"Your ancestor, Hartmann I, achieved nothing. Do you really think your talent and strength measure up to Hartmann I?"
"In today's world, the Azure Kingdom has stood strong for a hundreds of years, and its people are loyal. Do you really believe you can overthrow it by making a few allies in the sorcerer world? It's laughable!"
Liana scoffed, "You're already involved in treason, and now you want me to marry Lily to you? So when your rebellion leads to disaster, should she join you on the execution block?"
As a relative of the Hartmann family, Liana may not know every detail, but she understood them well enough.
The Hartmann's of Anyu descended from Hartmann I, who lived during the fall of the Hart Kingdom.
Back then, Hartmann I was a sorcerer prodigy. He developed the Rebound Reflection technique, making him nearly invincible. His ambition was to seize the chaos of the time and restore the Hart Kingdom.
But before he could gather enough strength, the Azure Kingdom had already risen to power. Hartmann I had no choice but to retreat to the Anyu region, nursing his grudges.
Though he gained fame in the warrior world, he never achieved his political ambitions.
Hartmann I was a supreme tier expert.
Liana was convinced that if even Hartmann I with all his power failed, then Luis, who paled in comparison, stood no chance. All he did was play around in the sorcerer world.
If he stayed quiet, it would be good. But if he actually stirred trouble, it would only lead to his death and the destruction of his entire family.
That was why Liana refused to let Lily have anything to do with him.
She had always mocked Luis' dream of becoming emperor. Hearing her words now, Luis could only smile bitterly to himself.
"Aunt, I've realized my mistakes," he said.
"I no longer care about restoring the kingdom. I just want a peaceful life now. The past is behind me, what matters is the present."
Liana sneered, "Every one of you Hartmann's is delusional. First you dream of being emperor, now you spout this nonsense. Do you really think you can fool me?"
She sighed heavily, "Luis, just leave. Keep chasing your imperial fantasy if you must, but I will never let Lily marry you. If you know what's good for you, stay away from Whitmore Villa. If you don't… well, your martial arts aren't exactly unbeatable."
She had always looked down on Luis' abilities. In her eyes, his skills were mediocre at best. She'd even claimed that if Lily trained seriously, she'd surpass him easily.
Luis chuckled. "Aunt, I know everything."
His tone turned sly.
"Do you know why the Black Rose refuses to see you? And… you wouldn't want certain affairs becoming public, would you?"
Liana stiffened, "You... what nonsense are you spouting now?"
Luis continued calmly, "I know about Black Rose. I know more about black rose than you. Funny, isn't it?."
Liana's face drained of color, as if she'd seen a ghost.
Luis pressed on, softly, "You really don't want this getting out, do you?"
Liana's expression twisted.
The truth was damning: she'd once had an affair with Black Rose of Valor and even became pregnant. She doesn't know the real identity of black rose and all these year she is searching for him.
When Adrian abandoned her, she hastily married Luis' uncle, Craven an honorable man who unknowingly raised another man's child. Worse, Craven died young, while Liana still longed for Adrian.
A scoundrel's "true love," while the decent man paid the price.
Luis seethed inwardly at the injustice.
Liana glanced around nervously, then cleared her throat. "Luis… perhaps we should speak privately?"
-----
In Liana private room
Liana dismissed irrelevant people, including Lily.
At this time, only Luis and Liana looked at each other.
Liana boudoir was very large, and the bed was also very large. It was like a small room in itself, with a dressing table attached.
There was an incense burner in the center, with light smoke curling up. The screens and gauze curtains were very delicate and gorgeous.
A young man in the prime of his life and a young woman who was as fierce as a wolf were in the same room. This made Luis a little nervous, because he always felt like he was going to make a movie.
"Aunt, you look good." Luis snorted and smiled.
Liana gritted her teeth and said, "Luis, how much do you know?"
Luis said, "I know everything I should and shouldn't know."
"What?!" Liana was shocked, "How did you know? What do you know?"
"Hehe, let me recite a poem"
"He came when twilight brushed the sky,
A man with secrets in his eye.
Liana watched, her breath grew still,
A rose unopened bent to will.
They met in hush, in whispered flame,
No promises, no real name.
But hearts once sparked are hard to tame,
She wore his shadow like a flame.
He gave her once a rose so black,
Its velvet bloom with midnight's track.
"No garden bears this but the bold,"
He said, then left as night grew cold.
She searched through cities cloaked in rain,
Through hills that echoed back her pain.
The rose she wore pinned near her chest,
A compass made of grief and rest.
Years pass, the bloom has not decayed,
Though every color else has grayed.
She tends it still with silent grace,
And waits beneath the open space.
Some say the Black Rose means goodbye,
But she believes it's just a lie.
She waters hope with every dawn,
That love like this is never gone."
As a modern guy with artistic knowledge, he was still able to make up a few poems.
"You...you..." Liana was so angry that she shook her body again, "How dare you write me like this?!"
Luis said seriously, "Your nephew is just to protect your face, so I use poetry to express it in a subtle and tactful way. Just tell me if what I said is true, right?"
Liana knew that Luis was telling the truth.
But she couldn't figure out how Luis knew it.
Although Mr. Craven knew about it, he was too infatuated. He took over for love without regrets. He died under the peony flowers and became a romantic ghost.
"How did you know? Who told you? Do you know who he is?" Liana looked at Luis as if she had seen a ghost.