SSS Class Awakening: Start With A God-Level Choice System-Chapter 176: Meeting Elyndra’s Parents, Empress Lysandra And Prince Consort Valerian

Faced with Elyndra’s flirting, Ainsworth boldly kissed her on her lips, ignoring the imperial guards stationed in the hallway.

Although it wasn’t that long or heavily intimate, merely a brief, closed-lip kiss, it still left Elyndra momentarily stunned.

They might have already seen each other’s bodies and done everything they should do, small affectionate actions such as this one still made Elyndra slightly blush in shyness.

However, she soon regained her composure as she acted like nothing happened to hide her embarrassment, knocking on the golden door as she declared, "Mother, Father, I have returned with my lover!"

Soon after, a majestic and dignified female voice resounded and worded out "Enter", followed by the golden door opening, showing the interior of the throne room.

The interior was vast and orderly. The floor was made of polished marble, reflecting the light formations embedded along the walls. Symbols and runes related to the Valtoria Empire’s history were carved into the pillars lining both sides of the hall.

Although the world had already entered a modern era, the throne room retained its ancient structure. It was clearly not a place for daily administration, but one reserved for formal audiences and matters tied to imperial authority.

At the far end of the hall stood a raised platform.

A golden throne rested upon it.

Seated on the throne was a woman with long silver hair and red eyes.

Her appearance looked no older than her late twenties, yet her calm gaze carried a sense of authority that could not be replicated by mere youth. Her posture was upright, and her presence alone was enough to make the hall feel restrained.

She was Lysandra Astrielle Valtoria, the reigning Empress of the Valtoria Empire.

Beside her sat a man with golden blond hair and golden eyes. His expression was mild, and his presence lacked the sharpness of a ruler, yet it did not feel weak. He sat calmly, neither drawing attention nor fading into the background.

He was none other than Valerian Noctis Valtoria, the Prince Consort.

Ainsworth could immediately tell that their roles were clearly defined. The Empress was the authority, while the Prince Consort stood as support rather than a counterpart.

Moreover, he did notice that Elyndra’s parents looked very young. Although their age was definitely way higher than their physical appearance due to the existence of the Otherworld Mission, if not for that, they physically looked like Elyndra’s older siblings rather than her parents.

Furthermore, the aura and demeanor they cultivated, due to handling a lot of responsibilities and being in an extremely high status, made them appear mature despite their youthful appearances.

Aside from that, Ainsworth noticed that while Empress Lysandra was only a Four-Star SS-rank Awakener, Prince Consort Valerian was not only a Four-Star SS-rank Awakener, but was even powerful enough to be considered an Extraordinary SS-rank Awakener.

’Hmm, it does make sense that even if the Prince Consort can be from a humble background, his power and talent must not be weak or else he wouldn’t be worthy to be the spouse of the reigning empress.’

’According to the tradition of the Valtoria Empire, its matriarchal imperial rule made it so that the Crown Princesses in each generation would prefer to be with a powerful and talented man from a humble background than those from an equal force.’

’That way, it’s easier to let a man from a humble background marry into the Valtoria Empire and adopt their imperial family’s surname. If it were from an heir of an equal force or faction, they wouldn’t want such a thing to happen.’

’And since the Empress will be the ruling sovereign, her spouse will only be responsible for protecting her and assisting her at her side to compensate for any of her weaknesses.’

’The fact that the Prince Consort doesn’t have any powerful background also ensured that the chances of the Valtoria Empire being usurped by an outside faction internally would be drastically lower.’

Guessing the intentions behind such a few-century-long empire, Ainsworth knew that such a model was indeed successful.

The only difference was that the advent of the Awakener Era made it possible for the Crown Princess and her spouse to possess power transcendent enough to make inheriting the empire a burden instead.

SSS-rank Awakeners were extremely rare, and a top faction was already considered great enough to possess an SS-rank Awakener, let alone an Extraordinary one.

So, the Reigning Empress would be competent if she possessed an SS-rank Awakener power, while a Prince Consort being an Extraordinary SS-rank Awakener would be ideal.

Even the global top three academies, like the Edenbridge High School and Astralis Academy, would only have the Principal at Extraordinary SS-rank Awakener.

From what Elyndra had told him, only two of her sisters possessed the talent and potential to become an SS-rank Awakener, so she didn’t have that much competition to begin with.

As long as they completed the second Otherworld Mission, Ainsworth and Elyndra would be even overqualified to become the Prince Consort and Empress of the Valtoria Empire, respectively.

Their power would be far stronger than Elyndra’s parents’, so they’d be overqualified to succeed them. If they still failed to win the throne succession trial with such an advantage, then Elyndra’s parents must be blind.

As Elyndra stepped forward while holding Ainsworth’s hand, the Empress’s gaze shifted.

It moved past Elyndra and settled on Ainsworth.

The hall fell silent.

Ainsworth felt the scrutiny clearly. It was not hostility, nor was it friendliness. It was a ruler evaluating someone who had stepped into the imperial sphere.

Elyndra spoke calmly, "Mother. Father. This is Ainsworth. My lover."

Lysandra Astrielle Valtoria rested her hand on the armrest of the throne and spoke, "So you are the one."

Her red eyes remained on Ainsworth.

"The man my daughter chose." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Ainsworth inclined his head slightly. "Your Majesty."

Valerian Noctis Valtoria glanced at Ainsworth briefly, then at Elyndra, a faint smile appearing on his face. He did not speak, but his expression showed mild curiosity rather than concern.

The atmosphere in the throne room remained steady.

Neither welcoming nor rejecting.