Cloud Thinking

In the Executive Hall——

Helia sat in the soft chair in front of Claude's desk with her legs crossed, her hands crossed in front of her chest, with a confident smile on her face. She looked very heroic in her knight's uniform, and her superior posture was exactly what Claude had learned. No one could associate Helia at this moment with the delicate princess before.

"What? Didn't I ask you to go with Hegem to prepare for the birthday party? Why do you still have the time to come to me?" Claude's ability to ignore people was first-rate. If his heart could be expressed in numbers, then at least 80% of it was now devoted to the affairs of the empire, and at most he would give 20% to Helia.

"Oh, I don't know anything and can't help, so I don't plan to be a burden or a hindrance." Helia said confidently, without any guilt at all.

Claude rubbed his forehead, raised his head and glanced at her, saying in an ambiguous tone: "You should know that after your mother left, you are now the actual mistress of the palace. In the past, because you were young and playful, many things were always handled for you by others. Now it is time for you to learn to take over."

"But I think it's more interesting to reorganize the Knights. Father, don't you also want me to do these things?" Helia said slowly, "As for the palace's internal affairs... can't I just leave them to my sister?"

Claude didn't realize for a moment that the sister Helia was referring to was Stella. He thought it was Hilda and was looking up in confusion. When he met Helia's gaze without a smile, he realized that the sister she was referring to was Stella who had been brought into the palace not long ago.

Claude was stunned for only a moment, and soon he returned to his usual calm and serious expression.

"When did you know that?"

"Last night, your people didn't keep a close eye on her, so she ran away." Helia replied, "I don't know if she did it on purpose or accidentally, but she happened to run to the banquet hall and I ran into her."

"She was quite panicked and looked like she was lost. She ran away when she saw me. I guess she knew she shouldn't be in front of me."

"Especially when my father and brother kept her existence secret from me out of caution."

Helia crossed her legs on the other side, propped her face on the armrest with one hand, and continued, "So, father, are you willing to talk to me about Stella?"

Claude actually had a rare moment of guilty conscience. He put down the pen in his hand, raised his hand and rubbed his brows. He was silent for a long while. He probably hadn't figured out how to tell Helia about this.

Helia did not urge him, but just looked at him quietly, but that impartial gaze secretly contained a hint of urging and oppression.

Claude pondered for a long time before speaking slowly:

"Stealey was sent here by Earl Henry a month and a half ago. He said he found her by accident while patrolling the territory, and immediately sent her here secretly after he found her."

Helia shrugged. "It seems he also knows that this matter is not open to the public."

"Stella is indeed a descendant of the royal family of Abraham. This is undeniable. It would not sound good to have royal blood outside, so I kept her." Claude continued.

"Oh? Father is afraid of having the same...playboy reputation as grandfather?" Helia sneered mercilessly.

Claude glared at Helia, wondering what was wrong with this girl. She would talk back to whatever he said. After three years away from home, not only had she become bolder, but she had also become unyielding with her words.

"Stella is not of my bloodline. If you have seen her, you will know that she does not look like me." Claude said.

"How would I know? It was so dark last night, I only took a glimpse from a distance, but didn't look closely." Helia replied very smoothly, "Besides, I look like my mother, and you don't look much like my father. Maybe Stella looks like my mother too."

This time Claude didn't say anything, he just stared at Helia calmly for a long time.

If this had happened in the past, Helia would have been terrified, wondering how she had offended Claude, and whether this guy would draw his knife and attack her.

But now, Helia was not afraid at all. Claude was wrong in the first place, and she was in the right. Moreover, she was of infinite value at the moment. As the empire's unique dragon-slayer, war hero, fifth-level magician, and member of the Antonio family, Claude would not and could not harm her.

Although she was not wrong, Helia was willing to give way and give Claude a way out. After all, he was her father and the king of the empire. As a daughter, she had to save some face for her father, right?

"Okay, okay, I'm just a bit tongue-tied and made father unhappy." Helia's apology was insincere. "If Stella isn't from my father's family, then it's because Grand Duke Mossen Leighton didn't do his job well. He even missed a child."

Hearing the name of Mossen Layton, Claude looked at Helia with a trace of scrutiny. The matter of cleansing the royal bloodline that was lost outside was a secret order he issued to Duke Mossen Layton. At that time, Helia was not even born yet. How did she know about this?

He was offended. He hadn't experienced this feeling for a long time. Moreover, it was his daughter who crossed the red line that made him alert. He was so angry and wanted to laugh.

"Father, there's no need to be on guard against me for this." Helia noticed the vigilance in Claude's eyes and explained with a smile, "Have you forgotten that I met Turhey? I learned about this from him."

Turhei... a name that had been forgotten for a long time. When Claude heard it again, he felt a little dazed.

"Hehe, I also asked my uncle if he would do better than my father if he sat on the throne." Helia added, "He admitted that he is not as good as you, father. He said that you are the life-saving straw given by God to the royal family of Abraham. He admitted that no one can compare to what you have done."

Claude was silent for a long time. He searched for a long time before he found that bright smiling face through the mist of memory. Turhei was a fool. He always knew that in the royal family full of interests and calculations, no one would be more foolish than him to pursue family affection.

But it was such a fool who once gave him the family love he never expected. Even though it was as indifferent as water, it still opened up a memory that belonged to him alone during his dark time.

Yes, they are relatives, but they are also enemies. Since he took this position, he has never wanted to win anyone's approval. Everything he does is just for himself, nothing more.

However, he was actually very happy to get Turhei's recognition, just like a child who had been shouting for a certain toy since childhood, and although he never mentioned this childish request again when he grew up, he got it one day in the future. Those thoughts that he had never expressed, those desires that he had never discovered, were realized at this moment.

"What happened to him in the end?" Claude asked, only to then realize that this was nonsense. The fact that Helia was able to escape from the tower meant that Turhei would definitely no longer be an obstacle on her path.

"Don't worry, father. Uncle passed away in my warm arms. He will be happy in his next life." Helia said softly.

Claude sighed and suppressed the little warmth that was rising in his heart. "Stella is not my blood, but the granddaughter of one of my brothers. Since this child was able to survive the bloodbath, it is her luck."

But Helia felt that it was not just for this reason. She caught a flash of guilt in Claude's eyes. This was a very rare emotion for Claude.

Perhaps this has something to do with Starley's grandfather? Claude feels guilty about it?

"That means Earl Henry lied, right? He tried so hard to keep Stella, and now he's sending her to the palace just when I'm about to come back. What's his purpose?"

"Deceiving the royal family is enough to cost him his head," said Helia.

"We took him away and tortured him, but we couldn't get anything out of him." Claude naturally knew that Count Henry had done something very wrong, but he tried every possible way and still couldn't pry his mouth open. It was a tough nut to crack.

"Have you tried magic too? Do you need my help? To be honest, I'm quite curious about him." Helia said.

"The royal family has so many magicians who are not kept for free, so there is no need to ask you to come." Claude glanced at her, "I will give you a reasonable explanation for this matter, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Okay." Helia touched her nose and asked, "What about Stella, what are you going to do with her?"

"If I hadn't discovered it, would you and your brother have kept it a secret?"

"It's just that considering that you just came back, things have to be prioritized. Your birthday party is the most important right now, and everything else can be put on hold." Claude said.

"Father, this has nothing to do with whether I just came back or not. The fact is the fact. It won't change no matter if you tell it earlier or later. Do you and my brother think that with the little prince as a buffer, I can calmly accept the fact that I have a new sister?"

"Stally was sent to the palace a month and a half ago, but it seems that no one knows about this. Does my father intend to hide her and not give her a proper identity?" Helia said.

"I made a promise to your mother that there would not be another princess in the empire," Claude said.

"Mother promised you that there would only be me, a princess, and my brother, a prince in the empire. You broke your promise a long time ago. Why do you have to constrain Starley with a promise that has long been abandoned?"

"The prince can be recognized, but the princess cannot. This is not fair, father." Helia said seriously.

Noticing Helia's reaction which was not what he had imagined, Claude narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "From what you said, you want me to acknowledge Stella's identity?"

"Yes." Helia admitted generously, "I never said that I didn't want to acknowledge her as my sister. It was my brother and you who made the decision and felt that I couldn't tolerate her."

"And I don't think she can threaten my position. Father, you have already made your choice in your heart. Since you gave me the opportunity to compete for the heir, why don't you give Starley a chance to stand in front of the world openly?"

Claude suddenly realized that his daughter had changed three years ago. Whether it was when she took the initiative to request to go to the distant Carterth Academy to study magic, or when she later fought against the fire dragon alone and killed the giant creature when no one could believe it, her changes were witnessed by everyone. She was no longer the willful, selfish and arrogant Helia in his mind.

"Why do you want to help her?" Claude asked, "Even if you think she is not a threat to you, it is inevitable that someone will compare you with her in the future. How can you guarantee that she will not be jealous and resentful of you? How can you guarantee that she will not hurt you?"

"Because Starley did nothing wrong from the beginning to the end, why should she bear all this for revenge for your lifetime? This is unfair to her." Helia said seriously, "She had no right to decide her birth, nor did she enjoy the upbringing of the royal family. She owes nothing to anyone. Why do you, father, only ask her to pay but not give her anything in return?"

"Yes, I can't guarantee what Starley will do to me in the future, but I can guarantee that I won't do anything to her. As long as you need me, I can act like a sister with her, no matter what the situation is."

"A royal family that loves each other, where brothers are friendly and respectful to each other, and where fathers are kind and sons are filial can bring the greatest benefits to the empire, right, father?"

[Host, you said it so well wow! I didn't expect you to be so cultured wow! ]