Chapter 176 –

The mood around the room turned serious.

“Me? Joining the fight? Are you daft? Why would I want that?” she said with scrutiny.

“Because you are good, and the Templars owe you.”

“Owe me?” she sneered proudly. “They do. But why would I want to take that Island? Let me remind you that I hate father now, and I do not owe you anything. In fact, if you weren’t such a bastard then I might have considered loving you as a brother!”

“Perhaps,” Don said. “But you have no choice in the matter. This continent will be covered in war and chaos. Either you join in this chaos or become its sheep. That skyship of yours can do us a lot of favor. Mine is a rust bucket that could be heard from miles.”

“So?” Dolce asked with disdain. “If you want the skyship then you can always ask the demesne. Aren’t we all ‘allies’ now? Why not ask them to supply you?”

“How could we?” Don laughed. “They already provided the rifles and the materials for the ships that will allow us to cross the gap between them. Salevela Island has many patrol boats. They are sea people that pretend to be land lovers. They excel in fighting opponents at sea! Allowing them to fortify the island will do nothing but increase their strength!”

“Then why not try to make them obey?” Dolce told him. “Negotiations are always an option. Or perhaps...”

Don inclined. “Father tried once. You know how he is after ma’s death. Always looking for a death wish, and seeking some meaning to his damned life. He tried negotiations but he was superfluous. He wanted to fight them. All the excuse that we are doing is for the sake of his finding of meaning. He is a madman that needs to be put down.”

Dolce tilted her head slightly. “So you are now plotting the death of our beloved father?”

Don looked at Dolce for a while. He then laughed while touching his forehead. “My sister, do not spew such filth from your mouth. I do not like it.”

“Pardon me,” Dolce said blandly. “I almost forgot.”

“Sister, although you loved father once, you hated him. You despise him because of the sparse freedom. You hate father for causing ma’s death indirectly. But do you know what I feel? I have this churning hatred and this maddening sensation of wanting to kill the person that killed our dearest ma. Every time I meet father. He would gloat at me. “When will you kill me, my dearest son?” is what he would say to me. Do you know how infuriating it is?”

“Then why not loop the head of our father?” he asked.

“I cannot do that,” he said with clear disappointment. “I want to murder father when it is time. I only protect him from fools because I rather have him die by my hand. Having him get killed by someone other else than me, annoys me.”

It was twisted. Their talk was akin to a murder plot. If anyone would hear them they would be shocked. But for the two it was normal. Everyone already knew of their seething hatred towards their own father. It was not a secret.

“You think that our father deserved to die honorably through you?” Dolce responded.

“Father is a bastard of the bastards! But he was a person who was known to be the savior of these lands. He led people to fight mythical creatures. He fought many of the Cagan’s and repelled them from enslaving the frontiersman of these lands! Without him, there would be no Freelands! The Alva stands strong and now practically holds this land because of him! He was the shining knight that many admired! Yet what he is now? A rotten fruit! A knight whose armor turned black and grime! He needs to be put down before he becomes the black knight that would stir this land!”

Don admired his father once. But due to the death of his mother and the fall of grace of his father, Don grew to loathe his father to the point of wanting to kill him. But even though he hated his father dearly, he respected him for who he was.

Most of Don’s hatred was because of what his father became. He was nothing but a meaningless warmongering old man now. There was nothing left on Don’s father. And Don finds it painful seeing his father trudged on through life. Don knows that he will soon drag those around him to his own chaotic state.

He could have avoided the conflict against Salevela Island. But Don knew that he had to appease his old man. He wants to make sure that he would be willing to fight him to death. He wanted a duel and Don was confident he could kill his father.

Dolce listened to her brother. The difference between them is that Dolce loved her father once. Don didn’t. He merely respected him. But they now have a common interest. Dolce and Don had no familial love. Their relationship was cold and bland.

Dolce didn’t like his older brother. Don didn’t like Dolce before. It was only when Dolce became rebellious and started hating her father that Don started to get along with Dolce. In fact, the only reason why Dolce was able to escape the compound was that of Don. He let Dolce go wild in the city of storms and stay with a relative. The relative owed Don so he let Dolce stay.

Dolce was a bit grateful because of what Don did. She started to like her brother. But there was no familial love between them. To put it simply they are bad friends. That’s why despite sitting together inside the room. They have this malice around them. They kept soft expressions but their hearts were that of devils.

Don knows that his sister was not that easy. She was someone who owns many fiefs and has gained an influence in a just a few months of her rebellion. He knew that he couldn’t underestimate this sister of his. That’s why despite their initial relationship. Don tries to understand this sister of his.

Bother were dysfunctional. Both were not fools. Dolce knew the intention of his brother. So she agreed to what his brother wants. She would join him. There was no need to reject it. Besides, she wants to see how they will conquer Salevela Island. She had no intention to refuse from the start.