The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 411: The Two Emperors’ Conversation

At this moment, Emperor Herman is receiving an unexpected guest—one who makes him question whether something is amiss. Sitting before him is Emperor Durand Doria of the neighboring Doria Empire.

They are inside the study, with Prince Claude and Prince Hector standing behind their respective fathers. The two princes look at each other as if they are long-time rivals finally meeting again, an invisible spark igniting between them.

However, their fathers are the complete opposite. Emperor Herman watches Emperor Durand with a strange look, while Emperor Durand, seemingly unfazed, simply enjoys his tea.

"Ah, at least you served me good tea, old man. I suppose my visit here isn’t too bad," Emperor Durand said after taking a sip.

Emperor Herman frowned at him. "You always like to beat around the bush, huh? Just get to the point, old man. Why are you here? This isn’t like you. The last time you set foot in this palace was before your enthronement," he asked in an irritated tone.

"Come on, we’re just a couple of old folks waiting for our turn to return to the embrace of Mother Earth. Let’s enjoy the moment and not rush things," Emperor Durand replied before taking another sip, sighing in satisfaction.

Emperor Herman silently watched him for a moment, then decided to sip his own tea, letting himself indulge in its warmth.

"Anyway, I came here to talk about young Aldrian," Emperor Durand finally said after a brief silence.

Emperor Herman raised an eyebrow slightly. "Young Aldrian? Which Aldrian?"

Emperor Durand scoffed. "Don’t play dumb with me. I know you’ve already met him and spoken with him for some time. Who else could I be talking about besides the one who just caused another wave of big news in the Atria Empire? I’m certain he also mentioned me to you."

Emperor Herman fell silent for a moment before asking, "What do you want to talk about?"

"It’s about his future. With how boldly and openly he’s acting, it’s only a matter of time before his true background is uncovered. I believe he knows this and has planned it himself. But you see, he is someone destined for greatness—a member of the younger generation who will replace us old folks. However, because of his origins, this could deepen the rift between our two empires, which are already locked in rivalry. That’s why I want to discuss how we should handle this matter."

However, Emperor Herman frowned at Emperor Durand’s words.

"What are you talking about? Why would his origins affect our two empires?" he asked.

Now it was Emperor Durand’s turn to frown, but then something clicked in his mind.

"This old geezer still doesn’t know Aldrian’s true family!"

Did that mean Aldrian hadn’t told him yet?

Suddenly, he realized he had let something slip that he shouldn’t have. He quickly masked his surprise with a smile at Emperor Herman, but inwardly, he was cursing himself. He should have kept quiet! If Aldrian truly hadn’t revealed his lineage to Emperor Herman yet, then this was an opportunity. He could use this to bring Aldrian closer to the Doria Empire—to ensure he had a stronger bond with his mother’s side.

Unfortunately, he had already let it slip. Now, he could only try to control the damage.

"Nothing. I just remembered that young man won’t affect our empire due to certain circumstances. Anyway, I have to go—I still need to—"

He stood up, intending to leave, but before he could finish his sentence, he sensed the imperial palace’s protective barrier being raised. The sudden activation shocked many inside the palace. What had happened? Was the palace under attack?

Emperor Herman gripped an artifact used to activate the protective barrier, one designed to prevent anything from entering or escaping the palace. This barrier was strong enough to withstand several strikes from a peak Emperor-stage cultivator! Due to the immense energy required, it was rarely activated. Yet now, Emperor Herman had done so, making it clear just how serious he was.

"You’re going to tell me everything about young Aldrian—his circumstances, his background, and anything else you know, old man," Emperor Herman said with a smile, but his expression was rigid. "Until you do, you won’t be leaving this place. And if we have to fight like in our younger years, I don’t mind."

Inwardly, he felt left out by Aldrian. Aldrian had already told him that he had connections with the sovereign families of every territory he stepped into, but he had never spoken about his own family or origins.

Now, from the looks of it, the old man from the Doria Empire seemed to know the truth. And from the way he spoke, Aldrian’s origins might even have something to do with his own empire! Did Aldrian tell this old fart but not me?!

He would trap this old man here until he spilled everything he knew about Aldrian!

Meanwhile, sweat was already rolling down the foreheads of the two princes. If these two truly fought, the destruction would engulf the entire city! They wanted to step in and persuade them to calm down, but before they could, they watched as Emperor Durand sighed and turned back, settling himself on the sofa once more.

"You are truly a decisive and stubborn old relic."

"And you are a cunning old fossil."

They jabbed at each other before Emperor Herman, now sitting upright in a serious posture, spoke again to the emperor in front of him.

"I want to hear about young Aldrian’s circumstances and everything about him," he said, emphasizing each word.

Emperor Durand looked at Emperor Herman for a moment before sighing and waving his hand.

"Alright, alright, don’t look at me like that. Actually, I figured out young Aldrian’s origin because of my sharp mind. I merely put the pieces together after noticing a few hints—ones that came from Hector’s investigation and from how a certain someone acted toward Aldrian."

With that, Emperor Durand began recounting the moment he had deduced Aldrian’s true origins.

He recounted the sequence of events—how Aldrian arrived at the war, saved Irene Rivas, and so on—all of which pointed to a connection between Aldrian and Irene Rivas. He only shared the key details, but in the end, he had been able to deduce Aldrian’s true family origins.

Upon hearing Emperor Durand’s explanation, there was no other reaction but shock from everyone in the room. Even Prince Hector, despite his own investigations, had not known the full truth—only Emperor Durand had pieced it together. As for Emperor Herman and Prince Claude, they seemed to have heard something unbelievable.

A son born from the union of the Flamecrest family and the Rivas family’s successor?

What kind of twist is this?

But then, Emperor Herman felt a small sense of relief. At least Aldrian hadn’t directly told Emperor Durand himself. If he had gathered enough information, just like this old man, he too could have deduced Aldrian’s origins. Yes, that would be the case...

Yet another thought struck him.

If Aldrian was the son of both the Flamecrest and Rivas families... then which family would he choose to stand with in the future?

Suddenly, he understood exactly what was going through Emperor Durand’s mind when the man had tried to leave earlier. His own reaction to Aldrian’s potential impact on their two empires made it clear and that old fox had been trying to escape before revealing too much.

This old man wants to take advantage of the situation himself!

If Emperor Herman had remained unaware of Aldrian’s origins, he would have lost his momentum in the future when the truth inevitably came to light. Once Aldrian’s true family was revealed to the world, that cunning old bastard would have made sure Aldrian leaned more toward his mother’s side than his father’s.

A knowing smile crept onto Emperor Herman’s face as he took another sip of tea. Somehow, it tasted even more delicious than before.

"Ah, what a nice tea. Don’t you think so, old man? You truly are a cunning old fox," he said, setting his cup down with a smirk.

Emperor Durand gritted his teeth at his own foolishness. If only he hadn’t jumped to conclusions and mentioned Aldrian’s origins to this old bastard!

"Anyway," Emperor Herman said, shifting the conversation, "before we discuss Aldrian and our two empires, the bigger concern is how these two families will react. Given their history, once the news breaks that Aldrey and Irene have a son born outside of marriage, I can already imagine the storm that will follow."

Emperor Durand sighed. "That’s true, but I believe I understand what kind of plan young Aldrian has in mind to prevent any major setbacks and that is his reputation."

Emperor Herman tilted his head for a moment before realization dawned on him.

"Ah, yes. With him being the famous ’Mysterious Swordsman’ and one of the strongest cultivators on the continent, I doubt anyone would dare object to Aldrey and Irene’s union. Perhaps the only issue now is how those two old men from Flamecrest and Rivas will react." freeweɓnøvel.com

"Yes, Grand Duke Rivas and Grand Duke Flamecrest have firm personalities, but I think with someone like young Aldrian, they will have no choice but to agree to the union of their descendants. The only real problem is how they will react when Aldrian has to choose which family he will inherit."

"What are you talking about? The choice is obvious."

"Ahahaha, yes, that is—"

"Flamecrest family."

"Rivas family."

They spoke simultaneously, falling into silence immediately after.

"What do you mean? Of course, it has to be the father’s family—"

"No, that would be too arrogant of you to—"

They engaged in a heated debate, each throwing out arguments to support their case. Prince Hector and Prince Claude could only facepalm at their fathers’ relentless bickering, but they also understood the weight of the discussion. Aldrian’s choice would determine the future of their respective empires, whichever side he chose would rise to unprecedented heights!

While the two emperors continued their debate over Aldrian, in another location, news of the Mysterious Swordsman had also reached a different audience. At this moment, a man and a woman sat face to face, seemingly engaged in conversation after hearing the latest reports from the Atria Empire.