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Heir of the White Lotus (Web Novel) - Chapter 2102: Manners and Etiquette
Chapter 2102: Manners and Etiquette
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The Matriarch of Somnia had not been seen in centuries.
She resided deep within her vast lair, living in complete seclusion. Only her children and the Elders of the clan were permitted to enter.
Even they rarely spoke of her.
Whenever she was mentioned, it was spoken with a mixture of reverence and caution. No one outside the inner circle of the clan knew what she did within the depths of her lair, nor why she had chosen to withdraw from the world.
For years, she had remained there. Waiting. Never showing herself to the rest of Somnia.
But when the youngest prince of Somnia returned home, it all changed. The ancient gates of her lair opened for the first time. And the Matriarch emerged. The mere sight of her was enough to silence the clan. Of course, no one saw her in her true form.
Prince Valerian had returned. And the Matriarch had emerged from her lair to finally reunite with her long-lost son.
Venia Somnia stood at the edge of a grove, leaning against a tree. Arms crossed, she watched two figures in the distance.
Under the shade of an orange tree by a pond, a tall figure in regal clothes sat on the grass. In front of her, a child jumped excitedly, waving his hands and telling tales of a distant world.
The child was Valerian. The other figure was the Matriarch.
Venia watched them talk, an impassive look on her face. But soon, her expression softened. Like ice melting under the first morning of spring. Her lips curled into a barely imperceptible smile.
It felt nice to see her youngest sibling finally return home. And it felt nice to see that her mother hadn’t forgotten how to smile.
Valerian ran up to Venia, a broad smile on his face.
"Sister!" he beamed as he stopped in front of her and tightly hugged her legs.
Venia hesitated before gently ruffling Valerian’s head.
The boy couldn’t help but purr like a cat, causing Venia to frown.
"Manners and etiquette," she said sternly. "I will teach them to you personally."
"Myu!" Valerian nodded eagerly. He was just happy to reunite with his mother and siblings.
Venia let out a helpless sigh. "Go along now. I have matters to discuss with Mother."
"Bye, Sister!" Valerian waved his hands in delight. "Bye, Mother!"
Then, he rushed through the grove and headed to its depths. He was most likely going to play with the many beasts in the small forest.
They were still inside the majestic and sprawling compounds of the Somnia Clan’s ancestral home, so there was nothing to worry about. Even though Valerian was seemingly all by himself, he was still being secretly followed and guarded by guards.
Venia approached her mother, who still sat under the shade of the tree and watched the light dance on the pond’s surface. She wondered when the last time she saw her mother smile was. She did not know. It felt like a lifetime ago.
She knelt down before her mother and watched her in silence.
Beneath that gentle and motherly smile, the Matriarch of Somnia was ancient and wicked, like the oldest tree of a primordial forest. The kind that greedily drank the soil and blocked the sun for lesser trees, and watched them wither and die, and did nothing but reach her branches higher and dig her roots deeper.
She was the Dragon of Nightmare.
"Have you begun the process of erasing their familiar bond?" Nightmare asked, gazing still at the water refracting the light.
"No, Mother." Venia shook her head.
They had long since planned to remove the familiar bond that Valerian and Adam shared. To them, it was a blasphemous thing that a Prince of Somnia would live as a familiar to a mere human.
Adam had raised Valerian and taken care of him, and for that the Somnia Clan was grateful. But that was where their gratitude ended. If Adam asked them a favor—no matter how great—in the future, they would honor it.
But they would never allow Valerian to live in bondage.
"Begin, then," Nightmare said.
Venia hesitated for a moment, then said, "I... have a different opinion."
Nightmare slowly turned her head toward her eldest daughter, piercing topaz eyes seeing through everything. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
She wasn’t admonishing her daughter. Or judging her. She was simply curious.
"I believe it will be more beneficial for us if we continue to maintain a relationship with Adam Constantine," Venia answered respectfully.
Nightmare’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You wish for your youngest brother to remain a familiar?"
Once again, no judgment. No reprimand. Simple curiosity. After all, Venia had never once disappointed her. There was a reason why she was chosen as the heir to Somnia. It was because she always prioritized her family and the Somnia dragons over others—even herself.
Venia retrieved the stack of parchments from her storage artifact. Along with that, she placed the box in which the Pen of Manifestation lay sealed.
"It behaved strangely in Myrrandor," Venia said, glancing at the sealed box.
"Strange how?" Nightmare was intrigued.
Venia handed the parchments to her and said, "Please read, Mother."
The Matriarch of Somnia flipped through the pages, curiously reading the story that was co-authored by her eldest daughter and a notorious artifact.
Suddenly, her topaz eyes gleamed as she murmured, "A shapeshifting artifact from a powerful, mysterious, and... funny existence?"
Venia noticed something peculiar about her mother’s subtle change in expression. She couldn’t help but ask, "Do you know who the Pen was referring to?"
"Perhaps," Nightmare murmured.
She continued reading the story.
"A man of many secrets?" She asked. "Quite the praise from the Pen."
Venia nodded. It was what she had noticed as well. The Pen disdained the characters in its stories. But somehow, that was not the case with Adam.
Nightmare read the part where the Pen had mentioned that the flow of fate around Adam was very strange. That if someone tampered with his fate and tried to bring him misfortune, then his fate would correct itself in mysterious ways.
"Serpents from the Coil..." The ancient dragon’s eyes narrowed.
"I was surprised as well." Venia nodded.
Nightmare began connecting the dots from the clues left behind in the Pen’s story.
But she did not like what the pieces were beginning to reveal...
