Chapter 19 – Secret Discussion in the Study

In the residence of the Tidis family, the Duchess finally let go of the gentle, graceful, and impeccable demeanor of a noble lady that she had been barely maintaining over the past year after seeing her most beloved and trusted eldest son.

Having been married into the Tidis family for many years, her ties to her maternal family had grown increasingly distant. When facing the Duke, she always had to maintain a gentle demeanor, unwilling to add any more troubles to his life. Meanwhile, her younger son was still too young, in an age where he needed constant care—the worries that had accumulated in her heart could only be revealed in front of her eldest son.

The Duchess’s room remained the same as when Lin Wei had left, but the lady of the house had visibly grown more haggard.

She sat in front of the finely crafted, delicately carved dressing table, her ears still echoing the words her eldest son had spoken before leaving the room: “Mother, you don’t need to worry about anything. Although I’ve gone to the Magic Academy, I’m still a son of the Tidis family—as long as Father and I are here, nothing will shake the Tidis family.”

By now, dusk had fallen, and the golden-red twilight shone upon the heavy black door of the study, yet it failed to bring out any noteworthy luster.

A hand curled its knuckles and lightly knocked on the dark door, producing a rhythmic sound.

Chief Guard Pattier opened the door for the visitor.

The Duke sat in his usual spot, looking up at the figure that appeared in the doorway.

The eldest son was dressed in his favorite black attire, his slightly thin frame and handsome features, which leaned more toward his mother’s, were largely unchanged from when he had left home—he still looked like a young man.

In the past, when nobles saw the eldest son of the Tidis family like this, they would be surprised that the child seemed to have nothing in common with the tall and robust men typically associated with the martial Tidis family. They would then speculate that this child was likely not favored by the Duke of Tidis.

Their speculations, however, were far from the truth—the Duke held an extraordinary level of importance and affection for this child.

However, after a year apart, the relationship between father and son seemed to have changed significantly.

Pattier watched the scene in the study where the Duke and his eldest son silently gazed at each other, his nerves strained by this silent standoff.

After a long while, it was Lin Wei who finally spoke first: “Father.”

The Duke snorted coldly, taking a sip of the now cold tea on the table: “It’s rare that you still remember you’re a son of the Tidis family.”

Lin Wei slightly lowered his head: “I’ve never forgotten.”

“Lin Wei…” the Duke said slowly, looking into his eyes, “I’ve always thought I understood you better than your mother.”

Lin Wei’s expression at this moment was almost emotionless, a stark contrast to how he had appeared in his mother’s room earlier.

The Duke’s expression grew serious as he continued, “Today, I’ll only ask you one thing—a year ago, was it that the stone lost its effect, or was it your own choice to go to the Magic Academy?”

“It was my own choice,” Lin Wei replied without hesitation, meeting his father’s gaze.

—His father was right. He did understand him better than his mother.

Lin Wei had indeed managed to deceive his mother, but he didn’t believe he could deceive his father.

“It seems I wasn’t wrong… but you’re not someone who makes decisions on a whim,” the Duke said word by word, “What are you trying to do?”

Another silence fell in the study.

Lin Wei stood in front of the desk, fragments of images flashing before his eyes.

The battlefields and ruins of his past life, the burning Imperial Capital, his dead family members, broken blades, and shattered crystals. And in this life, the mermaids leaping out of the sea, the giant dragons circling in the sky, and the quiet profile of a mage illuminated by the faint light through the window.

Lin Wei felt no nostalgia for his past life, which had been spent in the midst of war and under the cloak of secrecy. Thus, in this life, he didn’t want to do anything grand—he wasn’t like his kind and compassionate mother, who would grieve and sympathize at the sight of others’ suffering. He had no grand, merciful notions of changing the Empire’s history or saving the countless lives lost in war.

He simply wanted to do things he hadn’t done before, without owing allegiance to anyone or carrying any burdens—and to realize this ambition, he had to find a turning point in the dark, one-directional fate of his past life.

He spoke: “Father, I want to ask you for something—”

The Duke’s eyes widened as he watched his eldest son calmly utter these words.

“I want to ask you—to support Prince Bolan.”

Support Bolan? That sickly second son of the Emperor?

The Duke, recovering from his initial disbelief, had a contemplative look in his eyes as he pieced together all the clues that had been puzzling him. He looked at his son: “You sent yourself to the Magic Academy to force me to support Bolan?”

It was well-known among the nobles and ministers that Prince Gregory was extremely suspicious.

It was also no secret that Prince Gregory harbored deep hostility toward the Magic World.

Even though the Tidis family had sworn allegiance to this prince from the moment he came of age, the fact that their eldest son had entered the Magic World meant that, once Gregory ascended the throne, Tidis would no longer enjoy his unreserved trust.

More importantly, as the old Emperor grew increasingly frail, it was time to clean up the old forces in the Imperial Capital to create a clean and reliable environment for the next generation.

The Tidis family, which held significant military power, no matter how much glory they had earned in defending the Empire and expanding its territories, would be in an unsafe position at this time. If the heir also showed clear distrust—the Imperial Family’s power was considerable, and the family would inevitably suffer significant damage.

Lin Wei knew his father was the most stubborn.

From the very beginning, his father had been determined to remain loyal to Gregory and wouldn’t easily change his stance.

Unless Gregory first became suspicious of the Tidis family, putting the entire family in a dangerous position, and with himself entering the Magic World, leaving the only eligible heir as his mediocre younger brother, his father would be forced into deep concern for the future of the Tidis family—this proposal of “supporting Bolan” wouldn’t even cross his mind.

Lin Wei did feel some guilt for dragging his family into this mess—but he also had his reasons for doing so.

His father understood him, but Lin Wei also understood his father.

This would indeed make his father seriously consider Bolan as an option, but if he still refused, Lin Wei would have to seek other methods—though the likelihood of that was quite small.

“I need your reason,” the Duke said, looking at his eldest son as he pondered, “You’ve gone through a lot of trouble to make the Tidis family abandon Gregory and choose a seemingly hopeless second son of the Imperial Family… I know you’ve always been clever, Lin Wei—what’s your reliance?”

Lin Wei inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew his father was already carefully considering this matter, and all he needed was a sufficiently convincing reason to believe that Bolan had a chance to ascend the throne and that his ascension would greatly benefit the family.

And this reason wasn’t difficult for Lin Wei to provide. Although he couldn’t reveal the war between the Empire and the Magic World that would occur in his past life and its consequences, he had personally experienced the fierce struggle for the throne a few years later.

Prince Bolan, who was currently not favored by many, would possess considerable assets a few years from now.

As the old Emperor grew closer to death, his mind became increasingly indecisive. Bolan, though physically weak, was extremely intelligent, and he would also secure a successful marriage… If it weren’t for the formidable strength of the Tidis family backing Gregory, the ultimate winner of this contest might not have been him.

Back then, Lin Wei, together with Sars Angel, had been at the very core of Gregory’s faction—with his understanding of the situation, it wouldn’t be difficult to convince his father.

As the sky grew darker, the lights in the study were lit and remained on until late into the night.

The loyal Chief Guard listened to the increasingly alarming conversation between father and son, fearing that he might be permanently silenced the next day for knowing too much.

“Good, good, good.”

The Duke said “good” three times in a row, the clouds in his eyes seemingly blown away by a strong wind. The gloom that had lingered for so long vanished, replaced by a sense of ambition and joy—he looked at the eldest son he had personally raised: “You’re more capable than I am… truly a son of the Tidis family!”

Lin Wei’s mood also lightened—with the Tidis family now supporting Bolan, such a significant bargaining chip in hand, it would be a natural outcome for that prince, who had devoted all his energy to developing his intellect, to triumph over his brother.

And unlike his brother, Bolan didn’t harbor grand ambitions or a desire for conquest, nor did he view the Magic World as a thorn in his side that needed to be removed. If he came to power, the relationship between the Empire and the Magic World would remain as cold but peaceful as it was now…

With this, it seemed as though everything was heading in a bright direction: war would not be provoked, the Tidis family would stand securely, and he could continue his journey in the Floating Sky Capital. Then, as if nothing had happened, he would return to the Magic Academy with the knight siblings and live a carefree life completely different from his past one.

Hmm… and perhaps become good brothers with his greatest enemy from his past life?

Lin Wei felt as though he could fly.

At this moment, the Duke continued his unsparing praise: “You’ve done well since coming to the Imperial Capital, though it seems something unseemly happened… Recently, the Imperial Capital has been extremely sensitive about mages. You must always keep your distance from the family.”

The Duke’s words brought Lin Wei’s wandering thoughts back: “What exactly happened in the Imperial Capital?”