Monday, August 1st, 2044
Imperial Resort, Pahalgam, Kashmir.
Dressed in very casual clothes but with their hiking shoes on, a pair of a tall young man and a tall lady, both of whom were suffocatingly beautiful, entered the restaurant for the brunch.
Their beauty attracted a lot of eyes to them, but they paid no heed to anyone as they engaged in a conversation, smiling at each other, and mostly looking into each other's eyes.
It was clear to everyone that they were in love with one another. It could not be any more obvious than it was, and most of the people present in the restaurant knew who this young couple was.
However, the Imperial Resort was not a place the general public had access to, and this was a place where only the very distinguished people could stay. And none of them was rude enough to stand up and intrude on their privacy, no matter how eager they were to say hello to the famous Heir of one of the richest families in the world, and his first wife, who was a godly genius in architecture.
"So, she nearly succeeded?" Keith teasingly smiled at her.
"She does have a very unique ability. It won't be long before she gets her first win again me, and maybe it will come sooner than yours." Amelia smiled back at him.
Ever since he had returned, he had not sat down to play a game of chess with her. And from what she had told him, Rebecca had vastly improved her game that she was giving her a tough time now.
It was not something unexpected. After all, with her natural ability and talent, his blonde bride was capable of excelling in any field she puts her mind to, but gratefully for everyone, she was quite lazy.
His eyes inadvertently landed on the ring she was wearing on her right hand, and Amelia caught him looking at it.
"It's a very strange artefact."
Her words made him smile as he guessed what exactly was running through her mind. She was curious about how such a thing could be made, and it was complicated enough that even he could not explain it properly to her.
Realm Sealing Artefacts were very precious treasures, and though they were quite expensive, he had bought one for her from the System Shop to prevent any accidents from happening.
"How do you feel now?" He inquired.
"Relaxed." And she straightforwardly answered him.
"I am glad. So, how's the project Element Prime coming along?"
"I made some sketches for it, but I am not satisfied with them. It will take time." Amelia told him and then raised her head to look him in the eyes. "When do you plan on telling Qingyue about your relationship with Celine?"
"As soon as Celine is ready for it." He replied right away, making her frown.
Amelia knew Keith was not unaware of the fears that were gripping Celine. She was getting restless with every passing day, and the thoughts she might be entertaining in her mind might prove detrimental to her.
"She's getting restless and might need your help."
"I know." Keith smiled at her. "But she has to stand up for herself and be confident in her choice."
"There's a possibility that she might ask you to keep quiet about what happened between the two of you."
"She won't." He shook her head. "She can not hide it from Qingyue forever."
Amelia did not raise the matter again and simply nodded to his words. However, she did raise another matter, which was much more serious than the last one.
"Qingyue is weak, Keith."
Her words paused him, but then reaches for the glass and sipped on some water.
What she was talking about was not Qingyue's physical strength, but her mental strength.
His dear Qingyue was too innocent, too empathetic, and also too stubborn. She was simply not prepared for the times to come, and it would be unbearable for her to live in a world much greater and more majestic than theirs. The way she was, she would not be able to accept the way life worked, and its bluntness that was masked away in this world filled with people who were too weak and helpless.
He had seen for himself that she was disturbed after she heard the news of Lin Houtian's death. She hated the man, but she still fell into a melancholic state. He was, after all, her father. And she knew that it was his blood that ran through her veins even though she refuses to call him "father" and did not even attend his funeral.
"Time changes people, Amy." He lightly said. "The most unforgettable and profound lessons are learnt through experience, not by anyone's words of advice or guidance."
"She will get hurt."
"I know. But there is no way around it if she wants to become stronger." He simply said. "And we will always be there for her to guide her if he ever seeks our help."
Amelia smiled at his words and nodded her head.
"Victor approached me a few days ago with a request."
"Oh." He surprisedly looked at her, guessing what his muscle-head bodyguard must have requested of her.
"He asked me to convince you to help him get stronger too the way you have helped Ryou, Sebastian, and Yingying..." She had a playful smile on her face, and Keith could not help his chuckles.
"He was too shy to ask me about it?"
"No. It was more so his confidence that you would not refuse it if I asked you to help him out."
"Well, it seems like Mr. Muscle-head is finally using his brains." Keith chuckled some more. "So, do you want me to help him out with it?"
Amelia shrugged at the question.
"You would have helped him out anyway. After all, he's one of your precious assets and someone very loyal to you."
"That he is." He nodded, admitting to her words. "I have plans for him."
His wife nodded to him, not prying into the matter, and then proceeded to finish the meal.
They stayed in the restaurant for over an hour, and when they exited it, no one else was inside at the tables.
A tall and refined man, who was not a staff member of the Hotel, was waiting for them outside the restaurant, and he immediately bowed to them when they came out.
"Lead the way." Keith nodded to him and only then did the man straighten his back.
Amelia was quite curious about the reason why Keith had brought her here, and her curiosity only rose when she determined that the man leading them to the auditorium of this Hotel was a Vampire.
She had not met or seen one before, but Celine and Rebecca had talked enough about them, and the latter had told her the telltale signs to determine if one was a Vampire or not.
An ordinary person would never be able to tell the difference, but she was not ordinary. And a simple look in the man's eyes had given his truth away to her.
Despite her curiosity, she did not raise the matter even once and just accompanied him into the Auditorium that had several people waiting inside for their arrival.
"Lord Erebus, Lady Demiliore!"
Everyone bowed to them, even those who were undoubtedly some of the very powerful people in this world.
Amelia was deeply surprised when she felt that there were several people among the two factions in front of them that were near the peak of the Spirit Profound Realm. And one was even in the Realm of Primal Desolation.
It was an old man with a white beard, but his face was still ruddy. After Keith nodded to them and politely greeted them back, she learnt that this man was the President of the Esper Association of the Royal Five.
"Shall we get to the business, Sir Aaron, Prince Vlad?" Keith asked the old man, who was dressed in white, along with the rest of the people that belonged to the Esper Association, and asked the man who was dressed in black, seemingly only in his late twenties, and very refined.
"Yes, my Lord." Both of them nodded to his words and then followed Keith and Amelia as they took their seats at the round table.
She silently listened to everything that the two parties talked about. And very soon it was evident that Prince Damon, also called Vlad, who was the Head of one of
Of the Ancient Houses of Vampires in Europe, was representing his race today.
He was there to reach an agreement with the Esper Association where both the factions would help each other out in times of need, and though the Ancient Houses of Vampires had never before indulged in worldly affairs, they were forced out of their castles after one of the Ancient Houses had been brought on the verge of extinction because of Hades, the head of one of the world's most powerful Mercenary Group.
Apparently, the Inheritor of Hades could not bear a loss when he was told no after the head of the Ancient House refused to bend his knees to the Mortal God.
Hades was on a mission, going around and gathering forces for himself, and he already had an army of Vampires under his belt. But now, he was aiming to add the Ancient Houses under his banner.
It was only after the meeting ended in the late afternoon that Amelia finally spoke again.
"Why is Hades so adamant about gathering himself an army of Vampires?"
"He's scared." Keith lightly smiled and looked into her gorgeous emerald eyes.
"Of what?"
"I."
"Oh..." Amelia nodded to him and then walked into their suite, not raising the matter again.
She had understood the things enough, and she was not interested in any of it.
