Lord of Ascension: The Birth of Chaos-Chapter 62 Unwanted Ties

"Alright, tell her I’ll see her after changing my clothes."

River gave a deep bow before he walked away.

’I thought he was my servant, when did he turn into a general one?’ Kaelith pushed the door open, stepping into his room.

His gaze fell on the black dragon egg sitting on a golden nest... the one he had ordered the servants to bring.

He clasped his hands behind his back, walking towards the table.

He tilted his head as he stared at the egg, he still didn’t know why the egg was not showing any sign of movement.

"If I didn’t feel the mana coming from you, I would have thought that you were dead." He caressed its hard rough shell, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint.

...

Kaelith stood outside Agnes’ door. He hesitated for a while before he knocked on the door.

"Come in." Agnes’ voice rang from the other side of the door.

Before he could grab the door’s doorknob, the door flew open by itself.

He looked unfazed by it and casually stepped inside, The door slammed shut behind him.

"Kaelith!" Plum’s voice rang from the opposite side of the room.

She hastened her step as she walked towards him, getting to where he was, she gently tapped his shoulder.

"It has been a while since I last saw you. I miss you, my godchild." Her eyes glistened.

As much as Plum loves Kaelith as her own, she wouldn’t dare to pull him into a hug, knowing and witnessing his demonic powers.

"Lady Plum." He answered curtly.

She nodded back at him before returning to Agnes’ side.

"Empress." He greeted without bowing his head.

Agnes wore a dark red gown, laced at the back. Her silky black hair cascaded down her back, with a golden crown on her head.

"My son." Agnes smiled at him. "Come sit with me." She motioned for him to come closer.

Kaelith’s gaze swept over Agnes before it moved to Plum and back to Agnes. ’What are these ladies cooking?’

Hesitantly, he walked further towards her and sat on a chair opposite her.

His eyes fell on the book she was reading. An image of a grogth was drawn on it with black paint. And there was some writing on the side of it.

"Interested in the creature?" Agnes observed him with an amusing smile.

"Have heard about the creatures before, but have not seen them with this high level of detail." His brows furrowed, why was she reading this?

’Weren’t the Grogths sealed a hundred years ago?’ His eyes moved from the book to Agnes’ face.

"Why did you ask for me?"

"Is that a way to talk to your mother? You couldn’t even talk about how much you have missed me." Agnes said dramatically.

Kaelith looked at her with a blank expression.

Agnes sighed. "I really don’t understand what type of son you are."

"Don’t you?" He tilted his head slightly.

A glint flicked through Agnes’ eyes. "I do. You are smart and very intelligent, you don’t like physical touch and you don’t like greeting your elders or seniors..."

"The last part feels more like nagging."

"It is nagging." She smiled at him.

Silence stretched through the room like a thin layer of ice. Seeing that he had remained quiet, Agnes parted her lips to speak again. "The Emperor of the Summere Empire is coming to visit us."

"How does that relate to me? He is not my guest." His brows furrowed slightly, he already knew where this was going... After all, his loving father had betrothed him to them. ’Terrible so-called father.’

"Believe me, it is related to you. He is not coming alone, he is coming with his seventh daughter... the one betrothed to you." She said with a displeased look.

"What do you want us to do? I know you don’t like the arrangement either, why don’t we break it?"

"That is why I called for you. We need a plan before they arrive."

"And when are they coming?" Kaelith tapped his fingers on the table in a slow, painful manner. His eyes flicked to the creature in the book.

"In a month." She smiled gently. "Would you like some tea?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"No."

Agnes poured herself a cup instead. The sharp and sweet scent of jasmine filled the air. She took a slow sip, her eyes never leaving Kaelith’s face.

"You seem calm," she said after a while.

Kaelith leaned back slightly, his fingers still tapping the table in that same lazy, unhurried rhythm. "Why wouldn’t I be?"

"Because," she set the cup down, "the Summere Emperor is known for being clever. And his daughter... Well, let’s just say I doubt she’ll be a quiet guest."

"I have no intention of entertaining her," Kaelith said plainly.

Plum glanced between them and let out a soft sigh. "Then what are we going to do? If we reject them directly, it could cause tension between the empires."

"That’s not our problem," Kaelith said, standing. "If the Emperor has a fragile ego, perhaps he shouldn’t have sent a child to win favor."

"She’s not a child," Agnes said. "She’s just two months older than you... But yes, I agree, it’s a foolish match."

Kaelith gritted his teeth before he tilted his head. "Then you don’t want it either?"

"I never did." Agnes stood and walked toward the window, the light catching the gold in her crown. "But this isn’t about what I want. Your father signed the arrangement years ago. We can’t undo it without a good reason."

Kaelith folded his arms behind his back. "Then let’s give them one."

Agnes turned slightly. "What are you thinking?"

"I’ll make sure she refuses me first. That way, it’s not our fault." His voice was calm, almost bored.

Plum raised a brow. "You want to scare her away?"

Kaelith offered a faint smile. "Is that hard to believe?"

"No," Plum said softly. "It’s exactly what I expect from you."

Agnes let out a small laugh. "Alright then. I’ll trust you to handle it. But be subtle, Kaelith. The Summere Emperor is not the type of man to be embarrassed publicly."

Kaelith nodded, then glanced at the book again. "And the Grogth? Why are you reading about them?"

Agnes tapped her nails against the table. "A few unusual deaths have been reported on the southern border. There were no signs of wounds, just empty heads..."

Kaelith’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"The reports were dismissed at first," she continued, "but then someone found carvings in the trees. Symbols we haven’t seen in over a century."

"And you think they’re active again?"

"I think we’d be fools to pretend they’re not." Agnes met his gaze. "Keep your eyes open. If anything happens during the Summere visit, I want to know before the Emperor does."

Kaelith turned, heading for the door. "Then you’d better find someone who can track faster than the Emperor."

"You’ll do," she said simply.

He paused for a second, then left the room without a word. ’She wants to turn me into her little pawn, wishful thinking.’

Plum watched the door swing shut. "Do you think he’ll scare the girl off?"

Agnes sipped her tea again, lips curling faintly. "If he doesn’t, she might be worse than I thought."