Chapter 277: Velmora Tradition
Cassie listened to all of this and understood that Amelia was frustrated because kids her age should be playing with other kids their age and making friends, but she was here, trapped in a small mansion.
Even before they shifted here, there weren’t any kids her age in the mansion. She wasn’t allowed to attend noble parties, meet with kids her age, or make friends. It was all so she could be safe, and also so the Church could keep watch over her and keep her daughter as a hostage, Cassie knew.
Still, there was no other way to keep her daughter safe. Many noble houses were after Cassie’s power, and there was no telling what they would do. So, she also didn’t have any problem with what the Church was doing to make sure she was properly protected.
"Amelia, it is just for some months. After that, everything will return to normal. And as for making friends, you can make many friends at the Academy after you become 15 years old, so please stay like a good child for now and don’t cause any trouble for anyone here," Cassie said in a very calm and soft tone.
Amelia made a slightly annoyed expression, as she had been fed the same excuse since childhood: that after she went to the Academy, only then could she leave the House.
However, she didn’t decide to argue further, like a good child. She sighed and said in a cheerful tone, "So, how about we go outside the mall and shop for some time and then come back?"
Cassie heard this and stayed silent for a moment.
"Sorry, Amelia, but we can’t go outside for some months, not even for a moment," she said with a little guilty smile on her face to show that she was genuinely sorry about that.
Amelia’s expression became a little frustrated and annoyed again. Then, after a dramatic sigh, she left the room, shutting the door behind her and leaving Cassie alone in her room again with one more thing to worry about.
Cassie sighed and then muttered internally, ’Audrey, what should I do to improve Amelia’s mood? And also, could you please keep watch on her so that she doesn’t do anything stupid? Even though there are those Grandmasters here, you can never trust them since it is Solarius who chose them.’
After saying this internally, Cassie waited for a reply.
Still, even after a few moments, no reply came from Audrey.
Cassie again tried to contact Audrey through the mental link they had established yesterday, but still, no reply came, even this time.
Cassie couldn’t help but think that something had happened to Audrey, but that was unlikely to happen. So, she just decided to wait for some time, thinking that maybe Audrey was just busy with something right now and would reply later.
Yesterday Cassie had asked Audrey to make a mental link between herself and Audrey, and also with her daughter, so that they could easily communicate with each other even when they were at a long distance.
If it were a normal situation, then she would never have done it, because who would even like someone to keep watch on them 24×7, unless they were stupid.
Cassie kept waiting, but still got no reply. She grew nervous.
’Did something really happen to her?’
But before she could think further, Audrey’s voice echoed in her mind.
"I am back. I was caught up in something."
Her voice sounded tired, as she had just fought against some Nightmare Demon.
Cassie immediately asked, "What happened? Why weren’t you replying to my question? Did something serious happen?"
Audrey replied, her tone still exhausted, "Nothing. Asher happened."
"Huh...?"
Cassie couldn’t understand what she meant by ’Asher happened’.
Audrey noticed her confusion and then said, "Yeah, you don’t actually know much about Asher Astrean, since he only came into the public eye a few months ago to enroll in the Academy."
When Cassie heard the name ’Asher Astrean’, she understood whom Audrey was talking about.
As she remembered who it was, an old incident replayed in her mind, causing her to drown in guilt.
Audrey understood what Cassie was feeling and why she had suddenly gone silent.
So, she said, "Forget about the past. It is something that can never be changed now, and it was the only way we had. So stop feeling guilty about that and move on!"
Cassie stayed silent for a few moments before saying, her voice a little solemn, "So, what about him? What does that kid have to do with you? What did he do to you?"
Audrey replied, "He didn’t do anything other than open his cursed mouth, which always brings trouble and headaches for someone whenever he says something through that cursed mouth of his."
Cassie couldn’t understand what Audrey was trying to say, but if Audrey was this frustrated about it, then it must have been something serious.
So, she asked, "What did he actually say? Did that kid get you into trouble?"
Audrey replied again, her tone becoming somewhat calmer now. "You know about the way we, Velmoras, train our children so that they can become strong enough to see through other people’s lies. We teach them not to believe only what they see on the surface, but to question things, look deeper, and find the truth hidden behind them. That is how they can eventually become truly worthy of carrying the Velmora name."
As Cassie heard this, she remained silent for a moment, thinking about what Audrey had said. She already knew about the strange traditions of the Velmora family, but hearing Audrey mention them again made her remember just how unusual their methods actually were.
After a brief pause, Cassie finally spoke, her tone uncertain. "You mean that weird thing where you watch over your heirs and also give them that ability to see through other people’s emotions, but you don’t even tell them anything about it?"