The Sinful Life of The Emperor

House of Hestia.

Lord Harley scanned through the thick file on Zed. Just like the rest of his family, he learned about Zed barely a few hours ago, and in such a short span of time, his subordinates have gathered quite a lot of information.

"Very impressive!" Lord Harley remarked.

The information was not only from Delta City, but also from Core Region in Desolate Blood Forest!

It has to be remembered that many youngsters have witnessed a few of Zed's memories in the first trial. While those memories had no sound, focused only on events that made him desperate, and stopped long before any of his secrets could be exposed... the youngsters still got a good understanding of his life in the slums!

Furthermore, they also witnessed the special treatment that allowed him to skip the trails and seek any treasure he wanted!

And when every age group of contestants was brought together after Zed left, the youngsters who knew about Zed shared details with the older contestants.

This was how Aileen learned about what Zed did after they got separated. And when Aileen returned to House of Neville, she shared those details with the higher-ups!

As for Sophia... Well, she firmly believed in her mother's teaching of not breaking the trust! That's why she never shared any event that might reveal his secrets. She only shared those tales where others could learn about his kindness and pure heart, and learn how different he was from that shameless villain!

While it was also true that almost everyone who went to the Core Region died, there were survivors other than Sophia and Aileen.

Verna, Jenina, Divya, Alistair, Carmen, etc. Perhaps the total number of survivors weren't above thirty.

And out of them, many shared stories about Zed with their families and friends. Of course, the stories were biased, along with a lot of exaggeration and downplaying.

"He has connections with the revered existence of Hall of Legacies! How shocking!"

Lord Harley rubbed his hands excitedly.

"And if these details are to be trusted, Revered Enchantia pretty much gifted him any Legacy Orb he wished, and yet, he refused! Now that's impossible to believe!"

He flipped through the file and stopped on the page that focused on Dream Rise House. The page has multiple pictures of the villa, including images captured from satellites.

"He lived around eighteen years of his life in the slums, where there's nothing but extreme poverty... Yet, out of blue, he got rich enough to build a villa that's overly vain! And also donate over a billion dollars!"

Lord Harley closed the file and looked towards his right where Xalion was reading a similar file.

"What do you think?" Lord Harley asked.

"That kid must have a terrific secret!" Xalion replied, his eyes glowing malevolently. "Something that could tempt the greed of other aristocrat families!"

"Fufufu! You are right!" Lord Harley laughed sinisterly. "We can't allow others to take advantage of him!"

Xalion smirked.

"Indeed! We are family!"

✵✵✵✵✵

Delta City Bank.

In the manager's cabin, Zed sat across the manager, signing transaction papers.

He looked pale and weak, and from time to time, sweat droplets ran down his face. His hand even shook as he signed.

The manager didn't make a comment on his condition though.

Many survivors were either injured or seriously weak after they did everything they could to survive the disaster that crashed in the city. Looking at the condition of Zed, the manager knew Zed was the same.

"Are you sure you wish to proceed with this transaction as well?"

The manager continued with a heavy tone.

"Your bank balance is pretty much nil! And now you are selling almost every property you own to us, instead of going through proper route, just so that you can generate funds quickly!

"You are suffering a loss so think carefully, and decide, is this what you really want?!"

Zed nodded and replied, "Yes. Please rest assured I'm fully sane nor under any duress."

"If you say so!"

The manager looked at the multiple declarations Zed has signed. His duty was to remind his client about the consequences and if the client still wished to proceed, it was none of his business.

"I do have to say, you have a very kind heart!" The manager exclaimed while completing the formalities. "No other person has been as generous as you!"

Zed smiled bitterly.

The manager noticed his bitterness and as he thought of saying more, his attention was pulled by the sudden opening of the door.

"Who dares step in without basic courtesy of knocking?!" The manager jumped to his feet with anger.

The anger didn't even last for a second as he saw the one opening the door.

Sylvan[1]! The Chief Supervising Officer!

"It is my honor to see you here, sir!" The manger's demeanor drastically changed.

In this world, money was precious but not as much as influence and power!

And Sylvan was the direct representative of the World Government! His position was far stronger than that of the mayor! The things he could achieve through his influence were far too many to count!

Even as the manager greeted Sylvan, another person stepped in. The presence of this person made his heart jolt with shock because his influence was far stronger than even Sylvan!

"Senator Patrick Weisz?!"

The manager exclaimed. Chief Supervising Officer was just a representative of the government, but Senator was a part of the government! The difference was too big!

Patrick ignored the shocked manager and walked in.

"Zed!" Patrick quickly rushed to him. "They are looking for you!"

Zed was startled by the arrival of Felicity's father, especially the words he spoke.

"Who?" Zed asked.

Before Patrick could answer, Sylvan said, "No time in wasting time here! Come with me!"

His voice was cold and commanding, and he stretched his hand to pull Zed, without caring about his consent.

Zed's eyes narrowed.

Just as the hand was about to grab Zed, Sylvan's face turned ashen and he started trembling violently.

A dreadful sensation swept into him from distance, almost burning his blood.

"!" He swallowed forcefully and backed away, his eyes shifting towards the window leading to the corridor. The window was obscured by roller binds, but he could see multiple silhouettes.

"They are here!"

Sylvan whispered.

The manager and Patrick swiftly turned towards the door.

The first to enter was a team of a male and a female, both in black clothes. They stood on either side of the door, almost as if they were guards.

The vitality they emanated made the manager stumble back. Even before he could wonder about their level of power, his eyes noticed their shoulders.

They were embedded with an emblem: Bird on fire!

"This emblem... House of Hestia!" The manager was alarmed. "An aristocrat family!"

Chief Supervising Officers and Senators were just representatives and parts of the World Government. But aristocrat families owned the World Government!

"What the hell is going on here?!"

The manager felt his poor heart about to escape his chest.

~step~

The stepping sounds of heels echoed in the pin-drop silent room. Still sitting in the chair, Zed turned towards the direction of the door.

A woman stepped in.

She was dressed in pure white, her beautiful hands wrapped in magenta gloves. Her body was slender and tall, blessed with a stunning fair complexion that made a charming contrast with her fiery-red hair.

Every step she took was backed by an extraordinary, aristocratic grace.

One glance at her was enough to make every man and woman drop their jaw and become awestruck by her staggering beauty.

She slowly stepped towards Zed.

"!"

The face of this woman reflected in his eyes. Instantly, it overlapped with the image of a woman made of blue flames.[2]

As the two images overlapped, his fingertips unconsciously dug into the armrests.

At the same time, Patrick broke out of his trance. Wiping the sweat off his face, he said, "Zed, let me introduce you to Lady----"

Patrick never got a chance to complete as Zed spoke.

"Rebecca."

Rebecca stopped.

His fingers almost crushed the armrest as he continued, his tone now filled with coldness, "From House of Hestia."

Patrick, Sylvan, and others were startled. They were sure Zed hasn't seen the emblems on the guards' shoulders, and yet, he knew of her background as well.

Sylvan also noticed something others didn't when Zed spoke about the House of Hestia.

Disrespect!

Utter disrespect!

Sylvan got over his shock and shouted, "Kid! Be respectful!"

Zed lifted his head and stared into the eyes of silent Rebecca.

"Is that right? Do I have to be respectful, mother?"

[1] Sylvan has appeared in Volume 1 and the initial part of Volume 2

[2] Kiba has a nightmare about the assassination attempt on him as a newborn. A woman made from blue flames rescued him. Chapter 238.