Ares lowered his head with his jaw clenched and his hands clenched into fists until his nails dug into his flesh. If Lionel had not known Ares since childhood, he would feel suspicious and wary―preparing himself if Ares got out of control and burned everything in sight.
But this person was Ares; even though he had a temper, his best friend could control it at the right time. Apart from that, Ares was a god's heir, and controlling his inner emotions was one of the heaven trials that he must undergo. Lionel smiled with satisfaction when he no longer felt the killing aura from his friends.
After calming himself, Ares's jaw muscles relaxed, and his fists opened. "I understand. I will do as you say."
"Good. Now, enjoy this moment. The ice party will start soon."
Right after Lionel said his words, four people in knee-length blue robes walked to four sides. One was to the north, while the others were to the east, west, and south.
All four had magic wands with the same blue crystal stone―it had an intense cold, indicating they were ice wizards. The four raised their wands towards the sky, accompanied by a bright blue light from their crystal stones. The ground they were walking on turned into an ice floor, and white flakes fell from the sky like snow falling in winter. Surprisingly, the temperature in the air was still average and didn't drop at all, so they didn't need to look for jackets or blankets to warm their bodies.
Everyone enjoyed the not-so-cold winter atmosphere with joy. The sound of elegant and majestic music could be heard from the music stage played by several musicians, making several couples want to dance on the ice floor wearing ice skating shoes.
Seeing so many couples starting to dance, Lionel looked for a girl. Alas, he couldn't find a girl he wanted to dance with.
Using his sharp sense of smell, Lionel followed the scent trail of the girl he had just met a few moments ago. The girl's scent was strong when Lionel arrived at some point, which was quite far from the match between Jerome and Cam. However, he didn't expect Jerome―his brother would also stop at the same spot.
"Brother, is there something you want to talk to me about? Why are you following me?"
"I thought you followed me."
"No. I'm looking for someone."
"Me too," answered his brother in a nonchalant tone as he stepped forward, following the scent he was tracking. "You're still following."
"Hey, I coincidentally have the same destination as you. By the way, you have one more person complaining against you. Why do you like annoying other people so much? Did you deliberately turn the whole world against you?"
Over the past three months, Lionel had tried hard to get Jerome to take part in important things that happened internally in the clan. Not all Alphas approve of Jerome joining and continue to provoke him by ridiculing or belittling Jerome. His brother didn't help him because the brother always responded to the Alphas' taunts using the power of his Alpha authority. This made the Alphas believe Jerome was arrogant, conceited, and more concerned with himself than the clan's interests.
It also made the Alphas, who originally agreed with Alpha Jerome, change their minds. They all no longer support Lionel's proposal to step down from the throne and return the position of Alpha King to Jerome. For them, Lionel was still a much better choice as Alpha King than Jerome, even though Lionel was not the firstborn.
Lionel made a sullen face when he realized that Jerome had no intention of answering his question. "I don't mind if you are antagonists with other Alphas, but Ares is my best friend, and he is my most trusted right hand. At least be nice to him. He is not those narrow-minded Alphas. He is not our enemy."
"We never know."
"If I said Ares was the successor to the throne of god, would you change your mind?" Lionel's question was able to stop Jerome in his tracks.
"A god's heir?" Jerome was stunned to hear that the red-haired man was the god's chosen child.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's reality. And you should know he was the one who helped our mother to complete the seventh god's trial."
Jerome couldn't believe it, but he had to as the words came from his own brother's mouth. "How did you know? He couldn't be showing off his meeting with a goddess."
"No. I met Mom ten years ago."
"I thought the Upper Realm had summoned her thirteen years ago. How did you meet her?"
"Not the present one, but the past. Our mother once went to the future and accidentally met a seventeen-year-old me. At that time, she came with Dad and did not recognize me, but I immediately recognized them."
Jerome gave no comment and just pondered how lucky his younger twin was. Not only was Lionel able to reduce his longing for his mother by meeting her, but he even had the chance to meet their father―the previous Alpha King―Alpha Lyodreck.
"What are you thinking?" Lionel patted his brother's shoulder gently, breaking Jerome's thoughts.
"Nothing." Jerome put on his expressionless face again and walked along following the scent he had tracked. However, the odor he smelled stopped at the door mansion.
"Brother, I've been wanting to ask. Are you looking for the human girl I saw with you? I smelled the same scent when I walked here."
"Yeah. Are you?"
"No. I'm looking for…" Lionel didn't continue his words when he realized something.