With the heavy gold coins in his pockets, Ren Xiyang felt favourable towards this rich second generation (rich many-generations). “In fact, I’m in the process of creating a new kind of plough. I’ll inform you once it’s made.”
“Oh? Then I will thank you in advance,” Rian said, pleased. “My Imperial Mother, Queen Mira, is contacting distinguished persons from the Angio Kingdom. If all goes well, we’ll have some of their food specialities in Sedaveria in the future. Let me invite you for a meal once we bring an Angio chef to the Capital.”
Ren Xiyang made a noncommittal sound. Cognisant of the guards following them in earshot, he said, “I’m curious about these specialities of Angio Kingdom.”
Rian readily responded: “Angio Kingdom is particularly suited to growing certain crops, so their specialities are mostly variations of those…”
The two of them spent the rest of their walk through the rose gardens conversing about the Angio Kingdom.
At the end of the walk, Ren Xiyang reluctantly took out the very gold coins Rian had given him. “Your Highness, after teaching me about Angio, let me give you these gold coins in appreciation.”
The Royal Guards: “……”
“I’m not poor, though,” Rian said magnanimously. “Keep the coins. If it suits you, you can think of them as an advanced future payment.”
Ren Xiyang nodded and put the coins back in his pocket.
The Royal Guards: “……” It turned out that Master Ayden Rosewood must be truly quite poor?
Once the group re-emerged from the rose gardens, the Junior Investigator Bennett standing at the manor front doors spotted them.
“Master Rosewood, the others are ready to begin the lineage testing. Your Highness, you’re welcome to observe,” Bennett said.
“Lead the way then, Investigator Bennett,” Rian said.
“Follow me, Your Highness, Master Rosewood.”
Investigator Bennett took them to the main hall on the ground floor. At the front of the hall were the two other Investigators along with the Councillor, the two mages, and the Rosewood managers and lawyer. Meanwhile, servants and guards stood quietly at the other end of the hall, eyes round with curiousity and anticipation.
Prince Rian spotted Count Aegean, so he walked over, not a hint of guilt on his face despite Count Aegean’s suspicious look.
Ren Xiyang went to the front.
Imperial Councillor Blewitt cleared his throat slightly. With the entire hall’s attention on him, he began.
“Today, I am here in my capacity as an Imperial Councillor of Sedaveria. Due to the untimely death of Earl Roland Rosewood, we must appoint a new Rosewood Earl. Under Common Law and customary descent, the Rosewood estate and fief will be inherited first by the eldest surviving son of the late Earl Roland Rosewood. If not available, then the daughters will be co-heiresses…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Imperial Councillor Blewitt explained the order of inheritance: direct descendants took priority, but if not found or suitable, then relatives such as aunts and uncles and nephews and nieces could inherit, and so forth. Not many people wrote wills, since the customary order was ‘obvious’.
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Zjuf Zecrfii kjr atf wjif wjuf klat ubivfc tjlg. Llr ktlaf gbyfr klat jc fvulcu bo gfv vfcbafv tlw jr j iluta-fifwfca tfjifg wjuf klat j rqfmljilas lc yibbv rqfiir. Lf kjixfv abkjgvr Csvfc Ebrfkbbv.
“Ayden Rosewood, hold out your hand.”
Ren Xiyang obeyed.
Mage Munsell chanted a low spell under his breath. A drop of blood passed out of Ren Xiyang’s hand, through his skin. This blood drop floated into a tiny clear glass vial that Mage Munsell took out.
Mage Munsell turned to the others. “Now for the reference samples.”
The Rosewood junior manager, Manager Ashdown, held a tray. The Imperial Councillor placed a small ornate box on the tray, and the Rosewood senior lawyer, Solicitor Carmine placed another small ornate box on the tray.
The late Earl Roland Rosewood had his blood and magical signature kept by the Imperial Council, as he was a member of the Council. The Rosewood family had also kept a sample of the late Lady Rosewood’s blood and magical signature at their house in the Capital, which Solicitor Carmine had brought today.
Using these small vials of blood, Mage Munsell could establish “Ayden Rosewood’s” blood relationship.
Mage Munsell first opened the small box that contained a vial of the late Earl Roland Rosewood’s blood. As he cast his spell, the vial with Ayden Rosewood’s blood and the vial with Roland Rosewood’s blood began to glow.
After a moment, a strong, thick line of light formed between the vials. There was a quiet intake of breath around the room. The servants could guess what it meant, and the senior members in the room knew what it meant, but they all looked towards Mage Munsell.
Mage Munsell carefully analysed the width and strength of the connection. “Earl Roland Rosewood was the father of Ayden Rosewood,” he confirmed.
Bastard child, was the thought on many minds.
Manager Gregory’s eyes slanted towards Ayden Rosewood. A bastard child raised poorly, he thought sourly.
This wasn’t entirely unexpected. Many nobles had illegitimate children.
Ren Xiyang’s expressionlessness didn’t fluctuate.
Mage Munsell ended the spell, and the vial stopped glowing. Then, he opened the second box that contained a vial of the late Lady Marie Rosewood’s blood.
The tension in the hall tightened as he cast the same spell again.
The two vials of blood started to glow.
After a moment, a strong, thick line of light formed between the two vials.
Someone gasped quietly.
The thickness of this line of light was no thinner than the previous one!
Mage Munsell carefully checked, but there was no mistake. “Lady Marie Rosewood was the mother of Ayden Rosewood,” he said.
Manager Gregory’s face twisted in shock, and even Prince Rian was surprised.
Eyes turned to the unperturbed Ayden Rosewood. Of course Ayden Rosewood was unperturbed! He knew! He had clearly long known that he was the child of Lady Marie Rosewood too! He was never an illegitimate child in the first place!
“Mage Alabaster, confirm the results,” Imperial Councillor Blewitt ordered.
“Yes, Councillor.”
Mage Munsell stepped back while the second mage stepped forward.
Mage Alabaster had long white hair and wore a white robe edged with blue. She was a light-element healer mage with a speciality in familial spells.
“Your hand,” she said to Ayden.
She used a small magical knife to make a cut on Ren Xiyang’s hand. The blade absorbed some blood and then magically closed the wound.
Mage Alabaster cast her own spells on the blood-touched knife. A line of red snaked out of the knife. It split in two, connecting onto the two vials containing Roland Rosewood and Marie Rosewood’s blood.
“Imperial Councillor Blewitt, I confirm that Ayden Rosewood is the child of Roland Rosewood and Marie Rosewood,” Mage Alabaster said.
Complicated eyes looked towards Ayden Rosewood.
Ayden Rosewood was the son of Roland Rosewood and Marie Rosewood nee Cordovan.
HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE?!
The late Earl Roland Rosewood could have had a secret extramarital affair…but how did Lady Marie Rosewood have a secret pregnancy?!
Thinking back to the year when Ayden Rosewood was supposed to be born, there was nothing out of the ordinary with Lady Marie Rosewood! Had Ayden Rosewood been a premature birth? (That would explain how small he was.) Was there something they had missed?
While heads ached at the unreasonableness of Lady Marie Rosewood’s secret pregnancy, Ren Xiyang was starting to feel bored, oblivious—and uncaring—to the world views being broken in the room. Instead, he looked pointedly at the Councillor and the managers.
Imperial Councillor Blewitt straightened, looking down on Ayden and the rest of the hall. “It has been confirmed by Mage Munsell and Mage Alabaster that Ayden Rosewood is the legitimate child of Earl Roland Rosewood and Lady Marie Rosewood nee Cordovan.”
When he didn’t continue, Ren Xiyang opened his mouth. “Thus, under Common Law and customary descent, I, as the eldest surviving son, shall inherit the Rosewood estate and fief.”
Imperial Councillor Blewitt stiffened. He knew that at this very moment, Baron Cordovan and Duke Schauss were preparing their cases to be acting regent for the Rosewood estate and fief. The outcome of today’s lineage test was beyond anyone’s reasonable expectations.
Blewitt retorted in an imperious manner, “However, with your age, it is best to have a mentor. The Rosewood fief is an important part of Sedaveria, and so it is in the best interest of the Imperial Council to ensure its stability.”
The ongoing murder investigations weren’t an excuse. It wasn’t uncommon for royalty and nobles to murder certain family members in order to secure inheritance. Even if Ayden Rosewood had played a part in the murders, he would still inherit first. Age and immaturity were the best counter-reasons to delay Ayden Rosewood’s inheritance.
And in the original history, those reasons had been employed, along with the consideration of Alyssa Rosewood’s instability and heavy injuries. She had only been ten and enjoying her childhood when her family was abruptly taken away from her.
But Ren Xiyang wasn’t Alyssa Rosewood.
“Five hundred years ago, King Rexius Red ascended the throne when he was only thirteen years old,” Ren Xiyang responded coldly.
Imperial Councillor Blewitt narrowed his eyes at the sudden topic change. What was he implying?
Meanwhile, across the hall, Count Aegean stiffened. Why did this sound so familiar? The last person to mention King Rexius Red was…a certain naughty prince. He unwillingly turned his head and saw that Prince Rian had an amused expression.
Prince Rian: I have good judgement ^_^
Count Aegean: Is this what children are like these days?? ಠ_ಠ
Everyone else: Um, have you forgotten about Lady Marie Rosewood’s so-secret-that-no-one-knew pregnancy????
Ren Xiyang: *indifferent*
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Thank you for reading!!
Duke Schauss ??? Is he that Sauce girly’s father ???
Yep! You can call Cassiopeia “Cassie” if it’s too long XDDDD
No no.. I prefer Sauce ~ 😂
pffftttt 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Luckily Cassiopeia can’t see the readers’ comments 🤣🤣🤣🤣
The Drama, now people will wonder
🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭 not that Ren Xiyang cares hahahaha as long as it doesn’t stop him~
Thanks for the update
Thank you for reading!
Thanks for the chapter! Also, since they don’t know who wanted to assassinate the Rosewood family, how can another noble family be trusted to manage his estates until the mastermind is found?
They don’t care. It is all about politics and power. Murder is fine as long as you don’t get caught.
Also, Ayden was hatched from an egg.
Murder is fine as long as you don’t get caught — that’s right, and even more fine if you’re a noble XD
HAHAHAHAHA
No, no! Se lo trajo la cigüeña! 🐦🧺
OMG hahahahh
Welllll, the law is for the commoners, not so much the nobles… The estate and fief still needs to continue running, after all!
hides any plot holes
I gotta ask. Did I miss a gender change scene or he’s still a she?
Eh? Ren Xiyang (a guy) is just going around as a guy (i.e. socially presenting as male). No one thinks he’s Alyssa Rosewood!
He’s a he. Ayden decided he wants to look like himself from his last life rather than the girl his soul inhabits. See the black hair dye and Alyssa’s Brother’s clothes…
Yep!
im surprised nobody thought of the possibility of him being twins with the og chick but then again it’s a genetic thing and if neither fams have a history of it u wouldn’t expect it.
even so, it sounds more believable than a secret pregnancy.
Ah, but you see, Ren Xiyang pretended to be 12! Meanwhile, the OG Alyssa is 10, and the big brother Silas was 14! Ren Xiyang had wanted to pretend to be older, but pushing it too much would be unrealistic.
If this was the modern world, someone might think that they had a surrogate give birth~
sure but seeing as he looks younger than he claimed, even more so bc the og was a chick, i dont think it’d be surprising for someone to think he was lying abt his age. then again this is your novel so who am i to say.
No, it makes the premature, weak sickly baby believable. Sick children frequently skip growth spurts and put that energy into healing instead. Proud nobles would hide a sickly runt, if not outright kill it… so one again it is reasonable for Ayden to be a hidden child.
sure except (unless im forgetting something) nobody has mentioned that possibility. they all seem to see the mc as “a poorly raised bastard child with strange ways of thinking” rather than “a sickly weak child who was hidden”
u cant say that it fits for a narrative when nobody is thinking of that narrative (in the story). ur defending something that, so far, doesnt exist.
No one probably thinks of Ren Xiyang/Ayden Rosewood as a sickly child because he’s so magically OP 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 It could certainly be fine to think that “Ayden Rosewood” had been weak and sickly (before the reveal of his OP powers)
Thank you for the chapter!! <3
Thank you for reading!
Thank you for the chapter 🥰
Thank you for reading!
I love their dynamic already, and they only met a few days agooo
As for the pregnancy… maybe say that he’s twin with alyssa? But was hidden for xxx reason? Or just not care at all and let everyone else draw their own conclusions? 🤔
It’s amazing to realise that only a few days have passed in-story XD
Well, Ren Xiyang isn’t going to clarify at all hahahahahah
Face slaps for assumers… Thanks for the imagery! 🤣😁
they’re slapping their own faces to see whether or not they’re dreaming 🤣
This was such a fun chapter I can’t stop laughing thank you
🤭🤭🤭🤭 I’m glad you liked it!
lol
rxy: you can all make up your own conclusions idgaf so long as you let me farm
hehehehe Ren Xiyang just wants people to be obedient and let him do what he wants
One shall not disclose the secrets of the family!
😉😉😉😉 such a huge family secret!
gods, xiyang just Does Not Care and that is soooooo cool of him. he’s the best
Life is too short (literally?) to care!
You know how no one would’ve noticed the “secret pregnancy”? With an attention-diversion spell stuck to her belly… In a world with magic, you can explain every weird thing with magic if you want to.
Definitely!!! There are very many ways things can be explained!