บท 24: Dorothy, Tired at Heart
"Alright, Dorothy, you're old enough now; it's time I told you everything," he said.
Facing his daughter's serious gaze, the middle-aged man on the sofa finally succumbed to the pressure and began to speak.
"It all started over twenty years ago... Okay, that's pretty much it, Dorothy. You're about to come of age, and you can make your own choices now. Whatever you choose, I'll respect it."
Adam recounted everything in one go, then looked at his daughter with hopeful eyes, waiting for her choice.
At that moment, Dorothy's brow was furrowed; she was utterly dumbfounded.
What the hell kind of plot twist is this, was this their idea of fun?
Her father's lengthy explanation could be roughly summarized as a series of dramatic stories: "Country Bumpkin Genius Mage Meets a Wealthy Beautiful Witch Who Desperately Wants a Child," "My Deal with the Domineering Female Island Master," "A Choice Between Family and Ambition: Daughter or Future," "Refusing Easy Benefits Because I Didn't Want My Daughter to Become War-Obsessed Too," "The Difficult Life of a Single Dad Chased by a Domineering Female Island Master"....
The Dragon Witch's realm was a vast confederation made up of many Witch Territories, large and small. Within this confederation, there were Great Lords and Minor Lords, some territories being prominent for a time, while others gradually declined.
Dorothy's mother, Euphilia, came from such a declining family. Even though their lineage could genuinely be traced back to the Dragon King and they were indeed his descendants, with a noble bloodline and ancestors who had once been prominent in the oldest and most powerful branches of the Dragon Kingdom.
But nothing remains great forever. Over the long span of time, for various reasons, this branch fell into decline. By the time it reached Euphilia's generation, it had dwindled to a single heir, yet her family never gave up hope of restoring their former glory.
Euphilia had grown up amidst these family expectations and indeed had not disappointed. She was a rare type of throwback witch, in whom the once-diluted Dragon King blood had revived remarkably. From birth, she showed an extraordinary awakening of ten powerful Dragon Talents and possessed immense Innate Magical Power, making her a monster with over ten thousand units of magical strength from the start.
Moreover, she was quite a capable person, not just someone with talent but no practical ability. As soon as she came of age, she took over as the Family Head from her mother, and within just a few years, had improved her family's standing in the Dragon Kingdom from the lowest ranks to middle-tier status.
Just as the family seemed on the verge of revival, reclaiming their lost territories, Euphilia's parents began to get restless, well, not exactly restless. They were doing what most parents do—pushing for marriage.
"Things like, 'Your bloodline is so excellent, it would be a waste not to pass it on...' 'A king must not be without heirs; the family will struggle without successors...' 'Now that we have more land, there aren't enough hands to help, why not have a few more children?'"
......
Such intense pressure to marry was indeed tough for a genius witch like Euphilia, who had been raised from a young age to strive solely for the revival of her family and had never considered marriage or motherhood.
Yet, she never resisted these nudges. After all, with her family's interests a priority, she indeed felt it was time to have some descendants, especially since her family's revival had reached a certain bottleneck. To climb higher in the social ranks, she needed to venture onto the battlefield.
The battlefield was merciless, and even as a genius witch, she couldn't be sure that she would return unscathed. And if she were to fall without an heir, wouldn't her life's efforts have been in vain?
However, even so, Euphilia had no thoughts of pursuing a romantic relationship. With the family affairs being so demanding, she barely had time to manage her daily duties, let alone engage in romance. Of course, if it were solely from the standpoint of family benefits, her best choice at the time would have been to arrange a marriage with other families within the Dragon Kingdom.
But the proud genius Dragon Witch scorned such a path. She believed in reviving her family by her own hands, much like the Ancestor Dragon King; she disdained any strategy that depended on others' strength, such as arranged marriages.
Thus, she naturally harbored the idea that if she were to have a child, that child ought to be even more exceptional than herself. However, this was no easy feat since her fortunate blood revival didn't necessarily mean her daughter would inherit the same—otherwise, the Dragon Kingdom would be full of such monsters.
Fortunately, this was a magical world. When in doubt, don't panic—just divinate and listen to Fate's guidance, and you might just find the answer.
Ultimately, after paying a great cost, Euphilia finally obtained the answer she sought from the most powerful Fortune Teller in the Dragon Kingdom.
"When you go back and inspect your territory, the most handsome man you encounter on the way will be the one whose blood most perfectly matches yours. The offspring from him will surpass your talents."
That was the guidance the Fortune Teller gave her at the time.
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