Rosie's Games
Chapter 527 527: A Race

This time, Rosalind decided not to return to Wugari just yet and opted to spend some time strolling the streets of Aster.

As expected, rumors about the Duke's ability to close the portals were already buzzing in the streets. Less than twenty-four hours had passed since the portal closed, and now, everyone was once again revering the Duke.

Rosalind glanced toward where the Lux Family lived, a smirk clearly visible on her face.

"Isn't it enjoyable?" Taking away the thing the Lux Family relied on all these years?

They always saw themselves as the saviors, the blessed ones. Yet, Lucas singlehandedly stopped the Beast Tide and now the Portal. Oh, she would love to talk to Martin, Dorothy, and Victoria and ask them how it felt.

Slowly… She smiled. She was letting them feel everything slowly.

Then she thought of Jeames Sencler. There was only one reason why he would stay in the north, and that was because he knew about Rosalind. Meaning, Dorothy must have told him!

She took a deep breath and used her abilities to disguise herself before she walked toward the Lux estate. The feeling of dread from the portal still clung to her nerves, but there were things that she had to deal with as swiftly as possible. Not long after, she was able to walk inside the Lux Family estate.

Assuming the appearance of a maid, she walked around the estate for a few minutes, acquainting herself with the changes since she left. Then she finally turned her attention to the main mansion where Martin Lux was staying.

...

Martin Lux's Study

"Father, I believed the Emperor might ally himself with the Duke of Wugari," Dorothy's voice echoed inside the room. "Isn't this very alarming? We need to inform the other members of the Seven Families that the Emperor might reveal the contents of those Annals to the public. If that happens…."

"The Annals did not contain anything harmful to the Seven Families," Martin interrupted his daughter before he let out a weary sigh. "I would not give him the rest of the Annals. The current situation would not allow it. Right now, the people of Aster were slowly losing faith in the Seven Families, especially in Martin Lux and the prestigious Lux Family.

For some reason, the people were thinking that the Lux Family was losing their ability to heal. This, coupled with the plague, the Beast Tide, and now the portal, only made the rumors worse. Everything started when none of the younger generations of the Lux Family received the blessing of the goddess."

"I can take care of the rumors," Dorothy spoke. "Since they thought the Lux Family could no longer heal and that we lost the blessing of the goddess. Wouldn't it be better for us to reveal that I received the blessing of the goddess? Isn't that enough to take care of things?"

"The shadows created by the north are enough to make anyone doubt this claim. During the Awakening, many nobles were here, and they knew that you did not receive the blessing. All this time, we have been telling everyone that you simply receive the words of the Goddess.

If we suddenly reveal that you received the blessing coincidentally right after the Duke of the North showed everyone that he saved Aster again, it would be too suspicious and many could use this to tarnish our reputation," Martin said. He had been having a headache about this matter. If only his father were here to help him out.

Seeing his expression, Dorothy silently sneered. She knew that Martin Lux lacked the mental intelligence that the old man of the Lux Family had. In fact, the reason why she decided to take the old man first was that she knew that the old man could easily figure out what she really was.

She wanted to protect her secret. Martin is… not like old man Lux, so Dorothy kept him alive. After all, she still needed this man's stupidity.

To her surprise, however, Martin actually realized that revealing she had a blessing would do them more harm than good. How did he become intelligent all of a sudden?

"Then… what can we do?" Dorothy feigned worry. In fact, she never cared about the Lux Family name. To her, this was but a convenient title and an advantage. Especially now that she needed both the power and influence of the Lux Family for what she was about to do.

"We need to help the other members of the Seven Families," Martin said after a few minutes of silence.

"What does father mean?" Dorothy asked. Obviously, she already expected this answer. Right now, Martin Lux was desperate to restore the faith of everyone in the Lux Family.

Since he could no longer show off, his most logical step was to show off in the other Empire and use this as an opportunity to gain more fame and reputation. It was too predictable. Too easy…

"We shall visit the other Empires. Right now, the other empires were still battling demons from various portals. We will close them— you will close them. We will show everyone that the Lux Family is still the strongest member of the Seven Families."

Dorothy fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Prepare your things. We will be leaving in an hour," Martin added.

"Yes, Father," Dorothy immediately got up, bowed, and left. However, the moment she walked out of her father's study, she froze and looked around.

Frowning, she used her ability to examine the surroundings, only to find out that nothing was wrong. Was she… thinking too much about things? Or did she truly feel something dark lurking outside of the room? Was it another demon?

No. That's impossible. The demon would not have been able to escape her abilities. She would know if it was another one of her kind.

"Perhaps this was because of that old man," she thought as she walked away from the study.

When she discovered that Federico Lux was no longer there, her anger got the best of her and she 'accidentally' destroyed that place. She wondered if this attracted the attention of another demon. After all, they could easily sense a demon's magic. She shrugged and continued walking.

Unbeknownst to her, Rosalind was already back in the black market. She, too, was preparing to go to the other empires. Obviously, she was there to close the portal first. It would be a race of who could do it quicker!