A LITTLE Q&A (I)

ASTRID was greatly shocked by everything he heard. Although he was ready to hear some extraordinary things, he certainly didn't expect this. Who would have thought that their parents' past would have so many twists and turns?

When his mother said that she was from a noble family, the first thing that came to his mind was that she and his father had eloped because her family didn't approve of their relationship. He certainly didn't think that it would involve another powerful noble family and a psychotic murderer. It could be a plot for some dog blood movie.

Not to mention, the awful things that both of them experienced. Astrid was thankful that his parents were able to find each other and be each other's strength.

"What happened after that?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Well, me and your dad started to travel around. Many things happened along the way. We faced some space pirates, stayed temporarily at a Lawless Den, worked as mercenaries for a time. Then we fell in love and had you two," her mother said as if what they experienced were just some everyday occurrence.

Astrid looked at his father. "Don't tell me, Dad got his eye injury from these little 'adventures'?"

Since his mother didn't mention why his father was now wearing an eyepatch until the end of her story, then he could only assume that he got it while they were fighting some space pirates or while working as mercenaries. In which he still couldn't imagine his petite mother fighting a space pirate or being a mercenary.

His mother gave his father a sideway glance. "He got it because of his negligence and stupidity.

Gage embarrassingly scratched his nose. "We were hired to get a certain material from an underdeveloped planet. I let my guard down and was attacked by some high-level ferocious beast. We weren't able to heal it immediately because the medical cabin installed in our aircraft stopped working. I forgot to check it before we left, so we didn't know that it already had problems. So, yes, it's my negligence and stupidity that caused this."

Not to mention that during that time, he and Emmy just experienced their first night together. He was so over in the clouds with happiness that his brain could only think of things not suitable for children. So, yes, he kind of deserved this injury.

"Then what happened to the Lancasters? Did they pay for what that Cecil did?" Reas asked, putting back the conversation on track.

For someone who wanted to be an Imperial Soldier, the things that his mother told them truly challenged his views on what a soldier should be like. A powerful military family using their power to protect a monster and even indulged him, soldiers who wouldn't even think twice in sending a ten-year old child to a mining planet and even hide the crime of a lunatic. He was filled with anger just thinking about it.

This was probably the first time that he understood that the world was not all filled with rainbows and butterflies. That there's a darkness lurking within. And humans were the one festering it. 

But it didn't deter him from his dreams. In fact, it only strengthened it. He didn't want the tragedies that happened to his parents happened to anyone ever again. If he wanted to change anything, then he should be at a place of power where he could do it.

Astrid glanced at his brother. He certainly felt the change in him. Probably because they were twins. So, they were both sensitive to the emotional and psychological changes of each other. And he knew that this change had something to do with what their mother had told them. 

For some reason, he had a feeling that he just had witnessed his brother growing up right before his eyes. 

"We sent the video of Cecil Lancaster confessing to his crime to my- to Duke Grimaldi. And just as we expected, he raided the villa of Cecil on the planet Seavis. He found Cecil's wonderful 'collection' of eyes. We didn't need to spread that video of Cecil ourselves. Because Duke Grimaldi had already done it. 

"After that video spread, public opinion was divided. But many of them still believed that Cecil was coerced into saying those things. That's when Duke Grimaldi released the evidence of Cecil's perverseness. The video of the villa containing his 'collection' and how each of the eyes corresponded to either a dead or missing person. Finally, they had no choice but to accept that Cecil Lancaster was nothing but a depraved killer.

"The Emperor at that time was so angry when he found out about it that he took back all the military positions of those belonging to Lancaster family. Ah, but not all, Simon Lancaster was able to keep his position as a general. The Emperor only halved the army under him."

Emmy said that last part with a bit of a sarcastic tone. She didn't know what that old man of the Lancaster family exchanged with the former Emperor so his son could keep his position. It didn't matter to him that much since the Lancasters had been in decline after that. 

But a decade ago, just after the new Emperor sat on his throne, they started to rise up again in power. And now, they had almost recovered.

That's one of the reasons why she was so reluctant to send her children to the capital. If those bastards found out their identity, there's no doubt in her mind that they would kill them for revenge.

After all, she and Gage did send the video of Cecil being devoured by those ferocious beasts to the patriarch of the Lancaster family.