The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 533: Origin Of Verner Family

Chapter 533: Origin Of Verner Family

Inside Philip’s room, the atmosphere was heavy with anticipation. Oriana, seated in a chair beside the bed, faced her grandfather with a look of earnest determination.

"Grandpa, we might not get another chance to talk peacefully and for me to know the entire truth from the past—truth about our family and how it’s related to the royal family. I expect you to tell me everything today. I assure you, I can handle whatever it is. You will still be my grandfather, and nothing in this world can make me love you any less than I do. In my heart, you will remain the same person forever," Oriana said, her voice steady and resolute.

Philip, resting against the headboard, sighed softly, grappling with the weight of the situation. "I am not sure from where exactly to start and for how many things I should apologize to you. All I can say is I am guilty for not being able to give you a good life. I made you suffer with me."

"Grandpa, I had always been content with the life I had with you, and in fact, I am thankful to you for raising me so well despite you having your own difficulties. I want to know everything so I won’t be left in the dark and relieve you of some of your guilt," she said calmly. "Grandpa, you have always known I am not an ordinary child, right?"

Philip nodded, recollecting the events. "During your birth, a woman came to us who said you need to be protected and hidden from the world. She talked to your mother as well when she returned after a few days."

Oriana understood that the woman was Evanthe.

"I also know now, Grandpa, that I am special," Oriana said, omitting what she exactly was, and continued, "Grandpa, tell me where we came from and why we don’t have any relatives here. We are not from Griven, that much I know."

Philip let out a silent sigh before responding. "We are a royal family from one of the fallen kingdoms. I was supposed to be the king, and you were supposed to be the cherished princess of that kingdom."

"Fallen kingdom?" Oriana grasped that the kingdom no longer existed. "What happened back then?"

Philip began to recount the tale. "According to what I heard from my ancestors, the story of our family dates back many centuries to a time when this continent didn’t even have proper kingdoms, and was dominated by a few rulers. Everything was marred by wars between humans and supernaturals, which were said to exist in those times."

"Our ancestors were humble people who were suddenly blessed with divine favor. One of our ancestors received a sacred artefact and was tasked with protecting it. From that day on, the presence of that divine artefact brought prosperity to our bloodline. Generation after generation, we flourished until we were able to establish our own small kingdom, free from the ravages of war, where people lived in peace."

"But with prosperity came a curse—the fertility of our bloodline diminished. Each generation which was the direct bloodline of receiver of artefact produced only one child and other branch families disappeared, it was as if nature only wished to have a single person of our bloodline alive to fulfil that duty faithfully. The heir was always a boy destined to sit on the throne and safeguard the divine artefact. Everything seemed to be progressing well until my reign."

"What happened, grandfather?" Oriana inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"What happened, grandfather?" Oriana asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"When I had my first and only child, it was not a boy but a girl—the first daughter in our family bloodline since our ancestors received that artefact—your mother, Amaya. According to our history of only being able to have one child, I couldn’t produce another who could inherit the throne after me."

"This presented an opportunity for my most trusted confidants to reveal their covetous desires for the throne. Those closest to our family were aware of the presence of the magical divine artefact that brought us prosperity. Alongside the throne, they coveted the artefact as well. I could risk losing the throne, but I could never risk losing that artefact. Our bloodline bore the responsibility of protecting it, and if it fell into the wrong hands, it could bring disaster. When I discovered their treachery, I chose to flee because confronting them was futile, despite being a king. My priority was to protect that artefact and my family, which consisted only of my wife and my daughter. I abandoned everything and escaped."

"They relentlessly pursued us to obtain that artefact, but I had already safely made my way to Griven. The previous King of Griven owed me a debt of gratitude for saving his life, and we were friends. Without hesitation, he welcomed me into Griven and helped conceal our identities. He provided us with everything along with our new family name we needed and even appointed me as his personal adviser. Here, we lived with noble status and enjoyed a peaceful life."

"How did that kingdom disappear from the continent? Weren’t those people coveting it to rule it?" Oriana pressed, her curiosity driving her to seek further understanding.

Philip sighed heavily before responding. "They managed to sustain the kingdom for a decade or more, but it was a futile effort under the rule of greedy and malicious rulers. The people suffered greatly, and chaos reigned. Without the artefact, the prosperity it bestowed vanished, leading to further decline."

"In time, the King of Megaris, seeking to expand his kingdom’s borders, annexed the failing kingdom into Megaris, effectively erasing its true existence. No other kingdom came to its aid, as it was widely recognized as a lost cause. It was deemed preferable for the people to be absorbed by a powerful kingdom rather than continue to suffer under corrupt leadership."

"Maybe they deserved it," Oriana commented.

Philip nodded and continued, "Your grandmother passed away soon after we came to Griven. I alone put my best efforts to raise your mother," Philip continued, a hint of sorrow in his voice as if past was once more running in front of his eyes. "My Amaya, she blossomed into such a beautiful and kind-hearted woman. Everything was proceeding smoothly, and I was preparing to arrange her marriage, but everything changed... when that artefact was taken away."

"Taken away?" Oriana asked, taken aback. "Who did it?"

"Your mother," Philip answered solemnly.

"Mother?" Though shocked, Oriana managed to say. "There must be a reason."

"Indeed, there was a reason," a bitter chuckled left his lips, "Your mother was so kind that she forgot her responsibility to protect the artefact, which I entrusted to her when she came of age. She was its master and guardian, but she failed in her duty. She failed me," Philip lamented, his voice sad.

"Why was it so important?" Oriana inquired.

"It was said that the artefact fell from the sky during a conflict between gods and demons. Its original owner disappeared during that war, and it landed on earth. The one who delivered it to our ancestors instructed them to safeguard it always, for one day the owner of that artefact would return to claim it. In return, the protector would receive prosperity and a unique bloodline. I’m uncertain of what made our bloodline unique, as we are nothing more than ordinary humans, but we did thrive despite our humble beginnings."

Oriana realised she was close to getting answer related to Arlan and asked, "What exactly was that artefact, Grandpa? Like a sword, a knife or something else..."