“One, two, three, lift!” The band conductor raised the baton, and the music began. It was a solemn, deeply moving piece called Veyn, Please Don’t Cry for Me.

Karon liked its melody a great deal, and precisely because he liked it, he could not help feeling regret. The piece had been composed centuries ago by the musician Delmens specifically for the royal family, yet across the long river of history, it had taken on another life.

He could almost see it. After Queen Gloria finished accompanying Earl Rekar at the docks, she would return to the palace, wipe away her tears, and listen to this very piece.

With that shift in framing, the original weight and grandeur within the song’s solemnity took on, in Karon’s mind, a lingering, plaintive sorrow.

A song was like clothing; Style and cut mattered, but what mattered more was the person wearing it.

Of course, in the eyes of ordinary Veyn citizens, the royal family and Her Majesty the Queen were figures of devotion. Perhaps that was simply how distance created beauty.

Accompanied by the piece, the queen rode in the royal special edition Diamond car, entering the Allen estate, escort vehicles both before and behind. It was a large convoy.

In addition, the palace guard cavalry rode in, but seeing the guard on horseback made Karon uneasy. It felt as if any one of them might tumble off at any moment. Even as a showpiece for the palace and the royal family, they were shockingly unqualified.

By custom, after the queen’s convoy entered through the main gate, it did not stop until it arrived behind the manor.

The queen stepped out. At ninety-five, her age could not be concealed.

Thick powder had been applied to her face, so reporters’ cameras and the quality of modern photographs could allow Veyn’s media to continue praising their queen as being youthful, yet Karon could clearly see age spots on the woman’s wrists and neck.

Master Anderson went out to personally receive the queen, and then Bede replaced him to support her.

With the mischievous air of an elderly woman, the queen gently pushed Bede’s hand away and said, “Have your daughter support me.”

Eunice, dressed in formal black for the day, walked over and supported the queen. The old woman patted the back of Eunice’s hand. “It’s been a long time. You’ve only grown prettier.”

“Your Majesty is growing younger as well.”

“Heh.” The queen laughed, and with Eunice’s support, walked into the manor.

Karon followed with his two elder brothers-in-law, presenting himself as an ordinary junior of the Allen family. While observing the queen, he also examined the attendants at her side. Among them, there were certainly practitioners of the family faith system, and even church believers.

After entering the manor, the queen sat in the sitting room and had a drink of water. Everyone waited nearby. The male and female servants in Allen Manor displayed expressions of pride, as though sharing in the family’s honor.

Fortunately Pu’er was not present, as she would have sighed, Fallen, the family had truly fallen.

Taken even further, Pu’er might even have mocked them, A whore from the Gloria family has come to the door, and you’re making such a ceremony of it?

The queen began receiving the Allen family’s core descendants in the sitting room. At the same time, the queen’s household supervisor instructed the accompanying palace servants to take her living supplies upstairs and settle her arrangements there. During the turnover, when the supervisor learned that Her Majesty’s bedroom for the night was the Allen family’s third-floor master suite, he betrayed a flicker of surprise.

According to royal records, queens throughout the generations had visited Allen Manor many times and had often stayed overnight, yet the Allen family had never yielded the master bedroom that belonged to the family’s patriarch. Still, the surprise was momentary. After all, the Allen family had been steadily declining, and could only continue to lower their posture before the royal family.

In truth, the master suite had been deliberately vacated by Karon. Master Anderson had tried to persuade Karon that it was unnecessary, but Karon had insisted.

That was because, inside Allen Manor, the two safest places were the patriarch’s study and his master bedroom.

Yet if seen from another angle, as well as from Karon’s recent experience, the safest place could often also be the most solid cage.

Pu’er had already reacquainted herself with the family’s ritual array. Once Her Majesty the Queen retired for the night, Pu’er would be able to settle her within the bedroom, and then Karon would awaken Earl Rekar, who would be the one to resolve this twisted karmic debt.

Master Anderson sat beside the queen. Bede brought his wife Jenny and Mike brought his wife Lisa, and they all paid their respects to the queen.

The queen offered a few words of comfort to Mike in his wheelchair, but Karon noticed an elderly maid standing behind the queen stared at Mike a few times with particular focus. She had sensed that the his internal problem had been resolved.

Next came the younger generation. Karon’s two brothers-in-law, along with Mike’s son and daughter, went up to greet the queen and received gifts from her.

The gift Eunice received was the most valuable: a necklace of a strand of pearls.

Once the complete visiting ritual concluded, the queen took a brief rest, and then rose. Still supported by Eunice, she went out the manor’s front doors and headed for the performance hall. It was not a long walk, but for the queen, it was exhausting.

In fact, the performance hall was located close to the entrance of the Allen estate. If the queen had gotten out at the gate, she could have gone straight to mourn her great-grandson, but clearly, rules and etiquette mattered far more than the dead.

Karon did not follow after that. He had already satisfied his curiosity by seeing Her Majesty’s face.

What surprised him was that Judia had not come along.

Still, that was easy enough to understand. This time, not only did the Duke of York not accompany the queen, not a single other close royal relative was present. Was that because, if they came, they would have to stay the night at Allen Manor with the queen? If that happened, would they not end up as collateral damage?

Still, Karon felt Judia would likely arrive in secret, because she dreamed of seeing her bloodline legacy bearer, the one she called father, Earl Rekar.

After the queen finished viewing her great-grandson’s body in the performance hall, Master Anderson arranged for “dinner,” even though it was still afternoon. Master Anderson and the core members of the Allen family accompanied the queen herself, while her entourage of attendants was hosted separately by dedicated stewards.

After the meal, the queen’s household official announced that Her Majesty felt unwell from excessive grief, and would rest early, which meant there would be no further activities until nightfall.

The reporters from the major newspapers were the first to leave. The second wave to leave were some of the officials who had accompanied the royal entourage and other guests who had come to mourn.

By dusk, Prince Henry’s memorial would formally conclude, and within Allen Manor, almost no one would remain except the Allen household and the queen’s servants.

Master Anderson finally disengaged from the exhausting work of hosting Her Majesty. At his age, he truly could not bear it much longer. Since the queen had retired early, he intended to lie down as well. After giving a few instructions to his two sons and several stewards, his youngest son, Bede, supported the old man as he returned to his room.

Master Anderson was devout when it came to emotional matters. After his wife had passed away, he had never remarried, nor taken a mistress. He had not even shown interest in the manor’s maids. Often, he even forbade maids from entering his room to clean.

Given his status, living such a “spartan” life was indeed surprising. In York City, even widowers with a bit of savings often demanded that a nanny also share their bed.

Yet Pu’er did not give him any points for that “true affection.” In fact, Pu’er had already despaired of her family; The former patriarch was a romantic fool, which the current patriarch was obsessed with art and abandoned the family faith system for a heretical cult.

Master Anderson’s eldest son valued promises and had a blunt, straightforward temperament, while the second son was a “martial fanatic,” who had not hesitated to turn himself into a cripple in order to follow their ancestor’s footsteps.

To a certain degree, none of them were bad people. Some even had qualities worth admiring, yet not one of them was suited to manage the family and lead it back to revival.

Mike had intended to wheel himself away, but before his younger brother supported their father into the room, he deliberately shot Mike a look. He did not know what that meant, but followed them inside anyway.

Snap.

After the three of them entered together, Alfred turned on the light, and the dim bedroom became brightly lit.

The black cat portrait that had once hung in the study had been placed in the very center of the room. Beside the portrait was a chair, and on it sat a live black cat, dressed exactly like the black cat in the portrait.

“This...” Master Anderson looked at the scene with confusion. “Isn’t that the black cat Young Master Karon brought? This is not appropriate; definitely not appropriate.”

To Master Anderson, Karon’s pet was performing an act of imitation. It had even taken their progenitor’s portrait down from the study to arrange this comparison, which was incredibly disrespectful toward the Allen ancestors.

Even so, Master Anderson restrained his anger. He said nothing harsh to the black cat or to the young master’s manservant who stood in the room. Instead, the old man merely repeated that it was “not appropriate.”

Bede studied the black cat carefully. He was an excellent painter, so he looked at paintings differently from others. Many oil paintings captured the spirit more than the details, yet certain details would still be preserved with care.

Before this, Bede had already felt that Karon’s cat looked familiar. With the two placed together so that he could examine them closely, he discovered something shocking: the black cat in the painting and the black cat in reality matched details to an astonishing degree.

Mike bit his lip. He wanted to curse, but held it in. He only turned to Alfred. “Mr. Alfred, what is this supposed to be?”

In the next instant, Master Anderson and Mike’s mouths both fell open in shock, and a stunned expression even appeared on Bede’s face.

That was because the black cat sitting on the chair spoke. It said, “You truly are a pack of descendants so worthless it beggars belief. Now, you have finally succeeded in angering your ancestors awake.”

***

The sky gradually darkened. In Allen Manor’s third-floor master bedroom, the queen sat on the edge of her bed, completely naked.

At this moment, she looked like a withered, dehydrated ear of old corn. If her face could still be somewhat disguised, then the rest of her body beneath her clothes was already hard to look at, like layers of plastic bags stapled in place.

The old maid held a cup of water and used a small cloth to carefully wipe the queen’s body. Each time she cleaned, she squeezed the cloth into the cup, then continued wiping.

After wiping her entire body, the old maid wrung all the water from the cloth into that small cup, then offered the cup to the queen. The queen opened her mouth and drank her own bathwater.

The old maid’s expression did not change, clearly accustomed to this long ago.

After the queen finished drinking, the maid prepared to dress her, but the queen pushed her away. “Clothes, tonight I won’t be wearing them.”

The queen stood with difficulty, and the old maid hurried to support her.

“I’ve put you through it. Tonight, you’ll probably have to die.”

“To give everything for Your Majesty is my honor.”

“Mm.” The queen walked to the bedroom wall, where several large chests were arranged. Inside were the queen’s clothes and jewelry. She could not possibly wear so much, nor could she possibly put on so many pieces, but necessary and sufficient preparation had to be made. She was a symbol of the royal family and a symbol of the nation. Her image could not be allowed a single error.

“Ever since I ascended the throne, this is the first time I’ve felt so light. I mean, I can finally stop wearing such meticulous clothes and stop putting on so much complicated jewelry. Just thinking about that makes me happy, and relaxed.”

“Your Majesty deserves everything, including... freedom.”

“Yes, freedom...”

The queen raised her hand. The old maid stepped forward and opened the exquisite chest before her. Inside was not clothing, but a little girl. She sat inside the chest with a purple nail through her chest, pinning her to the inside wall.

Judia lifted her head with difficulty and looked up at the lawful great-grandmother standing outside the chest.

“My dear granddaughter, don’t be afraid, and don’t worry. Grandmother simply thinks that within Allen Manor, the family faith practitioners are too low in tier, and too few in number. Although those old pedants in the family concluded that only Allen blood is needed as blood food, surely the higher the spirituality, the richer the nourishment, isn’t that so? So Grandmother worries. What if it isn’t enough?

“And here you are, perfectly placed. You awakened the Allen family faith system, and you’re already Tier-3. So this time, Grandmother brought you along. Rest assured. If this manor is already enough, Grandmother won’t hurt you. When Grandmother becomes young again, and regains her freedom, Grandmother will hold your hand and take you out to the grasslands to ride horses, alright?

“Of course, if it isn’t enough, then Grandmother can only eat you. As a member of the Gloria family, this is the contribution you should make for the family, for the royal house, for Veyn, and for all of Veyn’s citizens. You should feel honored.”

The queen reached out and gently stroked Judia’s face. There was no resentment or despair on the girl’s features. Instead, there was a smile.

The queen smiled as well. “That’s right. You can already feel that sense of honor, can’t you?”

“Y-yes...” Severely wounded, Judia lifted her chin. “I can already... feel... the bloodline... boiling...”

“Good, very good. That’s the excellent descendant of Gloria. Grandmother promises you that once Grandmother succeeds, Grandmother will arrange for you to become the next generation’s Queen of Gloria. That is Grandmother’s reward for your loyalty and devotion.”

After speaking, the queen turned around, and the old maid supported her back to the bedside to sit.

Inside the chest, Judia’s face twisted into a feral grin.

“That’s enough,” the queen said.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The old maid took out a glass bottle. Inside was a black seed with a tiny green sprout, and when the stopper was pulled, a strange, eerie fragrance spread rapidly.

The queen gazed at the seed with an expression of intense reverence, and let out a moan. “Youth, freedom... I’m coming!”

***

The dining room.

“Alright. Put your hands here. Do as I instructed. Raise the bedroom’s protective ritual array to the highest level. You will feel uncomfortable, and you will cough up some blood, but believe me, you won’t die.”

“Yes, I understand. I will do everything I can, even if it means dying.” Master Anderson did not dare show the slightest disrespect to his black cat ancestor who was perched on his shoulder. He pressed both hands to a silver disc drawn out from the corner of a cabinet, nearly fixed into the wall.

The aura of his family faith system began to surge from him, then poured entirely into the disc.

***

“Begin,” Karon said.

“Yes, Young Master Karon.” Mike, seated in his wheelchair, rolled himself to the tombstone shaped like a pirate ship. With a dagger, he cut open his palm, and blood began to drip down. Karon did not call for him to stop, so he kept squeezing the wound to keep the blood flowing.

Beside Karon, Bede asked in a low voice, “Can I... as well?” He wanted to share his elder brother’s burden.

Karon shook his head. “Do you think your ancestor would like the taste of your blood?”

A bitter smile tugged at Bede’s mouth, and he did not speak again.

“Alfred.”

“Yes, Young Master!” Alfred stood up from within a prepared circle. His eyes flooded red, and the circle beneath him slowly turned black and began to expand. “Basic Attunement!”

“Woof!”

At that moment, the golden retriever jumped onto the top of the pirate ship tombstone and wedged the ace of spades card he carried into the pirate ship’s flagpole position. It was an indispensable part of the ritual.

Karon stepped forward to stand before the tombstone. He closed his eyes. At that moment, there was an illusion that even the wind around them had stilled.

Black chains appeared beneath his feet. Under the amplification of Alfred’s attunement ritual array, they grew clearer.

He began to chant, “O Pirate King who roamed the seas, proud wanderer in the Allen family’s history, with the blood of your descendant clan member as the guide, I fulfill our earlier agreement. I grant you the chance to descend again and open your eyes so that you may witness the Allen family’s strength and prosperity today, and behold descendants worthy of your pride and honor.

“Order—Awaken!”