"My dear... Why did you come back so soon? Did something bad happen?"
While Atlas was still challenging the Land of Eternal Desolation, in the eastern regions of the continent, a father and daughter were talking about a young man.
"No... nothing went wrong, father..." the young woman responded, keeping her emotions in check.
"Hmm... Scarlett, why do I feel that there is something wrong with you?"
The middle-aged man knew her daughter well and noticed that there was something strange with her: "My dear... Don't lie to me. If you don't like him, then I don't care anymore... After all, he is the one on the losing side, not me or you. If he can't appreciate my pearl, then... I can only blame myself for choosing an idiot."
Scarlett fixed her golden irises on him as if trying to get the truth from those words, but she was just wasting time as she knew the truth in her heart.
Before, he was eager to have this young man as his son-in-law, but now, all his attention was clearly on something else.
She wanted to be sure of her assumptions and asked: "So... If I tell you no, you won't be mad at me?"
"Well... he is a good choice for my daughter... truly a good choice, but as I promised you last time, the final choice is yours." the middle-aged man said with a severe expression.
"Hmm..." She still smelled something fishy but accepted his words for now: "Anyway, I met him a few days ago. He is not half bad... but it's better if I meet him a couple more times before I give you my response."
As if her words were the truth, only the young woman knew.
"Really?! That's great... Why don't you invite him to the palace next time? It would be a perfect opportunity for your relationship..."
They kept talking about Atlas for a while because her father was curious about this young man. Scarlett gave him a brief description of their few encounters but kept what happened the last day a secret.
While thinking about the last day, she couldn't help but look at the beautiful bracelet on her wrist a few times. It was truly a masterpiece, and she liked it a lot.
'That idiot gave me this treasure even after all that mess. It's so beautiful...'
She was momentarily lost in thought, and her father quickly noted her condition.
"Scarlett... where did you find such a beautiful artifact?"
"Ohh... He made it with his own hands..." Scarlett replied almost instantly with a small smile.
"Geez... to think that he was so good even in that field..." Her father was momentarily surprised but then laughed joyfully: "... Hehehe... My dear daughter, I think that you already caught his heart..."
"Perhaps..."
Scarlett didn't know what to say and only nodded a few times, but a few thoughts formed in her head, and one was quite strong in particular, strong as a vow.
'Since the pill linked my life to you... I will make my life one of the most important things in your life.'
This was a vow from the deepest part of her heart, but was it made out of love or forced by hatred?
|||
After a few minutes, the discussion shifted to other matters related to the city and the Blazing Lazarus Divine Sect until the night brought a beautiful full moon.
It was right at this point that a hooded figure stepped out from behind a giant pillar.
The figure wasn't an intruder but one of the most loyal people to the Scalis family, Kason.
"Greetings, My Lord... Greetings, Young Lady..."
"Oh... Uncle Kason... It's been a long time... How are you?"
Kason had spent a lot of time with Scarlett in her childhood, so their relationship was deep. Indeed, she still called him uncle, even after so long.
"Young lady... everything is fine." Kason replied, glad about Scarlett's genuine gentleness, and then looked at his Lord: "My Lord... we are ready!"
"Oh?!... great!" He stood up and took his daughter's hand with a mysterious grin pasted on his face.
"Father... what is he talking about?" She asked, confused.
"Well... Have you noticed the unbelievable crescent celebrity of Val's stables? And not to mention the miraculous return of Rose, the daughter of Oakur, the Great Merchant of the North... Why do you think something so absurd is happening to those two people?"
She listened to his words but didn't know how to respond.
"You seem confused... well... what if I tell you that Val and Oakur have something in common?"
Yet again, she was silent.
"Hehe... then what if I add that no matter where that little fellow went, something strange happened."
"That fellow? Are you talking about Atlas?" She didn't know why but was sure he was talking about him.
"Yes... Atlas... There is something about that fellow that is even more extraordinary than being a Cursed Child. This secret may be the reason behind their incredible luck." The man said, continuing to walk towards one side of the mansion. "I know it's hard to believe, but the way we have found the place that I'm going to show you in a while... is somehow related to him."
Indeed, Scarlett found this explanation improbable, but after hearing his father's further explanation, she couldn't help but doubt it for a while.
"It's been more than fifty years since we have established our dominion in this region, yet not even once have we discovered such a world-shocking opportunity. It was right under our nose, not even so far from our clutches, yet it took us his help to find it. Political moves or tricks... anyway, we used him as an excuse to clean our land from those worthless things and found the unthinkable."
Scarlett followed his father's speech but couldn't help but correct him.
"Father... it was simply fate... we found it because it was destined for us. Don't put all the credit on him... this doesn't make sense."
"Well... that may be right... but the fact is that if Kason hadn't followed that bandit, we would not have found that place... And what brought us to search for them?"
"Father... it was you... Uncle was following your orders..."
"That's true..." he nodded lightly, "... but my decision was guided not only by my own volition but also by that little boy. That's an absolute fact. We can't deny that."
"..."
Scarlett looked at him, not so much convinced by those words, but didn't reply this time and let him continue: "My dear... It may be difficult for you now, but later, you will understand that destiny is a mysterious thing full of complexities, tricks, fortunes, and misfortunes. It is up to those who have found that destiny to interpret the meaning behind it."
"Father... I..."
She tried to say something but couldn't find the right words. Even though she knew those words were correct, she still found this matter about destiny a bit too complex or absurd. For her, it was just a matter of fate.
"As I said before... You will understand the complexity behind this so-called invisible and ethereal power when you are stronger and enter the depths of the world of cultivation. For now, you have come in contact with an existence cursed by the universe... a Cursed Child. But later on, you may encounter existences favored by destiny, the bringer of fortune or misfortune, or the cursed or beloved by the universe. We live in an endless universe full of possibilities."
Yet again, she was confused by his words. He made this long speech but then somehow contradicted his own statement.
"Father... since he is... well, at this point, he was a Cursed Child. If he is someone who is hated by the Universe, then Atlas can't bring fortune to the people around him. This doesn't make sense at all."
"Indeed... it's strange, but you should remember that those pieces of information were left behind by the people before us. People who left behind legends about those individuals. How can we be so sure that those legends represent the truth? I think that Atlas is a contradiction to those legends, so how can we trust those stories? Since there is uncertainty, then I will follow my heart."
"Whether..." Scarlett tried to make out something from that discussion, but, in the end, she stopped thinking about that and moved back to the main topic: "... where are those treasures? It should be something great... you look so delighted!"
Scarlett had moved on from that matter, but her father was still thinking deeply about it. Luckily, his mood changed rapidly, and he turned back to his usual self.
"Oh... Indeed, it's something good."
"And what is it?" She asked again.
"Hehe... I'm not telling you..." The middle-aged man replied with a smug expression.
"Ohi... always bullying your precious daughter... Should I ask Uncle Kason?" She said, looking back.
Unfortunately, Kason was gone a long time ago, knowing prior that something like this could have happened. Indeed, he was gone even before that weird discussion had taken place.
"It's useless to look for him... He knows you very well and ran away as soon as he saw that the situation was about to become dangerous... HAHAHA!!"
Her response was a simple pout but was so adorable that her father couldn't hold back anymore: "Anyway... you can consider all that you will see later as another gift from Atlas. And I will gladly accept it as a betrothal gift from my future son-in-law. HAHAHAHA..."
They were talking freely as if no one could hear them, but someone was hidden very close to them, and she could hear everything crystal clear.
'This arrogant brat... he benefited from Atlas's fate. But who would have thought that the little fellow caused so much disorder in this small city... Furthermore, I should control these Val and Oakur fellows...'
The figure hiding not so far from them was Grandma River, who came here to check Scarlett's family and her attitude.
Atlas hadn't told them all the truth about his recent expeditions, not even when he knew of their plan.
She had nurtured Atlas since he was a little boy and knew well of his desires and obstinacy, but this situation made him even crazier than the old fellow back home.
Sure enough, his actions shocked the old woman and allowed her to view her little nephew in a new light.