Chapter 558

Chapter 558: Chapter 558

Inside his room, Keith stared at the pawn piece in his hand, occasionally glancing at the Empyrean Chessboard, where pieces were randomly placed, not in accordance with the rules of the game.

What was curious was that there were more than two Emperors on the chessboard, and out in the corner, a lone Queen was standing, as if watching everything with interest, its carved silhouette catching the faint glow of the room’s crystal lamps.

One after another, possibilities ran through his mind, decoding a very complex game that was taking place in this part of the world.

Inadvertently, his eyes fell on a group of three white pawns, which were covering each other, but there was a weakness, an unguarded square, where the Pawn in his hand was supposed to be to create a perfect defence.

Now, the question was which one of these Emperors would benefit the most from eliminating this Pawn before the start of the game when the lines were officially drawn.

A wry smile crept on his face when he looked at the lone Queen Piece, but then his eyes shifted to a certain King Piece, who was surrounded by his loyal companions, who trusted him with their lives.

"I see." He chuckled and then shook his head.

Someone was playing a very ambitious game, one that could spiral out of control with every move that he was making. And yet, his ambitions were burning brightly, his confidence rising with every minor and major success that he had so far.

He was like Icarus, the bold one who decided to reach for the sun, not yet strong enough to deal with its heat. And unbeknownst to him, his wings were already on fire.

"Aren’t you a clever cat?" He smiled some more as Maria’s face flashed in his mind, but then he sighed as he sensed a group of ladies approaching his door.

Seconds later, he heard a knock, and by the time he turned to look at the door, everyone had already entered.

"Is he cute?" Kiara mischievously asked, wearing a very bright smile on her face, and without any reservations, she came over to sit in his lap.

Her sisters surrounded him, clearly waiting for answers.

"Ethan?"

"Your son." She brightly said and giggled when he nodded his head.

"He’s cute. Innocent and unaware of how harsh his tests in life are going to be."

"Is he really an Evil Star?" She curiously asked, and when Keith glanced at his daughters, who were standing around him, he could tell that they were all very curious about it.

"Yes."

Seeing him nod, Ingvild frowned, and then bluntly asked the question that came to her mind.

"It’s his father, right?"

"Yes." He knew what she was talking about, and nodded his head. "However, as you are aware, an Evil Star will bring death and doom to everyone close to him."

"So, you want to save Maria?" The girl in his arms raised another playful question.

"Not really. I am not sure she needs my saving." He chuckled.

"Why?"

"There’s someone always watching and protecting her."

"Who?"

"I don’t know. It’s just a hunch." He shrugged. "She’s an Enforcer from Aventine. You don’t become an Enforcer if you are not very special."

"Fair enough." She shrugged too, but then grinned again. "Ayesha told us that you are smitten with her beauty and that you kissed her the very night that you met her."

Keith smiled at the girl who had painted all this picture in their heads, and Ayesha rolled her eyes at him.

"You did kiss her."

"On the head." He reminded her, but she did not seem to care.

"A kiss is a kiss."

"She also told us that this Maria is a bitch." Kiara added fuel to the fire, and this time, Ayesha felt a little unsettled.

"She’s extremely rude and behaves as if Keith belongs to her and her alone." She clarified herself, prompting her sisters to laugh at her anxiousness.

"Believe me, I am curious too as to why she behaves like this. However, what I can tell you is that she isn’t faking her emotions," he informed them, piquing their curiosity, and their minds started running to find any plausible explanation for this situation.

"What’s his Bloodline?" Ingrid suddenly asked, changing the topic, and grabbing all of their attention.

Keith smiled as he glanced at Ayesha, not surprised that she had sensed it from the little boy and shared her findings with them.

"He’s a Half-Blood but with a very interesting Celestial Bloodline." He informed them.

"Which one?" Kiara curiously raised her brow, and what he told them next surprised them all.

A couple of minutes later, everyone except for Kiara exited the room, and it was because he had sent them out to discuss something with his blue-eyed daughter.

Something that he only wanted to talk to her about.

Though they were curious about the situation, especially when Keith had asked Kiara to sit on the other side and play the game of chess with him, on a board where there were no rules, none of them stayed waiting outside the door.

Ingvild and Ingrid walked over to the lounge where Qingyue and Amelia were sitting, and Ayesha decided to go and check on Nana and Yingying, who were in the Training Chamber.

On her way, she came across a small figure, who was anxiously rushing over to her, and with a smile on her face, she opened her arms and picked the little girl up.

"What’s wrong?" She gently inquired when she saw Gigi wearing a troubled expression.

"Does Master have a son?" The little girl straightforwardly asked, and Ayesha sighed in her heart as she sensed how disturbed the Qin Princess was.

Everyone in the family knew that Gigi wanted nothing more than to call Keith her father, and if it was not for Sisi having reservations against it and fearing that Keith might mind or the ladies in the family might misunderstand her intentions, the little girl would have already talked about it with him.

And ever since Thea came into their lives, and how Qingyue started addressing her as her daughter, Gigi had grown more and more anxious and envious of the baby.

"No, he does not have a son." She answered and watched a smile break on her lips.

"Who’s Ethan then?"

"He’s a cute little boy, whom your Master gave permission to call him Father. They are not related though."

"So, he’s adopted?" There was a hint of desolation in her voice again, and Ayesha smiled and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Sort of, yes. Your Master intends to take him in as his disciple."

"Just like me."

"Yes."

"But he never gave me permission to call him Father." She depressedly said, and her beautiful eyes were brimming with tears now.

"You never asked him, Gigi." She reminded the little girl, who immediately lowered her head.

"Mother forbade me to talk about it with him."

"I know." She gave the girl another kiss and then put her back on her feet. "However, if it is truly what you desire, then you need to take the initiative. Always remember that we don’t get the things that we desire if we never take a step towards them."

"What if he rejects me?" She raised her head and looked into her eyes, expressing her fear.

Ayesha found the conversation a little funny now, but the thoughts she found funny could not be talked about with Gigi.

"Do you think your Master is unaware of your feelings?" She asked and watched her eyes widen a little. "Just ask. If he says yes, you get what you desire. If he says no, then you can’t lose something you never had."

She knew that the little girl would not understand her words completely, and perhaps she even misunderstood them, but there was confidence in her eyes now, and she resolutely nodded her head.

"Thank you!" Gigi said as she cutely ran past her, heading towards Keith’s room, and Ayesha laughed at her antics before continuing to walk towards the Training Chamber.

On the other side, inside Keith’s room, Kiara intently stared at the board, having been informed whom each of these pieces represented.

She had to give him an answer, and she smiled as she created another piece, a King Piece, and placed it on the board, right in the middle of a cold war.

"Very well, then." Keith did not need to ask her whom this Piece represented. Since she had made her decision, the game was now hers to play.

A smile spread on Kiara’s face as she thought through her plan again, and then she excused herself to discuss it with her sisters.

"Hey!" She opened the door just in time to see Gigi running down the hallway, and the girl stopped in front of her, holding her knees, panting a little.

"Is Master inside, Kiara?"

"He is," She informed the little girl, who suddenly stepped forward to hug her before running past her and entering the room.

Kiara was curious about what this was all about, and a smile broke onto her face when she heard the question Gigi asked Keith.

"Can I call you Father?"

Already aware of what Keith’s answer would be, she did not stay there and walked towards where her half-sisters were.

She wanted to inform Ingrid and Ingvild about her new plans.

As for little Gigi, who was expectantly looking at Keith, who was smiling at her but not answering, her fears came crashing into her heart and her eyes turned a little misty.

However, she never lowered her eyes and kept looking at him, even when the tears threatened to leak out.

"I can allow it if you promise to be an obedient daughter to me."

"I promise!" She unhesitatingly said. "I am a good girl."

Keith laughed at her words and then reached down to pick her up in his arms.

He could smell Ayesha’s scent that was lingering on her and leaned in to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"I know that our little Gigi is a good girl."

Her innocent giggles were truly heartwarming, and then she just hugged his neck tightly, as if fearing that he would suddenly disappear.

"Father." She whispered, calling out to him, and he could feel her heart trembling as the word left her lips.

For the next few hours, Gigi stayed in his arms, as he sat down at the table and started playing games of chess against himself. And at some point, she had fallen asleep.

Keith sensed a presence enter the hallway, and recognising it, he stood up to walk towards the door.

He knew that if he did not walk out, the person would not even dare to knock on his door.

Wang Sisi stopped and immediately lowered her head when she saw him exit the room, and as he approached her, she bowed to him, not saying anything.

"You seem anxious." He lightly said, and Sisi grabbed the hem of her skirt with both hands, trying to get a grip on her emotions.

"Gigi hasn’t eaten anything since morning," she informed him, still keeping her head lowered, and hearing her voice, her daughter opened her eyes and drowsily whispered.

"Mama."

Sisi looked up and smiled at her but froze when the girl turned to look at Keith and smiled.

"Papa..."

"Gigi, come, it’s time to eat." She panicked and tried to grab her daughter, which Keith allowed, and then apologetically bowed to him.

"I am sorry..."

"It’s okay. She can look up to me as her father if she wants. I have given her my permission." He lightly said to her and then pinched Gigi’s nose, making her giggle. "Go, eat."

"Yes, Papa..."

Sisi stayed stunned in her spot as she watched him return to his room and close the door, and in her heart, a myriad of emotions riled up again.

She held back her tears and walked away with Gigi, her arms protectively tightening around her child, the faint warmth of her small body grounding her swirling thoughts.

How she wished that her child was truly his, but fate had been cruel to her.

Then again, a part of her heart was happy for her daughter, who now had a father in her life.

"I told you to not talk to him about it, Gigi."

"I am sorry, Mama." The girl apologetically lowered her head, having sensed that her mother seemed a little sad.

"It’s okay."