"I have no father. I was abandoned at birth—no father, no mother."
Leah King's face was pale, her eyes filled with stubbornness and anger. She glared fiercely at Basil Bertram, biting her lip.
He really is your father. Do you remember when you participated in that supernatural show? Is there a part of your memory that's missing?
Rachel Lan spoke, but Leah King said nothing. She kept sizing up Basil Bertram, then let out a cold laugh and sat down.
"Now that you've shown up, what do you expect to accomplish? Even if you really are my father, maybe we share blood, but that's all—no other ties. I always wondered why you followed me everywhere. Well, now I'm wealthy, and..."
For a moment, Leah King froze. A chill spread through the room as Basil Bertram's body shimmered with a dark green glow. His long hair drifted in the air, his cap fell to the floor, and he slowly began to float.
"I am your father, but I am not human... I am a ghost!"
At that moment, Basil Bertram suddenly laughed quietly and turned to look at me.
Ethan Zhang, can you explain this to me?
The tense atmosphere dissipated. Leah King glanced at me; I nodded and sat down. She didn't seem too shaken, just deeply shocked, and kept stealing glances at Basil Bertram.
After a while, and with my rather poor storytelling, Leah King more or less understood.
"So, Ethan Zhang... you mean this guy was some prince in ancient times, had a child with a lowborn woman, never fulfilled his duties, and only felt regret and sorrow after I died a tragic death? He wanted to make up for it, but had no chance while alive. After becoming a Ghost Sovereign, he searched for me in the spirit world, finally found me in this life, and now wants to make amends, right?"
I nodded. No wonder she's a top celebrity—Leah King's comprehension is sharp. She rested her chin on her hand and seemed to soften toward Basil Bertram, continuing to study him.
"It's like a movie plot. Have you been searching for me every lifetime?"
Basil Bertram gave a muffled grunt, turning his head away, clearly embarrassed.
"Ghosts are real, aren't they, Ethan Zhang?"
I nodded. Leah King smiled and then stood up.
"I can't just take your word for it, can I? Weren't you a prince in ancient times? You must have had plenty of family and servants. Take me to see them."
"If you're willing."
Basil Bertram stood up, but then immediately sat back down.
"I can take you to see them, but I need to tell you something first. You received an invitation that day, didn't you?"
Leah King immediately nodded, pulled out the Dark Banquet invitation from the drawer, and opened it to look.
"What exactly is the Dark Banquet? I only saw ghosts after that night."
"I'm sorry, Leah. It's my fault. To find you, I left part of the Wooden Contract Stone's power in your soul, so I could find you no matter how many lives you lived. Later, for certain reasons, I put the Wooden Contract Stone in your body. When you came into contact with darkness, some powers within you awakened."
Leah King was completely baffled. I hurried to explain further, and she finally nodded, half-understanding.
"The Wooden Contract Stone must be important."
I nodded, and then Leah King looked at Basil Bertram.
"You owe me this, don't you?"
Basil Bertram grunted. With Leah King, all his airs seemed gone.
"Because of this invitation, you'll be summoned to a place called the Dark Banquet, just like us. It's very dangerous there."
Basil Bertram spoke again, seeming a bit more at ease. Leah King responded, then thought carefully.
"Can I not go? I still have work."
Basil Bertram didn't answer, just stared quietly at Leah King, his eyes filled with sadness.
There were things I didn't know, but judging by Basil Bertram's expression, it was clear he didn't want Leah King to remain in this world. He just wanted her to live a normal life.
I stood up and looked at Basil Bertram.
"Miss Leah King, if you ever want to return to a normal life, I have a way to erase these memories."
Leah King thought for a while, then shook her head.
"Not for now. This is all pretty interesting, being able to see ghosts."
"As long as you enjoy it."
Suddenly, with a whoosh, a Blue Wraith entered through the wall. It was Serena Jing, who knelt on one knee and spoke.
"Master Bertram, Madam Jian asked me to remind you: last time you said it would be the last, but you went back on your word again."
In an instant, Basil Bertram's expression changed, as if caught between conflicting emotions.
"What's wrong?"
Leah King asked, and Serena Jing looked up at Basil Bertram.
"Madam Jian also said there are things you can't go against. If you do..."
"Enough."
Basil Bertram's face suddenly turned fierce as he roared. Serena Jing stood up and slowly retreated. Rachel Lan and I looked at Basil Bertram in confusion, and Leah King was also surprised, but then she seemed to think of something and laughed.
"That woman Madam Jian is your official wife, right? So I'm basically the daughter of a mistress, and that's why she..."
"It's not like that, Leah, it's not... Today... Today isn't good. Give me a few days and I'll take you to see my place."
Leah King pursed her lips and replied.
"Alright, I haven't been out in days. I need to head to the company."
(Irrelevant passage skipped: chapter navigation prompt.)
Soon we returned to Redmane Entertainment Headquarters. Vivian Maple was already waiting inside, and Leah King immediately went over to greet her.
"Rachel Lan, keep an eye on her. Basil Bertram and I will go up first."
In the elevator, Basil Bertram remained silent. I asked him a question.
"What do you plan to do? At the Dark Banquet, she's just an ordinary person. If something goes wrong, we might be powerless. Should we try?"
I asked again, but Basil Bertram neither nodded nor shook his head.
"Let me think about it."
We arrived at Redmond's Suite, where the Ghost Sovereigns had all gathered. Except for Yin Choujian, the others were already there.
"Ethan Zhang, you're here. I'm exhausted! If Redmond hadn't said it was important, I'd still be busy over there. Hehe."
Yuna Ji came over right away. Rufina Howard was leaning on the sofa, a towel over her face, looking exhausted. Luantian Xuekui was there too, always sticking close to Rufina Howard, while Noah Grimm massaged her shoulders.
"Ethan Zhang..."
I smiled. Rufina Howard glanced around the room.
"That sister..."
"Rachel Lan is downstairs. Don't worry, she's fine now. Let's all have dinner together later."
Rufina Howard nodded and gave a dazzling smile.
I looked at Mona Ouyang, whose body belonged to Vivian Ouyang, and walked over.
"If you're summoned to the Dark Banquet, will Vivian go with you?"
"In theory, no. But in reality, yes."
Mona Ouyang replied sarcastically.