Inheriting a Lost Bloodline, My First Task is to have heirs?!

As I listened to Peony's stories and personal experiences, I feel my heart getting heavy. I did expect drama and a mix of something dark in his stories but I never thought it would be this bad. Now, I understand why when I met him, his children and his wives, they treat each other more like colleagues at work instead of family. They were simply connected through circumstances and not family ties.

Peony smiled as he said that at least he had a good relationship with his fifth wife, Rosia. She was the mother of his youngest son, Nasturtium. He said that at least they can speak calmly to each other and they are both willing to compromise whenever they have differences in opinion about certain things. It was way better compared to the all out war that happens with the first four wives.

As for his sons, he honestly said that since the wives took responsibility for rearing and educating the children, he had no choice but to be distant with the children to avoid issues with his in-laws. It was sad that his relationship with his children had to be sacrificed for the sake of peace.

He chuckled as he said that when I asked him if he would be willing to leave Zanahavre, his decision was "yes" within a split second. He said that for the first time, he as allowed to decide and to choose for himself. As for his parents, they have other people with them. As for his sons, they are all old enough to take care of themselves. He felt that it was time for him to live his life the way he wanted.

I smiled at Peony and teased him, "Sorry to burst your bubble, father-in-law. Once you and your people move to the new sanctuary, you will still be the leader and you have to take care of almost everything. I can only help you as a landlady and of course, with taking care of the babies. That's about all the help I can offer for you and your companions."

He looked at me and confidently said, "That is already plenty of help for us. Aren't you going to tell me where you sent my people? I am the only one left here and I feel like I am missing out on a lot of things."

I smiled sweetly at him and honestly replied, "Let's just say that it is a new Zanahavre for the fairies. The difference is that mystique mana is abundant there. As for the location, it is inside the new world tree realm. Did that answer the questions in your mind?"

His eyes widened as he heard the phrase "world tree realm". He suddenly stood up and then gave me a 45 degree bow. With a soft voice that sounded like he is about to break down, "In behalf of myself and all the people that have accompanied me and believed in your promise of a better life, we would like to thank you, your highness. We will ensure that we will never be late in paying rent."

I laughed at his promise since he is now already used to saying the term "rent" because of me. I gave him a thumbs up and then pointed towards the outside of the house to remind him that there are five people waiting for an audience with him. He nodded his head and sighed again as if he hated and dreaded this audience with his own sons.

Peony took in deep breathes to calm his mind and heart. He still looked nervous though and his hands were shaking as if he's going into a peace treaty negotiation between warring nations. After doing his relaxation breaths, his face once again returned to its serene state as if he doesn't have a single worry in the world.

As planned, I put some spells on myself to keep me invisible and undetectable temporarily. I did not fully erase my existence though since those five outside already knew I was here with their father. I just want to make sure that they could not pinpoint my exact location for now. I also want to have the ability to listen into their conversations freely.

I gave Peony a telepathic message that I am already ready to observe and have hidden my presence successfully. Once he got my signal, he walked leisurely towards the main door of his private residence. He opened the door and simply looked at his sons. He gave a cold "Come in" as a way to give his permission to all of them to enter his parlour.

For the first time in a while, his sons are all here in the same room. The last time this happened was during the meeting when I first visited two weeks ago. At that time, everything was chaos with shouting and fighting, definitely not something worth remembering.

His five sons from oldest to youngest are named Almond Blossom, Iris, Lotus, Daffodil and Nasturtium. Though it doesn't show on their physical attributes, much like with other mystique races with long lifespans, each were already old enough to marry and have children. They each have received the responsibility to guard the key areas in the sanctuary.

His five sons who were supposed to look the part of calm and dependable guardians poured inside his residence with no trace of grace. They all walked quickly into the parlour as if conducting a raid. They all kept looking around the house, each checking a different direction as if searching for something or to be exact, someone.

Peony coughed to get their attention which stopped them from looking around like a child who was brought to a shopping mall for the first time. He then asked "So, what brings all of you here so early in the morning? Have you made up your minds on whether to leave with me or stay here?"

His five sons stayed standing and simply looked at each other, checking if there is someone who wanted to speak first. Being the most outspoken, Nasturtium answered, "We came here to give our decision and also talk to you in private, father."

Peony scoffed and mockingly said, "You seem to be all too distracted and I feel like I am not the reason why you are all here. Care to explain why you are looking around my residence so curiously? Are you looking for something in particular or is perhaps, someone?"

The five men all kept to themselves and opted not to answer their father's direct question. Iris, the second born chose to say what he came for instead, "As what the youngest said, we came here to give our final decision about the move. I also want to talk to you in private, father. I mean just me and you in the room."

Peony chuckled and teased them out of the blue, "You are asking for a private audience, huh? Well, I could do that though it would take some time. Since this is my last day staying here and the others have already moved, I will all give you the time that you need with me. Is this the type of conversation where we will have a heart to heart talk before saying a good bye for good?"

Out of the blue, the eldest son, Almond Blossom spoke with his modulated voice, "Father, I would like to go first for the private audience if that is alright with you?"

I saw Peony's surprise in his eyes as he looked at his eldest son. I remember this guy being the one who rarely spoke. He seemed to be a man of very few words but I can see that he is a keen observer. He's the type to think about all factors and possible consequences before making a decision.

Peony looked at his other four sons and asked, "Your eldest brother wants to go first. Are there any objections? Should we just go from oldest to youngest?"

His other sons agreed to the arrangement and chose to sit on the soft chairs inside the parlour. They even helped themselves through the snacks and beverages inside. As for Peony and Almond Blossom, they walked to the inner chambers which was separated by a thin wall from the parlour.

I helped Peony cast a soundproofing spell in this area earlier as we were talking to avoid eavesdroppers. I also altered the time here so that time would be slower inside so we could talk about more topics while inside this protected area. Who would have thought that his sons wanted a one-on-one conversation instead of a group meeting?

As they sat on the chairs which is opposite each other, I heard Almond Blossom sigh heavily while Peony kept his calm and simply waited for him to speak. His eldest son who has always had a hard time expressing himself has initiated a conversation and Peony looked somewhat happy as of the moment.

Almond Blossom's modulated voice cut through the silence, "Before I start, I just wanted to ask you something, father. Where is the woman that offered you a way to leave this place? Did she perhaps tell you anything about my circumstances before I came here? Do you know anything?"