"The whole building belongs to the Lightstones," replied Alice, holding her hand and pulling him inside.
The entrance hall was gigantic, with marble statues and pillars. The floor was made of a shiny black stone, which made the black furniture stand out more and the lights and red carpet completed the rest of the room. As soon as the two entered, they were greeted by several members of the Lightstone clan.
There were elegant men in suits and with white hair, and of course part of Alice's immediate family with the typical golden hair. Unlike what Ryan had thought, this was not a meeting about him and Alice, but one of the routine meetings of Alice's family.
'So her mother just put the pressure on her because we're now married, huh, it makes sense I guess' he concluded.
A few seconds later, a familiar face appeared, it was Aether who excitedly approached Alice and Ryan.
'It's been a few years since I've met you at a family event, it's a pleasure to see you my cousin' said the blond, who then bowed slightly to Ryan, 'I've received news about the union of the two of you. I'm flattered to have you in my family now Ryan"
Closing his eyes, Aether sneaked a message through a mental transmission.
'I need to talk to you later, the situation in the guild is more critical than I imagined' the blond said, inside Ryan's mind.
The two exchanged glances, and for a few seconds, Ryan's mind raced with possibilities. But nodding, he just followed and continued to stand next to Alice.
'I don't know if I can trust him'
<The situation is a bit critical, maybe he's not on board with John's plans.>
'More critical than he thought...'
'Ryan, this is my aunt. Aether's mother" Alice said, who pointed to a short woman with curly white hair. "She's my mother's older sister, the one next to her is Aether's father" she then pointed to the old white haired man with a hole for lack of hair in the middle of his head.
Ryan bent down a little and put one of his hands in front of his mouth, and in a low voice he said "Imagine what Aether would look like bald".
Alice then started laughing, in a way Ryan had never seen before. Seeing so many different reactions was putting a relief in his chest, at the same time it was comforting. With a smile on his face, he said to the girl.
"It's really nice to see you, like this, without being with these emotional locks"
The blonde looked deep into Ryan's eyes, and with a gentle smile she approached him. "I don't know, I just feel so much better now that I'm by your side".
When their hands touched, a strange sensation came over Ryan. A chill that he hadn't felt in a long time, it was as if her hand was freezing. Analyzing the girl from head to toe, nothing seemed to be wrong, but that strange feeling alerted him that something was not right in that family.
The two continued walking, and Ryan kept what was happening to himself. Nyx and Lux emerged in their ghostly forms and began dancing and frolicking through the halls like two immature women. Alice then went on to show Ryan the floors, where each of the different functions and businesses of the Lightstone family were divided. Some of the floors made connections via portals to libraries, while others were project rooms.
One of the floors had a production center for items, while the other was made up of various offices for the older members. Confused, Ryan looked at the blonde with several questions.
"How many people are in your clan exactly?"
After pressing the elevator button, the girl paused for a few seconds, as if mentally counting. Then, she turned around and answered.
"Each Lightstone has around ten to fifteen children, the clan has been around for more than five generations, so around five hundred clan members. The influence depends solely on whether you are good at some task or not."
'That's an exponential amount of babies...' he thought, and a few seconds later, he realized what it meant to have ten children.
'Does that mean I'll have to have ten children with Alice?' he concluded with shock. Putting his hand on the blonde's shoulder, he asked her "But how many siblings do you have?" and she shook her head in denial.
"My mother has always been busy with her adventurer job, she only had me as an answer to the clan obligations and norms" Alice's voice sounded disappointed, but before the elevator door opened, Ryan entwined his hands around the girl's waist.
This simple gesture of affection made the girl feel comforted, and slowly, she turned to give Ryan a kiss on the lips. Connecting their lips, the two exchanged a warm kiss as the elevator continued to rise.
*PING*
The elevator door opened, and the sound of several voices and classical music carried through the elevator lobby.
A woman's serious voice echoed off the iron walls as the two quickly let go of each other. "Alice, it's good to see you here. This must be your husband, right?"
That woman's face was serious and neutral like Alice's, her voice was robotic and monotonous like Alice's. Her long blonde hair resembled Alice's, as did her crystal blue eyes. Her long blonde hair resembled Alice's, as did her crystal blue eyes and her smooth white skin. This woman was wearing a white dress like Alice's, but she was evidently older, taller, had sharper curves and a greater aura of maturity than Alice.
Stepping out of the elevator, the girl immediately introduced herself.
"It's a pleasure to see you again Mom, this is Ryan Whitemane. My husband"
The girl nodded, "My name is Alexandra Lightstone, the triple S guild blade master and Alice's mother. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ryan"
Then, she walked away. Without saying goodbye or talking to her daughter, she didn't seem annoyed or bothered, she just didn't seem to care.
Activating his demon vision, Ryan assessed her from afar, and comparing Alice's mana to Alexandra's, he finally managed to understand what was going on.
Adding some demon points left over from their last battle, Ryan evolved the level of demon sight, making him able to assess Alice's energy field a little better.
'No doubt there is some higher level enchantment acting upon Alice. And that seems to be the case with her mother'
It was as if a strong energy held them both. 'Perhaps, this energy is the reason for Alice's neutral and apathetic behavior'
<You remember how she was freer near your domain and after relationships. Probably your demonic energy was influencing that aura.>
'So she really is like a porcelain doll, controlled by strings'
Ryan then extended his vision far, observing that strong woman who stood on the other side of the party. Just like Alice, she possessed the same strange aura around her body.
'How could I not recognize that before...'
- You don't have to blame yourself, this magic seems to be disguised, and you're not a Silvermoon to recognize it so easily.-
Again, Ryan hugged Alice, trying to give her the comfort she needed. The two then decided to walk around the party a bit, finish greeting the relatives and get some drinks.
The building's event hall was on the penthouse floor and the decor was lavish, with artwork from all over the Lacaster region. Large glass panels brought moonlight into the room, while lavish chandeliers lit up the party. Music was being played by a band at that very moment, with a piano, violin and other instruments that Ryan couldn't even recognize.
The atmosphere was a little tiring, there were several important people who needed to keep their masks of elegance. Alice was speaking names and explaining what each one did, and with that Ryan was recognizing some of the names that were linked to the Lightstone clan, many did not use this clan as the main name, but besides Aether and Alexandra, there were several famous warriors and mages in that family.
After a few minutes, Alice tried again to talk to her mother, but Alexandra didn't seem to be very interested. She listened to some of what her daughter had to say, but instead of responding and creating a conversation, she just nodded and then left.
For the first time, Alice really felt frustrated. Running out onto the balcony, she sat down in a chair near the glass wall that led out into the wide, starry night. Holding back tears, she held out one of her hands to Ryan, who had remained by her side the whole time.
"I can't understand my mother, she asked for my presence. But now she doesn't even talk to me, I can't even understand myself. I'm not as strong as her, nor am I as secure as her. And now, I can't even control my feelings. I don't know what's going on"
ραndαsnοvεl.cοm Ryan gave her a kiss and comforted her. "It's okay, if she can't recognize what an amazing magician you are. She's the wrong here"
Alice still looked a little annoyed, but the two of them kept talking for a few more minutes while watching the stars.
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