The Labyrinth Villa was quite a renowned place inside Holy Capital Loren. Rumors abounded amongst the populace that this property of the Ascart House was unbreachable.
According to rumor, if the person entering was welcomed by the owner, everything would function normally within the villa. However, if the person wasn't welcomed by the owner, he would be faced with a labyrinth that he would never be able to escape from.
This rumor had been around for so long that it was impossible to trace its origin anymore, but it did show the deference the populace held toward the Ascarts as a magician house that wielded mystifying powers.
And Roel had the honor of living in this scenic location as one of its masters.
"Father, are the rumors true?"
While admiring the classical design of the villa that had come from over a hundred years back, Roel couldn't resist asking Carter about the authenticity of the rumors.
That question made Carter chuckle to himself. He brought Roel and Alicia over to his study. After settling down on the chairs, he began sharing the history of their house.
"This villa was built by the patriarch of the Ascart House three generations ago, who happens to also be my grandfather, Ponte Ascart. It currently has more than 170 years of history behind it."
Through Carter's explanation, Roel and Alicia learned about a history that was not only unknown to the general populace but was recorded only in the most confidential historical records.
Around 200 years ago, the royal family of the Saint Mesit Theocracy, the Xeclydes had a pair of twins, a son and a daughter. The son was named Wade Xeclyde, whereas the daughter was named Victoria Xeclyde. This pair of siblings were highly talented, reaching Origin Level 4 at a very young age.
This should have been good news to the Xeclydes, but in an unexpected twist of events, Princess Victoria discovered that her little brother, Prince Wade, was actually related to an evil cult.
It was utterly scandalous for the successor of the Theocracy's Holy Eminence to be involved with an evil cult. Anyone else would have immediately raised an outrage upon learning of this matter. However, the sharp-witted Victoria didn't do so.
She knew how sensitive her position as the second-in-line to the throne was, and acting without careful preparation could result in her being labeled as a rebel. So, after careful consideration, she decided to inform her spells teacher, Ponte Ascart, about the matter.
After a series of verifications, Ponte eventually believed what Victoria said. The two of them began to gather evidence, as they awaited the return of the then incumbent Holy Eminence, who was far away at the Austine Empire. Then they could reveal Wade's true face.
Little did they expect that the meticulous Wade would actually notice what Victoria and others were intending to do, and it resulted in a bloody internal conflict that was later dubbed as the March Turmoil.
Back then, three of the Five Eminent Noble Houses were on Prince Wade's side and one declared neutrality, so as to steer clear of the conflict. Victoria only had the Ascart House and Ponte's army on her side, so the circumstances were very disadvantageous to her. With the central street of Holy Capital Loren as the boundary, both sides engaged in a bitter war that lasted over a month.
Under the suppression of the armies of three eminent noble houses and the evil cult allied with Prince Wade, Victoria and Ponte's army was forced back time and time again. The situation then was so tragic that words could hardly describe them. Corpses were littered all over the Holy Capital, and even heavy rain couldn't wash away the stench of blood and corpses that had engulfed the city.
Victoria and Ponte were inflicted with severe injuries in the midst of a battle, and the reinforcement that they had called for was stuck outside the city. Left with no choice, Ponte used a family heirloom to turn the area around his villa into a labyrinth, and the two of them sought refuge there.
The enemy dispatched an army of nearly ten thousand soldiers to march into the Labyrinth Villa, but it was futile. Not only were they unable to find Ponte and Victoria, but many of them had even lost their lives in the labyrinth.
This situation lasted for over two weeks, and it was these two weeks that changed the course of history of the Theocracy for good.
Victoria's envoy had overcome all odds and successfully met up with the Holy Eminence who was still outside then. When the Holy Eminence heard that Wade had fallen into depravity and attempted to kill his older sister, his face warped in shock, and he immediately rushed back from the empire while rallying his armies. Eventually, he successfully made it back before the labyrinth was breached by the enemy.
The Labyrinth Villa was the very place where Victoria and Ponte sought refuge. This villa still retained a fragment of the family heirloom used back then, which resulted in it having some mystical effects.
"After that? What happened next?"
There was nothing more irritating than to have a story ending on a cliffhanger, so Roel quickly urged Carter to finish up the story. Alicia was also looking over with eyes twinkling in curiosity, hoping to hear the conclusion too.
Seeing this, Carter smiled calmly and continued.
"Everything that happened afterward is just normal history. Prince Wade was subdued and arrested by the returning Holy Eminence, and the evil cult was plucked out from its roots. The three eminent noble houses that sided with Prince Wade were punished for their actions. Ponte and Victoria managed to escape from the Labyrinth Villa safely. Victoria eventually became the next Holy Eminence, and the Ascart House was compensated handsomely for its deeds. It was from that generation onward that our Ascart House became a close ally of the Xeclydes."
Carter's words made Roel and Alicia break out in relieved smiles. It was cliché, but it was always heartening to see justice triumphing over evil, especially when it was their predecessor that was portrayed in the story.
"Ah. Speaking up to this point, I suddenly remembered a certain rumor about the story."
"A rumor?"
The silver-haired girl asked curiously at Carter's remark.
The mischievous Carter simply smiled quietly for a very long while, keeping the suspense, until Roel finally shot him a look of overflowing disdain.
"The life-and-death situations that Victoria and Ponte had been through together back then resulted in them becoming close to one another. After that incident, Victoria proposed to Ponte, but… Ponte rejected her on the grounds of their age gap and their relationship as teacher and pupil."
"This…"
"That doesn't smell of anything good."
Alicia's eyes drooped down. She was still at an age where she carried fantasies about love and romance, and it felt like a great tragedy that the love between Victoria and Ponte couldn't be fulfilled.
Roel, on the other hand, was just very skeptical of this whole affair.
Seeing this huge contrasting response he was getting from the two children, Carter shook his head wryly and further elaborated.
"It can't be helped. Ponte already had a family by then."
"Ah, then it can't be helped."
Alicia nodded her head in realization after hearing Carter's elaboration. This conclusion sounded much more acceptable to her.
Meanwhile, Carter patted Roel's shoulder and said.
"I'm telling you this so as to let you know that our predecessors have once rejected a member of the royal family, and it was that famous Victoria."
"…"
Roel looked at Carter, who was bizarrely puffing up his chest proudly, and he found himself speechless.
Is that all?
Father, you must have not known that I have already done it once myself, and I'll continue to do so in the future.
While Roel was still retorting in his heart, he suddenly recalled something Carter had said, so he asked.
"What happened to our family heirloom then? You mentioned that there's a fragment remaining in this villa?"
"The family heirloom is a gemstone. It was already damaged before Ponte used it, and the multitude of enemies that charged into the labyrinth pushed the gemstone beyond its limit, causing it to be reduced to dust. Only a small fragment of it remains at the moment."
A family heirloom that could ward off thousands of enemies was bound to be incredibly valuable, so Roel couldn't help but feel great pity about its loss. But thinking about it again, its sacrifice hadn't been in vain. It was the key to the continued prosperity of the Ascart House over the last few generations, an investment done right.
"Alright, that's all for my story. You had a long carriage ride to get here, so you should have a good rest."
Carter clapped his hands as he instructed the two children to rest well. They had a long day ahead of themselves tomorrow.