Zane quickly ordered his men to clear the crowd, and he himself started shouting loudly as well.
“Everyone leave!”
The crowd dispersed unwillingly.
“Was that necessary? What will they think of you now?” Aria commented beside Aengus’ ear as she stepped outside, having heard the commotion.
“Yes, it was… I don’t care what others think of me. I only care about seeing results without wasting time unnecessarily.”
Aria’s father, aunt, and uncle followed her out of the house as well.
“Son-in-law is right,” Noelle said happily, holding Astrid’s hand.
“That’s how an Emperor should behave. He doesn’t care about receiving gratitude or being scolded by the masses.” Noelle paused, glancing at Aria and Aengus.
Ashter and Astrid had already accepted Aengus’s identity, but seeing the City Lord humble himself before him confirmed it further.
Their son-in-law, whom they had once neglected, assuming he was a commoner, was now a force to be reckoned with.
They still didn’t know much about his background, but it didn’t matter to them anymore.
He himself was now a powerful background, providing safety to those under his protection, just like the Titan before them.
Their own rank had been lowered to B-Rank, and they felt vulnerable before the 100-meter-tall Titan standing before them, not to mention Aengus.
Despite Aria’s insistence that they maintain a respectable distance.
Aengus could do nothing, though he didn’t care about it too much either.
“Swoosh!”
Quin instantly returned to his 1.7-meter human form swiftly.
City lord Zane then spoke,
“Empress Consort, if I had known your family was here, I would have personally taken care of them as if they were my own,” City Lord Zane came forward and bowed before Aria.
Quin also tried to flatter her without directly meeting her gaze. “His Imperial Majesty has a keen eye. The Empress Consort is like a fairy…”
“Ah?”
Aria looked flattered but quickly composed herself to appear like a true Empress.
“Thank you both for the compliment. Glad you joined us. What’s your name again?” Aria asked Quin.
Quin replied instantly, “All thanks to His Imperial Majesty’s grace. My name is Quin AxelCrest.”
“Quin…”
Just as Quin answered Aria, a deep, worried voice echoed—it was Quin’s father, the Axel Clan leader.
“Father, look! I’ve gained the power I’ve yearned for my whole life. Now, Roxane surely won’t hate me. I’ll be better than my brothers… His Imperial Majesty said so,” Quin announced happily.
For the first time in years, his father saw pure joy on his youngest son’s face.
The Axel Clan leader gave a deep bow to the Emperor, even though the Emperor wasn’t watching their reunion. Father and son continued exchanging happy words they hadn’t shared in years.
—
“My Emperor, would you like to rest at my humble abode?” City Lord Zane asked eagerly.
Aengus shook his head.
“No, that’s not possible right now. We came only to take your Empress’s family from here… But I will remember this city.”
Zane was disappointed but then pleased with the Emperor’s courtesy.
“Thank you, Your Imperial Highness. May the Liberation Empire’s banner rise throughout the world.”
“Yes, it will…” Aengus murmured, perhaps making a promise to himself.
“Aria, it’s time to depart. You can chat more when we get back. I’ve received an urgent message from the Three Generals,” Aengus said, making the urgency clear.
“Ah, okay… But wait a few minutes. The children should be here any moment,” Aria replied, glancing anxiously toward the city market.
“No problem. Let them come. I can wait..,” Aengus said gently, his tone softening.
No matter how urgent the matter was, his wife’s comfort and happiness came first.
When talk of departure arose, Quin gathered respectfully near them as well.
He bid his farewell,
“Father, tell Roxane I will return strong and proud. I’ll make her my bride, right in front of her prideful clan,” Quin declared resolutely, making his father smile.
“Go ahead, son. Make our AxelCrest Clan proud.”
The father, who had always been disappointed in his son, now looked proud and hopeful.
Very soon, the children came back from playing. There were eight of them, all between 8-10 years old—the last remaining generation of the Silvermoon Clan.
They should have returned happily from the playground, but instead, they looked slightly injured, with claw marks and scrapes from being dragged across the ground visible on their young, tender faces.
This made Aria and Noelle worried about the condition they were in.
“What happened to you all, children?” Noelle knelt down and asked in a gentle, motherly tone.
The children hesitated but finally answered. “Please forgive us, Lady Noelle… We actually wanted to help improve our condition, so we went to the nearby forest to hunt… Sorry!” one cute yet brave boy explained, feeling apologetic for breaking the promise of not going outside the city.
“Yes, we Silvermoon Clan are not cowards!” another added.
“Children, you…” Noelle was almost moved to tears at their thoughtful consideration.
Though their choice had been reckless, it filled Noelle and the others with happiness to see their bravery.
“That was very dangerous, children. But indeed, you were brave. You don’t need to do this anymore. Look, your sister Aria is back with her husband to take you away from this place. We won’t have to stay here any longer,” Noelle said, relieved to see they were unharmed.
Most of the credit went to their Clan’s rigorous training from a young age.
The kids had seen their parents deaths with their very own eyes, which had made them more mature.
“Really?”
They looked at Aria and Aengus in surprise.
“Is it true, big sister Aria?” one small girl asked, clutching an iron dagger in her hand.
Aria ruffled the little girl’s hair gently and replied,
“Yes, it’s true, little Tina. We’ll now have a proper home with a sturdy roof to live in. You’ll get to train safely, just like before…”
“Hehehe…” The little girl smiled happily, imagining the future.
“That’s great, big sister! But, is that kind big brother really your husband?” she asked cutely, glancing at Aengus, who was healing the other children.
