Chapter 413

As days passed, Diana began paying more attention to Minami, and she could not help but see more and more of the resemblance that the girl bore to Keith.

She knew by now that her Grandson would not tell her the reason behind it, and so, when it reached the point where it started to bother her, she dropped the matter and stopped thinking about it.

However, she could not help but dote more on the girl as she failed to hold back her affection. Minami was like a granddaughter to her, and now, she even doted on her more than she doted on Ingvild, which the young princess complained about one evening, eliciting laughter at the table.

It was the end of March now, months since the two girls started their project to create a new language. And the two, together with Diana and Alana, worked on it from time to time, perfecting it. But since Keith had begun training them in the afternoon, and they would be very tired in the evening after returning to Gaia, they could not work on it as much as they wanted to.

It was going to take a while before it would be finished.

Alana, who had started laughing again, was slowly returning to her usual self. Keith made her train together with Harud, Roy, Riku, and Ruru in the mornings, and after lunch, when he would disappear with Yingying, Minami, and Ingvild, she either kept Diana company or worked on music in her room.

At night, she would spend her time reading books about the untold history of Gaia, learning about the Aurors, the Ancient Houses, Famliles, Sects, and even different races that lived on this planet.

She even learned more about Ingrid and Ingvild, as well as the Carmilla family that they belonged to.

Keith even gave her a book that contained the history of the Underworld and all the Inheritors of the Gods and Goddesses that appeared on Gaia. She was not really surprised when she found his name present in the book, but she could not help her giggles and came to his room to show it to him and try to tease him about it.

However, she was indeed shocked to learn that Keith had many powerful Ancient Houses of Vampires and even Werewolves under his command. And according to the information in the book, his army was perhaps more powerful than any of the other Inheritors of Gods, including Qin Feng, the Lord of Purgatory Island.

When asked a question about it, Keith just brushed it off as if it was nothing, and Alana gained a new understanding of him.

He was likely the most powerful person in the world, but in his eyes, this power did not hold any allure. He was indifferent to it. Almost as if it was nothing to be happy or proud about.

For the next couple of days, Alana chatted with the maids in the Castle and with Romeo, asking them what they thought of Keith, and what the world they belonged to thought of him.

And all she received from them was absolute and true reverence.

She learned that serving him had brought a sense of security to them all, and by serving him, many forces had entered an age of peace and prosperity, away from all the usual conflicts and bloodshed.

The Underworld had never been so calm in the last several centuries, and they all wanted him to stay in the world for several more years.

Alana now realised how important he was to all of them, and she now worried a little about what would happen to them once Keith left.

"Peace does not last forever. One should be grateful for it and appreciate it for as long as it lasts, but they should always be prepared for the harsh times that are part of the cycle, and thus, inevitable."

Keith did not give her any answers about it, but Minami did. And it got Alana thinking more about life beyond theirs and how the world functioned.

"Why does the peace not last forever?" She wanted an answer to it, and after reading history and reaching an understanding of it, she did find an answer.

"Every sentient being is a creature of conflict and inherently selfish. If people take peace for granted, it would breed weakness, and weakness would leave them at the mercy of the strong who are looking after their interests. Peace also breeds envy in the hearts of those who do not have it and yearn for it, sowing seeds of conflict, bound to sprout one day."

She could not help but nod in understanding when she talked to the raven-haired girl about her thoughts and listened to what she had to say.

"And peace can only be achieved through fear. It is fear that keeps a person aware of their limits and boundaries, and if there is no fear binding them, then only chaos is their fruit."

The conversation led her to think more, and it even started influencing her music as it became a little chaotic and held a dark allure.

It was something that Diana pointed out after she listened to her play Cello one afternoon, but she also praised her for her unreal talent in it.

She was a little flustered that her music was being affected by her chaotic thoughts, but since she found herself enjoying creating it as a reflection of her thoughts, she stopped worrying about it.

Right now, she was standing together with Minami and Yingying, watching Keith and Ingvild speaking to Romeo from away, and she became curious when Romeo suddenly knelt to them.

"What's happening?"

"Ingvild's Powers have begun to manifest. Master has decided to reward Romeo for his service and presented him with a choice to come with us to the Lower Heaven. He has accepted it." Yingying informed her and also curiously looked at the next scene, where Ingvild bit her forefinger and then a few drops of her blood floated towards Romeo.

The Vampire immediately accepted them in his mouth and ingested them, which resulted in his body shaking uncontrollably.

"Ahhh...!"

The sudden scream of pain that escaped his lungs panicked Alana, and she anxiously looked at Minami.

"What's happening to him?"

"He's growing stronger and becoming better." The girl smiled and said, not giving away any details, and Alana could only stand there and watch the Vampire cry in agony for the next hour as his Aura ran berserk outside his body.

He did eventually stop crying when the changes stopped taking place, and Alana could not help but gasp when she noticed that the already tall Romeo was even taller now.

And even from a distance, she could see that Romeo's usual pale complexion had gained some lustre to it. He quite looked like Ingrid and Ingvild now, a true Pure-Blood Vampire, and she guessed that it must be the reward he had been given.

After Romeo bowed to Keith and Ingvild again, Keith said something to him and he took his leave. It was then that Alana curiously walked over to them.

"You are up early."

"I could not sleep." She told him, and could not help but blush under his gentle smile.

"Why?"

"I was working on my music."

"I see." He nodded and then glanced at the sky that had started brightening. "Do you want to take the day off?"

"No!" She immediately shook her head, not willing to miss her morning training, and then she curiously looked at Ingvild's finger which had completely healed.

"He's like you now?"

"He can never be like me," Ingvild replied with a smile, and her words made Keith chuckle.

"Ingvild has taken him as her Servant, but yes, he's no longer what he used to be." He told her but did not go into details about it.

"Okay." She nodded her head, wisely not asking any more questions about it since she felt that she would not receive their answers yet.

She had noticed that the four of them disappeared every afternoon, and she had even asked them about it, but she received no answer to that question either.

It made her feel a little alienated, and she felt like she was not truly a part of the family yet.

This was not something she found easy to shake off, but she still bore it, trying to not feel bad about it. However, she was growing agitated now as some fears had started whispering in her heart.

"Keith?"

"Yes?"

"Will you play with me tonight?"

Ingvild could not help her giggles even though she knew that Alana was talking about Piano, and this made the girl blush hard.

"Of course." Keith, however, did not poke fun at her sudden question which was a little misleading, and Alana smiled happily as she stepped forward and tried to tip-toe and reach for his face, and he leaned in to let her plant her soft lips on his cheek.

"I love you!" She told him as she ran away, leaving Ingvild laughing at her antics.

"She's losing patience now." The little Princess mischievously said, and then winced then Keith tapped her head.

"Are not you a little too young to hold such thoughts?" He narrowed his eyes at her, but Ingvild just ran away after sticking her tongue at him.

She grabbed Minami's hand and led her to the Study to continue with their project and Keith smiled at his Shadow who obediently followed him for an early morning walk.