed the oath of visitation, you can go ahead and go as you will. Just keep the rules in mind." Instructor Skoll said.
Thana Daybreak and Esther Dawn departed Headmaster Ca.s.sius" residence together, as instructed by Instructor Skoll. They headed to the temporary house where the visitors may stay for a bit. As instructed by Instructor Skoll, the two switched locations and continued their talk.
Esther Dawn said, "....You avoided it just now thanks to the Progenitor taking the lead in the conversation but I want you to tell me what was the condition for the Blood Clan to help you to save Dad?"
Earl Thana Daybreak was hesitant to inform her son about her predicament. She wished she could agree, but she had to enlist the a.s.sistance of his children. Luckily, the Progenitor had spoken, and this requirement was no longer required.
"The duke asked... For Amy, to become the new heir of the Blood Clan." His mother replied to his question.
Esther Dawn was taken aback by the unexpected response. He had no idea the lone Duke of the Vampire Race would want Amber Dawn, his younger sister, as an heir. Such a position was normally reserved for individuals who had remained faithful to the Clan.
Esther Dawn asked, "Why would he say that? Are there no other younger generations in the Blood Clan?!"
"It"s not that there are not... It"s just that those children were not even worth nurturing. They weren"t suitable from the very beginning. Even though the Hierarchy within the Vampire Race is strict, those who want to be at the top will always exist. That"s why the Ancestor of the Vladimir Clan was disposed of but the children were spared." Thana Daybreak explained.
Esther Dawn was a.n.a.lyzing the circ.u.mstances to figure out why Duke Luther D"Arcy suggested his younger sister as the future successor. He barely remembers a few things from the past, but most of his recollections have been clouded by time. After all, he is simply a Dhampir. Unlike the rest of his family, he is not a long-living vampire.
Thana Daybreak noticed her son"s thoughts and spoke, "Were you trying to find out about what"s so special about your sister for Lord Luther to choose her as an heir? It is because Amy has been special since birth. She is a vampire yet she is capable of wielding not only Darkness Element but also the Light Element. It"s just that your father and I did our best to seal her powers. Your father lost more than half of his powers to seal her affinity with light elements as it was to pure and strong that she can mistaken as a Saintess. If not for that... Do you think the Templar Temple would be able to capture your father who used to be the strongest Cardinal even stronger than Pope Kenan Light, his brother."
"What!? The Pope is Dad"s brother! Then that means His Highness the Holy Son is our... brother?" Exclaims Esther Dawn.
Thana Daybreak responded, "No and Yes. Not really because Asher Light is your uncle"s disciple and adopted son. But you can also say he is your brother in name but not related by blood."
"Hah~ now the Holy Son has become a brother not related by blood. This is too much..." Esther Dawn said as he pinched the center of his eyebrows. Then suddenly asked, "What are you going to do now? Are you going to introduce yourself to Amber?"
"Do you think Amy will like me? I am not a good mother for her. I can only protect her in the dark but the other relatives of your father were too greedy and it took awhile for me to clean them up. I had enough when they played her and said that you and her father were dead. I lost control of my temper and chose to make my move and temporarily left her side. She was alone for only once... I just left her side once to completely eliminate those greedy humans. Do you think she would blame me for that?" Thana Daybreak asked.
Feeling a headache coming, Esther Dawn responded, "You should have shown yourself before her and told her everything in the first place!"
"I can"t! The Pope left spies around her. Obviously, they knew I would come back to pick you guys up. I had to be careful and make sure that they wouldn"t make a move against you and use your father to threaten us. I just don"t get what they were planning to achieve by sending that fake news about yours and your father"s death. But it was after that one time that Amy was suddenly like a changed person. She was no longer timid and became strong willed. So I don"t know whether she would still accept me after all this time. I"ve become afraid!" Thana Daybreak said.
Esther Dawn said, "Just because you are afraid you won"t meet her!? Amber can no longer recall yours and Dad"s appearance. She had gotten so used to loneliness that she wouldn"t even ask me when I will go home if I am away from a mission. For almost ten years... the time spent alone was longer in her life than having any family by her side. We owe her too much already."
Thana Daybreak felt even guiltier upon hearing these words.
"I would like to meet her. Help me please, Este."
"Stay here for a while. We will have lunch together. I will bring her over," said Esther Dawn.
He felt relieved but helpless until he noticed his mother nodding her head in agreement. He also didn"t know how to bring up their parents with his younger sister. When their father was taken away by the Templar Temple, their mother has only embraced them briefly before departing without saying anything and has vanished from their life.
They were both too young and required a guardian, but he refused to accept anyone from their father"s family because the most of them were parasites. His mother, on the other hand, had no one by her side, so Esther Dawn could only seek the shelter of the Templar Temple. Fortunately, he could use light elements at the time and was allowed to enter the temple. However, his younger sister was discovered to be a regular person, which caused the Templar Temple priests to lose interest in her.
At that time, Esther"s Dawn felt things were acceptable as it is. As he himself was having a hard time trying to hide his ability to control the darkness as he already knew that their mother was someone from the Blood Clan. The factions behind their parents were opposed to one another and Esther Dawn knew that he can"t be exposed to having the bloodline of the Vampires in his veins. He was lucky enough to meet the Holy Son who pulled him in his group. To repay Asher Light, he had done multiple missions and almost forgotten about his own younger sister. Which is why like her mother he felt extremely guilty towards her Dawn as well.
Esther Dawn said, "I will bring her over now. Please prepare lunch at least. There"s a market in the plaza to buy whatever you need. You can use my credit points as money is useless in this place." He gave his mother his point card before taking his leave.
Meanwhile, after Esther Dawn disappeared from her sight, Thana Daybreak couldn"t help but cry. It was only upon meeting her son that she knew that her decision years ago was a wrong one. She should have taken away her children despite all odds. Even if they had to live a life of a hunted one, it is still better than the detached and awkward relationship they have now.
After a few minutes, she calms down and wipes her tears. "I can"t just cry like this. I still have to make some food for my children." She left the place and headed to the plaza to make preparations for lunch.
---
Back to the dormitories...
When Esther Dawn returned, he noticed his younger sister, Asher Light, and Conri Lycaon, playing cards. Watching how well they get along makes him think how wonderful it would be if there was no agreement between races enabling all three sides to coexist together.
"Well, you"re back. Who was the guest?" said Asher Light.
"Mother..."
"What!?"
Amber Dawn was so taken aback by Esther Dawn"s words that she neglected to hold her cards properly, while Asher Light and Conri Lycaon realized that things were complicated inside the Dawn Family.
Amber Dawn gazed at her elder brother, stunned, with a surprised expression on her face.
It wasn"t that Amber Dawn was astonished to learn that they had a mother, but rather that she didn"t know how to react appropriately. She is not, after all, the original, but she was aware that the original"s mother had abandoned them when they were children. Amber"s heart throbbed as a result of the lingering hatred and longing, and she is unsure how to react to this news.
Amber Dawn mumbled, "Mom... Mom is back? But why...? Didn"t she leave us all alone this whole time?"
"She said Dad isn"t dead yet." Esther Dawn said.
This time it was Asher Light who was shocked, "Impossible! I"ve already checked it. Your father was recorded dead. If it is a false report then..." There are a point in time tat he had helped Esther investigate about Esther"s father. He had more authority in the Temple and had wider connections. So he decided to help his subordinate.
"Only the Pope, the head of Templar Temple, had the power to hide it." Conri Lycaon commented.
The atmosphere between the group was silent and a bit gloomy. Having the Pope as an enemy was never easy. He is one of the strongest beings in the world. Someone whose authority is equal to that of the Progenitor of the Blood and the former Werewolf Ancestor.
Asher Light asked, "Was the reason your mother never came home was because someone from the Templar Temple was after her. Did you know why?"
"I"m sorry, your Highness but I can"t tell you right now." Esther Dawn said with his head lowered before his lord.
The Holy Son stares at Esther Dawn for a while. He never expected that his own right-hand man would have so many secrets that he didn"t know about. He felt a bit betrayed yet also understood why.
With a determined look, Amber Dawn said, "I will meet her."
"I see. I will bring you over to see her." Esther Dawn said as Amber went towards him to leave together.
Before taking their leave, Asher Light asked Esther Dawn, "Esther, are you still my loyal retainer?"
"If His Highness is willing to accept my family regardless of anything. I will be loyal to you until the end of this life." Esther Dawn declared.
Asher Light saw that Esther Dawn wasn"t lying and said, "We will talk tonight."
"I understand. Thank you, Your Highness." Only then the Dawn siblings took their leave together leaving Asher Light and Conri Lycaon behind.