The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1844

"Are you done?" Dalton interrupted, his voice icy, as if indifferent to everything. "If you're done talking, move aside."

Garth sighed deeply but stepped aside anyway. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that Dalton's current situation was complicated.

Before, it wouldn't have mattered much. Wynter had always appeared to be of average cultivation, her spiritual roots suggesting no extraordinary potential.

But now, things were different. Nearly every major sect in the cultivation world had witnessed Wynter's true strength.

The Velmorian Imperial Family would undoubtedly seek to bring her back. And, to stabilize the political landscape, a marriage alliance between Wynter and Raleigh would be ideal. After all, the imperial court had long harbored ambitions of unifying the cultivation sects.

On top of that, it was obvious Wynter favored Raleigh.

Garth had wanted to say all this, but one glance from Dalton froze the words in his throat. Those eyes—deep, unfathomable—were like the bottomless ice abyss behind Mt. Nyxvarn.

It was said that the Ancient Beast, Wolf, had been sealed by the joint efforts of the sects. Some even claimed that divine retribution would begin there, for the abyss' depths were filled with the accumulated sins and resentments of both heaven and earth.

Unconsciously, he stiffened. Truthfully, he just didn't want to see Dalton humiliated when Wynter and Raleigh held their grand wedding.

Those who had stayed by Wynter's side for long enough understood her temperament and had all prepared themselves. But Dalton hadn't been here long, yet he had grown so quickly. It was as if he had abruptly transformed from a youth into a man.

Who knew if he could endure it? After all, those who had once been favored knew better than anyone the bitterness of falling from grace.

Meanwhile, Wynter had no idea about the whole "falling out of favor" drama brewing elsewhere. Right now, she didn't even know how much longer she could stay lucid within this formation.

Ailithir still refused to use the Soul-Returning Herb she had brought back, and she was growing impatient.

Wynter wouldn't have thought the first thing Ailithir said when he saw her was, "I know the boy you brought back is from the underworld."

Underworld? Wynter's brow arched. She hadn't even confirmed it herself—how did Ailithir know?

"The energy surrounding him can't be hidden much longer," Ailithir said, his gaze steady on Wynter. "Others might not notice yet, but it's only a matter of time."

Wynter considered it. He wasn't wrong. "Once your tribulation passes, I'll take him away."

Ailithir stared at her for a long moment before sighing deeply. "That's not what I meant. But now I see… your feelings for him run deeper than I thought."

"We're going to get married and become cultivation partners." She saw no need to conceal it. From the moment she entered the formation, she had felt Ailithir's grandfatherly affection for her. After all, he had raised her since she was a child.

Ailithir blinked, then burst into laughter. "Only you would dare take someone from the underworld as your cultivation partner. Well, it does align with the divination."

"Divination? What divination?" Wynter perked up. Was there a prophecy about her love life?

Ailithir's eyes softened as he looked at her, remembering the little girl who used to tug his sleeve with endless questions. "I had performed a divination for you the day I brought you to this mountain."

"I still owe you a wedding. Everything was supposed to go perfectly that day, but we didn't manage to protect you. You've been blaming yourself ever since.

"After waiting so long to see you again, I just wanted one more glance. Just one more. Even though I know this is just your lingering regret."

Ailithir gently smoothed Wynter's hair, like a grandfather would. For a moment, it felt like she was a child again.

He softly touched her cheek and said, "My child, none of this is your fault. The sects wanted too much and were too greedy. But I don't regret taking you up the mountain, and you shouldn't have any regrets, either. If you've fallen for someone, then he's worth loving."

Wynter stood frozen for a long time, and even her blinking slowed, her eyes red and stinging. "You knew all along..."

He had known from the very beginning that she had entered this formation. That was why he'd been covering for her, letting her unravel the mysteries and the Earthbound Formation she needed to face.

And now, just when she thought she was about to lose herself within the formation, he reminded her where she truly was.

"I knew from the moment you arrived," Ailithir said with a smile, as if reminiscing. "You've changed. You were different from before, yet still the same. You've grown so much, yet you still lose your head over that man."

Wynter didn't know how to respond. She thought of her precognitive dream—no, it wasn't a dream. She'd never been more certain. That was the past—the real past.

This wasn't some regret left behind by the heavenly law—this was her own formation.