"All right! No need to cry now." Looking at their sad faces, Aditya felt really reluctant to leave. In fact, if he had any other option besides not going with Laura, then he would have chosen that option without a second thought. But this wasn't about his choice.
It was about Laura's life and the life of the Goddess of Wisdom.
It was clear that the organization was hunting the Goddess of Wisdom. He wanted them to reunite before the organization could do any harm to them.
He had no idea why the League of Black Tomb was after the Goddess of Wisdom and her clone. The Diary that he received from one of the members never really specified what the organization was after.
The purpose of the League of Black Tombs has always remained unclear. Aditya have no idea why the organization was collecting the Pearl.
But one thing is clear: this was a hazardous organization that could bring the entire Six Continents to its knees even without directly getting involved.
"Listen, I will try to return home as soon as I can." The Main Continent was never his home. He might have been born there, but the Dragon Palace was the Dragon Monarch's house.
"Amelia, please look after everyone." Aditya changed the way he called Amelia.
He no longer used 'Aunt' to call her. Everyone missed this small detail but the women, who had a feeling that there was something between them. Riya, Rin, Julia, Lilith, and Alicia knew that Amelia had feelings for Aditya that she never showed, but sometimes her actions revealed a lot more than she realized.
"Don't worry." Amelia nodded with a small smile.
Before parting ways, Aditya gave each of his women a hug and multiple kisses on their lips, foreheads, and cheeks. When this was happening, everyone looked away, feeling awkward.
"Leo, continue with your training." Aditya patted Leo's right shoulder.
"You will become the 8th General of our Empire." He had confidence that his little brother would become something extraordinary.
"I will. Take care of yourself." Aditya nodded.
He then turned to Clara.
"Clara, focus on your studies. Don't forget to finish your homework." Clara pouted, her cheeks puffing up in protest. She was clearly expecting something else, maybe a hug, a kiss, or at least a few sweet words from her big brother. But instead, all she got was a reminder to do her homework. It wasn't fair. Everyone else got hugs and kisses. Yet here she was, being treated like a schoolgirl instead of the little sister who waited the longest for her turn.
"Young lady, I know what you did last week." Hearing this, Clara's back stiffened. She quickly looked at Watson, who looked away.
Meanwhile, Leo looked confused. He had no idea what happened. He could only wait for an opportunity to ask.
Of course! Here's the rewritten version of that scene, keeping it fully in your style and tone, with a bit more clarity, flow, and weight while still sounding natural and grounded:
'Watson, you traitor!' Clara screamed in her head. She had asked Watson not to tell Aditya about this, yet somehow, her big brother knew.
Last week, she had secretly skipped school with a couple of her friends just to attend a local festival that was being held near the outskirts of Azure City. It wasn't anything too dangerous, just some food stalls, games, and fireworks. But, of course, luck wasn't on her side.
Their principal had also decided to visit the festival that same evening. The moment she spotted Clara and her group wandering outside the school zone in casual clothes, everything spiraled out of control.
The next day, an urgent disciplinary meeting was held. Since Aditya was busy, Watson had attended on Clara's behalf as her guardian.
Clearly, Watson had not kept it to himself.
Clara didn't say anything out loud. She just stood there with a stiff smile on her face, nodding at Aditya while mentally plotting revenge on the old butler who had sold her out without blinking.
'Forgive me, Young Lady. It wasn't my fault.' Watson planned to keep this to himself, but the damn Principal had to share this story with Lilith, who was a part-time teacher in their Academy. And from Lilith, the story eventually reached Aditya's ears, who later asked Watson about it.
Seeing her reaction, Aditya couldn't help but help.
He patted her head and then continued with a smile.
"Listen, it's not bad to enjoy School life. When I was young, I used to do the same with my friends."
"But don't do this too often, and just be sure not to get caught." Hearing this, Clara's eyes brightened. She couldn't stop herself from smiling.
"Once you do get caught, then it's all on you. If you get caught, then we will have to punish you accordingly." Hearing this, Clara nodded her head. Basically, Aditya was putting her in charge of her own actions. As long as she didn't get caught, everything else was fine. But if she did get caught, then she shouldn't expect any mercy or help from their side.
"Don't worry! Hehe! Clara will be extra careful."
"Brother, what are you teaching Clara?" Leo somewhat understood the situation and asked in protest. He sounded kind of helpless since Aditya had already said it, there was no stopping Clara.
"Leo, you're too rigid. You don't always have to act like a soldier," Aditya said with a light shake of his head.
Leo looked like he wanted to argue but stayed silent.
"Clara is still young. Let her enjoy her youth while she can."
"She'll grow up soon enough and have responsibilities of her own. For now, just let her be a little reckless—it's part of being young."
Leo sighed, clearly not convinced but also not willing to push further. Aditya was more than just his big brother. He respected Aditya too much to say anything over his words.
"Also, you need to learn to loosen up a little!" Aditya added. His voice was calm but firm.
"If you keep living like you've got a sword stuck in your spine, you'll burn out sooner or later."
"It's okay to have fun once in a while. You're not just a soldier, Leo. You're still a person."
"And you're the brother of the Dragon Monarch. I work hard so that the people close to me can relax and live without worries." This not only applied to Leo but to everyone else here.
'Because you're the Dragon Monarch. I am working so hard. I just don't want you to lose face because your little brother ended up bringing you shame.'
He placed a hand on Leo's shoulder and gave him a small smile.
"Go spend some time with your girlfriend. Just because you're training under the other generals doesn't mean you have to cut her off like you're on some holy vow."
Leo's eyes widened slightly. His usually unreadable expression faltered momentarily.
He hadn't expected Aditya to know.
But then again, he was the Emperor. Almost everything reached his ears through some source.
What Leo didn't know was that his girlfriend personally met him and demanded that he reduce Leo's training as he wasn't seeing her for weeks at a time.
"You really think I wouldn't notice?" Aditya chuckled. "I may act like I'm always busy, but nothing escapes my eyes regarding my family."
Leo lowered his head slightly while giving an awkward nod. He scratched the back of his neck.
"I'll… keep that in mind."
Aditya turned to Julia. "Look after them!" Julia nodded without hesitation. She was the big sister—the Big Lady of this family. Others were older than her and more experienced in some ways, but none held the position Julia did.
She was the First Lady of the Dragon Palace.
After Aditya, she came first. In his absence, her word was law.
This wasn't some formal arrangement he made. It wasn't a title he assigned.
It was the undisputed authority Julia had earned—not just as his first woman but as someone everyone respected and followed without question.
At first, Julia was shy and reserved about this, but over time, she had adapted herself into this role.
Julia was the big sister or the Big Lady of this family.
Behind Julia, there were her parents. They had come to see him off.
"Don't worry about them."
"Spencer!!"
"I apologize for leaving you with my mess." Because he had Spencer, he could leave his Empire without being worried.
Hearing what he said, Spencer shook his head with a smile. "There is nothing to apologize for. I am your Prime Minister, and this is my job." Spencer replied with a grin.
His now wife, Aria, stood next to him.
Aditya said some words to the General who was already present. In the end, after giving one final nod to everyone, Aditya and Laura disappeared. A bright flash of light took them away from their loved ones.
The only thing that remained in their hearts when the light disappeared was emptiness.
That day, the Dragon Palace was gloomy. Even those who weren't aware of his absence felt the gloomy and sad atmosphere around Dragon Palace. It was like the Palace lost it's soul with Aditya.
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