Chapter 183: Never Her Shadow

"So, why are you asking this question, Amelia...?"

At the end of the day, Amelia was still a six-year-old child; it was nearly impossible for her to reach thoughts of such magnitude on her own unless someone had implanted them in her head or guided her to think along those lines. It simply defied logic for a child her age to independently arrive at a question regarding risking one’s life in pursuit of something so immensely grand.

Unless she stumbled upon the idea by pure coincidence.

If that were the case, Roselina wanted to discern precisely what was transpiring within her niece’s mind.

Amelia lifted her eyes, meeting her aunt’s gaze, and asked softly, "Auntie... do you remember why Father brought us here?"

Roselina adjusted her posture slightly.

In truth, she had wondered the exact same thing—why Cain had brought Amelia along with him to the Celestial Continent in the first place. It hardly resembled a conventional family outing, and Amelia hadn’t disclosed much regarding the true purpose underlying the journey.

After a moment’s reflection, Roselina remarked, "Well... let me guess. A vacation? Or perhaps... a family trip, right?"

Amelia shook her head.

"No. It was meant to be a training excursion. Father informed me of that back at the coastal estate."

Roselina nodded slowly, her thoughts instinctively drifting toward Cain.

For a brief second, she cursed him inwardly.

How could a man be so thoroughly irresponsible?

He had promised his daughter a training excursion, only to abandon her here and depart without warning to travel with Lucy instead. From a rational standpoint, Roselina found the behavior completely absurd.

Yet, on another level, she felt relieved; matters between Cain and Lucy seemed to have finally been resolved. They had reunited—and apparently even tied the knot.

Still, the realization only deepened her curiosity.

What could possibly be so urgent as to compel them both to leave their daughter behind?

Sighing softly, Roselina adopted a reassuring tone. "Ah... I realize this might be disheartening, Amelia. You might feel as though they don’t care about you, but I assure you that isn’t true. When they return, you will see for yourself just how deeply they love you."

Roselina was offering genuine comfort.

Yet, she remained completely blind to the thoughts churning within Amelia’s mind.

She assumed she was consoling a child grieving the absence of her parents.

The reality, however, was fundamentally different.

What occupied Amelia’s mind as she conversed with her aunt was an ambition that had not merely materialized today; it was a deeply ingrained urge she had spent a considerable time trying to suppress.

In truth, Amelia was thoroughly accustomed to her mother’s extended absences. Lucy had constantly journeyed to perilous realms, taking every conceivable precaution to protect her daughter—even concealing her in various locations to shield her from enemy tracking.

Thus, Amelia was hardly a fragile child reduced to tears simply because her mother was not by her side.

Lucy’s absence was never the issue.

The true problem lay elsewhere.

Amelia felt her mother rapidly outpacing her in every single domain. Lucy Montgrad had always been terrifyingly powerful, radiant, extraordinarily gifted, and nearly impossible to eclipse.

How could someone like her fail to occupy the absolute first place in Father’s heart?

If her rival was none other than Lucy herself, how could Amelia hope to claim victory?

At present, it appeared entirely impossible.

Yet that did not imply Amelia would simply submit.

Quite the contrary.

If Lucy had grown vastly stronger, then Amelia simply needed to become stronger still. If her mother held the primary place in her father’s heart, then Amelia would prove she was far more than a helpless child passively awaiting their return.

Amelia was an Empress.

Though her current pride was considerably more tempered than that of her past self, the core of that identity remained intact. Her pride as an Empress was perhaps the single constant that resisted the shift in her physical age and form.

Therefore, she resolved to play every hand available to her.

She would claim that Crown.

She would attain absolute power—power so absolute that her parents would realize she required no protector to reach the summit.

Only then, when her father returned and witnessed what she had become, would he be truly proud of her.

Only then might he understand that his daughter stood second to no one.

Not even if her rival was Lucy Montgrad herself.

Amelia spoke calmly, "I am not sad, Auntie. Thank you."

Roselina nodded, observing the faint smile playing upon Amelia’s lips.

She couldn’t quite articulate why, but the smile struck her as strangely composed—far too tranquil for a child of six.

Yet Roselina refrained from dwelling on it.

Rising from the bed, she remarked, "Do not neglect your meal. There will be consequences if you leave it untouched."

Amelia nodded dutifully, watching her aunt’s retreating figure approach the door.

Roselina grasped the door handle, on the verge of stepping out, when Amelia’s voice halted her in her tracks.

"Auntie..."

Roselina paused and turned back.

Amelia sat motionless in her desk chair, her expression completely serene as she posed the question:

"Do you believe there exists something beyond mere talent... something that rendered my mother so exceptionally powerful?"

Roselina lingered in silence for a moment before responding:

"Naturally. There are the Laws."

Amelia’s eyes shifted slightly upward.

Roselina continued, "The more refined and profound a person’s comprehension of Heavenly Law is, the greater their raw power becomes—and the vastly higher their ceiling for ascension."

The Laws.

Amelia was already intimately familiar with the concept.

Yet her true question lay elsewhere.

Which specific Law allowed her mother to ascend to such terrifying heights so rapidly?

After a moment’s contemplation, Amelia gave a slow, deliberate shake of her head.

Roselina had already departed, closing the door behind her.

Yet her final words lingered within Amelia’s mind.

She desired strength—absolute, overwhelming strength. She aimed to match her mother, or even surpass her entirely.

However, treading the exact path carved out by her mother was an utterly unacceptable proposition.

If she adopted the very same Law Lucy had mastered, what would she ultimately become?

A mere duplicate of Lucy. A second shadow.

And Amelia rejected that notion entirely.

She refused to exist as a shadow in her mother’s wake. She refused to reach the pinnacle by treading a path laid down by someone else.

If she was to stand as the ultimate sovereign, she would forge a domain entirely her own—a path bearing zero resemblance to that of Lucy Montgrad.

Amelia turned her gaze toward the pitch-black void beyond the window, a quiet, unyielding resolve flaring deep within her eyes.

She did not yet know which Law she would ultimately choose.

She knew only one thing with absolute certainty:

She would never become a copy of her mother.