Chapter 614 - He & She (III)
Chapter 614: He & She (III)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
This scene was unbelievable for the nobles gathered in the hall. They stared in astonishment at Rhode and the two young ladies hugging his arms. Every movement and even glance had specific meanings to the nobles, especially on such a grand occasion. An unwed woman wrapping her arms around a man’s elbow only represented one thing—their unusual relationship with each other. And now, the two young ladies beside Rhode had extraordinary identities.
Although Lize had announced her departure from the royal family, she was still reputable among the noble circle. Besides, she had an innocent and adorable appearance, with no lack of pursuits from young nobles. Even though the attention on her lessened after she left the royal family and the noble circle, she regained her fame after her outstanding performance in the Midsummer festival. An ordinary Cleric wouldn’t usually be worthy of their attention, but Lize’s blood relation with Lydia and her impressive abilities gathered the attention of the Church. Fortunately, Lize had going on adventures with Rhode and Starlight was based in the far Land of Atonement, where the young nobles had a hard time pestering her.
As for Marlene, she was highly reputable within the noble circle and her capabilities were strongly recognized after this internal battle. She could also be considered the shining star of the Munn Kingdom. On the other hand, even though Lize had left the royal family on paper, she was still Lydia’s sister, after all. On a certain extent, Marlene and Lize each represented the forces of the noble and royal family individually, and now, they actually stood by the same man and displayed such intimate actions.
The nobles were astounded because they knew what this meant. Marlene wasn’t an innocent and naive young lady who would give up everything recklessly for the sake of love. She was bright and had never flustered when dealing with every matters. For her to behave this way in this formal occasion… Did this represent the Senia Family’s will?
The senior noble family leaders focused their attention on the man beside her. This young man must have a powerful backing, so powerful that he received the likes of the Senia Family. Everyone in the Munn Kingdom knew that the Senia Family was one of the ancient families and it could also be said that they had existed since the beginning of the Munn Kingdom. It was due to this that it wasn’t easy to have an arranged marriage with this powerful family where any impressive young man could simply be accepted by them. There were many times where the family’s strength, identity, position, and even political standpoint were taken into consideration as part of the important factors of marriage. This was the sorrow for many families, just like it was Romeo and Juliet. Of course. Talk was cheap. However, the nobles didn’t treated it this way, especially the sons who would be the heirs to their families. Their relationship didn’t only concern them, but affected the entire family too. Marlene was the only heir and if she fell in love with a noble who supported the Reformist Party or perhaps an ordinary handsome young man, would the Senia Family agree to it?
This was definitely impossible.
Because she was the one and only one who would inherit the entire Senia Family and their fate and future laid in her every action. Marlene was also aware of this point, so she had been keeping her hands clean. Several of the patriarchs of well-established noble families had secretly admired how blessed the Senia Family was to bear such an outstanding heir. Not only was Marlene skillful and talented in politics, but she could also contain herself. There were no lack of talents in the noble circle because the education that they received was much more prestigious than that of ordinary folks and they could get in touch with things that ordinary folks could only dream of. However, the smooth sailing environment led to young men’s arrogance. They often believed that they were talented and capable in ‘breaking free’ from the chains of fate. Although the young men matured as they grew older, the troubles that they had caused when they were younger left the patriarchs with headaches. Many of them had discussed privately how wonderful it would be if they had a confident and capable heir like Marlene. Look at the bunch of useless playboys! What else can they do apart from drinking and enjoying the pleasures of life every now and then!
To the young nobles, they didn’t care about the political significance of this matter. Instead, it was more of being envious and jealous of Rhode.
After all, Marlene had always been the prime target of the young nobles. Some chased her for her beauty while some valued the strength and support that the Senia Family could provide. However, this wasn’t anything strange because it was normal in marriages between nobles, where romance was nothing more than a stepping stone. The truth behind arranged marriages between noble families was an undisguised political transaction. As the heir of the family, one had to be prepared that the other party wouldn’t only be valuing one as a person. Instead, one’s family background might be the main reason for marriage and this went for both men and women. A pampered noble wished to pursue a pure, beautiful love? It was impossible for all the great things in the world to be taken up by all of them, right?
Instead of focusing his attention on the jealous losers, Rhode was more interested in another matter. Marlene had hugged his right arm while Lize hugged his other. Anne hopped around at the back carelessly. However, this didn’t mean that everything was calm and peaceful. When Lize came up and hugged his arm, Marlene shot a meaningful look and he felt Marlene’s grip tightening and dragged his arm into her round, ample bosoms. Lize didn’t back out either. She wasn’t as experienced as Marlene, so she stretched her arms out clumsily and tugged his elbow toward her. Fortunately, the trio was standing closely to one another. If not, they would have been mistaken to be in a tug-of-war competition.
This was a blissful torture for Rhode and fortunately, this lasted only from the hall to the banquet venue. After Rhode’s group arrived at the grandly decorated banquet hall, Marlene and Lize let go of their arms simultaneously. No matter what, this occasion wasn’t appropriate for them to show off their intimate relationship with their partners.
Nobles arrived continuously at the banquet and Rhode, Lize, and Marlene gathered a lot of attention. However, unlike before, Rhode sensed that the gazes toward him were filled with complexities and even hostilities. Of course, most of them came from the young men.
Lize lowered her head with a blush as though she were embarrassed at her daring behavior. However, she quickly found something to turn her attention toward… She approached Anne and instructed her softly to stand obedient on the spot. The banquet hadn’t begin, so she shouldn’t lay her hands on the sumptuous food immediately…
Rhode shrugged and shook his head as he gazed at Lize and Anne. Then, he turned around and spotted Marlene’s smile.
“You haven’t changed one bit, Rhode.”
“On the contrary, you’ve changed a lot, Marlene.”
All sorts of feelings welled up in Rhode’s heart. In the past, although Marlene had always been behaving steadily before him, she would occasionally reveal an inexperienced side of her. However, she had become much more mature and steady now. The battles had polished a beautiful diamond like her into emanating a dazzling radiance.
“Can I treat this as a compliment? Rhode?”
“Of course.”
Rhode nodded while Marlene winked cheekily. Then, the corners of her mouth perked up and she revealed a crafty smile.
“So then, Rhode… Later… Shall we…”
Suddenly, a deep, loud bugle horn sounded and caught everyone’s attention. Marlene winked at Rhode and turned around swiftly, putting a pause to their conversation.
At this moment, the majestic doors gradually opened.