63: Chapter 63 The Origins of the Windsor Family! A Misunderstanding?!

The Quiet Light Prayer Room.

In Rowan's gaze, there was only a focused appreciation.

The long, slightly trembling eyelashes of Aria when she furrowed her brows in thought.

The lip line unconsciously pursed while reading.

The eyes that suddenly brightened upon discovering a major clue...

And the sharpness that radiated in that instant.

Seeing the distinctively charming Priestess Aliyah raise her head after finishing the letter, he chuckled and asked:

"Priestess Aliyah, could this letter be of some help to you?"

Aria thought for a moment and said calmly:

"Thank you for providing such important intelligence, Baron Rowan. The Church will carefully verify it and take corresponding actions. This contribution will be remembered by the Goddess and the Church."

Her thanks were standard and proper.

Carrying a formulaic sense of distance.

Rowan just nodded slightly and replied: "I hope it can be of some help."

Then, he said no more.

The prayer room fell back into silence.

The flickering light of the silver lamp seemed to dim a little as well.

Just as Aria felt she should end this meeting and prepared to stand up to take her leave—

Rowan suddenly spoke.

His voice was not loud, but exceptionally clear:

"Aria."

He omitted all honorifics and called only her name.

His voice was low, carrying a hint of sadness seemingly wrapped in confusion:

"Ever since we parted at Snow Velvet Manor last time, you seem... much more distant towards me."

His amber eyes looked directly at her, his gaze clear, carrying a frank sense of inquiry:

"I can feel it. Did our discussion that day offend you? Or... did I do something that made you feel unhappy? Can you tell me why?"

The question came so directly, so unexpectedly.

Aria's body stiffened imperceptibly.

The fingers crossed on her lap tightened slightly.

She did not expect Rowan to ask so bluntly.

Aria lowered her eyes, avoiding his direct gaze.

Her gaze turned to the calm face of the Goddess relief on the long table, as if drawing strength from that eternal tranquility, and also as if organizing her words.

The atmosphere of silence permeated the prayer room.

The flame of the silver lamp flickered slightly.

After a moment, she slowly opened her mouth to speak.

She did not answer directly, but instead spoke of a piece of the Church of Dawn's history.

"In the year 824 of the Holy Calendar, after our Lord, the Goddess of Dawn, created the Church of Dawn, the [Celibacy Vow] was abolished."

"Since then, Church families have gradually risen."

"Among them, the Windsor Family is one of the original families of the Church of Dawn."

"The first patriarch, Dante Windsor, was an elder who followed the Goddess of Dawn to establish the new religion and found the Inquisition, and was also the first Grand Inquisitor."

"His wife was one of the then-cardinals, Hazel Godwin."

"The Goddess of Dawn advocated that [Divinity lies in piety, and marriage is a God-given bond]."

"The union of Grand Inquisitor Dante and Cardinal Hazel was one of the earliest and most famous practices and symbols of this new doctrine."

"Their marriage received the personal blessing of the Goddess of Dawn and was seen as proof that the Goddess recognized that clergy members could have secular happiness and family life."

"Since then, the Windsor Family has been closely linked to the core of the Church of Dawn, with devotion to the Goddess and the responsibility to protect the Church flowing in their blood."

"For thousands of years, most family members have been high-ranking clergy, and marriages... have mostly taken place within the Church, or with imperial nobles who are pious and have a clean family background."

She paused, her ice-blue eyes still looking at the Goddess relief, not looking at Rowan.

"The family has... unwritten, yet crucial requirements for its members' partners."

"Pious faith is the cornerstone, a clean family background and reputation are the threshold, and the candidate needs to have no overly complicated past entanglements, so as not to affect the focus on serving the Goddess..."

Her words ended there, and she did not speak again.

Rowan listened quietly.

At first, there was still some confusion in his eyes.

But as Aria narrated, that confusion gradually dissipated, replaced by a clear realization.

And a hint of... faint melancholy that even he himself had not expected.

He understood.

But this realization made him somewhat melancholic.

He had never realized one thing.

He was now a single father with seven burdens in tow...

If he had been like this, dragging his family along, when he tricked Sylvia to the countryside back then...

He could almost imagine that arrogant noble young lady glancing at him with a look of disdain as if looking at small fry, then smashing a fireball at him and running away without looking back.

So, unknowingly, his circumstances had become completely different.

The prayer room once again fell into a long silence.

Aria had gently raised her eyes at some point.

She saw the realization on Rowan's face, followed by the faint melancholy and loneliness.

A corner of her heart seemed to be pricked slightly, stirring up a strange sense of sourness.

But she quickly wiped it away.

She took a deep breath.

Silently stood up and left the prayer room.

This time, Rowan did not stop her.

The sound of footsteps faded away and finally disappeared completely.

Rowan was alone, still sitting on that simple kneeling stool.

After a long while, he also slowly stood up and walked out of the prayer room.

Meanwhile, he thought to himself:

"How can I get Aria to be willing to have children for me?"

He had some clues about this.

He thought that Aria might have had some misunderstanding.

What he was pursuing was merely hoping that she would help him have children.

And not marriage.

Marriage was not a prerequisite for having children.

Just like Sylvia and him back then, they didn't have a marriage relationship in the true sense.

Didn't they have seven in three years!

Thinking of this, he cheered up.

He decided that next time he saw Priestess Aliyah.

He must quickly clarify this misunderstanding!

...