Why must the devil be Defeated?
Chapter 420 - 413 "Do I look like that kind of person?

Chapter 420: 413 "Do I look like that kind of person?

Next, the atmosphere between Shane and Anxi had completely changed.

It became like a father-in-law chatting warmly with his son-in-law, very harmonious and enjoyable, as they continually shared all kinds of trivial matters.

Originally, Shane and Anxi didn’t have much in common, but one was marrying off his daughter and the other was taking a bride.

Thus, their conversation naturally extended to Luoqi, and they delved deep into discussions about her.

Though it seemed like a casual chat, it was actually more of a competition.

It all started with a casual remark by Shane.

"I know Luoqi very well, better than anyone, so you don’t have to worry about me mistreating her."

Somehow, this statement ignited Anxi’s competitive spirit.

"Are you trying to say that you understand Luoqi better than I, her father?"

With this statement as a starting point, Anxi began to talk endlessly about all sorts of things concerning Luoqi.

From when Luoqi was born, to her childhood, and then to her growing up, Anxi recounted all kinds of interesting stories from the past seventeen years of Luoqi’s life, his expression becoming more animated as he spoke.

This convinced Shane.

"This guy, he’s definitely obsessed with his daughter."

This was a very certain thought that came to Shane when he learned that Anxi kept an entire warehouse of recorded images in magic tools, all of which documented each phase of Luoqi’s development like photographs.

Honestly, Shane was quite envious.

According to Anxi, Luoqi was beautiful now, but as a child, she was even more endearing, earning the adoration of all, thus the term "Kingdom Treasure" was first coined due to this world-class charm.

"You can’t imagine how someone could be so cute. I even suspect that the Divine Race wanted Luoqi to become a resident of the Divine World because those Goddesses were captivated by her cuteness."

King Anxi himself made such a foolish remark to Shane.

But inevitably, due to Anxi’s relentless praise, Shane became genuinely curious and eager to know more.

Shane himself had no shortage of cute girls around him.

Ai Yi, for example, was a strikingly cute little girl, wasn’t she?

Lilith was also explosively cute.

Having such explosively cute little girls around him, Shane was really curious about what Princess Luoqi, proclaimed as the most beautiful girl of the Human Race, looked like as a child.

Thus, after a fierce debate, Shane finally convinced Anxi to lend him Luoqi’s childhood "photo album."

"Remember, it’s a loan; make sure you return it to me."

When handing the crystal-like prop to Shane, Anxi kept instructing him like this.

"Don’t worry, Your Majesty, do I look like someone who borrows and never returns?"

Shane assured Anxi and swiftly pocketed the crystal prop that would never be returned to Anxi’s hands.

Anxi felt a lingering sense of loss, as if his treasure would never come back, making him repeatedly remind and caution Shane.

While Shane nodded solemnly, his heart was already focused on that "photo album," eager to hurry back and appreciate it.

Later, Shane successfully escaped from Anxi and under the watchful eyes of Anxi and Aridia, he left the place.

Only then did Anxi’s foolish fatherly expression disappear.

"How do you feel about it, Aridia?"

Anxi watched Shane’s departing figure before finally seeking Aridia’s opinion.

"I can feel that he was not lying."

Aridia responded indifferently.

"Is that so?" Anxi murmured, "So, you think I can trust him, right?"

"That’s just my opinion," Aridia replied expressionlessly. "I am only a martial artist, so it’s possible that I might not have considered everything."

"But someone like you, a pure martial artist, often has instincts and insights that far exceed others." Anxi did not undervalue Aridia, instead he smiled, "Since you say he can be trusted, I will trust your judgment."

"It’s an honor." Aridia bowed slightly, asking, "So, is Your Majesty prepared to fully support Lord Bezut in his choice of suitor?"

"Yes," Anxi said somewhat reluctantly, "Since Luoqi looks at him differently, then for Luoqi’s sake, I must fully support that young man."

"That’s right," Aridia nodded and added, "Your Majesty truly dotes on Princess Luoqi."

"...Because Luoqi holds a special status, I can, as a father, fully support her love life," Anxi first fell silent for a while, then finally managed a wry smile and muttered, "If I can, I really wish I could fully support my other daughter this way, too."

Aridia remained silent.

As Anxi’s knight, Aridia was well aware that compared to Luoqi, the issues with Anxi’s other daughter were more severe.

As princesses of the Royal Family, they were supposed to have powers beyond common people but at the cost of losing much of their freedom.

Such is the misfortune sometimes of being born in a royal family.

Princess Luoqi, due to her exceptional talents, was able to dispel all the misfortune that might have befallen her, completely and impressively.

This was her ability, as well as her skill.

But such individuals as Princess Luoqi appeared only once in a thousand years.

Therefore, all the misfortune was taken on by her sister, who couldn’t perform as excellently as her.

...

Meanwhile, Shane returned to Princess Luoqi’s chambers.

Both Princess Luoqi and Sister Liya seemed to be waiting for him. Seeing him return, they immediately questioned him.

Shane didn’t hide anything, and recounted his entire conversation with Anxi.

Upon hearing this, both sisters were shocked.

"You mean, Father had already decided to pass the throne to me?"

Sister Liya could hardly believe her ears.

"That’s really wonderful!"

Princess Luoqi’s face brightened with a smile.

Shane shrugged his shoulders and said to them, "It’s understandable, just like I said earlier. Princess Luoqi is definitely seen as a Hero, destined to be cultivated as such, so it wouldn’t make sense to waste her talents by placing her on the throne. Therefore, passing the throne to you, the elder sister, is the natural course of events."

Sister Liya had a complicated expression on her face.

She didn’t know whether to feel happy or dismayed.

Receiving the throne seemed like a great fortune, but if the throne was given to her only because no one else favored it, and she was merely a backup heir, that was naturally not a pleasing situation.

"Don’t overthink it; that would just make you unhappy," said Shane to Sister Liya, "Such a situation appears only once in a millennium. At least you’re not a loser, right?"

"Yes, Sister Liya," Princess Luoqi also seemed worried that her sister might dwell too much on it, countering with, "You naturally have the talent to inherit the throne, and the kingdom’s upper echelons made this decision recognizing that."

That was the truth.

If Sister Liya lacked the ability to rule, then even if Princess Luoqi didn’t inherit the throne, it wouldn’t have ended up with Sister Liya.

While it’s true that the Royal Family of this generation consisted of only Princess Luoqi and Sister Liya as direct descendants, the King was not limited to just two children.

After becoming a noble, Shane learned that Anxi had married only one main wife but had as many as seven concubines.

The main wife, who was the Queen, had given birth only to Sister Liya and Princess Luoqi and then, due to chronic illness, had stayed in the temple permanently for three reasons: to receive treatment, to cultivate her character, and to leverage the Divine Practitioners’ high-level Recovery Magic for her health, which in contemporary terms is akin to becoming a nun, rarely appearing in the Royal Palace.

The seven concubines, however, had given birth to a total of eighteen children, meaning that Sister Liya and Princess Luoqi actually had eighteen half-brothers and half-sisters.

However, the children of concubines did not have the right to inherit the throne. When the time came to choose a monarch from their generation, they were also not granted the title of Duke, making them essentially irrelevant side branches, only the children of the main wife had inheritance rights, and if they did not ascend the throne, they would receive the title of Duke.

According to the laws of the Kingdom, they could make use of the royal family’s privileges to carve out their futures, whether that meant becoming a Knight or aspiring to high-ranking official positions guaranteed by the Royal Family.

However, as members of the side branches, if they wanted a title, they would have to earn it themselves or hope for a mishap among the direct descendants of the Royal Family, granting them a chance to rise and gain inheritance rights.

This situation applied to the nobles as well.

For the nobles, the children of the main family had the right to inherit titles. The winner ascended, while the loser was relegated to the frontier, taking high-power positions within the family. The offspring of concubines were all backups unless a calamity befell the royal offspring, and they needed to seek other paths.

Because of this reason, there was a vast difference in the treatment of the main and side families, which is why Princess Luoqi had previously felt that if she could not become Shane’s main wife, the Kingdom would risk offending her by strongly opposing it.

The reason was simply because being a concubine offered very little in terms of rights and honor.

Of course, even though their status was not ideal, it was certainly much better than that of common citizens.

At least, their livelihoods were secured, and they could leverage their family’s support to carve out their futures, which was far more comfortable than coming from a common background.

If that weren’t the case, then there wouldn’t be so many women willing to become the concubines of nobles, simply for the sake of enjoying affluent and luxurious lives.

Therefore, if Sister Liya had truly lacked the ability to inherit the throne, the Kingdom might have decided to select a capable person from the side branches to compete with her.

Sister Liya was aware of this, but her feelings were still mixed.

As for inheriting the throne, Sister Liya wasn’t particularly opposed to it.

Or rather, in the past, Sister Liya had hoped to gain recognition and ascend to the throne.

Now, Sister Liya didn’t have much desire in that regard.

(If I become the Queen, the Lucica Family will definitely seize the opportunity to expand their influence and interfere with the Kingdom’s governance, right?)

The Lucica Family was also a Duke’s family.

Since they were a Duke’s family, that meant they were also royalty, their ancestors having lost in the competition for the throne.

Now, with a great opportunity to return to the Royal Capital and re-enter the center of governance, they would certainly capitalize on it, wouldn’t they?

The thought of such possibilities made Sister Liya sigh.

However, Sister Liya did not show it and continued interacting with Shane and Princess Luoqi as usual.

The three of them talked incessantly about various topics related to selecting a suitor and succession, and it really seemed to align with some of Anxi’s expectations.