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Chapter 268: Emperor Durand Found Out About Their Relationship?
Irene tried to suppress her nervousness as Emperor Durand looked at her with a smile. He was waiting for her answer, but her mind was occupied with the sudden topic of Aldrian. It seemed he had already met the emperor, and the emperor appeared to be interested in her son. She wasn’t sure what Emperor Durand’s opinion of Aldrian was, but she still decided to answer.
"I really don’t know much about him, Your Majesty. After he saved me and talked a bit, he continued his journey, and I don’t know where his destination was."
She kept her composure in check, determined to ensure that the emperor wouldn’t notice anything unusual about her explanation—or her lie. However, the emperor’s persistent smile made her feel increasingly uneasy, as he seemed to be trying to read her. Unfortunately for Irene, Emperor Durand had already noticed several signs that she was, indeed, lying.
"She’s lying, and that nervous heartbeat is so obvious to me. She’s trying to reveal as little as possible about Aldrian. Interesting," Emperor Durand thought, intent on uncovering more about their relationship.
"Is that so? What a pity. Although, he did seem to talk about you and knows who you are," Emperor Durand said, his smile unwavering. Of course, he was lying.
Irene’s eyes widened, while Grand Duke Rivas frowned at the emperor’s statement. The stark contrast between the father and daughter’s reactions amused Emperor Durand, as it allowed him to infer how these two regarded Aldrian.
"Grand Duke Rivas doesn’t seem particularly fond of Aldrian, but his daughter appears to have a special relationship with him—enough to try and conceal it. I see, so the key here is Irene Rivas, not the Rivas family," Emperor Durand thought.
"No, I—" Irene began to respond, but Grand Duke Rivas interrupted her.
"Your Majesty, may I ask where this Aldrian is? I wish to see him myself, to look at him and determine what kind of man he is."
"Well, I can’t give you his location unless he wants to meet you himself. However, perhaps your daughter can help you arrange a meeting with him," Emperor Durand replied, his gaze shifting to Irene.
"Young Irene, I know you’re already an adult and capable of pursuing a relationship, so I think it’s perfectly fine to have a man that—"
"No, Your Majesty! It’s not something like that!" Irene shouted, her tone rising slightly as she interrupted the emperor. A second later, she realized her outburst and quickly bowed her head.
"My apologies, Your Majesty, but my relationship with Aldrian is not like that. There is no lie in my words."
Emperor Durand and Grand Duke Rivas looked at Irene with differing expressions. For the emperor, he had finally confirmed his guess.
"Yes, she wasn’t lying about this. Aldrian isn’t her lover or anything of the sort," he thought.
As for Grand Duke Rivas, he seemed to relax, loosening his fist that had been tightly clenched since Emperor Durand first questioned Irene about her relationship with Aldrian. He glanced at his daughter again. It seemed she truly had a complicated connection with this Aldrian.
"It looks like I’ll need to have a talk with her after we return home," he thought. He was determined to uncover who Aldrian was to Irene.
Emperor Durand then shifted his gaze to Grand Duke Rivas.
"Grand Duke Rivas, would you mind stepping outside the hall for a moment? There is something I wish to tell your daughter, something I would prefer only she hears."
Grand Duke Rivas hesitated for a moment before sighing, bowing to Emperor Durand, and turning to leave the hall. Once he was outside and the giant doors had closed, leaving only the emperor and Irene, Emperor Durand turned his gaze to Irene. His expression shifted to one of coldness, and then he said something that sent a sudden chill through Irene’s heart.
"Actually, I want to kill Aldrian because he did something unforgivable to me." Emperor Durand released a bit of his killing intent, causing even Irene to feel a surge of fear. She didn’t understand the sudden shift in the emperor’s mood, but she gritted her teeth and met his gaze. Her expression remained steady and resolute.
"Your Majesty, I don’t know what he did to you, but please pardon him. Instead, you can punish me as a substitute for him," she said, bowing.
"I thought you said you didn’t have a deep relationship with him, but it seems you care about him more than it appears. Are you lying to me, Miss Irene?" Emperor Durand seemed to exude even more pressure and killing intent. Despite all of this, Irene refused to back down. She stood her ground, unwavering, without dropping to the floor.
"Your Majesty can think whatever you want about me, but please don’t punish Aldrian. I will gladly give you my life, as long as Aldrian has not been harmed," she said, her voice steady and her expression resolute as she looked at Emperor Durand again.
Emperor Durand gazed into her eyes—eyes that held no fear, no hesitation, only full conviction and resoluteness. He was impressed. With a sigh, he withdrew his pressure and killing intent, finally concluding his test.
His expression changed instantly, returning to a smile. Irene, still trembling from the emperor’s killing intent, held herself together. She thought the emperor had agreed to release Aldrian in exchange for her, and she felt a sense of relief. She didn’t know what kind of trouble Aldrian had caused, but she was glad to have redirected Emperor Durand’s anger onto herself.
Emperor Durand was about to speak when he froze, stunned, as someone suddenly appeared behind Irene. Irene also sensed the presence, as though this person had materialized out of nowhere.
"Your Majesty, you surely enjoy teasing, but please refrain from doing so in the future. It could be bad for our relationship," Aldrian’s voice resonated.
Hearing the voice, Irene’s eyes widened, and she quickly turned to look behind her. Aldrian stood there, staring at Emperor Durand with an expressionless face. Without hesitation, Irene jumped in front of him.
"What are you doing here?! What are you talking about? Don’t be rude in front of His Majesty! Apologize to him!" she shouted at Aldrian.
However, Aldrian only smiled and gently touched her hand, which had grabbed his arm. Irene was in a panic. Emperor Durand seemed ready to harm Aldrian, and she was doing everything she could to protect her son.
She wanted to plead further with Emperor Durand, but she was stunned when she saw the emperor sigh and raise his hand in a surrendering gesture.
"My apologies, but this old man was simply curious about your relationship with her. I wanted to test her, but it seems I have offended you, so I apologize." Though he was shocked by how Aldrian had known what he did and appeared inside the throne hall without any warning, Emperor Durand didn’t want to offend him. Therefore, he immediately offered his apology.
Irene’s eyes widened in shock at what Emperor Durand had said. The emperor was apologizing to Aldrian? A test? What was he talking about? She looked back at Aldrian, seeking an explanation.
"Relax, His Majesty is only teasing you. He didn’t intend to do anything to me. My relationship with his majesty is good," Aldrian said with a reassuring smile.
Irene then looked at the emperor again and saw him nod in agreement.
"Yes, my apologies, Miss Irene. I just wanted to test you about your relationship with young Aldrian. You don’t have to worry anymore, I didn’t intend to do anything to him. After all, he was our greatest benefactor," he said.
Irene widened her eyes as she heard Emperor Durand’s words. The greatest benefactor? What had happened between them? She truly couldn’t understand anything. n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
As for Aldrian, he knew what was on Emperor Durand’s mind. It seemed the emperor had already learned something from his mother just now. With the emperor’s sharp mind, he must have figured out a thing or two about her.
While training with his domain, Aldrian sensed a familiar presence and instantly saw his mother within the imperial palace that already covered by his domain. He looked at the emperor and heard him utter nonsense about wanting to kill him, but Aldrian could tell that the emperor didn’t truly mean what he said. That’s when Aldrian finally realized that this old man seemed to be testing his mother about him.
Truthfully, Aldrian didn’t like Emperor Durand using that kind of test on his mother. However, he understood that, given the emperor’s curiosity and sharp mind, he simply wanted to understand the true nature of their relationship.
"So, what did you gather from this conversation, Your Majesty?" Aldrian asked.
Emperor Durand fell silent. He looked at Aldrian, then at Irene, before finally turning back to Aldrian.
"Miss Irene seems to have known you for a long time, but you are not her lover, or anything of that sort. However, the moment I expressed my intent to harm you, she instantly pleaded for your pardon and offered to take your punishment instead. I also don’t believe you are merely her friend, because some things don’t add up if that were the case. There would be no reason for her to conceal your existence. As for Grand Duke Rivas, he doesn’t seem to know you and certainly doesn’t seem to like you, which means he only became aware of your existence recently."
"Those eyes of Miss Irene, when she pleaded to be punished instead of you, were full of conviction, with not a hint of hesitation. I recognize that kind of look—the one ready to sacrifice anything for the person she cares about. And those blue eyes..." Emperor Durand looked at both Aldrian and Irene before sighing.
"I see similarities between your eyes. With all that has transpired, I have come to a conclusion, but I want to ask one last question. If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine; I won’t press further."
Aldrian nodded, having an idea of what Emperor Durand wanted to ask.
"Do you share a blood relation with Miss Irene?"
