A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night-Chapter 50: Lunch with a Foreign Princess (1/2)

"Do you recognize it?" she asked, her voice gentle. "This tattoo was given to me by my paternal grandfather, Hugolinus Moonstone. When he had it inscribed, he told me that those who carry the same tattoo are considered family. So, do you have it?"

Kael’s heart skipped a beat, but he shook his head slowly. "I don’t have that tattoo," he said, his voice steady, though there was a hint of confusion in his eyes. "But I’ve seen a similar tattoo on my sister’s arm."

Artemis nodded, understanding his response. "I see," she said, her voice tinged with a note of thoughtfulness. "It seems our paths are more entwined than we realized."

"We… uhh… wouldn’t waste Your Highness’ time. If you excuse us…" As the moment passed, Laura, noticing the tension that had started to build in the air, gently took Kael’s hand and led him to a table farther away from Artemis and the elderly man.

Call it a woman’s intuition or a jealous wife’s intuition, but she strongly felt she would regret it later on if she let this princess carry out her conversation. She already had a headache with her eldest sister. She doesn’t want others to get close to her husband anymore. The fact that Artemis took the initiative to talk to him and seemingly had common topics to talk about made her uncomfortable.

She wanted to put some distance between them to calm herself down, but before the head manager could take their order, Artemis called out. "Lord Moonstone."

"Yes?"

"Please, do join us," Artemis invited, her tone warm but undeniably commanding. "It would be pleasant to have your company."

Laura hesitated, glancing at Kael with her heart rate rising steadily, but seeing his calm demeanor and remembering her status as an ambassador, she nodded in acceptance. "We’d be happy to join you," she replied, smiling politely. The tension that had briefly flickered in the air now gave way to a more formal invitation, and they made their way toward Artemis and Dragamir.

As they approached, Laura couldn’t help but wonder about the strange coincidences and connections that had been unfolding since their arrival. The presence of the Nymira Empire’s princess in this very restaurant, the mention of the Moonstone name, and the mysterious connection between their families—it all felt far too complicated to ignore.

Kael, ever the calm and collected figure, remained quiet as he followed Laura. He was aware of the weight of the situation, but his attention was focused on the now-growing interaction with Princess Artemis. The tattoo and the Moonstone surname.

His father was the one who inscribed the tattoo on his arm. And while Mia’s tattoo was inscribed by their mother when she turned nine, he didn’t think much back then even though her tattoo was different from his. After all, the mystical tattoo was the creation of Raiden House. He only thought back then it could be the difference of gender.

And then, at Duchy of Ikaris, he stumbled upon Serestia’s tattoo, which was inscribed on her blind eye. This tattoo was identical to his, but since she is the same gender as Mia, Kael changed his assumption and concluded that it was because his mother didn’t belong to Raiden House, she couldn’t properly master it or change the design in her own way.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

But now, there sat a descendant of Moonstone House, a female gender who was given a tattoo that looked identical to his sister’s.

That means the tattoos inscribed on his sister and his arm were different. So, were they completely different tattoos with different functions? Or is there something more to this? He knew little about Raiden House but was confident that he knew the entire history of Moonstone House. But it looks like he doesn’t know it.

With these questions lingering in his mind, Kael and Laura joined the princess at her table, ready to navigate what seemed like a fateful meeting.

*

After the adventurer’s constraints were released and she left away, Kael and Laura took their seats, sitting opposite Artemis. The demigod who came with her sat on the table behind the princess, letting the young ones have a casual talk among themselves.

Artemis leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Kael. "How long has the Moonstone House been in Elyria?" she asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

Kael looked back into her eyes, calm and collected. "Since the Third Era, almost eight hundred years now, Princess."

"Please, don’t be formal. You can call me by first name. For all we know, we were distant cousins," She smiled.

Kael nodded. "Understood, Miss Artemis. You can also address me with… Sss…" he was about to say that she could also address him with Kael but instead let out a hiss of pain as Laura pinched his thigh.

"Hmm? What’s wrong?" Artemis blinked.

As Kael awkwardly smiled, Laura spoke curtly. "I apologize, Your Highness, but you were here as an ambassador, not as a simple royal guest of the state. Even if we were meeting in a restaurant, it would be inappropriate for casual addresses. As a man, My husband didn’t have much training in formalities, but back then, it didn’t matter to him. Now that he is a Prince Consort, he also needs to be mindful of his behavior. I apologize for his informal address."

"Uhh…" Kael wanted to say something, but he stayed quiet. Artemis narrowed her eyes, her gaze shifting from Laura to Kael and then to Laura. In the end, she smiled. "Understood, Princess Laura."

After a brief pause, she resumed the conversation as if that little bit of tense situation didn’t occur at the table.

"Anyway, the reason I was intrigued about your surname and the tattoo is that we have Moonstone House in our Empire, too," Artemis said, absently swirling the glass noodles through her fork. "Though their situation is... precarious. My grandfather is the current head, but he might be the last."

"No female heirs?"

"None." Artemis sighed. "He married three times and fathered six children. All of them turned out to be male, one of them was my father who married the Empress for the sake of power despite knowing that her former three husbands all died from assassinations. As for my uncles, unfortunately, all of them died before my birth, some died of assassinations and some died heroically against a beast horde. Apart from my father, none of them managed to leave behind any heirs. That leaves me and my elder sister, Athena—who by the way took an oath of celibacy. Hence, no heirs left for my grandfather. However, he’s making one final attempt. He took a young wife recently and she is about 6 months pregnant. If the heavens favor him, Moonstone House will survive without any issue, but if it’s another boy..." She shrugged. "He’ll have no choice but to search for female descendants across the world. Any distant relative who might carry even a drop of Moonstone blood."

Kael nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. He’d seen other noble houses face similar predicaments. The weight of tradition bore down heavily on them all – the ancient law that demanded matriarchy, where only females could become the heads of their respective families.

A male could become the head of the house if no female heir was present, but in the case of noble houses, the laws were even more stringent. A male heir can only lead their Noble House if three generations have passed without another male head.

Even then, such leaders were forbidden from claiming the prestigious titles of Duke or Earl. Their primary duty was to serve as caretakers until a proper female heir could be found or chosen.

Artemis watched as Kael intently listened to her woes. "You were nobility. I’m sure you must be aware that most houses would rather search for distant blood relatives than adopt outsiders," she continued. "The thought of giving their power and legacy to a stranger..." She shook her head. "It’s considered a last resort."

The alternative was extinction. The mere word sent chills through noble circles – the death of a bloodline, the loss of territories to the crown. All that would remain were their personal residences and private holdings.

In such a case, the only hope for revival would be if someone bearing the family name emerged from the masses, proved their lineage in the royal court, and began the long climb back to prominence, starting from the humble rank of Baroness.

"Your grandfather must be under immense pressure," Kael said softly.

"He is." Artemis’s fingers drummed against the armrest. "But he’s determined. The Moonstone legacy won’t end with him – not if he can help it."

"Anyways, I was just wondering whether you have any immediate family, someone who could take over the reins," Artemis asked, her hope dimming as she watched Kael’s expression darken.

"Mother passed away years ago," he said quietly, his fingers absently tracing the embossed pattern on a book cover. "And my sister..." He paused, swallowing hard. "She’s been missing for some time now."

"First or second cousins, perhaps? Any female relatives at all?"

Kael shook his head. "None that I know of."

Artemis slumped back in her chair, disappointment evident on her face. "If your sister is missing, as the male head of the house, I bet you must be pressured too."

"Uhh… Actually, I’m not worried about it. You see, I have five wives. So, the chances of having a daughter are very high," Kael replied sheepishly.

"Eh? Five wives?" Artemis blinked. But then something flickered in her memory – a recent conversation she had with the Queen about multiple royal weddings of her daughters. She sat up straight, her eyes widening in realization.

"Wait... The five princesses who recently married..." She stared at Kael with newfound interest. "They all married you? Wow, that’s amazing."

A faint blush crept across Kael’s cheeks as he nodded.