Chapter 928
Chapter 928
Chapter 928: Supporting Them Equally
Tossing what had just happened to the back of her mind, Yvonne smiled when she saw her grandfather and cousins walk toward the King.
The Valente family had been away from the social circles in the Capital for years but that had changed recently.
In the past, the Valentes would always send their regards to the King through a messenger as they opted to stay in their Fief.
However, the twins and the previous Viscount had been staying in Amarthea for a while now so skipping on this event was impossible.
These members of the Valente family also had their personal agenda for appearing here today which made it easier for them to accept the invitation from the King.
King Ophire had last seen the old man from the Valente family when his father was still alive.
From his tutors, he had heard that due to certain reasons, the then Viscount Valente, after getting married had left the Capital and moved to his fief with his newly-wedded bride.
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He appeared before King Greggor, the previous Ruler of Rosenhyde, only when there were crucial matters to be discussed.
King Ophire was young when the Viscount’s wife had died, after which there was no sign of the Valente family in Amarthea for a very long time.
Only messengers were used to communicate between the Capital and the Valente fief for the longest time.
Therefore, King Ophire wasn’t too familiar with this old man as they had never gotten the chance to get to know each other.
At the previous event, he had met the current Viscount, Marcus Valente, who had made a deep impression on the King’s mind.
‘That man was too cunning and shrewd.’ King Ophire recalled how Viscount Marcus Valente had used his name to solve a conflict between CLOVER and Earl Blaise.
Though those words seemed to possess a negative connotation, the King had used them simply because they could best describe the kind of person Marcus was.
Now looking at the men standing before him, King Ophire had to admit that the Valente family’s blood was potent considering how the grandsons resembled their grandfather just as much as they did their father.
While the King was appraising this similarity in their appearances, the old man was the first to greet him before the two youngsters followed soon after.
“This is Roman, our family’s heir and the second child is Knox.” Old man Valente introduced the two young men standing on either side of him.
In his previous meeting with the King, Viscount Marcus had not specified which of his sons would be named his heir but it appeared that the decision had been made.
The Viscount family had taken a long time to reach this conclusion but the King was glad that an heir had finally been chosen from this family.
Therefore, he nodded to acknowledge the old man’s words before scanning the twins standing before him.
Though their appearance was similar, their personality seemed to differ at first glance.
The one named heir had a stern and disciplined aura around him while the younger twin seemed more relaxed and jovial.
The King had gotten their personality traits right as Roman and Knox indeed were just as he had assumed them to be.
Coming back to the present, King Ophire began conversing with the old man first before moving to the twins.
To the old man, the King’s queries were mostly related to his health and his stay in the Capital.
Whereas, he got to the more crucial topics with the heir apparent of the Valente family.
Roman was precise in his words and thanks to his detailed explanations, the King was pleased with what he was hearing from this heir.
Moving his attention to the other youngster, King Ophire inquired about his plans for the future and was surprised to hear that the second son of the Valente family had chosen a different path for himself.
Knox, by now, had gained confidence in himself and his plans for the future.
Thus he was able to reveal in the presence of so many nobles that his passion lay in painting.
“I would love to see your work someday.” King Ophire’s encouraging words made the youngster flush and nod soon enough.
However, contrary to the King’s positive review of the young man’s passion, many others were now looking down on the second child of the Valente family.
Making a living out of art was not something a member of their aristocratic society was supposed to do so there was an obvious division between those who approved of his choices and others who were now gazing at him with disdain.
Though none of their opinions mattered to Knox as long as he was satisfied with what he was doing with his life.
Therefore, with a calm look on his face, he accepted the King’s proposal as it would not take much time to fulfill it anyway.
Grandpa Valente smiled at this sight before glancing at his other grandson who understood what he was trying to signal right away.
“Please accept our present, Your Majesty.” Roman bowed as he brought forward what his father had prepared for their King.
The carriage which had arrived at the St. Claire mansion a few days ago from the Valente fief had brought along with it the present meant for the King.
Therefore, the boys and the old man did not have to fret when they received the invitation to enter the Royal Palace.
Glancing at the elongated box in the youngster’s hand, the King tried to perceive what could be inside.
However, he did not have to wait for long as Roman unlocked the latch before displaying what was placed inside.
A series of transparent glass vials were arranged along the box.
Though these vials were exquisite-looking, it was what was inside them that had caught the King’s eye.
“These belong to the first batch of our family’s latest business venture, Your majesty.” The heir explained as the Royal Chamberlain accepted the box and passed it to the King who inspected it closely.
There were seven vials and inside each was a different colored liquid, vibrant and concentrated.
Based on what the King had just heard, it appeared that the Valente family was supporting not just the heir but also their second son for their future endeavors.
Mostly, after an heir was chosen in a family with multiple male offspring, the rest were often neglected and only the heir’s future was taken care of.
However, the Valente family seemed different as they were paving a path not just for their heir but also for the other child who had not been chosen to inherit the title.
The vials the King was now holding were filled with paints, something which was necessary for the path the second son had chosen for himself.
Seeing how the heir was explaining their latest business with an enthusiastic expression, King Ophire could not find any trace of displeasure or hostility within him.
This proved that he too was excited with this new venture their family had begun, one which was greatly useful for his younger brother’s career as well.
Yvonne and the rest of the St. Claire family had not heard about this as this business venture was supposed to be kept a secret from Knox.
Therefore, only Roman, Viscount Valente, and the old man had known about it until now.
Now, however, half the noble society present here today was able to discern that the Valente family wasn’t going to abandon their second son but support him to follow his passions.
This business was something Viscount Valente had started with the help of his wife’s maiden family, who ruled the Apen fief.
Therefore, everything had taken place without letting Knox or the others know about it until the very end.
The surprise on Knox’s face displayed that he was truly unaware of the present his father had sent and also the business that they had started just for his sake.
However, when he came back to his senses, Knox smiled widely at the considerate planning his family had done just for him.
King Ophire praised not just the Viscount for his thoughtfulness but also the heir for not neglecting his duties as an elder brother after he had secured his position as the successor of the title.
With this, the time meant for the Valentes to converse with the King had come to an end.
However, just when they were about to step away, Knox did not move from his place but opened his mouth as he had something he needed to say right now.
This time it was Grandpa Valente and Roman’s turn to be surprised as they did not know what the other person was up to.
Though the same could not be said about the young girl with amethyst eyes who was watching this scene from afar.
‘Finally!’ Yvonne celebrated in her mind when she saw what Knox was up to.
After all, her cousin was acting on her instructions but this was something no one else excluding the two of them and Jax was aware of.
Therefore, it was obvious that Grandpa Valente and Roman were confused about what was taking place right now.
“Your Majesty, please allow me to present this gift to you on behalf of someone else who had prepared something special for this occasion,” Knox spoke up, ignoring all the different kinds of gazes that were now aimed at him.
King Ophire shared a glance with his Royal Chamberlain, wordlessly asking him if he knew what was taking place.
However, all he received was a shake of the head, indicating that even the aide was not informed about this earlier.
This led the King to avert his gaze to the young man who was now staring at him with a sparkling look in his eyes, displaying that he was eagerly waiting for approval.