My Soul card is a Reaper-Chapter 953: The Weight of a Clan’s Duty

Estella didn’t answer immediately. She just hovered there beside him, above the quiet moonlit village, the wind tugging lightly at her pale hair. Then she blinked once, long and slow, as though trying to gather the right words. Her shoulders loosened, and a tired sigh escaped her mouth.

"Well..." she began softly, "it was very tough for me. I loved him after all."

Azzy didn’t say anything, and she continued.

She said with a thin smile, "I thought I could escape it by marrying you back then. Considering, you know... in our past lives, you and I were husband and wife. I thought maybe that familiarity would make things easier." She gestured vaguely with her hand. "If I married you, it wouldn’t hurt me even if you took another wife or two. After all, I did share you with other wives. It would have been perfect. There would be no jealousy or any heartbreak. I would be happy, perhaps a lot... But you ran away... in search of Claire... And left me here to fight against my feelings toward Gideon. Despite knowing that he had married and had a kid, I had to accept him because his love was sincere toward me. For my clan, they can get an ally like the Tower of Abel. I married him..."

Her voice wavered as she looked down at the glowing houses beneath them.

"At first, it was fine. Gideon used to stay at least six months here with me. Half the year here and the rest of the year, there at the Tower." Her fingers tightened around her sleeve in a mix of frustration and anger. "But after he became Tower Master, he... he can only stay a couple of days every month. Two or three if I’m lucky." She swallowed, her voice lowering to almost a whisper. "I miss him so much that sometimes I bury myself in work just so I don’t think about it."

She forced another sigh out, this one deeper.

"You know..." She smiled, but it wasn’t the confident, teasing smile she usually wore. It was small and vulnerable. "I’m really jealous of you and Leiza. You refused to ally with other clans by marriage because of her. She wasn’t even some kind of expert to sacrifice it. But, I guess you indeed loved her. Even though your clan is infamous for having troubled marriages... You still managed to create such a warm relationship."

Azzy listened quietly. He kinda felt happy to be praised, but also guilty. He loved Leiza and had a kid with her, the second one is also on the way, and he committed himself to their marriage, but the way he loved Claire... he couldn’t love Leiza like that.

Estella, meanwhile, continued, "People like us... clan leaders, guardians, heirs... we don’t get to have love marriages. And even when we do, we don’t get to enjoy them, because our duties swallow us whole. We spend so much time carrying the weight of our clans that we forget that we’re also human. We also have feelings."

She paused, closing her eyes briefly.

"That’s why," she added in a low voice, "I wanted to marry Selene to you."

Azzy stiffened slightly, but she spoke before he could interrupt.

"I know you couldn’t bring yourself to love her and, moreover, you might hesitate because of Gideon," Estella said calmly, "but that’s exactly why I think it would work. Selene wouldn’t be hurt. She’s already accustomed to the idea of a political marriage. She grew up knowing her role in the clan. She would devote herself to the Moon Clan, to raising the children she’d bear from you, and she’d find her happiness there."

Azzy frowned slightly, but she pressed on.

"Think about it again, Azrael," she said, looking straight at him now. "Your bloodline isn’t just a blessing for us—it’s a blessing for the world." Her voice grew firm with conviction. "As I’ve mentioned before, your clan would have full rights over the male heirs, while our Moon Clan would be entrusted with one selected female heir through Selene. Only one. Just one girl who will succeed me if she has enough potential to lead our clan."

Her hair fluttered behind her as she hovered in the air, her eyes glowing faintly with the Moon Clan’s silver aura.

"That means..." she said slowly, "our Moon Clan would be ruled by your blood in the future. With your children... your lineage. The Death Clan and Moon Clan would grow closer than ever before. A union stronger than treaties or alliances."

She held his gaze, her expression unwavering.

"This is not just a marriage. It’s stability. Security. A future where both clans prosper. Your bloodline is too important... too rare... too powerful. And Selene knows this. She accepts this. She wants to help the clan in her own way."

Azzy let out a slow, tired sigh, the kind that escaped only when someone had reached the end of their patience. He didn’t look angry—just resigned, as if he knew this conversation had been coming but hoped it wouldn’t. "Estella," he began quietly, "I really didn’t want to say this. But you keep pushing it onto me... so I have to tell you the truth."

Estella raised a brow, curious and unbothered, waiting for his answer.

"First of all," Azzy said with a firm voice, "there’s no world where I’d marry a girl who’s half my age and someone who can be considered my god-daughter. That alone is enough to refuse." He paused before adding, "And second—Orion loves Selene. You’re essentially proposing my potential daughter-in-law to me instead."

Estella blinked once. Then she chuckled, not mockingly but openly amused. "I guess you haven’t heard it from Selene either."

Azzy frowned. "Heard what?"

Estella said, "Orion and my second daughter—Luna—appear to be secretly seeing each other."

"What?" Azzy almost stopped flying midair. His tone wasn’t angry, just genuinely shocked.

Estella nodded, brushing a strand of hair back. "Yes. I only found out a little while ago from Selene. Apparently, it’s been a few months."

Azzy’s expression softened into something thoughtful, almost distant. "I... didn’t know that."

The silence between them shifted into something contemplative as Azzy sank into his own thoughts. It’s true... Orion used to have a crush on Selene. But that faded after he awakened natural energy—after he fell into Buddhist teachings. Gideon’s guidance helped him balance the spiritual world and the secular one. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But still... Why Luna?

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"He murmured aloud, half to himself, "Isn’t it strange to have a crush on the older sister... and then start seeing the younger one?" He frowned. "Maybe it’s because they’re twins? Maybe Orion subconsciously saw Selene in Luna? Or maybe he realized Selene wasn’t the right girl for him, and Luna’s personality fit him better? Or..." He paused again, "maybe your proposal scared him away from Selene before he let himself fall deeper."

He exhaled. "I really need to talk to that kid."

"Azrael. Azrael." Estella waved a hand in front of him, calling him back to the present.

Azzy blinked as if waking from a dream. "Sorry. I got lost in my thoughts for a moment."

Estella smirked slightly. "I noticed."

Azzy straightened, his tone sharpening back to clarity. "Regardless, my decision won’t change. I will not have a second marriage. And even if someday I consider it... I won’t accept political marriages. If I take a wife, it will be someone I like."

Estella nodded but waited, sensing he wasn’t done.

Azzy continued, "And when I do decide to take a second wife, you’ll see me marrying Leah first. Before anyone else. And I’ll make Zion my son officially. That’s the moment you can start considering proposals again."

He looked her straight in the eye, firm and unshaking. "Until then, Estella... don’t even think about anything else."

Estella stared at him for a long moment—cold air drifting between them, moonlight brushing across her face. She wasn’t angry. Just thoughtful. Resigned. Maybe even relieved in a strange way, because now she knew the boundary clearly.

Finally, she gave a slow nod. "Understood."

And for the first time in a long while, there was a quiet, mutual respect between them—clear, unblurred, and honest.

*

Azzy left the Moon Clan village without looking back, letting the cold night wind wash away the lingering weight of that conversation with Estella.

He didn’t head home—not yet. Instead, he traveled straight toward Country Genesis.

The city itself didn’t notice him—its defenses already recognized his presence, allowing him to slip through without alarms or interference. He moved toward the outskirts, to the concealed mountain that housed Dr. Mac’s pocket dimension.

He entered through the hidden fissure, stepping into the shimmering portal that rippled like liquid metal. The moment he crossed, the world changed with sterile white corridors stretched endlessly, robots gliding smoothly along their rails, carrying tools, tubes, and glowing boxes.

Azzy walked down the long hallway, passing multiple sealed rooms until he reached a reinforced door. The panel beside it flashed blue.