Chapter 958: Alternate Timeline: Birth Secret

Arceus immediately rose and greeted them politely as the manager.

"Welcome to Nexus Weapon Store," he said calmly. "Please feel free to look around. If there is a weapon you are interested in, I will gladly explain its details."

His voice sounded steady.

Professional.

Almost as though he had worked there for years instead of merely a single day.

The younger disciple beside Ares Frost unconsciously stared at Arceus for several seconds.

The look of displeasure appeared on his face. Eamor considered himself one of the most handsome men in Solaria; many daughters of wealthy merchants fawned over him, often singing praises of his looks. Yet, seeing the man in this store, Eamor felt smaller.

And combined with Arceus’ calm voice and refined manners of a noble, Eamor unconsciously grabbed the hilt of his sword.

Seeing this, Ares elbowed him sharply in the ribs. The young man instantly snapped back to reality while coughing awkwardly.

Then Ares turned toward Noah.

"I came from the Solaria kingdom, and I wish to meet the owner of the store," he said. "Miss Kiara. For a personal business."

At that moment, Zion recognized him. "You visited before."

Ares smiled. "Yes. That was me."

Assuming the visitors possessed extraordinary status like nearly everyone who came seeking Kiara personally, Alucard hurried toward one of the inner chambers.

Inside, he found Kiara leaning against a wall while silently observing a butler robot clumsily organizing weapon crates under Noah’s supervision.

The machine moved stiffly and slowly.

Painfully slowly.

Of course, Noah himself could have finished the entire task in minutes.

But Kiara wanted these robots trained properly for future branches.

She intended to operate entire stores using minimal human staff.

Alucard quickly informed her about the guests.

After leaving further judgment to Noah, Kiara walked toward the lobby.

The moment she arrived and saw the two unfamiliar men standing there, her instincts sharpened automatically.

Without saying anything aloud, she immediately inspected their details.

*

Eamor

Race: Human

Age: 28

Rank: 6-star (low)

Spirit Path: Mage

Attribute: Water

Affiliation: Solaria Kingdom, Frost Clan (former)

Description: Personal disciple of Ares Frost and a remnant of Frost Clan.

*

Ares Frost

Race: Human

Age: 83

Rank: 8-star (peak)

Spirit Path: Mage

Attribute: Water/ Wind

Affiliation: Solaria Kingdom; Heavenly Ocean Empire; Frost Clan (former), Azure Frost Dominion (former)

Description: Personal advisor of King Phaethon Solaris of the Solaria kingdom. A former member of House Frost’s main branch at the Azure Frost Dominion of Heavenly Ocean Empire.

**

The moment Kiara inspected the old man’s information, a faint light flickered deep within her eyes before vanishing just as quickly as it appeared.

She remembered that name.

Very clearly.

Back then, during her stay at the Southern Division Camp after the invitation from the Second Prince, the system notification had mentioned this very man.

Ares Frost.

The person who knew about the eye-shaped birthmark hidden behind her neck.

The person connected to the secrets surrounding her birth.

From that moment onward, Kiara had already expected that this meeting would eventually happen someday.

Because of that preparation, her expression remained calm despite the waves rising inside her chest.

Stillness covered her face like quiet water covering the mouth of a volcano.

"I am Kiara," she said evenly. "What do you want with me?"

The old man looked at her carefully with a strange heaviness, like someone staring at a mirror reflecting the regrets of an entire lifetime.

"Can we speak privately?" Ares Frost finally asked.

Kiara nodded without hesitation.

"Come."

Arceus Silver and Serestia Phoenix watched the group head upstairs with confused expressions while Zion silently returned to his guard position near the staircase.

Soon, the three entered the living room upstairs.

The curtains fluttered lightly under the afternoon wind drifting through the half-open windows, carrying faint city sounds from outside along with the distant noise of merchants shouting in the streets.

After everyone sat down, silence lingered briefly.

Eamor looked visibly tense. His eyes couldn’t help but wander around. The interior of this residence really looked way different from the residential homes he had visited so far. The suppression of his soul didn’t make it any better.

Ares Frost, however, remained composed. If not for the wrinkles on his face and the weariness hidden within his eyes, he resembled a patient scholar preparing to narrate an ancient story.

Kiara crossed one leg calmly.

If this old man were not related to her mother’s side by blood, she would never have allowed strangers into her residence so easily.

Still, she wanted answers.

And perhaps...

She also wanted confirmation.

After introducing himself and Eamor properly, Ares Frost finally began.

"Before I explain our true purpose for coming here," he said slowly, "tell me something first. What do you know about your parents?"

Kiara already had a vague idea where this conversation was heading.

Still, she deliberately maintained ignorance.

"There is nothing special about them," she answered calmly. "My father was the village chief of Copperton Village and also worked as a blacksmith before settling there. My mother was a housewife. I know they once worked in the Imperial City before moving away. My father forged weapons, and my mother served first under the Late Queen Mother and then under Queen Consort Callista Frost."

Her tone remained steady.

But inwardly, her patience had already begun tightening.

She wanted the old man to stop circling around the truth and speak directly.

Little did she know... the reality would be uglier than she expected.

Ares Frost exhaled slowly before speaking again.

"Your mother was not merely a maid serving Callista Frost." He said quietly, before taking a pause, and then continued. "She also shared an unfortunate... yet special relationship with the Emperor."

Kiara’s expression changed instantly.

The calmness cracked.

Not completely.

But enough.

Her eyes narrowed slightly while the fingers resting upon her knee stiffened faintly. "What do you mean by that?"

The old man continued. "You know how kings and emperors often are," he said with visible disappointment. "Even after marrying many women, some still cannot restrain themselves when temptation appears before their eyes."

A bitter sigh escaped him.

"Back then, Alexander Phoenix was younger, more reckless, and far too fond of alcohol."

The room became quieter with every sentence.

Even Eamor avoided looking directly at Kiara.

"As you mentioned earlier," Ares continued, "Your mother, Tiara, originally served the Queen Mother faithfully for years. But the Queen Mother possessed no cultivation talent and eventually succumbed to old age. After her death, Tiara was transferred to serve Callista Frost."

His gaze dimmed slightly.

"At that time, Alexander Phoenix greatly favored another Queen Consort, not Callista."

A faint pause followed.

"But one night during such an absence, a drunken Alexander Phoenix entered her chambers."

The air itself felt heavier.

Kiara’s eyes remained fixed upon him without blinking.

"However, she was not there," Ares said softly. "Only Tiara remained inside while changing bedding and cleaning the room."

His voice lowered further as he said. "Under the influence of alcohol... the Emperor forced himself upon her."

Eamor silently clenched his fists. Even he looked uncomfortable hearing the story aloud.

"Tiara was merely a servant," Ares continued. "How could she even think of resisting an Emperor or scream for help?"

Kiara’s jaw tightened at that. She didn’t need to listen to the rest of the story as she could fairly guess what happened. Still, she showed restraint and quietly listened. However, she couldn’t stop herself from clenching her fists tightly.

Ares Frost kept watching her reactions carefully before continuing. "And then, Tiara became pregnant with a male child. Callista eventually discovered the truth."

The old man shook his head slowly, letting out a sigh.

"Another woman may have chosen cruelty in that situation. But Callista protected her instead."

Then his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"A week later, Callista herself discovered she was also pregnant but with a female child."

Silence.

Heavy silence this time.

Outside the windows, distant carriage wheels rolled through stone roads while wind rustled softly against tree leaves.

Inside the room, however, every breath sounded unnaturally loud.

"You and Kaelan Phoenix were born on the same day," Ares said quietly. "Only several hours apart. Both births occurred inside the Imperial Palace."

He looked directly into Kiara’s eyes.

"You were born without ether, while Kaelan Phoenix possessed the fire attribute, although he, too, was born without bloodline awakening."

Another pause followed.

Long enough for the tension to stretch unbearably.

"No one truly knows what passed through Callista’s heart afterward," Ares admitted. "Perhaps guilt. Perhaps fear. Perhaps insecurity regarding her place in Alexander’s heart."

He inhaled deeply.

"But that day... she switched the two babies, taking the child born with ether as her son while giving away her plainfolk daughter to her maid."

The room turned utterly still.

"That is the truth, Kiara. You are the biological daughter of Emperor Alexander Phoenix and Queen Consort Callista Frost."

For several moments, silence dominated the room completely.