Chapter 33: Rhetoric Dominance

With a disheveled appearance, Lux stood before the Empress. An unpleasant odor wafted from his dirty white tunic, soaked with sweat. His chausses* were torn, exposing a wounded leg, the fabric stained with dirt and blood.

A broken gold necklace hung on his scuffed hand. Its once-gleaming centerpiece, a green gemstone, was missing and leaving a conspicuous void in the heart of the chain.

Lyora recognized the necklace as a gift she had once given to Solnisca. It was the jewelry her daughter had worn to the gathering of alchemists.

"Re-Respectful greetings to Your Majesty, may greatness and glory ever grace your path!"

With a stiff movement, Lux bowed to Lyora. He should have kissed the Empress' hand when paying his respects.

But the situation did not favor him doing that. Showing a horrible appearance before the Empress was an insult. The knights would likely point a spear at him if he extended his dirty hand.

"Please forgive my impoliteness," Lux spoke, clutching the necklace tightly. "I am chasing after His Highness Consort Slade. I did not know you were here."

Lyora put aside the punishment she should give to Lux. The necklace in his hand had caught her attention. It even made her forget for a moment that Slade barged into the bathhouse.

"Is that Solnisca's necklace? Where did you find it?" she snatched the necklace from Lux's hand.

Lux gasped in surprise. "Your Majesty, that necklace is dirty! Please allow me to clean it first."

"Right now, I am assuming the role of a mother worried about her daughter. I ask once again, is this Solnisca's necklace?"

"Yes, it is," Lux nodded solemnly, his gaze clouded with sadness. "I participated in the search for Her Highness. The necklace was found at Rising Star Peak. I believe the villains kidnapped her!"

When the news of Solnisca's disappearance spread in the empire, many people were willing to volunteer to help with the search.

Lux was one of them. To become a volunteer, one had to pass through the empire's meticulous screening process. He did not need to pass any checks since his identity was valid.

Although he was just the Empress' stepson, he had a higher status than ordinary people, which made it easier for him in every way.

Tents were set up near Rising Star Peak today. The search and recovery team stayed there. Lux woke up early in the morning to do a self-search when the others were still sleeping.

He scraped the ground around the mountains in case any evidence was left behind. His efforts were not in vain, as he found Solnisca's necklace buried among the rocks that were destroyed by the bomb blast.

"Oh, poor Solnisca. Forgive your mother for not being able to protect you!" Lyora brought the necklace to her chest, her lips trembling with tears.

Suddenly, Slade appeared and grabbed the necklace. "This is Solnisca's necklace! I'm sure those barbarians from the Doomsday Committee did something bad to her!"

Lyora felt her irritation rise anew as Slade persisted in his bothersome behavior. "Would you mind your manners?" she criticized.

"I failed to care for my daughter, so why should I behave? The Doomsday Committee is a plague upon our lands. Solnisca hasn't received the deity's blessing yet, so she has no power to fight back."

"This is still in the palace. You'd better behave yourself if you don't want your dignity destroyed."

"Damn dignity to the depths of hell!"

The knights and servants silently watched the Empress's debate with her consort. No one dared to interrupt.

Slade was famous for his temper when it came to Solnisca. The servants once served dinner for his daughter late, and he slapped them.

Any unpleasant incident in the Palace rarely reached the ears of the public. Because of this, the people knew nothing about Slade's bad behavior.

"Please punish me if I am wrong," Lux interrupted Lyora and Slade. "But Her Highness Princess Solnisca would be displeased if the two of you were in conflict."

Everyone was astonished by Lux's boldness. He was the only imperial family who had not received the blessing of any deity.

In Amarthia, people are honored when they receive recognition from the Goddess Amarthia. One had to contribute to the empire to receive her blessing greatly.

Solnisca had yet to receive a divine blessing. But thanks to her kindness to society, Goddess Amarthia recognized her and granted her the privilege of summoning the sun twice.

Her bright, golden hair was a sign that the Goddess Amarthia had blessed her. If someone had hair like hers, the goddess blessed them and could call upon the sun, but only to a certain extent.

With his brown hair, Lux showed everyone he had not received recognition and was in a low position in the Palace.

Slade could have easily struck Lux, and no one would have raised an objection. To everyone's surprise, he refrained from doing so.

[Rethoric Dominance affects the target: Slade de Amarthia!

Your words evoke memories of Solnisca, who often implored Slade to show a bit more kindness towards you.]

[+1% pity gained!]

[+3% empathy gained!]

[Only 4% of Slade's emotions have been gathered. You need to collect 100% of the affected emotions to enhance the effect of Rhetoric Dominance on the target.]

Lux was surprised by the notification. Unbeknownst to anyone else, he had received Lirion's blessing at Rising Star Peak.

At that moment, he frantically searched for any sign of Solnisca, furious with himself. His hands bore the brunt of his rage as he pounded the ground in frustration.

"If only I had the power, I could've saved Solnisca!" he exclaimed moments before Lirion bestowed upon him Rhetoric Dominance.

Lirion served as the bridge between deities and humans, revered as the deity of Knowledge and Wisdom.

Rhetoric Dominance was a skill that required emotional involvement with the target. That was why Lux decided to keep it hidden.

He could not reveal his power and tell people, "Hey, I've been blessed by Lirion! Please love me, hate me, get angry, be amazed, pity me, worry for me, feel proud, fear me, and even be jealous of me. That way, I can use my power on you!"

It was an ineffective approach. Hence, he decided to influence the feelings of others secretly.

"Thank you for reminding us, Lux," Lyora gently brushed the dust from Lux's face, remnants of his journey through the mountain. "As adults, we're not exempt from making mistakes. I apologize for setting a poor example for you."

Lux's heart warmed seeing Lyora's smile. The Empress was one of the few people who truly cared about him, and her wisdom never ceased to amaze him.

[Rhetoric Dominance affects the target: Lyora de Amarthia!

Your actions and words triggered Lyora's irritation. She thinks to herself, "How dare this insolent whelp offer counsel to me, especially in the presence of others!"]

[+2% anger gained!]

[+3% offense gained!]

[5% of Lyora's feelings have been collected.]

The notification caused Lux's heart to skip a beat. Until then, he had always seen Lyora as a kind and wise stepmother.

He had already regarded her as his own mother, but now he discovered a hint of discomfort beneath the Empress's kindness.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Lyora frowned, noticing Lux's skin turning pale. "Oh my Goddess, you must be exhausted from participating in that search! How about you take some rest?"