Chapter 116: The Welcome Gifts

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: The Welcome Gifts

It wasn’t until the sunlight outside the window slanted into the color of honey that the butler came up and knocked on the door, announcing that the Duke and Duchess had arrived. Only then did Jeremy leave the medicine-scented room.

Just as he reached the first floor, before he could step out the gate, he saw a man and a woman surrounded by an entire entourage escorting them inside.

Leading the way was a woman wearing a long purple dress, her facial features so beautiful she looked like she stepped out of a painting. Her red hair flowed down both shoulders, her figure tall and lean, her demeanor elegant. A layer of coldness covered her pale purple eyes like a fine mist, not letting half a ripple escape.

The feeling she brought was like a velvet rose blooming in the middle of winter. Her red hair was the only thing retaining a bit of warmth; the rest of her body, due to excessively strong magical fluctuations, exuded an icy aura, both arrogant and distant.

The man walking behind her wore a lilac mage’s cloak, deliberately choosing a tone that complemented his wife’s. The inner shirt hugged a physique trimmed to perfection down to every line. His long, blue-white hair was tied high into a ponytail; his face bore an androgynous beauty enough to make anyone pause for a beat. His gold-plated eyes were clear as early spring sunlight reflecting on the water’s surface.

A faint mole resting right in the middle of his cheek further accentuated a visage forgotten by the years. If one were to brush aside the invisible oppressive aura radiating from him, anyone would think this was an extremely approachable person.

Right from the first glance, Jeremy identified both of their identities.

He resembled his mother more - Atalai Stilorn.

But his and Sylas’s appearance only resembled hers by about thirty percent; the majority still leaned towards their father - Elwyn Valmont.

A mage’s lifespan was tightly bound to their realm. After breaking through the fifth tier, their lifespan was extended by a hundred years on top of the original foundation.

From the sixth to the tenth tier, each tier added another hundred years. If not killed by war or other external factors, a tenth-tier mage living to seven hundred years old was nothing unusual.

The only catch was, the frequent use of forbidden arts and various rule-defying magic all eroded one’s lifespan. Furthermore, war never had an end. Therefore, throughout the entire history of humanity, there had never been a mage who touched the five-hundred-year mark. The majority died before they could even mature.

These two were both geniuses of the previous generation. Breaking through the sixth-tier threshold before turning twenty-five, their appearances were also frozen at that exact moment.

The eyes of the three met.

The atmosphere instantly froze in an incredibly indescribable manner.

Seeing his parents with his own eyes for the first time, no superfluous emotions stirred in Jeremy’s heart. He was about to bow and perform the junior’s greeting according to the empire’s exact standards, but before his waist could even bend, Atalai, who was originally standing across the hall, suddenly appeared right in front of him.

Before Jeremy could react, both his shoulders were lifted by her hands.

A faint fragrance spread. A cold voice rang by his ear: "No need for those cumbersome formalities."

"...Yes."

Instinctively, Jeremy wanted to take a half-step back to avoid physical contact. But the woman retracted her hands exactly one beat ahead of him.

Atalai jutted her chin forward: "Sit down and talk."

The sofa was only a few steps away. Since she said so, he complied.

The two sat down. After a moment of silence, Atalai spoke first: "I’m sorry. I failed to fulfill a mother’s responsibility, leaving you to wander alone in an otherworldly realm all these years."

Jeremy’s expression remained flat: "I clearly know the whole story from beginning to end. I don’t blame anyone, you don’t need to take the blame upon yourself."

Atalai quietly continued: "...During those years in the otherworldly realm, did you live well?"

"I wouldn’t consider it smooth sailing. But it wasn’t tragic either."

"I see."

"..."

The two were clearly trying to force out a conversation. The scene was so awkward that if a third party were standing outside looking in, they would probably feel miserable for them.

All the way back, Atalai had constructed countless scripts in her head for this meeting. Only the situation right before her eyes was outside all predictions.

She felt a slight headache.

Unlike Sylas, who was inherently sensitive and delicate, the personality of this child and Yelies was completely inherited from her.

"..."

Duke Elwyn - the one currently being ignored by both his wife and son - slightly raised his hand to signal the servants to withdraw. Very quickly, the spacious living room only had the three of them left.

He walked over and sat down in another corner.

Three people, each occupying one direction.

Elwyn took off his purple cloak and set it aside, his eyes narrowing slightly, smiling genially: "Truly worthy of being mother and son. Even your personalities are so alike. Anyone who didn’t know better would think two intelligence officers from opposing factions were sitting here exchanging codes."

Atalai did not reply. She was inherently not the type of person who was good with words.

Perhaps she truly was born cold-blooded, so even knowing clearly that the person opposite her was her own flesh and blood, not a single decent wave could be stirred in her heart.

She couldn’t refute Elwyn’s first half of the sentence. But the second half grated on her ears.

She shot a cold sidelong glance, her eyes transmitting a very clear message: if you don’t know how to speak, shut your mouth.

"..."

Meeting that gaze, the smile on Elwyn’s lips extinguished. He quietly shifted his vision elsewhere.

He leaned slightly, resting his elbow on the armrest, his knuckles supporting one side of his face, his attention settling on the son who had returned after sixteen years.

A crisp snap of fingers echoed in the middle of the living room. A spatial rift instantly tore open in mid-air.

Right after, countless exquisitely wrapped gifts appeared in front of Jeremy, the quantity so massive it completely occupied the tabletop within seconds.

But after the tabletop was full, the stream of gifts pouring out from the rift showed absolutely no intention of stopping.

Very quickly, the entire spacious living room was filled up.

Elwyn stared at the youth who bore some resemblance to himself, the expression on his face remaining faint, but his tone strangely gentle:

"Noah, my son. Welcome home."

His long, slender finger pointed towards the mountain of gifts piling higher: "These are the welcome gifts I prepared. If you like them, feel free to accept them. If you don’t like them, I will pick another day to buy you other things, until you are satisfied."

"...I am very satisfied. Thank you."

Jeremy at this moment almost didn’t dare to twitch a single joint.

Because not only the tabletop, but all four directions - front, back, left, and right around him - were surrounded by gifts. Just a slight movement and the pile of boxes stacked next to his feet would collapse into an avalanche.

Did anyone actually give gifts like this?

Was this an attempt to clean out the warehouse...

Furthermore, the spatial ring he used previously belonged to Sylas, and it was still resting quietly in that grayish-white room.

How was he supposed to deal with this mountain now?