Vexion and Lexa exchanged stunned glances. To say they were shocked would have been a gross understatement.
For Vexion, the revelation struck even harder. She had spent far more time around Dante's family than Lexa ever had.
She had watched Justin and Aurora during ordinary days, during peaceful evenings, and during countless family gatherings.
The image painted by history simply did not match the people she knew.
Justin II Sandrian.
The man the instructor described as a monster who had slaughtered Ancient Sovereigns was the same man who chased Dante around the palace just to force a hug out of him.
She could still remember it vividly. Whenever Dante visited home, Justin would abandon mountains of imperial work without the slightest hesitation.
"Dante!"
He would charge through the palace like an excited child while Dante fled with an expression of complete resignation.
"I'm busy!"
"Nonsense! A father deserves affection from his son!"
Before long, Justin would inevitably catch him. Ignoring every complaint, he would wrap Dante in an enormous bear hug while laughing triumphantly. Whenever Dante's younger siblings appeared, Justin became even worse.
He would happily scoop them into his arms, carry them across the palace like precious princesses, and spoil them beyond reason.
If one of them became angry with him, he would immediately become depressed, apologizing until they forgave him.
To Vexion, Justin had always seemed less like an emperor and more like an overgrown child trapped inside the body of history's greatest ruler.
There had only ever been one occasion, one single moment, where she had genuinely feared him — the day she accidentally witnessed a fragment of his true power.
She still couldn't describe what she had felt. It wasn't merely strength. It had been something far beyond that. A pressure so overwhelming that even remembering it now caused her instincts to tremble.
Yet apart from that one moment, Justin had never once behaved like the terrifying figure described in today's lecture.
'Could that truly have been the same man? The same cheerful father who spent more time making memories with his children than ruling an empire?'
Lexa found herself equally bewildered.
She thought back to Aurora. Graceful. Elegant. Gentle beyond words. A woman whose smile seemed capable of calming anyone around her.
The instructor had just declared that she had personally slain more Mythical and Mystic Beings than anyone else recorded in history.
Lexa simply couldn't reconcile the two images. That soft-spoken woman, the one who patiently smiled whenever Dante caused another headache inside the palace, had once stood upon a battlefield drenched in the blood of legends. The thought was almost impossible to believe.
Both women silently asked themselves the same question.
'What could possibly have happened? What kind of tragedy could transform such a loving family into figures who shook the entire world?'
Another thought quietly surfaced.
'Master probably doesn't know any of this either.'
The realization nearly made both of them laugh. They knew Dante better than anyone. If knowledge didn't immediately make him stronger, he simply wasn't interested.
History. Politics. Ancient records. Genealogies. Unless someone physically forced him to read them, he wouldn't.
Lexa smiled helplessly.
"Our Master is truly hopeless."
Vexion couldn't help but nod.
"He'd probably fall asleep halfway through the lecture."
Both of them could already imagine Dante yawning, declaring history boring, and leaving before the important part even began.
.....
At that very moment, inside Midvest Academy's library, Dante suddenly paused while flipping through a book. He slowly looked to his left. Then to his right.
"...Hmm."
He frowned thoughtfully.
"I feel like someone's talking about me."
A moment later, he nodded to himself.
"I'm simply too handsome."
The System remained silent. It had long since learned there were some statements not worth responding to.
.....
Back inside the classroom, neither Lexa nor Vexion heard another word the instructor said. The lecture continued.
Students eagerly listened, fascinated by the mysteries of ancient history. Yet for the two women, everything after Justin and Aurora's names had become background noise.
Their minds remained occupied — not with the past, but with the future. Their Master's future.
'If his parents had once shaken the world, what path would Dante walk?'
Neither of them had ever met all of his siblings. They knew of them. They knew each possessed extraordinary talent. But each had already begun forging their own destiny. Dante would eventually do the same.
Vexion slowly lowered her gaze toward her abdomen. An unconscious smile appeared. Countless nights, her Master had held her. Loved her. Claimed her completely. More than once, he had left a part of himself inside her.
If she truly wished — if Dante ever decided the time had come — she could bear his child.
'Would that child inherit the terrifying bloodline of the Sandrian Family? Would they possess the same impossible talent? Would they one day stand among history just as Justin and Aurora once had?'
Her cheeks rapidly turned crimson. Lexa glanced sideways. One look was enough.
"...You're thinking about children again, aren't you?"
Vexion immediately covered her face.
"I-I wasn't..."
"You were."
"I wasn't!"
"You absolutely were."
"I..."
She couldn't finish the sentence. Her ears had already turned bright red. Lexa couldn't help but laugh softly.
"You know Master wouldn't even consider having children right now."
"I know..."
Vexion muttered through her fingers.
"I just..."
She buried her face even deeper.
"...I couldn't help imagining it."
Lexa's smile gradually softened. Unlike Vexion, her thoughts weren't focused on becoming Dante's wife or the mother of his children.
Instead, she thought about the path she wished to walk beside him. Dante had shown her strength. He had shown her conviction. He had shown her possibilities she had never imagined.
She wanted to witness the future he would create. She wanted to stand beside him when that future arrived. Not behind him. Beside him.
The same determination quietly filled both women. Whether as his lover, or as his retainers, neither intended to become a burden.
The Sandrian Family had shaken history. Its retainers had stood beside legends.
Its empire had produced monsters whose names still echoed through time.
As Dante's personal followers, they would not disgrace that legacy. No matter what lay ahead, they would become strong enough to walk beside him.