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Chapter 530.1: What I Want (1)

Interrogations worked better when the suspects were caught off guard—this was common sense to those who had dabbled in this field before. That was also the reason Carter hadn’t revealed any information to Roel and Alicia before confronting them on this matter.

He did have his reservations about not consulting Alicia on this matter beforehand. He had withheld information from her due to her close ties with Roel, which made it likely for her to leak information out to Roel even if it was more beneficial for her not to do so.

Considering that Alicia wasn’t his blood daughter, it was only right for him to observe proper etiquette when dealing with this matter. But when he thought about the feelings she harbored for Roel, he felt that it was fine to proceed ahead as it was.

As an elder who had seen the two of them grow up from a young age, Carter was confident in the feelings they had for each other, which was why he dared to rush things through.

In Roel’s previous life, there was a custom where couples would first cohabit before marriage to see how well they got along with each other in daily life. Often, this process would expose many problems, sometimes even resulting in the couple calling off the marriage.

That’s why they always said ‘You have to try on the shoes to know whether they fit’.

Unfortunately, such a custom didn’t exist in the Sia Continent.

Couples barely got to meet each other a couple of times before being abruptly ushered onto the wedding hall, making it inevitable for conflicts to arise after marriage.

In that regard, Roel and Alicia would never encounter this problem as they had been together from a young age and enjoyed each other’s company. Even when they got into a fight, they would quickly reconcile and become closer than ever afterward.

As a believer in free love, Carter wouldn’t have interfered in their relationship under normal circumstances, but Roel’s inaction and the increasing instability of the world forced his hand. Even so, he wouldn’t have exerted pressure on them if he wasn’t confident in their relationship.

But who could have thought that Alicia would reject his suggestion?

Carter thought that he was hearing things for a moment there. He found it as unbelievable as the sun rising from the west.

Is Alicia afraid? But childbearing shouldn’t pose any danger to her life given her bloodline…

It never occurred to Carter that his son had foreseen his move and taken countermeasures in advance. Roel was feeling proud about himself, knowing that Carter wouldn’t be able to coerce him as long as Alicia firmly rejected the matter.

Unfortunately, Roel’s smugness didn’t last for too long. The sharp knife of betrayal may be late, but never absent.

“We should have two children at the very least…”

“Indeed, father. That’s why… What?”

Roel turned to look at the silver-haired woman sitting next to him with an utterly flabbergasted look. Alicia lowered her blushing face as if she was embarrassed by the two staring men, but her eyes quickly firmed up once more before she added on.

“It’s still too dangerous for the Ascart House if we only have a single child. Furthermore, the three of us will get even busier in the coming days, and this might lead to our child feeling lonely and neglected. For the sake of preserving the Ascarts’ lineage and the psychological welfare of our child, I think that it’s best for us to have at least two children…”

Alicia earnestly raised her clenched fist as if to say that she would try her very best. The sudden twist delighted Carter but baffled Roel.

W-what’s going on? This doesn’t make sense!

“A-Alicia, what are you saying? Didn’t we agree that… Ah.”

Roel was just about to remind Alicia of their agreement when it suddenly struck him.

Not once had she expressed her disapproval of Carter’s decision throughout their earlier conversation. He had one-sidedly assumed that she wouldn’t agree to it.

‘Alicia, I don’t want you to feel pressured by this matter. Feel free to speak your thoughts aloud. I believe that our father will take our words into consideration.’

He dearly regretted not picking his words even more carefully back then.

On the other hand, Alicia, who had spoken her mind as she was told to, turned to Roel with her eyes still averted out of embarrassment.

“Does Lord Brother like children? We can have more if that’s the case. I am fine with it…”

“No, that’s not…”

Roel didn’t know how he should respond, especially when Alicia had a blissful look on her face. On top of that, Alicia’s affirmative response had empowered Carter, who immediately capitalized on the situation to pressure him into making a stance.

This put him in a difficult position.

If love had a physical form, Roel reckoned that it would be a little seedling. There were many factors contributing to its growth, with one of them being time.

The strong feelings he harbored for Alicia as a younger sister had been slowly changing in nature in recent years as she matured into an adult, but this transformation was nowhere close to bearing fruit yet. It didn’t feel right for them to get together just because it was convenient for the situation.

To him, it was no different from trying to hasten the growth of the seedling by pulling it outward.

This put Roel in a dilemma. He wasn’t sure how he could tactfully explain this matter to Carter and Alicia. While he was having a headache over this matter, he suddenly felt a cool touch on his hand.

“Hm?”

The under-the-table gesture prompted Roel to quietly glance at Alicia, who made use of the brief window when Carter was busy sipping on his tea to wink at him. There was a sly gleam in her crimson eyes.

“!”

Having grown up together, Roel was able to grasp her intention with ease. Meanwhile, Carter put down his teacup and continued heaping pressure on his son.

“Roel, you should know why I’m pushing this matter. How many near-death encounters did you have in the two years since you came of age? Far too many people are targeting you over your bloodline. I trust your capability and competency, but for the sake of our internal stability, I don’t think we should delay this matter any longer. What do you say?”

Carter grimly reminded his son of the current circumstances in hopes of convincing him. Much to his surprise, Roel broke his silence and even smiled at him.

“I understand. You’re right, father.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll seriously consider the matter of having an offspring. I’ll fulfill my responsibility to the Ascart House, so I ask you not to worry about this.”

“…”

Sensing that something was amiss with Roel’s sudden change in attitude, Carter narrowed his eyes in skepticism. Before he could voice his doubts, Alicia suddenly swooped in and mediated between the two of them.

“Lord Father, it hasn’t been long since I came of age. Lord Brother was only reluctant to accept your proposal out of concern for me. Now that the Holy War Commandments have been invoked, it’s indeed time for us to fulfill our obligation.”

Alicia embraced Roel’s arm with a blissful smile before turning back to Carter.

“Lord Father, we don’t want to distract you from your work at the frontlines. Since Lord Brother has already agreed to go along with it, why don’t you leave this matter for us to handle?” she asked.

“…All right.”

Seeing the sweet interaction between the two youths, Carter relented on his initial intention of personally seeing things and acceded to Alicia’s request. Both Roel and Alicia breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.

With the conclusion of their conversation, the dinner banquet finally commenced.