Inheritance Issues

With the agreement reached, the tense atmosphere eased.

Valona's mood lightened considerably as she recalled another incident she had heard yesterday: "Speaking of which, congratulations to Lord Ye Weian on his successful graduation from the Battle Mage Academy, and as an outstanding graduate at that. That's truly remarkable."

"Oh? You've heard about this too?"

Ledera, smiling, chimed in, "Since we've come to visit you with sincerity, it's natural to do some research beforehand. How can we show our respect if we don't even know about your recent achievements?"

Faced with Ye Wei'an's barbed question, Redra's answer was quite appropriate, both defusing the problem and subtly praising him, leaving no room for criticism.

Such eloquence is befitting of Princess Redra, whom everyone admires.

However, since she was traveling incognito as an ordinary nobleman, Ye Wei'an suddenly had a mischievous idea and wanted to take the opportunity to make things difficult for her.

Of course, this was also a test to see what kind of status he could have after gaining Ganlahast's endorsement.

Just do it,

In his next sentence, Ye Wei'an became even more aggressive:

"Thank you for your high regard, Miss. However, it is a question whether this regard is for me or for 'Master Ganlahast'."

Faced with this dilemma, Leia remained completely calm.

"Both."

"Master Ganrahaster is a towering figure in Cormier's magical world, representing Cormier's present moment, and you."

At this point, she winked at Ye Weian, "You represent a promising future. And investing in the future is never a bad idea, is it?"

"Haha!" Ye Wei'an praised, "Miss Leia, you really know how to talk. No wonder Valuna asked you for help; with you here, things are indeed much easier to discuss."

Her answer was indeed beautiful:

She acknowledged the importance of Master Ganlahast, clearly expressed her recognition of Ye Wei'an's potential and value, and even elevated this consideration to the level of "looking to the future"—truly befitting a princess.

If she were in her hometown, she would pass the civil service exam in a heartbeat.

Leia smiled modestly upon hearing this and put her arm around Valona beside her: "You flatter me. Valona is like a sister to me, so of course I will do my best to help her with her affairs."

These words warmed Valona's heart, and she was deeply moved by Leia's words.

Ye Wei'an secretly admired: This method of winning people's hearts is indeed clever and natural, almost without leaving a trace.

You have to learn this skill; there's no end to learning.

He then turned to Valona: "The fact that the Jin Yu family went out of their way to ask Miss Leia for help shows that they value Young Master Marans quite a lot."

These words struck a chord with Valona.

In addition, since the other person was a particularly handsome guy, Valona immediately started talking:

"We value him...yes, the family certainly values ​​him. He's the eldest son, the rightful heir."

She picked up the slightly cool tea, but only held it without drinking. "But sometimes, this kind of 'attention' becomes a burden for him, and a trouble for the family. Just like this time..."

She glanced up at Ye Wei'an, who nodded, signaling her to continue.

"He...he's always been like this. He has that...overly intense interest in beautiful, powerful people, especially those of the same sex. His father has scolded him many times for this, telling him it's against the rules and will cause trouble, but he never listens, or rather, he can't change."

Her words carried a deep sense of helplessness, "Because of this kind of thing, he has offended countless people, but many haven't acted out of respect for the Jin Yu family. But this time..."

She looked at Ye Wei'an with a guilty look in her eyes, "It was so offensive of him to treat you like that. I apologize to you again on his behalf, it was really... so foolish."

"It's okay, I'll forgive him for your sake."

"Thank you, Mr. Ye Wei'an, you're so kind."

Valona put down her teacup, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt. "When Father found out about this, he was actually very angry. But what good was anger? He was the only son in the family, the heir to the family business. To correct him and make him a qualified heir, the family tried everything—hiring tutors, setting rules, even…arranging a marriage for him, hoping he could 'get back on the right track.' But as you've seen, he still does things his own way, and the family has to follow him around, cleaning up these messes and maintaining their crumbling facade."

After venting her frustrations about her brother, Valona realized she might have said too much.

Even Mr. Ye Wei'an would find these kinds of mundane family matters annoying.

She looked at Ye Wei'an with embarrassment, only to find that he was just listening calmly, without any impatience in his charming eyes—of course, it was hard to say whether this feeling was based on her imagination of Ye Wei'an.

Valona suddenly felt valued.

"I'm sorry, I seem to have complained too much..." Valona blushed slightly, her fingers unconsciously twirling the ends of her hair. "Thank you for listening to me."

"It's alright." Ye Wei'an shook his head. "It sounds like you're not having an easy time being the younger sister and daughter."

"These are all things that one should bear as a nobleman's son. Having enjoyed the status and privileges brought by the family, one should naturally also bear the corresponding responsibilities and troubles."

Ye Wei'an nodded, seemingly accepting this explanation.

He abruptly changed the subject and asked the most crucial question:

"Then, what about the inheritance issue?"

"If Young Master Marans has no interest in continuing the family bloodline, or is unable to fulfill the responsibility, what does the Golden Feather family plan to do? Does it... face the risk of extinction?"

Upon hearing the word "extinction of the family line," Valona's face paled, and she murmured softly, "This is the family's deepest worry... The current idea is that if a suitable marriage partner can be found, perhaps... an agreement can be made that the sole purpose is to produce offspring. After this task is completed, both sides can go their separate ways."

"No ordinary noblewoman would agree to such a condition," Ye Wei'an pointed out incisively. "In that case, the Jin Yu family wouldn't have much room for choice in terms of marriage partners."

"This is already the best-case scenario," Valona sighed. "If even this isn't possible... then we'll really have to choose someone from the closest collateral branch of the family to adopt."

"Won't replacing the main branch create hidden dangers?" Ye Wei'an immediately thought of various cases in his hometown's history.

"This is the only way we can do it," Valona said, her voice even more dejected.

"Why must the status of heir be limited to Maranth?"

Ye Wei'an shook his head, his gaze falling on Valuna. "I think you're perfect for the job. You could easily find a man willing to marry into the family, or agree with your future husband to choose one of your children to inherit the Golden Feather surname and family business, wouldn't that solve the problem?"

"Wh...what?!" Valona was so shocked she almost jumped up from her chair. "This...how can this be! This is against tradition! There has never been a precedent in the history of the Golden Feather family for a woman to inherit the family business! I...I'm just a daughter, destined for a political marriage..."

"Tradition?" Ye Wei'an asked dismissively. "Isn't tradition meant to be broken? Haven't the Cormier royal family produced plenty of queens?"

He pointed to an example: "To say nothing of the distant past, there was the 'Iron Princess' Alúsère Obyszir a century ago. She was appointed to power in a time of crisis when the men in the royal family were incompetent. How many kings can match her iron fist and achievements? If the royal family can do it, why can't a count's family?"

"But...but that's a family rule..." Valona retorted softly, but she was clearly already tempted.

Ye Wei'an shook his head.

"What kind of rules are more important than the stable continuation of a family? If 'Iron Princess' had adhered to the rules of 'a princess can't do this or that' back then, Cormier might not be where she is today. In short, rules are rigid, but people are flexible, aren't they?"

"But... I don't have Princess Yaluser's intelligence and abilities... I'm far from that level."

"Abilities?" Ye Wei'an's tone became serious when he spoke of this. "You are willing to take responsibility for your good-for-nothing brother and clean up his mess. Just for that, you are much better than Marans, who only acts impulsively when things happen and whose sister has to clean up his mess afterwards."

He looked earnestly at the blonde girl in front of him.

"Valona, ​​you must understand that intelligence, cunning, and magic are all just 'techniques,' tools. What truly matters to shoulder the responsibility of a family is 'the Way'—the courage to make decisive decisions at crucial moments, and the willingness to take responsibility for those decisions and all their consequences. The former may make you a clever manager, but the latter is what makes you a true leader, a core member who can unite the family and move it forward."

Seeing that Valona was still somewhat confused, he gave a simple example.

"Suppose a family faces two paths for development: one safe but with low returns, the other risky but potentially highly profitable. What would a heir with only talent do? He would weigh the pros and cons repeatedly, perhaps never making a decision before the window of opportunity closes. An heir willing to 'take responsibility,' however, would listen to advice, make a swift choice, and tell everyone: 'If we lose money on this path, the responsibility is mine; if we profit, the glory belongs to everyone.' In the long run, which type of person would a family prefer to follow?"

These words were very blunt, yet they struck Valona like a heavy blow.

She had never considered the meaning of the word "inheritance" from this perspective.

When Redra, who was standing to the side, heard these words, she was even more shocked.

The most important lesson she learned during her sixteen years in the royal family from her grandfather, the contemporary King of Cormier, Friel Obisthir I, who reigned for twenty-seven years, was precisely this!

She remembered that her grandfather had said the same thing to her:

The way of a true king lies not in power struggles and military strategies, nor in shrewd calculations, but in taking responsibility at crucial moments.

She had attended countless imperial meetings and observed her grandfather's decision-making, all of which confirmed this truth.

Logically speaking, this kind of understanding is by no means a dogma from books, but rather an insight that only someone who has truly experienced things and thought about the nature of power would have.

She never expected that the same words would come from the mouth of a monk who was about the same age as her, had experienced many hardships, and could even be described as "down on his luck".

He was not only a lucky mage genius, nor merely a charismatic noble descendant… Redra’s assessment of Ye Wei’an rose once again.

Ledera's initial assessment of him as "potentially a rising star" quietly shifted upwards.

She was almost certain that people with this mindset and understanding could make a name for themselves no matter how low their starting point.

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt that the Thun Plain, which was rumored to be "unsuccessfully explored" by no one, might actually have a slight possibility of being explored in Ye Wei'an's hands.