The Emperor’s Angel of Death

The moment Soshjan revealed his true face, all the Eldar around him, except for the Eternal Court members, were stunned.

“By the stars, an ape—”

With trembling lips, Ivroyia almost cursed, but fortunately, his reason managed to control his anger.

But then, Dorar suddenly blurted out:

“Your Highness is not human. Can humans possess such power and majesty?”

Hearing this, Ivroyia was taken aback and subconsciously asked:

“Then what is he?”

Dorar cleared his throat and took out a scroll from behind him, opening it as he said:

“Your Highness is a descendant of the ancient empire's Lunar Dynasty—”

“Ah?”

Not only the Eldar from Linnaeus, but even the Warhosts and Seers around them expressed surprise. In fact, only Dorar knew about this within the Court.

It turned out that before returning to the Court to reorganize the army, Soshjan had inadvertently mentioned to Dorar that his family actually had an Eldar ancestor. Dorar was overjoyed upon hearing this because he had been troubled by Soshjan's “legitimacy” issue. Although many discussions and struggles, coupled with the retrieval of the Phoenix Chalice, were enough to prove that Soshjan was a genuine Phoenix King, the questioning of his race had not disappeared.

Dorar had been racking his brains to find a solution until Soshjan mentioned this matter. Dorar immediately excitedly inquired about the name of Soshjan's ancestor and directly asked the Soul Guide to communicate with Seshsehet's soul.

Although Seshsehet was in a state of 'soul stiffness,' she could still introduce herself. Dorar was overjoyed to learn that she came from the Bofur-Quisnaish family because, as a descendant of an ancient Eldar noble family, Dorar had studied ancient Eldar noble lineages. Although the Eternal Queen and Phoenix King of the ancient Eldar Empire were both elected (the former through religious election, the latter through political election).

Every Eternal Queen and Phoenix King had descendants, and as these descendants flourished, the authority of the Eternal Queen and Phoenix King began to circulate among a dozen large families that had produced Eternal Queens and Phoenix Kings. When a member of a family became the Eternal Queen, the family would be called the Lunar Dynasty, and all female members would be given the title of Lunar Princess. When a member of a family became the Phoenix King, the family would be called the Solar Dynasty, and all male members would be given the title of Solar Prince. The Lunar-Solar Dynasty was a very stable power structure in the middle of the Eldar Empire, lasting for nearly twenty million years. (Fun fact: the Yin-Yang symbol does exist in the Aeldari's cultural symbols)

However, this structure was disrupted in the late empire, and some emerging families entered the power structure of the Lunar-Solar Dynasty, causing very serious internal power struggles.

Realizing that there was something to be done, Dorar immediately summoned a large number of Seers and scholars to trace the lineage of Bofur-Quisnaish, and within a short period of time, they determined that the Bofur-Quisnaish family was the family from which the last Eternal Queen was born, meaning that Soshjan's maternal ancestor, Seshsehet, was a genuine Lunar Princess.

Although this title might not have been so prominent in the late empire, Soshjan and his family were undoubtedly descendants of a lineage that could be traced back to the Lunar-Solar Dynasty!

It should be known that in the current known Eldar society, only the Elda-Yesh family and the Usna-Yesh family can be traced back to the Lunar-Solar Dynasty. These are also among the oldest families in the Eldar Empire. The Elda-Yesh family even gave birth to the first Phoenix King, Elda-Yesh, who was murdered by Khaine in mythology (Usna-Yesh and Elda-Yesh were brothers). However, the Elda-Yesh family currently has no direct descendants, and only some small families in the Craftworlds claim to have inherited this ancient bloodline. The Usna-Yesh family, on the other hand, is dwindling in numbers, with only one direct descendant remaining, the famous Pirate Prince Yriel.

So, Soshjan's bloodline is indeed a bit distant, but that's not important. When it comes to family names and bloodlines, the first thing is whether you have it, then how much.

“What is the Lunar Dynasty?”

Ivroyia was stunned for a moment before asking a question blankly. His sister shook her head helplessly, telling her brother.

“Brother, you always say it's not important to read more history books. The Eternal Queens and Phoenix Kings of the ancient empire came from the Lunar-Solar Dynasty, which represented the most prominent line of families in the empire. Many families can be traced back to the War in Heaven era and even produced mythological heroes, such as the Elda-Yesh family, the Usna-Yesh family, and the Havarrialden family, etc.”

“Is that so? But he is clearly”

Dorar then flipped the scroll in his hand, which depicted a flourishing family tree. No one knew where he found it or made it up. The crowd curiously looked at it and followed Dorar's finger to fixate on a name.

“This is Lunar Princess Seshsehet, and then her cousin—”

As he spoke, his slender finger slid to the other side of the scroll.

“Her Majesty Serinda Verdant Leaf, the last recorded Eternal Queen. And Your Highness is a direct descendant of Princess Seshsehet, which can be proven by the princess's soulstone and wraith. Although her husband was a human, this does not affect the inheritance of the sacred bloodline. The best proof is that Your Highness can ignite the flames of the Phoenix Chalice.”

“Uh”

Ivroyia scratched his head.

“Isn't it a bit too far away?”

With a snap, Valentino Ravich slapped him directly.

“Shut up, you bastard! Apologize to His Highness!”

Ivroyia had no choice but to kneel on one knee again and lower his head.

“Phoenix King, Your Highness, I apologize for my previous words, please forgive me.”

“Get up, brave warriors shouldn't be kneeling on the ground. I know my identity is quite sensitive.”

“Your Highness, can I ask one more question?”

Ivroyia asked very carefully, but immediately noticed his father's angry gaze. Soshjan seemed to know what he was going to ask and smiled slightly.

“Yes, I am not even a normal human, I am an Astartes, or rather, I used to be.”

This time, even Valentino Ravich showed a shocked expression, while Ivroyia was not so surprised, just a little confused, because he had only heard of Astartes and had never actually seen one. Valentino Ravich, on the other hand, had seen them and fought against them. It was an experience from his youth when he was studying the Ranger Path. At that time, he was training on a Craftworld and participated in a battle to resist the Imperial invasion. In that battle, he saw these human-modified warriors for the first and only time.

Their barbarity and tenacity left a very deep impression on him. Even that battle was only a draw, with no real winner. A close friend of Valentino Ravich's in his youth also died in that battle.

Seeing them looking so confused, Soshjan raised his hand and put the mask back on.

“These things are not important. I think we have more important things to focus on. This land is already blindly devastated. The Court will not leave immediately and will assist the people of Eslo in restoring their homeland.”

Valentino Ravich nodded and said sincerely:

“Thank you, Your Highness. Please move to White Deer Palace.”

“Yes, condolences.”