âWhy do you say so?â Lawrend calmly asked.
Julianne looked at the two other envoys beside her before mustering up the courage to speak. âThe three of us saw an afterimage of a Divine Phoenix appear behind you,â she answered.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âI guess thereâs no way of denying it any further,â Lawrend said and nodded his head flatly.
âNo wayâ¦â
Horror appeared on the trioâs faces. It all made sense he was a three-element mage if he was from the Ignis Clan. The descendants of that clan were all freaks. Only a select few could match up against them.
âCome here, Ember,â Lawrend ordered.
Ember walked forward while trying to look respectful. She was clearly inexperienced doing such a thing. It looked awkward coming from her.
She stood slightly behind Lawrendâs throne beside him.
âThis is the Ignis Clanâs Princess, Ember Ignis,â Lawrend revealed with an amused smile on his face.
âPrincess!?â
âSheâs in a maid uniform!â
âHow domineeringâ¦â
Julianne, Otor, and Gregory all expressed their shock in their own ways. They assumed that she was simply a maid, but it turned out that she had another shocking identity. The three of them thought they would suffer a heart attack sooner or later from all the surprises he was giving them.
âMasterâ¦â Ember scowled.
She accepted being his maid, but it was very shameful for others to know about it. She would rather keep her identity a secret while she was serving him. That way, she could save some face.
âDonât worry. Iâm sure the three of you understand what Iâm trying to get at, right? I donât want any weird tricks happening while we conquer the Blumin Empire together,â Lawrend subtly threatened.
He was clear on the fact that the Trunden Empire couldnât be fully trusted. They were well known for their ambitions. He did this to control that personality of them. It would all be for naught if he was tricked in some way in the future.
âYour Majesty, I can assure you as the Imperial Princess of the last generation!â Julianne swore and bowed to him in a perfect bend.
âWait. Youâre the previous princess? Doesnât that mean the current emperor is your brother?â Lawrend asked in surprise.
âCorrect, Your Majesty. I have eyes, but I failed to realize that you are a great man. Forgive us for our insolence yesterday,â Julianne replied respectfully.
She was tamer, and her arrogance was gone like the wind. She realized there was no point in trying to scheme against this man. It would only bring them destruction.
If even the princess of the Ignis Clan was willing to serve him, then who knows what his real capabilities were. Maybe the strength that he showed them yesterday was not all of them.
Reaching that thought process made Julianne shudder.
âI see. Just donât shame or hurt any of my maids. I have no perverted hobbies,â Lawrend leisurely said.
âWe understand, Your Majesty!â
âYou may take your leave,â Lawrend replied.
âYes!â
The three of them glanced at each other before turning around and leaving. They didnât dare to linger in front of him for too long. The Ignis Clan felt like an Earth Mage spell pointed at their head.
After dispersing the envoys, Lawrend turned his head to each of his babies. He smiled at them. He wanted to engrave his face into their minds before he left. It might take a month at best, or a year at worst.
âMaster, did you delay the departure tonight to satisfy the other sisters?â Aleshia asked curiously.
âCorrect. Itâd be very unfair to leave just like that,â Lawrend answered truthfully.
âHehe. As expected of Master, you really care for each of us,â Aleshia giggled with a smile.
The others smiled at him warmly.
âWhere are Ella and Feli?â Lawrend asked.
âNyaa! They are training. Feli is learning the bow, and Ella was her practice target. The two of them wanted to become strong and contribute to us,â Amene answered.
âGood girls. How is your bow now, Amene?â
âIâm ashamed-nyaa. Iâm still only equivalent to a High Mage,â Amene answered dejectedly and lowered her head in shame.
The others made great progress in their magic these past few months.
âItâs because you are too worried about having my child. Forget about it for now. At this rate, you will be left behind. In fact, you have the greatest advantage of them all. You donât have a baby to worry about.
âFeli mostly relies on everyone else, so the burden on you is significantly lesser compared to before. Train and train and train. Your bow will be a great help in the future,â Lawrend said to her patiently.
âNyaaâ¦â
Amene looked away. She felt embarrassed and guilty that he was able to see through her like water.
âAmene, I will be frank with you. If you donât become an Arch Mage, you wonât live long. That means less time for us to try and conceive,â Lawrend said solemnly.
An Arch Mage could live for about 200 years, double the normal mortal lifespan. The stronger someone was, the longer they could live. That was one of the reasons why there were so many Earth Mages and Grand Mages in empires. They accumulate over the years due to their long lifespan.
âNyaa!!â
Lawrendâs harsh words were like a real slap to Ameneâs face. She woke up from her constant wish to conceive his child. She started doubting herself and realized that being down was not the solution.
âDo you understand?â Lawrend asked sternly.
âYes, Master-nyaa!â Amene responded candidly.
âWhen I return, I want to see some improvement!â Lawrend declared.
âNyaa!â Amene nodded her head.
âNext, Grape. What do you want to do? Do you not want to become powerful and live longer?â Lawrend asked.
âNo, Master. The fact that I met you and conceived a child for you is enough. My past will keep haunting me if I live longer. Besides, itâll be harder for me to become stronger at my age. I missed the prime time to train in the bow,â Grape replied sentimentally.