The Life Orb was a magic tool that was developed several hundred years ago during a war with the deviants to determine whether a soldier was still alive or not, but in the current era, it was mainly used by wives whose husbands often travelled far away.

It was a simplistic tool that served a single function, but that was also the reason why it was extremely effective.

No matter how great the distance was and the changes in the targets physical condition, the Life Orb would reflect the individuals condition correspondingly. A day of reunion would eventually come as long as its glow wasnt extinguished, and this was a perfect example of that.

Lord Brother!

With a worried exclamation, a silver-haired girl barged into the clocktower through the windows, only to be met with an unbelievable sight.

In front of her were two individuals staring at her with shocked looks on their faces. One was a woman whom she had never met before and the other was a child.

A child with Roels appearance.

!

As if she had been struck by lightning, Alicia jolted in horror as her face turned ghastly pale. She could only think of a single possibility to explain this situation.

Lord Brother had a child with a vixen!

The moment such a possibility surfaced in her mind, her eyes reddened in indignance. She felt like the entire world had just collapsed on her.

It was one thing if it was Nora or Charlotte, but that clearly wasnt the case.

In truth, she already knew deep down that it was no longer possible for Roel to reject Nora or Charlotte. They were simply too intertwined together in terms of their family circumstances and a plethora of other factors.

But still, she couldnt accept Roel getting together with a vixen Not to mention, they even had a child together?!

You must be kidding me! I havent even gotten together with Lord Brother yet!

Y-you are

Alicia?

Ah?

As Alicia pointed a shaking finger at the two of them, Roel finally snapped out of his daze and called out her name. Alicia was surprised to hear Roels voice, and it brought composure back to her.

Wait a moment, that isnt right either. Isnt he a little too big to be Lord Brothers child? He looks as big as the first time I met Lord Brother, which means that hes around eight to nine years old at the very least.

No matter how fast his body is growing, theres no way it could be this fast. Theres a possibility that there might be some ability out there that hastens ones growth, but the Ascarts possess no such power.

On top of that, his voice sounds incredibly familiar too. Does this mean that this child is

Lord Brother?

Its me, Alicia. What are you doing here?

!

Alicia breathed a deep sigh of relief upon hearing his voice. She rushed forth to hug Roel, but before her hands could reach him, there was a sudden outburst of mana pulsation that pushed her back.

This feeling! Origin Level 3!

Alicias crimson eyes narrowed when she realized that the woman beside Roel was actually an Origin Level 3 transcendent. She turned her gaze toward the woman, only to notice that the latter was staring back at her coldly.

Wait a moment, if this child is Lord Brother, it would mean that this woman who just tried to kiss him is

The realization that there was a vixen before her made Alicias body tremble in horror. Without any hesitation, she released a powerful burst of mana and clashed with that woman. She wouldnt stand for the appearance of yet another woman by Roels side!

This chain of events immediately prodded Roels danger instincts. He had been through far too many of such situations that he couldnt possibly not know what was coming up next.

Wait wait wait wait wait! Senior, shes my younger foster sister, Alicia Ascart!

Oh?

Alicia, this is a senior Ive met at the Saint Freya Academy. Shes the imperial princess of the Austine Empire, Lilian Ackermann. Shes the one who has been protecting me ever since I turned into this state.

I understand, Lord Brother.

The two women replied to Roels introduction with a smile, but their clash showed no signs of abating at all. If anything, it was growing more intense.

To Lilian, Alicia looked like a mesmerizing fairy that had come straight out of a dream, causing her wariness level to shoot straight to the maximum. How could she not feel alarmed when there was a woman this beautiful beside Roel?

As a fellow woman, she could tell the feelings that Alicia harbored for Roel transcended that of siblings. Not to mention, the sphere that Alicia was holding in her hands appeared to be a Life Orb, a magic tool that husbands would typically gift their wives before leaving for a long journey.

Younger foster sister? Hah, you can only hope to deceive Roel with such crude lies. How can I not see through you when Im walking down the same kinship route as you?

Lilian raised her hand to touch her ear ring, dispelling her disguise to reveal her true appearance.

This time, it was Alicias turn to be nervous.

It was a face that was very different from Alicias youthful and dreamy look. It was mature and seductive yet cold and lofty. In terms of disposition, it was impossible to tell who was superior.

Lilians face revelation pierced right into Alicias nerves with a dagger. She couldnt overlook Lilians charm, especially given her identity. As a result, she grew even more agitated, much to Roels dismay.

Hah, do you think that I would fear an imperial princess of the Austine Empire? Ive been competing with the princess of the Theocracy and the future leader of the neighboring Rosa, and both of them wield far greater influence over the Ascart House than your faraway Austine Empire!

Youre nothing more than a tramp who has only known Lord Brother for two months! What rights do you have to compete with me?

Miss Lilian, allow me to thank you on behalf of the Ascart House for taking care of him all this while. However, it wont do for us to trouble an outsider like you any longer. Ill be bringing Lord Brother back to the Ascarts manor with me. I trust that you dont have any objections to that, right?

My apologies, Miss Alicia, but it seems like Roel has neglected to mention something earlier. Allow me to clarify things for you Im Roels bloodline kin.

Bloodline kin? Youre lying! How can that be possible?!

Why cant it be possible? Im unsure how far back our ties go, but without a doubt, the two of us do share the same bloodline. The relationship we share goes deeper than any other ties, be it friendship or familial bonds. In other words

Lilian took a step forward, wrapped her arm around Roels waist, and spoke with a confident smile.

Im Roels older sister in terms of bloodline. Im the closest person to him in the world aside from his parents. Its only right for him to rely on me when hes in trouble.

Y-you must be joking! Do you think that such lies can possibly

Lies? It wont do for you to turn your head away from reality, foster sister Miss Alicia. I understand that its hard for you to accept this situation out of the blue, but this is something that youll eventually have to accept. After all Roel and I have already decided to have a child together.

What?!

S-senior?

Lilians explosive words sent Alicia staggering backward in horror, nearly losing her balance. Roel was also equally dumbstruck by the announcement, prompting him to turn around to stare at her.

The union of two individuals who share the same bloodline will have a higher probability of bearing a child with enhanced bloodline. This is an unshakable truth. Were duty bound to do this for the sake of humankind, and our ancestor has also given us her blessing.

Do you understand now, Miss Alicia? Ill have to ask you to exercise some tact and excuse yourself here. Itd be rude of you to disturb a couple at the Aurora Festival.

Alicia fell deathly silent at Lilians terrifying verbal bombardment.

However, to Lilians surprise, her silence didnt last for long. By the time dark clouds passed and moonlight started shining upon the clocktower once more, the clouded look on her face had vanished. She raised her head and asked a straightforward question.

Has Lord Brother confessed to you yet?

If not for your interference, the two of us would have

Lord Brother first confessed to me when he was nine.

Ah, it might be more accurate to call it a proclamation of love. The word he used wasnt like but love.

What about it?

Lilians smile slowly vanished as she clenched her fists tightly. Alicias eyes curled into crescents as she continued her story.

Ive shared a bed with Lord Brother a total of 212 times, exchanged morning kisses 1313 times, mutually confessed to one another 56 times, and bathed together 21 times. Ive seen every inch of his body.

A-Alicia?

Do you know how cooked Lord Brother likes his steaks to be? Do you know what temperature Lord Brother prefers his water to be at in the bath? Do you know how clumsy Lord Brothers first kiss is? Ah, I guess youll never get to find out the last one. After all, Ive already trained him up.

What are you trying to say here?

Faced with Lilians incredibly awful complexion, Alicia chuckled softly and said.

Im saying that you should stop getting so gleeful over your little victories, old woman. Youre merely feeding on my leftovers! Latching onto Lord Brother for offspring, are you an animal in heat? Know your place and get lost!

What did you say?! You brat!

Whats wrong? You wish to make a move on me, old woman?

You two need to calm down and

Boom!

Roel didnt even have the time to finish his words when two pillars of mana gushed into the sky.

Lilian had already gone red with anger from having her sore spots poked over and over again, especially her age. Unable to stand it any longer, she went on a rampage.

Alicia was also feeling utterly frustrated from having her one and only advantage over the other love rivals stolen from her hands, so she welcomed this fight too.

Lilians purple mana clashed straight-on against Alicias silver mana, producing a terrifying shockwave that jolted everything in the vicinity into the air.

The noise produced from their unrestrained clash and the rubble rising into the air caught the attention of the auburn-haired woman on the Blessing Square and Miss Angel in the banquet hall. The two of them murmured in uncanny harmony.

Found you!