While the man was reveling in his disgust for his third brother, he was reminded of the last scene he had seen in Agis Stirlander's residence.

'Not bad... She is more beautiful than my fifth wife, however, her figure isn't up to par... After all of this is over, perhaps I can make her my sixth wife, no?'

His lips curved in disdain.

'Yes, a commoner doesn't deserve to be my wife. I'll just make her my slave and settle her in my palace, only able to wait upon me in her significant future...'

'But for that, my schemes would have to first work!' The man's lips curved even more before a shadowy figure appeared behind him.

Nevertheless, the shadow did nothing.

"Hmph, that lowlife didn't even realize my disguise! You have done well, casting a powerful illusion over me!"

"Heh, Second Prince, I just want to make you the Emperor of the Ethren Empire in the upcoming Crowning of the next Emperor and as long as you depend on us, the Flowing Mist Sect, everything would go your way." The shadowy figure said with a chuckle as it's entire figure shook like a blur.

The man who disguised as the Third Prince and met up with Agis Stirlander was revealed to be the Second Prince!

The Second Prince's heart shook greatly, his thoughts wandering if the Flowing Mist Sect had plans regarding the Ethren Empire or perhaps, even the entire Alstreim Family Territory?

After all, the Flowing Mist Sect owned an entire Territory to themselves! One of the fifty-two Territories belonged to them!

However, he knew that if the Flowing Mist Sect had such a grand plan, how could it be still hidden from the intelligence of the Alstreim Family?

Likely, the Flowing Mist Sect only targeted the Ethren Empire for certain reasons or this shadowy figure in front of him was just an impostor, claiming to be backed by the Flowing Mist Sect.

The Second Prince secretly clenched his fists!

'In any case, If I can become the next Emperor, and gain the trust of the elders, then becoming a puppet of the Flowing Mist Sect can be avoided! All I have to do is prepare a contingency plan, and secretly contact the Alstreim Family and inform them of the looming shadows of the Flowing Mist Sect!'

======

In a room, a female figure sat in the middle over a chair, her body in a steady and straight posture.

Lush silky black hair fell over her shoulders, enchanting her look with a sense of serene and calm feel. Her pupils were ink black and small brows accentuated her almond eyes while her small nose and rosy lips adorned her slightly oval face that has a chiseled outline.

In her hands, she held a tray which had various colors of viscous liquid, and on the other, she held an eight-inch long elegant ink brush over the crevice between her fingers.

In front of her was a portrait with a white background surrounding the face of a rather handsome man who had blonde wavy hair draped over his slightly broad shoulders, a pair of deep blue, sapphire eyes that sparkled while radiating composure.

A perfect straight nose without a dent, and medium-sized lips which slightly parted, revealing a small part of his pure white teeth. Overall, the facial image formed a smile with curved lips.

The woman strictly checked the image she drew before she withdrew her hand and satisfactorily nodded her head, appreciating the portrait. She held the portrait in her hand and picked it up from the stand before she took it to her window, making the picture glow radiantly from the rays of the sunlight.

The portrait left her breath taken for a moment before she heard footsteps from the other side of the location where she stood. Instantly, she came out of her reverie and the portrait in her hand disappeared into her spatial ring.

In the next few moments, she heard the footsteps turn louder before it finally stopped, just in front of the door to her hall, connecting to her room.

"Come in~" She echoed.

The door opened and two figures stepped in, a male and a female.

...They were none other than Agis Stirlander and the young lady, who is his second granddaughter.

"Grandpa, you're back!" The woman smiled in glee and saw that her little sister was here as well, with a peculiar glint in her eyes.

"Yes, the Alchemy Convention truthfully has been very helpful to my profession. In the future, you can all depend upon me to cure any ailment or side effects that might cause harm!"

The woman giggled before she saw them cast a look at the empty portrait stand.

"Elder sister, you are at it again..." The little sister shook her head ruefully, "Although I can understand your sentiments, it is better to forget."

The elder sister simply pursed her lips before looking at her Grandpa, "Is that why you two came here for? To admonish me?"

"Haha, my granddaughter, you simply misunderstood. Whatever it is that you feel, I support you. Just do as you wish..." Agis Stirlander laughed.

"Grandpa..." The elder sister became moved as she felt heartened, "You're the best!"

Agis Stirlander felt even more delightful while being praised by his first granddaughter.

"Aiya! Don't mention it! I was irresponsible before, only looking out for myself. Only after I realized that living for oneself for a long period of time has its limits... I eventually became tired."

"So it is all the more important for a person to find the right companion. However, a person should not become obsessed with something that is out of their reach."

"This is my heartfelt words derived from my life experience and by no means am I trying to convey something behind it." Agis Stirlander added, afraid that his granddaughter would misunderstand that he is trying to advise her.

"I know grandpa..." The elder sister smiled, "You're always good to us..."

Agis Stirlander awkwardly laughed before he sighed. His expression had a few ounces of hesitation.

"What's wrong?" The elder sister couldn't help but ask.

"Uhh... Can Grandpa see the portrait you drew?"

The elder sister became aback before she blinked, "Haven't you already looked at it before?"

"Aiya, you drew so many portraits! Not all of them could be the same! I want to see..."

"I apologize..." The elder sister suddenly interrupted causing Agis Stirlander to be stumped all of sudden, at a loss for words.

"At least one..."

"Never!" The elder sister rejected in a solemn tone, causing the little sister to take a step back in fright.

The little sister left the room, not wanting to be part of any of this as she thought, 'Elder sister can be scary sometimes....'

Only Agis Stirlander and the elder sister were left in the room.

Agis Stirlander could not understand his granddaughter's reason for being like this, 'There is no need to get heated up for this matter, right?'

As if understanding her Grandpa's thoughts, the elder sister sighed and felt guilty for being like that, "I'm sorry Grandpa, it's just that, I gave my word to that person to not reveal his face or identity to others under any circumstances."

Agis Stirlander blinked.

"Then why did you try to draw all those images of him? I know that person in the image you drew is your benefactor, but that wouldn't warrant you to be this attached to this image. You know that drawing his portrait and leaving many traces of it is as just as good as revealing it to people, right?"