The Goddess' Champion

"My Emperor... The heir of the Parcival Family, Gerald Parcival seeks an audience with his brother and sister."

"Don't-"

"Let them in."

"Caroline!?"

"Whats the problem, dear? They're loyal subjects and the Parcival family is one of our strongest supporters." Phoebe asked with curiosity, Constantine's reaction seemed off.

With nothing more than to glare at his first Empress, Constantine remained silent, but the anxiousness in his heart couldn't be negated.

Three individuals were scouted by the imperial guards into the gigantic hall with the throne room.

There were five thrones where the anxious Emperor and the empress sat.

There were several dukes, dozens of guards and also, the Emperor's little brother.

"Your majesty." The first one to speak was Katherine Parcival, instead of the one to have come for an audience, Gerald.

The three of them knelt with their silver hairs that wouldn't go unnoticed amidst the crowd, there were only a handful of individuals in the entire Empire with that hair colour after the Greenwood family had 'disappeared'.

"Raise." He ordered.

"It has been a long time, you three~" Caroline, seeing that no words would come out of her husband's mouth, decided to speak instead.

Something that surprisingly caused a bad reaction out of the lady in the front.

"Thanks your Majesty, we have been wonderfully... we come here today with a single purpose, my sister's marriage has already been scheduled for a week later, yet the Emperor hasn't shown his interest in regards to this event."

"I won't attend... if that's all you can all leave."

"..."

"D-Dear..."

"Why won't you go?"

Katherine's words made everyone in the hall feel as if a cold breeze hit the back of their necks.

"Katherine Parcival, I believe I needn't explain my reasons to you, I'm a busy Emperor." His words came out like a fake charade of power, everyone noticed and they were confused.

"But you have gone to every single of the most important events in my life."

"Caroline, take them out."

"Please wait!"

"W-Why is it wrong... that I want his majesty to attend my wedding!?"

"Foolish brat, do you dare-" one of the Dukes present was about to throw a rant about how this girl dared to make a demand out of the emperor, reason enough to hang her. But he went silence the moment unprecedented killing intent locked on him in the form of the Emperor's gaze.

"What we're you saying, Dalston?"

"N-Nothing. Your majesty." He didn't know what he did wrong, but knew if he didn't ship his mouth, his entire family might become the next Greenwood.

"I can't attend your weeding because I have... matters... to settle in the border."

"If that's the case, would it be too much from my humble self to demand a gift from the Emperor?"

"Katherine-"

"Big brother... trust me." Katherine looked back to her twin brother who sighed and released her shoulder, she had always been the best with words.

Meanwhile, Casper with his slightly bigger head had his gaze locked on the Emperor at all times.

"What do you desire as a gift? whatever she answers... give it to her as a gift from the inperial family." Constantine knew that it was mysterious for him to concede anything to those three, by now most realised there was a connection and they were likely the emperor's cousins, nephews and nice; something of the sort.

With his three children in front, he didn't know what to say, the mere memory of his mother pained him, seeing how well he had managed to be an older 'brother' to August, he thought that perhaps they shouldn't have given them to the Parcival, then again... seeing how happy they were, it hadn't been a mistake either.

"I want answers..." Katherine requested solemnly, and it was at that moment that Constantine knew this wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

No matter what he couldn't reveal it.

"..." The Emperor's gaze said it all, everyone quickly departed the room leaving only his family.

"What answers do you want, Heiress of the Parcival." He sat regally, legs crossed even, trying to appear confident.

Every single one of his movements caused a reaction on the trio, either outrage, nervousness or unnerve.

"You treat our family reasonably better than the rest of the Duke Families in the capital, your majesty."

"Correct."

"I heard that the reason was that you did my father a favour in the past."

"Correct..."

"Could I know what favour that was?"

"No."

His answer immediately drew a small glint from Katherine's visage.

"Okay, my second question is... about our hair colour..."

"Yes?"

"I heard that only the Greenwood family which your majesty's mother belonged to possessed such a characteristic in the entire empire and even beyond."

"That's correct."

"Could our true parents be related to the Greenwood Family?"

"Why do you want to know anything about your true parents? Could it be that the Parcival have treated you wrongly?" Coldness and killing intent enveloped his voice.

"No!" The three hurriedly answered, seeing that the Emperor was not an easy individual to deal with in the slightest.

"Father and mother have been the best we could have gotten... or... the best our true parents could have gotten for us." Her tone concealed something that Constantine knew very well.

'She knows, they know... no, they suspect...'

"But that still doesn't change the fact that our silver hair is a noteworthy feature that excluded us from that family, even if we were given all the love in the world... the three of us have merely wondered whether it was possible to find our true parents through his majesty since his majesty also has roots in the Greenwood Family."

"I understand, but I know nothing about your parents... the Greenwood family disappeared a long time ago, you may have been children of one of their daughters... they have a bad reputation for abandoning their members." Constantine smirked desolately, with this they couldn't say anymore.

As a response to his words, the entire room grew silent and the glare Caroline was giving him, stronger as well.

"Does that include you as well, your majesty? Do you also enjoy abandoning your children?"

!!!

It was as if a nuke fell in the room, August was about to throw them out but at that moment Gerald took his sister's head by force and knelt down with her!

"YOUR MAJESTY! I APOLOG-"

However, before he could finish she slapped his hand away.

"I don't apologise... answer me, your majesty..."

"You know you could be hanged for this offence." The one to speak was Lucille that for a while now believed something weird was going on, she knew her husband very well, at best probably sleeped with one of his aunts or cousins and these children came upon, she had already noticed that he paid extra attention to them.

She, together with Phoebe and the rest of the Empresses except Caroline; believed that August, Katherine, Gerald and Casper were children he had with a cousin from the Greenwood family, merely by their own suspiciousness and conjectures since this theme had never been touched. After all, another of his eldest children, Michael Lionheart -his son with his own step-sister from the Lionheart family- also received such treatment.

Still, Katherine's attitude was indomitable.

"Hang me then, father."

"What are you saying!?" August yelled in outrage, these three were getting in his nerves now.

"..." Instead, Constantine remained silent.

"You have gone to every single one of our events, my graduation from the academy, my first party... how could we encounter one another while hunting? How could you casually be in the cafe during my first date? Or Casper's first date?" Just as she spoke, the tears began to flow, recalling all of those experiences in which would 'casually' meet the renowned Emperor who everyone in the Empire desired to meet but couldn't.

"Coincidences..." He uttered, not sound convinced, perhaps lying was beginning to cause damage to him too, was there any point in lying? This girl had inherited his shrewdness, there was not the slightest doubt in her voice.

"Casper had a surgery when he was still little,

as a result of that surgery, his head is slightly bigger than normal, clearly, mother dropped him when he was still a kid."She uttered with wrath, but the wrath was not for what Constantine believed. Upon hearing her words, he was triggered, there was no way that could ever occur.

He immediately stood up from the throne, outraged and willing to protect the image of the person he loved above anything.

"That never happened! She would never!-"

It was then when he realised that he just made a mistake, he who would rarely commit mistakes, in regards to this subject seemed to have become a seemingly endless flux of errors.

"..." Everyone looked at him, agape. More so the trio who seemed to have gotten the answer they desired, even if unclear.

"I'm not coming here with half-assed evidence... father, I didn't come here to pressure you into giving on my suspicions. I'm absolutely sure you're my father, we are. So, stop lying. Please, it hurts..." Katherine's sobs were the only noise the room.

The Emperor lowered his gaze and finally decided to speak.

"Leave us alone..." He ordered with a shadowed expression, what else could he do, she knows... but he still wasn't willing to reveal this secret, hence... he made everyone else leave.

"Everyone leave, you too, August."

"Brother!" August didn't want to leave, he noticed something odd was going on in the background as well, right now was the worst time to desist, but it was Caroline who took him away.

"I hope you will explain this to us, dear..." Lucille threw her husband a slightly irritated gaze, there were no secrets in this household, she had boasted to already know the best and worst of her husband, the other way was also valid, he knew everything about her.

Yet today she realised there was yet another secret.

He simply nodded, unwilling to face her.

...

When everyone finally left the room he exhaled a deep one and threw a look towards the trio.

"I'm your father..."

!!!

"But I won't ever tell you who your mother is, she passed away and her only desire was for me to never say it... you can only know from her mouth, but she passed away..."

While this entire situation unfolded, Aurelianne's avatar mirage silhouette moved along the corridor, caressing her children's faces.

She bit her lips and said, "I'm your mother..."

Sadly, her words wouldn't ever be heard.