Chapter 92: The Wonderful Elina

"Hmm..."

Nolan slowly opened his heavy eyes, only to realize that the space beside him was empty.

Seira, who should have been there, was gone. In her place was a single piece of white paper with elegant handwriting across its surface.

He picked it up and read carefully.

"My dear brother, I had the maid prepare lunch for you in your room—please enjoy it! Oh, and by the way, I’ve gone to the Holy Empire of Valtanir to visit Grandfather and talk about Father’s birthday with Mother and my ever-annoying brother, Adalen. So, you don’t need to look for me, okay? If you miss me, just say my name ten times before you fall asleep—I promise I’ll visit you in your dreams. Muah~

Love, your beloved sister, Seira."

Nolan raised an eyebrow slightly as he finished reading.

Then he folded the note and placed it on the nightstand beside the bed.

So she went to the Holy Empire of Valtanir, huh? Doesn’t sound like just a casual visit,

he muttered.

According to Seira’s letter, she was accompanying her mother and Adalen to discuss their father’s upcoming birthday, which was just four days away.

But Nolan doubted that was the real reason. More likely, the true purpose was something else—something related to the matter of succession.

There was no denying that his grandfather, the Singularity of Light, was Adalen’s strongest backer in the fight for the throne.

The mere mention of his name was enough to rally many nobles to Adalen’s side.

But was that enough to challenge Aldric and Cedric? Of course not.

Although widely known and respected, the Singularity of Light hailed from the Holy Empire of Valtanir, which had long been a rival and enemy of the Great Velmora Empire.

There might be many nobles who supported Adalen, but... were they truly from the high-ranking aristocracy? The answer was obvious—no.

The higher a noble’s rank, the greater the territory they held.

And if Adalen won the succession, it wasn’t unthinkable that the Holy Empire of Valtanir would seize the opportunity to merge the two empires into one.

If that happened, the high-ranking nobles would be the first to fall—eliminated, perhaps even wiped out entirely, and replaced by those connected to the Singularity of Light’s bloodline.

"Tsk! So Adalen’s already being pushed around and running out of options?" He muttered with a mocking smile.

He was certain the news that the Caltheron family had pledged their support to Elina had already reached the key players—the Malvain family, Aldric, Cedric, and of course... Adalen.

That might explain why Adalen had started to feel cornered and threatened.

"Well, whatever the reason," he murmured with a lazy yawn, "in the end, Adalen doesn’t stand much of a chance in this succession."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, mockery written all over his face.

Shaking off those thoughts, he slowly got out of bed and walked toward the table and sofas, which stood just a meter or so away.

On the table, a variety of dishes were neatly arranged—undoubtedly prepared by the maid under Seira’s orders.

Just as he sat down and was about to start lunch, the door suddenly opened—and his beloved sister stepped in.

"Brother!?" Elina froze, unable to believe her eyes.

Nolan blinked in surprise, then smiled gently.

"Elina," he greeted warmly. "Have you eaten? Want to join me?"

But Elina didn’t answer. Instead, she closed the door behind her, ran over, and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"I missed you," she whispered, her voice trembling with quiet sobs.

Nolan fell silent for a moment before returning the embrace, his smile soft and full of warmth.

"I missed you too," he said gently.

Since they were children, the two had been nearly inseparable. Wherever Nolan went, Elina followed—like a loyal shadow that never left his side.

But now, for the first time, they had been apart for quite a while—and clearly, Elina hadn’t grown used to it.

After a moment, they pulled away, and Nolan gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"By the way," he asked curiously, poking a piece of lamb with his fork and bringing it to his mouth, "did anything big happen while I was gone?"

Elina leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh. A soft, beautiful smile played on her lips as she said, "Nothing too major, really. But I heard the Marquis Vandelar family has declared their support for Aldric. A few baron and viscount families have followed suit."

Her smile faded, replaced by a sullen look that clearly betrayed her dissatisfaction.

The Vandelar family was one of the three marquis houses in the southern region.

As the highest-ranking family below the dukes, their support for Aldric was no small matter.

With their backing, Aldric’s position had grown stronger than ever.

"Oh? It’s a bit surprising—but not unexpected," Nolan said with a playful smile tugging at his lips.

In truth, during his stay at the Caltheron family mansion, he had already heard from Alex that most noble families in the southern region were deeply subservient to the Malvain family.

Well, that wasn’t too surprising—after all, the Malvain family was the dominant power in the south.

Few dared to oppose them, except for a handful of houses that believed there was no point in bowing to Malvain’s authority.

One such house was the Caltheron family, who controlled the two most prosperous cities in the southern region.

Even without Malvain’s support or interference, they had built enough strength to stand on their own—and wield power without depending on anyone.

"Any other news?" Nolan asked again.

As he spoke, he picked up another piece of lamb and gently brought it to Elina’s lips.

She accepted it eagerly, chewing and swallowing before replying, "Nothing else, Brother. But... I do have some good news for you."

"Good news? What is it?"

Elina reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out two tokens—one black, one red—then held them up for Nolan to see.

"Two days after you left for the southern region, I was visited by two family heads—one from House Arhen and the other from House Tavis. They’re from the eastern region, a viscount and a count, respectively! Isn’t that great?"

She lifted her chin and puffed out her chest, clearly proud of the accomplishment.

"Wow! A Viscount and a Count? You really are amazing!" Nolan said, clapping his hands in praise.

He then picked up a piece of boiled shrimp glazed in sweet and sour sauce and held it out to her.

"Here, a little reward for you," he added with a soft chuckle.

"Nyam~ Nyam~"

Elina chewed happily, her face lighting up with a bright smile at the compliment.

"So, how did you manage to win their support?" Nolan asked, genuinely curious.

"They came to me on their own," Elina replied softly.

"Oh? Tell me everything."

Elina then began recounting the story in detail. Nolan listened carefully, and by the time she finished, a small, knowing smile appeared on his lips.

"You really are my genius sister." Nolan gently rubbed Elina’s head with a fond smile.

From her story, he realized that the two family heads had actually intended to support Elina ever since the public succession announcement in the square.

Something had simply held them back at the time.

And Nolan was almost certain that "something" was pressure from the Malvain family.

Unconsciously, a sardonic smile curved his lips, followed by a quiet chuckle.

Pfft... Even the Malvain family is powerless this time. Looks like they really took a hit from the pressure those people applied...