Chapter 557 - 555: This is the Feeling of Being Defended

Chapter 557: Chapter 555: This is the Feeling of Being Defended

「Inside the banquet hall.」

Upon seeing the Emperor and Empress, Celeste Grant and her family gave a slight bow.

"Greetings, Royal Brother, Royal Sister-in-law."

"Greetings, Royal Brother, Royal Sister-in-law, and all the royal ladies."

’They had borrowed these identities, so they had to show the proper courtesy. Her son, this wisp of a Primordial Spirit, still had to live in Elyndra. She and Javier Sinclair also wouldn’t be leaving for some time.’

’The necessary courtesy had to be shown. But as for kneeling to a mortal emperor? That was out of the question. Even if she did kneel, he wouldn’t be able to withstand it.’

Aaron Sinclair had thought he would surely be nervous meeting his Imperial Uncle and the Empress, whom he had never laid eyes on before.

But in their presence, he felt perfectly calm, not a single ripple in his heart. ’Is it because I’m part of the Royal Family? Is that why I don’t feel the slightest bit of fear facing the Emperor? That could be it.’

He bowed slightly.

"Greetings, Imperial Uncle. Greetings, Your Majesty."

His voice was clear and youthful, and the moment he spoke, the eyes of the Emperor and Empress immediately fell upon him.

Aaron Sinclair’s face was the spitting image of his father, as if carved from the same mold. With the two of them standing together, anyone could tell at a glance that they were father and son.

The Empress was thrilled to see him, her eyes filled with fondness. There was also a hint of envy; she envied her sister-in-law for having such a handsome son.

"The resemblance is uncanny. This child looks just like the Prince and his wife."

The Emperor nodded repeatedly, agreeing completely with the Empress’s words.

The resemblance was truly striking. Even if he had encountered the boy on the street, he would have recognized him instantly. The Emperor walked forward and sized up this nephew of his.

He took hold of Aaron Sinclair’s arms and said softly, "Not bad. You’re quite tall, but you look a bit thin." The thought of his nephew suffering all these years while wandering outside left a bitter taste in the Emperor’s mouth.

"It’s good that you’re back. Welcome home, child." He reached out, patted his nephew’s head, and said, "You’ve suffered all these years."

Celeste Grant’s gaze fell upon the Emperor and Empress, and she felt a flicker of surprise. ’I can tell this mortal Emperor and Empress are genuine in their feelings for my son. They truly see him as their own nephew.’

’Javier Sinclair may have fabricated their identities in Elyndra, borrowing the status of the Crown, but that wouldn’t change a person’s fundamental character. It merely superimposed a set of false memories. In other words, if these people were inherently vile, they would never have shown such genuine affection for her son.’

Aaron Sinclair looked at the two of them and said, "Imperial Uncle, Your Majesty, there’s no need to worry. I’ve actually lived quite well these past years. A little hardship is nothing. As they say, ’Heaven tests those destined for greatness with trials and tribulations.’ Besides, look, I’m back now, aren’t I? I’ve been reunited with my father and mother. The past is in the past. What matters is the future."

The Empress nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, it’s all in the past."

The more the Emperor looked at Aaron Sinclair, the more he liked him.

"Such a sensible child."

His gaze fell upon the nephew before him.

’This boy... he’s neither servile nor arrogant in my presence. His bearing is so natural and majestic, he seems more like an emperor than I do. Perhaps he was born to rule. If this boy were to become emperor one day, it would surely be a blessing for all the people of the realm.’

After patting his nephew’s head, the Emperor finally turned to Javier Sinclair. He walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Seeing you all return safely puts my mind at ease," he said. "After our nephew was lost, you went to find him and then vanished without a trace. All these years, I sent countless people to look for you, but there was never any news. I even thought you might have met with some terrible fate. It was only a short while ago that I finally heard word of you. You can’t just disappear like that without a word again."

Javier Sinclair replied flatly, "We’re fine."

The Emperor sighed. "You and your cold personality. Only your wife can stand you."

Hearing this, Celeste Grant couldn’t help but laugh.

’From the Emperor’s perspective, all his memories of Javier Sinclair were real. In truth, after Javier borrowed the royal identity, the Power of Laws had enveloped them, the Heavenly Dao had acknowledged their status, and the universal rules had automatically adjusted to accommodate them.’

"Enough talk. Let’s take our seats. We brothers haven’t seen each other in so long, we must have a few drinks."

Celeste Grant’s family of three sat at the same table as the Emperor and Empress. Since it was a family banquet, there wasn’t as much ceremony.

Javier Sinclair and the Emperor didn’t have much to say to each other, but they drank quite a lot of wine.

The Emperor and Empress took turns asking them what had happened over the years and why they hadn’t returned. They also asked how exactly Aaron Sinclair had gone missing back then.

Celeste Grant did not hide the truth about her son being the "fake young master" of the General’s Mansion. She addressed them directly. "Royal Brother, Royal Sister-in-law, you may have heard about a recent event—the General’s Mansion finding their true son. As it turns out, my son was the ’fake young master’ who was cast out."

Hearing this, the Emperor shot to his feet, his voice rising several notches.

"What? Such a thing happened?"

"Wait..." As if struck by a thought, the Emperor wore an expression of utter disbelief. "Are you saying that Annie was living in Atheria this whole time? Right under our very noses?"

It wasn’t just the Emperor; even the Empress was stunned upon hearing this. "How could that be? The child was living in Atheria all this time, so why do we have no memory of him? If we had seen him, with that face, it would be impossible for us not to recognize him."

Celeste Grant gave a dry laugh.

’What was she supposed to say to that?’

’Was she supposed to tell them it was because they hadn’t even existed in this world back then? That her son was merely a wisp of a Primordial Spirit who had manifested into a human body?’

Hearing the adults’ conversation, Aaron Sinclair, seated beside Celeste Grant, felt a stir of emotion. ’That’s right, I was living in Atheria this whole time, but fate is just so... hardcore.’ He paused. ’Wait, what is "hardcore"? Why did I just use that word?’

With this thought, he spoke up, "It’s probably because I wasn’t favored in the General’s Mansion. They were secretly searching for their biological son the whole time. They had no intention of raising me, probably because they were afraid I would grow up and take things that belonged to their real son. So they never took me to any functions. For palace banquets, for instance, they would just tell everyone I was sick and leave me behind."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor slammed his hand on the table in anger.

"Despicable! How dare they?"

’No wonder we have no memory of this boy. It’s because he was never brought before us.’

"There have been countless palace banquets, large and small, yet the General’s Mansion never brought you to a single one! Had they brought you just once, I would have recognized you long ago! This boy wouldn’t have ended up lost and alone for so many years."

The Empress, learning of this, also found it outrageous.

"My dear sister-in-law, what on earth is all this about? How did Aaron end up with the General’s Mansion?"