The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 541: The Grandfathers’ Demands

Aldrian walked toward the two grand dukes, while the two of them simply watched him approach. Once Aldrian stood nearly in front of them, he stopped and offered his best smile to his grandfathers.

"I know you have many things to ask and say, so why don’t we talk about it inside, grandfathers?" Aldrian said, causing the hearts of the two grand dukes to tremble slightly.

They had just been called grandfather by the very man they already regarded as standing far above them. This was the same man who had done so much for their families and for the continent—it all felt surreal.

Aldrian didn’t wait for their answer. He walked past them and entered the tent. Seeing Aldrian go in, the others began to follow, but the two grand dukes still stood in place, caught in the strangeness of the moment. They looked at each other and couldn’t help but sigh at the same time before they entered the tent.

Now that everyone connected to the matter had gathered inside the tent, the atmosphere felt noticeably more alive. The two grand dukes sat facing each other, seated close to Aldrian, who took the center chair. It was as if everyone present had silently agreed that the center seat belonged to Aldrian.

None of them found it strange. All of them felt that Aldrian was indeed worthy of that position. After all, this matter involved him and his parents as the main figures, and he had the right to speak on their behalf.

Aldrey and Irene sat at his right and left, while the others filled the remaining seats on both sides of the table.

After a brief silence, Aldrian finally began to speak, turning his gaze toward Grand Duke Flamecrest and Grand Duke Rivas.

"To my grandfathers—my family, which means your family is also my family—I know the relationship between your two houses hasn’t been good for a long time. Both sides have held onto their pride and their grievances, and the animosity still lingers after all these years."

"Now, I don’t want to dwell too deeply on the past or how you’ve felt about each other as the patriarchs of two noble families. But what I truly want to ask, from my grandfathers here, is this—please speak about my parents, your son and daughter as their fathers. How do you want to resolve this matter? Please, give us your thoughts, not as patriarchs."

The others nodded inwardly. By asking them to speak as fathers, Aldrian had deliberately touched the softest part of both grand dukes—their feelings for their children. Speaking as a father was easier, and more sincere, than speaking as the head of a noble house.

If they spoke in their capacity as patriarchs, it would never end—each would defend the views and pride of their respective families, shaped over generations.

Aldrian turned his gaze to Grand Duke Rivas first, and the grand duke understood he had been chosen to speak first. fгeewebnovёl.com

"To be honest, this still feels surreal," he said, looking at Aldrian with a complicated gaze. "Suddenly, I learn that my daughter had a secret lover—and even a son, who turns out to be you."

"However, although I felt betrayed at first after learning that Irene had a secret lover behind my back—and with him, no less," he said, glancing at Aldrey, "after thinking it through more carefully, I realized this is something that already happened. I can’t change it, no matter what. The milk is already spilled."

He then turned to Aldrian.

"You are their son—their blood—and you carry my blood as well. After everything you’ve done for us, I don’t even feel I have the right to say whether Irene should or shouldn’t have done what she did. In fact, it can be said that, because of Irene, our family was saved from even greater losses. But still—"

He turned to Grand Duke Flamecrest, narrowing his eyes.

"I just couldn’t let it go. This bastard’s son touched my daughter without my permission. How dare he lay a hand on someone I’ve treasured so much? I needed to cool my head, so I rushed to the Flamecrest Grand Duchy without much thought—just to demand responsibility from the Flamecrests and to beat this old man for failing to control his son. Well... I won’t deny I also wanted to beat Aldrey, too."

"But I think many who saw me yesterday misunderstood, thinking I lost my mind after finding out Irene had children with him. Well, it can’t be helped—people did see me acting like a madman when I confronted Irene, using the Ice Maiden Pill, which finally made it clear to me that she was no longer a virgin... and that he was the one who took my daughter’s innocence," Grand Duke Rivas said, looking directly at Aldrey.

Aldrey and Irene both blushed slightly at how bluntly Grand Duke Rivas described the situation.

"The rumors must’ve come from one of the mansion’s staff who overheard the commotion between me and Irene and spread it from mouth to mouth. When I dashed toward the Flamecrest Grand Duchy, my family’s cultivators followed, thinking I was about to rampage. So that’s the truth behind yesterday’s events."

"As for how we should settle this matter... I don’t ask for much. Just let me beat Aldrey—and have him married into my family. With the continent’s situation as it is, dragging up the past between our families would be foolish."

With that, Grand Duke Rivas fell silent—but his demand made a vein bulge on Grand Duke Flamecrest’s forehead.

Aldrian then looked at Grand Duke Flamecrest, and the grand duke understood it was now his turn. He took a breath and calmed himself before speaking.

"I hate to say this, but I share the same thoughts as this bastard," he said, glancing at Grand Duke Rivas. "The truth is, I experienced something similar. I started investigating Aldrey’s secrets back when he was trapped in the Everlasting Silent Forest—specifically, his connection to Irene."

"In the end, I discovered that he had been trapped in the same place as Irene. I could more or less guess what kind of relationship had formed between them."

"When I confronted him, all of my suspicions were confirmed. And after that... well, it was the same as this bastard’s experience and intentions. I wanted to beat this old man for letting his daughter seduce my son to the point that he fell completely for her."

He paused, then added with a sigh, "But my family misunderstood my reaction and ended up making the whole situation even bigger than it needed to be. So yeah, that’s the truth."

"I also won’t dwell on the past. What happened between Aldrey and this woman has already happened, and no matter how angry I get, it won’t change anything. After everything you’ve done for our family, there’s no way I can just ignore Aldrey and this woman’s role. Because of you, our family was saved—and we even gained the reputation we have now," Grand Duke Flamecrest said, pausing for a moment.

"As this bastard said, considering the current situation on the continent, it wouldn’t be wise to drag this out or let it escalate any further. So, what I want to resolve this matter isn’t too much. I’m not so low as to beat a woman that far weaker than me—so just have her marry into my family, and we’ll call it a day."

After that, Grand Duke Flamecrest fell silent. His demand was more or less the same as Grand Duke Rivas’s. In the end, they both still had their own interests—after all, whoever marries into their family will gain more prestige.

Aldrian understood this, but he couldn’t help smiling inwardly, feeling fortunate that these two grand dukes could reach a compromise. His role had truly played a big part, just as he expected.

Their willingness to overlook the fact that his parents were secret lovers was largely because of the huge favor he had done for their families—one they would find difficult to repay. They had no choice but to take a step back.

In a normal situation, Aldrian imagined it would not be this easy.

Now, his task was to find a middle ground that satisfied all parties. Each side wanted their descendant to marry into their family, so there was a possible solution.

"Well, we’ve already heard the grandfathers’ opinions and demands. More or less, your requests are quite similar. But let’s hear what father and mother think. For me, what they want is the most important. I hope the grandfathers will listen to their opinions and grant their wishes. Whatever father and mother want, I want as well," Aldrian said.

To solve this problem, he had to be firm and leave the decision to his parents. If he left it to the two grand dukes, the issue would only drag on, as neither side would want to yield. Once his parents made their choice, he would support it, and even the two grand dukes would have no choice but to accept.

All eyes then turned to Aldrey and Irene, who became the center of attention. Aldrey and Irene had not expected Aldrian to place the decision in their hands and declare that he would prioritize whatever they wanted. Both felt deeply thankful and smiled at Aldrian, who returned the smile.

Aldrey and Irene exchanged a voice transmission for more than a minute before finally reaching their decision.

Aldrey opened his lips.

"After thinking it over, Irene and I have decided that—"

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