The Great Wish - Chapter 45: It Will Come To Pass (6)

The two moved to the drawing room adjacent to the imperial bedchamber.

“A few days ago, I left the palace and had a long conversation with the elders about our family’s origins,” Kuhn began.

He had told the elders that his daughter had been born with the traits of the divine bloodline and that their lineage might be rooted in the empire. As he spoke, he carefully observed their reactions—every flicker of their eyes, every subtle change in expression.

However, the elders seemed genuinely unaware. In fact, they were more interested in hearing more from Kuhn himself, wanting to learn about what he had uncovered.

Later, Kuhn had privately summoned Mason, one of the elders, and questioned him further. Mason had shaken his head.

“I’ve never heard anything about this, Kuhn.”

Kuhn trusted Mason completely. If Mason claimed ignorance, then he truly knew nothing.

As a precaution, Kuhn had called for the other elders who were not currently in the empire. Since not all the elders shared every piece of information, someone might still know something.

“But I’m not hopeful,” Kuhn admitted. “If I don’t know such a major secret, it’s unlikely that the elders alone would be aware of it.”

“There’s a library of records gathered by your clan, right? Maybe you’ll find a clue there,” Sienna suggested.

Kuhn shook his head.

“I doubt there’s anything written down.”

“Why not?”

“You’ve experienced something similar, haven’t you? The book you received from the late emperor—it was passed down through oral tradition, not written records. I learned to read and write through oral teachings as well. There’s no way any of this was ever recorded.”

At first, Kuhn had considered searching the library, but then he developed a theory, one that made more and more sense the more he thought about it.

“My ancestors may have erased the records intentionally.”

“Why would they do that? Your clan has wandered for so long,” Sienna said, puzzled.

“That’s exactly why. Sienna, if our clan knew that its roots were in the empire and that I had divine blood, what do you think would’ve happened? Instead of searching for a land to settle, they would have tried to reclaim it.”

“Reclaim…?”

Sienna gasped as the meaning of his words dawned on her. The Rad Clan would have gathered strength and resources to overthrow the empire.

“If that had happened, I’d probably be… well… the leader of the most powerful faction threatening the empire,” Kuhn continued, his tone light, but the content of his words serious. Had the Rad Clan known their true origins, they could have become the greatest threat to the empire.

Until now, the imperial family had only been able to protect the empire because only those with divine blood could control the Sacred Tree.

But the Sacred Tree had responded to Kuhn. He possessed the power to establish a new dynasty.

“It’s a blessing from our ancestors that it didn’t happen. Otherwise, you and I might have met as enemies on the battlefield. It’s terrifying just to imagine,” Sienna said, shuddering at the thought of being at war with Kuhn.

“Whatever the reason, my ancestors left the empire. It seems they had no desire to return and wage war against it,” Kuhn said thoughtfully.

The Rad Clan had always upheld a strict principle: they could not gain land through invasion or plunder. Had they disregarded this rule, they could have conquered lands long ago.

Because of this self-imposed restraint, they had wandered for generations, enduring endless hardship without a permanent home.

“I don’t know whether this decision was purely my ancestors’ will or part of the price they paid for leaving the empire. Either way, they left no records. All they passed down to me were the seven letters I learned.”

Sienna nodded, understanding his point. It was just a theory, but it fit together logically.

“And as for your earlier question… Yes, there are other members of the clan with divine blood, but they’re so distantly related that they’re basically strangers. Our family has been having only one son per generation for a long time.”

“So, is there anything unique that only your family inherits?”

“Hmm, something unique…” Kuhn folded his arms and thought for a moment.

“Maybe strength?”

Sienna chuckled, remembering something he had said a long time ago.

“You once said it was impressive for a human.”

“Oh, you remember everything I say, don’t you?” Kuhn teased, grinning.

Sienna shot him a playful glare. “Why are we going off-topic? Keep talking.”

Kuhn chuckled as he continued.

“What I said back then might have sounded like a joke, but it wasn’t entirely one,” Kuhn said with a smile.

Sienna Recalled the time she watched him hunt a desert beast. The gigantic, terrifying creature had been taken down by Kuhn almost effortlessly. Later, Gilbert had commented that the skull of such a large desert beast was so tough that it would be impossible for a human to pierce it with sheer strength alone.

When Sienna had responded, “But Lord Rad did it, didn’t he?” Gilbert had been left speechless for a moment before finally replying:

“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it, no matter who told me.”

Even the imperial family might be sturdy, but they don’t have superior physical strength, Sienna thought. She wondered if Kuhn’s ancestors had been gifted by the gods with extraordinary strength, much like the immunity to toxins granted to the empire’s divine descendants.

“Oh, and it seems my ancestors didn’t steal the ancient language and flee the empire after all,” Kuhn added, drawing her from her thoughts.

“What do you mean?” she asked, intrigued.

“Earlier today, Lord Nopf came to see me.”

Nopf was the head of a school of thought that argued for the existence of a forgotten divine language. He was also a prominent figure in theological circles. His obsession with his research was such that he had persistently hounded Sienna, eventually managing to obtain all seven of the ancient letters from her.

“When the pillar of light appeared, something strange happened to the scripture as well.”

The original scripture had been stored in the royal archives, but with the recent surge of interest in the ancient language, scholars had requested to borrow it. The late emperor—Sienna’s father—had permitted them to temporarily move the scripture to the research tower, a highly secure facility in the theological academy accessible only to qualified scholars.

At the exact moment the pillar of light appeared at the Sacred Tree, the scripture had begun to emit light as well. Scholars who were in the middle of their research on the ancient language witnessed the phenomenon.

Sienna frowned as she listened to Kuhn’s explanation.

“If such an event occurred, they should have informed me immediately. Why am I only hearing about it now?”

“The scholars were likely blinded by greed. They knew that if they reported the event, the scripture would be taken away from them and returned to the palace.”

Kuhn Recalled how Lord Nopf, a stubborn old scholar, had sweated profusely as he pleaded with him. Seeing the usually rigid man so flustered had been an amusing sight.

The scholars had probably been too consumed with observing the mysterious phenomenon to consider the consequences, only realizing their mistake later. Lord Nopf had not sought out Sienna directly but had instead gone to Kuhn, hoping to soften her potential anger through him.

“Please, Your Grace, ensure Her Majesty isn’t too upset. I beg you.”

Lord Nopf, intimidated by the young empress, had chosen to appeal to Kuhn for mercy. Kuhn understood why—Sienna’s golden eyes, sharp and piercing, had a way of making people feel like their innermost thoughts were being read. It was impossible to stay calm under her gaze. Out of consideration for the old man’s efforts, Kuhn had agreed to help ease the situation.

“But in truth, they likely didn’t even think to inform you. You know how single-minded scholars can be when they’re fixated on something,” Kuhn said with a chuckle.

Sienna’s expression remained irritated, but she didn’t press the matter further.

“So, if the scripture emitted light at the same time as the pillar of light, I suppose the light faded when the pillar did,” she said, musing aloud.

“Exactly. And after the light disappeared, it turned out that the missing portions of the ancient text had returned.”

Sienna’s eyes widened. Parts of the scripture had been damaged, with some of the ancient writing lost.

“Are you saying the missing letters were restored?”

“That’s what Lord Nopf said. He assured me they would return the scripture to the palace today.”

“The completion of the scripture…” Sienna murmured, contemplating the significance.

This meant that the scripture had not been deliberately defaced or altered. It could be interpreted as a sign that the gods themselves had sanctioned the Rad Clan’s departure from the empire, even after they had taken some of the ancient language with them.

“The returned letters must be the seven that you’ve known all along,” she speculated.

Kuhn nodded in agreement.

Now, there was no doubt that the seven letters Kuhn had possessed were part of the ancient divine language, and no one could challenge that fact.

Reflecting on his conversation with Lord Nopf, Kuhn marveled at the timing of everything. Had he not shared the seven letters with the scholars before the scripture’s completion, it would have been difficult to prove that the restored text originally belonged to him.

It had been Sienna who pushed for him to reveal the letters to the scholars. Kuhn smiled at her, feeling a wave of gratitude.

He reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close before planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Sienna asked, blinking in surprise.

“For everything. For being by my side.”

Her eyes softened, and she lowered her gaze, mumbling, “…Me too.”

Kuhn chuckled softly and held her tighter, his heart swelling with affection for her awkward but earnest attempt to express her feelings. This was a side of Sienna that only he knew—a side of her that no one else would ever see.

And that thought satisfied him immensely.

***