However, despite their lack of strength, Ailisha's grandfather—the previous Aluke Viscount—had been able to see clearly the grave situation facing the family.
The Aluke Marquis had risen too quickly. In less than six hundred years, he had advanced from an ordinary Third Rank Professional all the way to the Ninth Rank.
Everyone had speculated whether he had left behind some treasures in his family connected to the secret of his rapid advancement.
To prevent the covetous from besieging them, during the final period of protection, Ailisha's grandfather had voluntarily handed over the treasures the marquis had left in the family, along with most of their assets, to the royal family in exchange for greater protection.
Thus, a Ninth Rank member of the royal family openly paid a visit to his family.
This carried two hidden meanings: first, the royal family had decided to protect the Aluke Family; second, there was no longer anything here worthy of a Ninth Rank's attention.
Although the Aluke Family avoided being directly destroyed by external enemies, the loss of their assets and savings also caused them to decline.
By Ailisha's father's generation, things had become even more difficult.
During the Aluke Marquis's rise, he had inevitably encroached upon the interests of certain people.
After his family declined, some small families, acting under the direction of certain interested parties, began to exclude them openly and covertly. They also used every means to erode what remained of their assets, making their lives even harder.
But by Ailisha's time, things seemed to have changed somewhat.
Anvis could tell that the girl knight possessed some exceedingly rare and powerful bloodline. Even if it did not reach the Legendary level, it was at least Ninth Rank.
Yet according to the information he had obtained, Ailisha's family had always been ordinary