Aegon knew there was so past between the First Prince and Xiu, and he didn’t take Xiu’s words for it alone. Although he knew she wouldn’t lie to him, he also knew that she wouldn’t have a clue about her own feelings either.
Xiu rarely focused on herself or her emotions. If anything, she actively ignored them.
So hearing that the First Prince had actually loved her dearly made Aegon genuinely happy. That happiness was amplified by one important detail, Xiu herself had complinted that man.
It was extrely hard for soone to gain Xiu’s recognition. She had ridiculously high standards when it ca to people. If she said soone was good, then they were genuinely good. There was no exaggeration involved.
That alone made Aegon confident that Michael, no matter what his current standing or situation was, was not a bad person.
"How do we confirm it, though?" Aegon asked, leaning back slightly. "We can’t exactly just walk up to him and ask."
[We can visit Xav and et him using that as an excuse.]
"That’s not a bad idea," Aegon nodded. "If he really loves her and he’s a decent guy, we can try to play cupid."
[Rember, kids, I am not involved in this. This was your idea, and you collected the information yourself.]
[Mom, can’t you even help a little for your best friend?]
[Dear, if Xiu finds out about this, she’ll skin alive. You two will be fine since one is her dear son and the other is her daughter-in-law. She won’t say anything to you.]
[Grow so spine, Mom.]
[Even ten won’t be helpful against her. In any case, I’ll suggest first checking on Xiu. Try to casually ntion Mike around her and see her reaction. Only if we see that she has so feelings for him can we proceed.]
"You seem worried, Aunt," Aegon pointed out.
[It’s just that I feel bad for Mike. He already suffered once because of this, so I don’t want us to get his hopes up and then crush them. He doesn’t deserve that.]
"Don’t worry, Aunt. We’ll take it slow," Aegon said calmly. "Besides, we can only pull so strings. It ultimately depends on them. If they don’t put in the effort or realise their feelings, then it’s useless no matter what we do."
[That’s true. Good luck on your adventures, Son-in-law. I hope you succeed.]
[Can we ask for more suggestions in the future? Even if you can’t help us directly, giving us suggestions is fine, right?]
[I don’t see a problem with that. I always wanted to attend Little Xiu’s wedding, but I knew I was bound to be disappointed.]
Aegon chuckled softly. "Thanks for the help, Aunt."
[That reminds , when are you coming to Slyvanna? Both of you, actually. We have important things to discuss.]
[Are they giving her a hard ti?]
[What do you expect from people with brains in their ears? I had to rush back because of that. Idiots.]
Aegon realised that they must be talking about Rosa, which imdiately made him frown. The Elders were never subtle with their prejudice.
’That’s obvious,’ he thought. ’She’s a human, and they hate all humans.’
Still, it made him wonder about sothing deeper.
What was the connection between Elara and Rosa? They were vastly different people, different races, different backgrounds, different temperants. And yet, Aurelia protected Rosa with an intensity that went beyond re courtesy.
There were too many unanswered questions.
Aegon dismissed the thoughts for now. He would get his answers once he visited the land of the elves anyway.
It was only a matter of ti.
[The Elders also have a problem with your relationship with Little Gon. I almost slapped one to death today because of that, so co quickly if you don’t want to start a civil war here.]
[Calm down, Mom. You know how the Elders are, so why are you paying attention to their tantrums?]
[Because my dear daughter listens to them.]
[As it is my responsibility as the Elf Princess. But that doesn’t an they can dictate my life, Mom. If they have a problem with my relationship, then they can find a new princess for their nation.]
Aegon’s eyes widened as redness crept up his cheeks. He knew how much her status and responsibilities ant to Elara. She had been raised with duty ingrained into her bones.
The fact that she was willing to throw all of that away for him struck sothing deep inside his chest. His heart thumped hard, and an almost overwhelming urge to pull her into a hug or kiss her senseless rose within him.
[Aww~ you finally grew up! I’m so happy! I guess it’s true that girls grow up when they fall in love. That’s why Xiu never grew up. In any case, I’m happy with your decision. You have my full support and of course, your dad’s too.]
[Are you sure Dad will support this?]
[Just because he’s usually calm and prefers to stay low-key doesn’t an he’s a coward, dear. That man fought the entire council for . What do you think he’ll do for his daughter?]
Aegon smiled faintly. Elara truly had wonderful parents.
[I never doubted his love for , but he’s just like in a way. Anyway, I’ll return in a week, probably, if that’s fine with you.]
[That glass man is really taking his ti.]
"Uhh, no," Aegon interrupted quickly. "It’s because we want to spend a few days together. I an, I haven’t even taken her on a proper date yet, so I’d feel like I disappointed her."
[Ohhhhhh!!!! No problem at all. I’ll handle the Elders. You can take your ti coming back. Besides, I’ll just call Xiu if things get worse. She can cause enough headaches for everyone here that they won’t focus on you.]
Aegon’s lips twitched. His Aunt really had an impressive reputation. Aurelia sounded far too confident in her ability to terrorise an entire race into compliance.
"Also, just to warn you, Aunt. I have similar problems too," Aegon added.
[Huh? Aunt Xiu likes , and even Grandpa dotes on . What’s the problem? Am I unfit as your partner for them?]
He could sense genuine concern in her voice. Aegon nearly rolled his eyes.
She cared far too much about what others thought, but then again, these were the family mbers of the man she loved. It made sense.
"Silly girl," Aegon chuckled. "They love you so much that if I hurt you, they’d personally have flogged. I’m talking about my other lineage. House Valeria. They’re... a piece of work."
[They won’t like an alliance with the Elves? Isn’t that a good thing?]
Aegon shook his head. "Nope. Not at all. Why do you think my grandma had so many fights with them?"
[I didn’t know that. Did she really fight with her own House?]
Aegon humd. "You see, House Valeria is more like a compressed nation made up of many clans. All of them directly serve the main Valerian lineage."
[I know that much, at least.]
"Then you should know that all previous Supres married within House Valeria," Aegon continued. "That’s how they preserved their lineage and maintained the House’s strength. But Grandma ditched her arranged marriage and fled to the human domain. One thing led to another, and she married Opa."
[Wait! Really? Damn! I’ve heard so much about her, but I never knew she was that daring. So how did they accept her?]
"It’s because they couldn’t do anything to their Supre," Aegon chuckled softly. "House Valeria is strong not because of the clans, but because of the Valerian lineage itself. They can’t defy a Supre. So that’s exactly what Grandma did. She took the trial and beca their new Supre."
He paused, letting the weight of that sink in.
"She didn’t ask for their permission. She forced their hand. Once she beca the Supre, they had no choice but to accept. That’s also why they don’t like much, well so of them. I grew up in human domain."
[Ride Rovan was very supportive of you, so are there factions inside House Valeria?]
"You can say that in a way," Aegon nodded. "Majority are fine with , though. They value talent and loyalty above all else. Not to ntion, I’m the only one with Valerian lineage. Only a few of them are angry, mostly the clan who was supposed to marry Grandma."
The call fell into a brief silence, filled with unspoken thoughts.
[Then... they’ll probably oppose too, won’t they?]
Aegon shrugged, "Yes. They will. But they won’t dare touch you. Not while I’m alive. Beside, their opinion doesn’t matter. I’ll take the trail and beco a Supre too."
[You’re really stubborn. I like that.]
Aegon smiled. "I learned from the best."
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