Julian noticed that when he referred to Ember's grandmother as his great-aunt, the other showed not a hint of surprise and immediately understood. He turned to glare at Ember angrily.
"So you already knew your grandmother and my grandfather were siblings?"
Sure enough, Ember calmly nodded. "Of course I knew. I found out back during the selection trials for the Top-tier secret realm."
The moment Julian heard that, his whole expression darkened. He pointed at her, his finger trembling slightly.
"You knew all along—so why didn't you tell me? And you still tried to seduce me!"
Thinking back to all her intimate gestures toward him in the past—he had honestly thought she was interested in him. After all, he was too outstanding; what woman wouldn't be tempted?
If it hadn't been for the fact that Ember was seven years older than him, Julian might have already given in—her face, figure, and charm were hard to resist.
But the fact that she knew he was her distant cousin and still teased him like that… it had to be intentional.
"Because it was fun? Exciting? Don't you think so, my little cousin?"
Ember grinned from ear to ear, thoroughly enjoying the look on Julian's face—like he'd just swallowed a fly. Her earlier frustration over how he had treated her sister completely vanished.
'Exciting?'
Well… now that he knew she was his distant cousin, and thinking back to all her playful, suggestive behavior—he had to admit, it was a bit thrilling.
Not that he would ever say that out loud.
With a stern face, he said stiffly, "I'll remember this."
Damn it—making her drink his foot-wash water last time clearly hadn't been enough. This woman was even more outrageous than he'd imagined.
"Alright, let's go. We can talk on the way," Rose interjected.
Although she still carried some resentment toward the Turner family, she couldn't help but feel admiration for Julian—such an exceptional junior.
She had, of course, known about everything that had happened earlier at the Hearth family's gates. She simply hadn't come out.
She'd wanted to see how Julian and Ember would handle it on their own.
Even when Julian had shown killing intent toward Elara, she had stayed silent.
Because Elara's words truly had crossed the line.
Fortunately, although Julian was cold and merciless toward his enemies, he was still tolerant enough toward his own people.
Out of consideration for Ember, he hadn't killed Elara—he'd merely erased her memories of Theo and the entire Dawson family.
Only after that matter was fully resolved did Rose step out.
After all, if she had appeared before the situation was fully settled, it would undoubtedly have given Julian the impression that she was using her seniority to pressure him.
Julian only addressed her as "Great-Aunt" out of respect for his grandfather, Harold. If they were to fall out, he wouldn't hesitate to call her an "old woman" instead—a fact Rose was well aware of.
The Hearth family was a Champion lineage and also a major family.
But now, the Walker family was the number one family in Drakoria, boasting two Champions. In this aspect, not even the Hearth family could compare—no family in Drakoria could.
Moreover, Julian's father, not even fifty years old, was already at the peak of Pseudo-Champion level. If he were to become a Champion in the future, the family would have three active Champions in total.
Then, the Walker family would truly be at the pinnacle of glory.
"You go back first," Julian said to the Steel Guard, Beldum, beside him.
"Yes, sir." Beldum nodded respectfully.
The Steel Guards were trained by the Walker family from childhood. All of them were orphans, vetoed by Psychic-type Pokémon from an early age, which ensured their absolute loyalty to the Walker family.
The Walker family had Steel Guards, while the Hearth family had their Vulcan Guards.
The Hearth family estate was vast. Driving from the main gate to the area where the main family resided took over twenty minutes.
Inside the car, Ember sat beside Julian, a faint smile on her lips as she noticed his stiff expression.
"What's wrong? You angry?"
"No, of course not. How could I possibly be angry at my dear cousin?"
Julian's mouth twitched as he forced a smile, though his face made his irritation painfully obvious.
Inwardly, he was already plotting how to get back at her.
Knowing full well that they were distant cousins, yet still teasing him like that—such behavior was beyond shameless.
Considering that Ember was known among the aristocratic heirs of Orient City as the "Witch," Julian finally understood where that came from.
"My little cousin still seems a bit unconvinced. No matter—to make it up to you, I'll treat you to dinner tonight. I'll invite Pierce, Rowan, and Asher as well."
Pierce was already in the Orient City.
Rowan and Asher were in the Imperial Capital, but as long as they weren't in a secret realm or out in the wild, a Flying-type Pokémon could get them here in just a few hours.
When she mentioned Pierce's name, Ember's tone carried a faint edge of resentment, her teeth almost grinding together.
She quickly sent messages to all three of them, and soon enough, they each replied—confirming they would come.
"Done," Ember said, looking pleased.
Then, with a faint smile, she asked, "So, my dear cousin, how do you think I should get revenge on Pierce?"
"No idea," Julian replied flatly, shaking his head.
"What if I spike his drink with a laxative? …No, too cheap. Maybe get him drunk, strip him naked, and dump him on the street?"
"Or better yet, wait till he's passed out, and sneak a couple of naked girls into his bed—let's his expression when he wakes up the next day?"
She tilted her head, clearly amused. "Which one do you think is better?"
Julian refused to comment.
But at the same time, he felt no sympathy for Pierce.
That's right—no sympathy at all. After all, that guy had "betrayed" him.
Julian's unexpected arrival was met with the most solemn reception by the Hearth family.
The head of the Hearth family, Ember's mother, Esther Hearth, along with several high-ranking members of the family, waited at the entrance for Julian, clearly positioning themselves in a lower position.
That was only natural. Since the battle with Groudon, Julian's status had become terrifyingly high. Now, even Duke, the strongest Champion in Drakoria, couldn't compare to him.
Even if Duke could temporarily command a First-class Legendary, it would only be a short-term cooperation, not true recognition. Such forceful command came with a price—it would cost him his lifespan—he might even die directly.
It wasn't like Julian, who had gained the friendship of the First-class Legendary, Kyogre. Even the defeated Groudon had given Julian its own blood.
Some Pokémon psychologists believed that this was Groudon's way of showing goodwill toward Julian.
This conclusion was initially disputed by many, but it was proposed by several highly authoritative Pokémon psychologists.
Moreover, it wasn't just domestic psychologists; top Pokémon psychologists from various countries shared the same view.
This made it impossible not to believe that Groudon giving Julian its blood was indeed an attempt to build a friendly relationship.
Even as a First-class Legendary, Groudon was able to set aside its hatred to befriend a human who had defeated it.
Coupled with Kyogre's behavior, it wasn't hard to infer that Julian must possess something the Legendary Pokémon needed, or perhaps he had an ability that made it easier for him to gain their acknowledgment.
Otherwise, there was no explanation for such a situation. Moreover, the side effects of Julian commanding First-class Legendaries were minimal, almost nonexistent.
All these factors converged on one man: Julian.
*****
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