Chapter 353: The Ashbury Heir and the Frozen Truth

Four days later.

Whoosh!

The spatial portal rippled, depositing Kael and Sophie onto the grand arrival platform of the Vorn Estate.

Today, the usually grim and oppressive atmosphere of the estate was masked by an extravagant display of opulence. Golden lanterns floated in the air, and servants in pristine white uniforms scurried about with trays of fine wine and delicacies.

The Family Head had issued an invitation to a private gathering celebrating the birth of his newest son by his ninth wife, Lady Beatrice Ashbury.

As Kael and Sophie entered the grand banquet hall, the air was thick with the scent of exotic perfumes and the low murmur of political gossip. The hall was packed. All of Kael’s siblings were present—Victor, Marcus, Thalia, Felix, and even the branch children and their offspring. The High Elders lingered near the thrones, their sharp eyes evaluating every interaction.

Beatrice Ashbury stood near the Family Head, cradling a small, silver-haired infant. She was a woman of striking elegance, with sharp, calculating eyes and a serene smile. The Ashbury family was the wealthiest merchant dynasty in Vorn territory; their influence stretched through interplanetary banking and commercial credit. Beatrice understood the political value of her marriage perfectly. She was composed, commercially astute, and, for now, not openly hostile toward Kael.

Clink. Kael took a glass of amber wine from a passing tray, taking a slow sip as he observed the room.

Several elders were whispering, glancing at the newborn with greed and speculation, believing Beatrice’s position as the current favorite could alter the balance between the existing branches. Over by the grand pillars, Ursula’s faction was unusually relaxed. They quietly welcomed the possibility that a newborn might distract the Family Head from Kael’s rapid rise.

Kael smirked into his glass. A newborn cannot threaten anyone’s position, he thought, his silver-flecked eyes scanning the viper pit. But the people surrounding him certainly can.

Before the banquet concluded, Kael excused himself, stepping onto a balcony overlooking the dark, mana-charged sky. Sophie, dressed in an elegant gown of deep violet, followed closely behind him.

Beep.

Kael pulled out his communication rune. Vyra’s voice echoed in his mind. "My Lord, our intelligence network has picked up strange movements. Several financial accounts connected to the Churchill family’s commercial network have recently transferred massive sums to anonymous buyers."

Kael’s eyes narrowed. The Churchill family. Sebastian’s maternal bloodline.

"Keep tracking the money," Kael replied through the rune before cutting the connection.

He turned to Sophie, offering his arm. "Let’s go."

They returned to Sophie’s mansion, a quiet sanctuary away from the political suffocation of the main estate. As they stepped into the grand foyer, Thud! Thud! Two small blurs shot across the room.

"Brother Kael!"

Elena and Nora collided with Kael’s legs, wrapping their small arms around him. Their faces were flushed from cultivation, their mana signatures noticeably stronger than before.

"Mother!" they chimed, looking up at Sophie with bright eyes.

Sophie smiled warmly, gently patting their heads. "You two have been working hard. Now, go and play with your maid. I need to speak with your brother."

The girls nodded obediently, skipping away with their maid as Kael and Sophie walked into the master bedroom.

Swish... Swish...

Kael sat on the edge of the velvet bed, his eyes closed. Sophie stood behind him, a silver comb in her hand, carefully untangling his long dark hair. The gentle scraping of the comb was soothing.

"Do you think the Family Head will ever stop playing these games?" Sophie murmured softly, her fingers brushing the nape of his neck. "Bringing a new child into this world just to test the waters."

Kael let out a low sigh. "He’s a four-hundred-year-old monster. Everything is a game to him." He opened his eyes, his gaze sharpening. "Sophie, I need to ask you something. Do you know where Sebastian might have gone?"

Sophie’s hands paused. She set the comb down, walking around to sit beside him. Her expression grew distant, heavy with old memories.

"I knew Sebastian, Isabella, and you during your childhood," she began softly. "Sebastian was always bitter, always overshadowed, but he once maintained a close relationship with his mother, Lady Cordelia Churchill. About a year before the Inheritance Ground opened, he began visiting her more frequently."

Kael frowned. "Cordelia resides on World Twelve, doesn’t she?"

"Yes," Sophie nodded. "The frozen prison world. I suspect Sebastian may have sought comfort, money, or connections through his mother before his final betrayal. If the Churchills are moving funds, she is the most likely conduit."

Kael leaned forward. "Tell me about her. Why was she banished?"

Sophie took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with a rare spark of anger. "Cordelia was once part of the Churchill family’s aristocratic circle on World One, the capital world. Her family possessed deep political connections, though their military influence was declining. She was beautiful, intelligent, and the Family Head favored her greatly. But that favor brought her to the attention of Ursula."

Sophie stood up, pacing the room. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Ursula saw Cordelia as a direct threat to her own position and the future of her children, Marcus and Thalia. So, Ursula orchestrated a conspiracy. She framed Cordelia for a crime so heinous that it could never be forgiven."

Kael’s eyes turned cold. "What was she framed for?"

"Treason and attempted assassination," Sophie revealed, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Ursula used a brainwashed servant to plant a forbidden, soul-corrupting poison called Nightshade’s Embrace into the Family Head’s private wine goblet during a grand banquet. At the exact same time, forged letters detailing Vorn military formations and inner-family secrets were ’discovered’ in Cordelia’s private quarters, addressed to the Draven family."

Crack! The wooden armrest of Kael’s chair splintered under his grip. "And the Family Head believed it?"

"He had no choice. The evidence was immaculate," Sophie said, shaking her head. "Ursula played her cards perfectly. The elders demanded blood for the attempted assassination. The Family Head, rather than executing the mother of his child and sparking a massive political war with the Churchills on World One, chose to banish her to World Twelve. It is a death sentence in all but name. She has been rotting there ever since, surviving in a frozen wasteland, stripped of her status and her son."

Kael stood up, his mind racing. Sebastian’s frequent visits to his mother. The massive funds from the Churchill network moving to anonymous buyers. The pieces were falling into place.

"The money from the Churchills," Kael muttered. "Sebastian didn’t just run blindly. He went to the one place where he might still have a foothold."

Sophie looked at him, her eyes wide. "You think he went to World Twelve to meet her?"

Kael walked over to her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Smack. "Thank you, Sophie. You’ve been incredibly helpful."

Sophie grabbed his hand as he turned to leave. "Where are you going?"

Kael smirked, a dark, predatory glint flashing in his eyes. "I’m going to World Twelve. After all, where better to go to that to hunt a desperate rat than straight into the frozen nest of his exiled mother?"