Chương 26: Family Sit-Down

The wedding and the assassination attempt were over a month ago. A very faint scar was now visible on my neck. Permanent physical damage could remain when healing points bottomed out. The scar was as faint as it was due to how quickly Healer Castelle had acted. It would be barely noticeable, but I knew my mother would spot it and demand answers when she returned. There was a family meeting that my older half-brother, Dereck, had asked me to attend. My father and grandfather were also present.

None of the servants was in the room.

"You wanted this meeting, Grandfather, say what you want and then leave back to the Capital," my brother said. My grandfather let out a sigh.

"I won't talk about past failures and poor decisions," he said while looking at my father.

"But we came close to absolute ruin at your wedding. The Supreme Warlady is not a power we control. If Justin died, then we would also die."

"My father made his choice, so what are you proposing now?" Dereck asked.

"To increase our military forces. Specifically, our elite forces. To also arrange for Justin to attend the College of Advancement and leave this estate," he replied.

"You make it sound simple. However, our current budget effectively balances our needs. As for Justin's future, that is his mother's decision to make along with his own. This is his home, and he is always welcome here."

"I hate legends. Do you know why?" my grandfather asked, and no one responded.

"It is the power invested in one individual that can act as they please, with little regard for rules and social decorum."

"That is how it has always been. Unless you are some anti-System cultist?" My father asked with a tone of ridicule.

"A capable fighting force and a war is far better than being at the mercy of the whims of one woman. We are finished if she turns on us, no matter her personality or strength."

"And if she remains by our side and her son, my brother, then we have the strength not to worry for at least a century. Possibly longer."

"You don't gamble with the entire future of the family like this!"

"It isn't the entire future. There are still relatives in the capital and abroad with the Burnstock name and heritage," my father said.

"And if the Supreme Warlady hunts them down?! The risk is high. All I am saying is that the family needs to move away from this risk and look for stability."

"Well, I don't plan on marrying a supreme legend, so nothing to worry about there," Dereck joked.

"As for Justin…" He turned to look at me.

"You are always welcome in the estate, even when I take up the title of Duke. I know you aren't looking to replace me."

"Thank you, brother," I whispered.

"More foolishness. How do you think nobles come to power in the first place? A powerful legend makes a claim and passes things on to its descendants. While Justin says he isn't interested, what about his children and their children? We have procedures in place for the rest of the family, but we cannot put any constraints on him."

"And you won't try to or even think about that," my father said without hesitation.

"You created so many problems with your choice to marry the Supreme Warlady. The ship that is our family had a hole that you rapidly patched over. Eventually, that patch will fail, and the situation will become much worse," my grandfather said.

"Or we will make it to a harbor, and someone will properly repair the hole in time. We will address each problem as it arises. Not looking for trouble where there is none, and we will give no offense to Supreme Warlady Elena Burnstock," Dereck countered.

"I agree," my father said immediately afterwards. My grandfather let out a sigh and sagged back into his chair.

"If you could only understand. Fine. I said what I had to." Without a single glance backwards or goodbye, he stood up and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"My apologies for having you here for this, but Father suggested it, and I didn't want there to be any confusion," Dereck said." I understand. I am just surprised that he is so upset now that everything is already done. Not like we can rewind time." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Taking a second wife is something that is not done in polite circles among the nobility. A mistress is fine, but a second wife is not. There have been numerous historical issues with such things. That is why the nobility has very set rules regarding inheritance and family structure, which we inherited from the Eldarin Empire, to avoid unnecessary trouble." I had read about some of this in my history studies, but apparently not enough if it was such a big deal.

I knew it was a concern, but not as much as my grandfather made it out to be.

"Legends that did that in the past would kill the first wife, their kids, and take over by force. Another reason female legends are so rare," my brother said.

"Wait, really? But can't anyone go into the dungeon?" I asked. My father answered my question.

"Very few nobles will make it easy for such women. Only one out of every five or six legends is a woman. For your mother to reach such heights is truly impressive, despite all the barriers put in her way. Not just in the dungeon, but the social barriers and other opportunities she would have struggled to get over in her life." I hadn't realized things were so oppressive.

"The issue comes down to children. Something we inherited from the Eldarin Empire and a lesson learned from the grasping Eternal Emperor. It is why the elves struggle so much as a species. When people level, they find it harder to have children, but women experience more difficulty because they must give birth." I liked this about my father, he would explain things to me, so I wasn't confused.

"The elves let their people gain levels however they want from the moment the System unlocks their status. Unfortunately, even with all their research and efforts, this leads to extremely low birth rates and how humans pushed them back in our wars, along with nations with more liberal cultures."

"What restrictions do they impose?" I asked, curious about the challenges my mother had to overcome.

"Access to the dungeon. That is why she stayed down there for long periods of time, constantly fighting before coming back up and undercutting the prices on monster cores for a female adventurer, hostility from other adventurers and refusals to team up. Then you have schools with teachers and tutors who will refuse a woman, all inherited prejudice to keep the population as high as possible. In the past, it was used to fuel the expansionist efforts of the Eldarin Empire.

Even though it crumbled over a millennium ago, people do not easily change or overcome such prejudices and cultural practices."

"That is unfair," I replied while thinking how hard it had to have been for my mother.

"It is, but that is also what has allowed humans the numbers to dominate the elves and dwarves, pushing them back and claiming more land. While they refused to change their cultures, we humans have adapted and thrived. Thus, noble marriages are skewed." My brother then spoke up.

"Indeed, that is why the family line passes down through the male line, and women are completely excluded." It didn't escape my notice that the duke's first wife, his mother, was not present for this discussion.

"Men marry later to ensure they are stable and won't ruin the family, and women marry young to have children and then gain levels after that."

"While it mainly affects the nobility, these practices trickle down to the rest of the population. The Eldarin Empire did a good job of wiping out other dissenting viewpoints. Although slavery was outlawed and racial prejudice has greatly declined, not everything has improved over the centuries." My father chuckled before he spoke up.

"Life isn't fair. Anyone who looks at you thinks that. With your mother being the Supreme Warlady, opportunities will fall into your lap, and people will try to gain your favor," he said while the First Prince came to mind at that statement. I pushed that intrusive thought aside to focus on the present.

"Is the reason you are telling me this because you want me to know what my mother has gone through?"

"That and why your grandfather is so frustrated over the entire situation. He is much more traditional than I, as you might have guessed. Also, your mother isn't one to complain, ever. She takes all the setbacks, the leers, the insults, the commentary, and has used that to strengthen her resolve," my father answered.

"Then she had me. Did she ever say why?" I asked.

"Only that she had seen as far as she could reach with her skills and levels. They would take her no further, and she wanted something different. She has always missed her family. Their deaths when she was younger sent her on the path to becoming the Supreme Warlady. I think she wanted to recapture some of that, but you would have to ask her. While we understand each other to a degree, ours wasn't a marriage of love, but one of simple understanding and transactions."

A slight smile tinged with sorrow crossed his face for a moment.

"Thank you for telling me." I was delighted they didn't keep me in the dark.

"Too many parents coddle their children. While I won't let the monsters in our society get you if I can help it, I won't hide the truth of this world from you. Making the world a better place is only something we can do if we understand what is wrong with it," my father said.

"You are going soft now, father?" Dereck asked him.

"Just getting contemplative as I get older. Might start a fund for women looking to become adventurers once I retire. Create an elite female fighting force in honor of Supreme Warlady Elena," he said.

"You really don't like grandfather," Dereck said.

"That it might kill him from sheer rage is just a side benefit. I must find something to keep me busy once you take over all of this." While life might be unfair, I wouldn't complain. My mother never complained, and I didn't want to complain about training my mental skills. I was such a selfish idiot. I pledged to work harder, seizing the opportunity before me. I'd work so hard, and my levels would increase so much that Tutor Damian would be even more shocked. My mother didn't have any of these benefits growing up.

She had been a poor peasant girl at the start and had climbed to such heights through sheer tenacity and determination. If I only had a tenth of what she had, then I would make up for the rest with hard work. I would put everything I had into increasing my mental skills. It wasn't enough to work hard; I needed to embrace the hardship and the suffering. Boredom was not an excuse for me. There were no more excuses. I had survived death another time. I needed the strength within myself.

One day, my mother would depend on me, not the other way around!