They all sat down, Lord Valtor easing back into his armchair like he owned the room, and Sara and Lys settling on the cushioned sofa across from him. The seat felt a bit stiff under Lys, or maybe that was just his nerves. He sat up straight, hands on his knees, trying not to fidget.
He felt a little nervous. The person before him was a high-ranking noble, after all. One wrong word, and things could go bad fast. Although he had just gotten into this world barely so days ago, he knew very well how serious it was to offend or get on bad terms with a noble in a world like this.
Sara gave him a quick, encouraging glance, but her own posture was perfect, back straight, hands folded in her lap.
Lord Valtor leaned back comfortably, crossing his legs. His voice was calm but carried a silent weight, like every word coming out of his mouth mattered. "So, Miss Sara, tell more about this village. How have things been lately? Elowen ntioned so troubles, so I thought it would be good to get so updates on this village while I’m here."
Sara nodded, her voice steady but respectful. She glanced at Lys again, as if drawing a little strength from him. "Uhh, it’s been mostly stable, my lord, just the Gaiya Forest around us has beco a little more dangerous than usual. Wolves and other monsters are showing up far too often. They’ve attacked a few travelers on the roads, and so have even co close to our fields, scaring the farrs. Just three days ago, we held a village eting about it. The council and I drafted a letter to the capital, requesting knights or hunters to help clear them out, but... we haven’t received any reply yet. So it’s been worrying everyone."
Lord Valtor frowned deeply, stroking his little beard with one hand. His eyes narrowed, showing real concern. "Hmm, that’s troubling indeed. Lately, sothing seems to be going on around the Gaiya Forest, I heard from my butler. Heard sothing stirred up the wilds everywhere, beasts growing bolder, more aggressive. So it’s really true. Hmm, okay, I get it now. It’s indeed a problem to be solved imdiately. Okay, I tell you what, I’ll make so inquiries when I return to the capital. Perhaps I can push things along a little faster. We can’t have good folk like you living in fear."
Sara bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, my lord. Your help would an the world to the village. We’ve been managing, but it’s getting harder."
Lord Valtor turned his sharp gaze to Lys, making him sit up even straighter. Lys felt a knot in his stomach; those eyes seed to see right through him. "And you, young man? You’ve faced these threats firsthand, taking on those wolves to save my daughter. What do you think needs to be done? Speak freely."
Lys swallowed, his mouth got a bit dry. He wasn’t used to nobles, let alone one asking his opinion like it mattered. Yet he tried his best, trying not to look nervous. "Uh, well, my lord... more patrols could help. And, um, training so villagers to fight back properly. We can’t always wait for help from the capital, it’s too far. Better to be ready ourselves."
As he spoke, Lys felt the words co easier. Lord Valtor’s nod encouraged him, and the nervousness faded a little. He t the noble’s eyes more steadily now.
Lord Valtor nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hmm, Smart thinking. It is very practical, too. I like a man who sees the reality on the ground." He paused, then his smile widened, warm but with an edge of calculation. "Speaking of which, Lys... my daughter has spoken very highly of you. She’s taken quite a liking, more than I’ve seen in a long ti. So, what do you say? Would you be willing to beco a Valtor as well?"
Lys blinked, totally confused. His mind raced. What did that even an? "A Valtor? I’m sorry, my lord, but... what do you an?"
Lord Valtor chuckled softly, leaning forward a bit. The room seed to hold its breath. "I an, join the family, lad. Beco her fiancé. Elowen’s chosen you, and from what I see and hear, I approve wholeheartedly. It’s not every day a young man impresses both her and ."
The words hit Lys like a cold splash of water. Marriage? To a noble’s daughter? His heart pounded, but he kept his face as steady as he could. The offer was massive, life-changing. But sothing inside him twisted. "I... I’m truly honored, my lord. More than I can say. But...Isn’t that a little too fast, considering we have just t?"
Lord Valtor let out a deep, rumbling laugh that echoed softly off the stone walls of the chamber, his broad shoulders shaking with genuine amusent. "Hoh hoh! Aye, lad, I get that a lot. You’re right; it does seem hasty, doesn’t it? Offering the hand of my only daughter to a man I’ve yet to share a al with. But life’s too short for dithering, especially in matters of securing a healthy man for my dear daughter, a healthy man like you. I won’t hesitate, I can’t. If I dillydally on this matter only to see that what I wanted has been taken by others. I’ve learned that the hard way over the years."
He leaned back in his chair, the wood creaked a little under his weight, and fixed Lys with a gaze that was equal parts being a father and also a shrewd appraisal.
"You see, I wasn’t always the Lord Valtor, as I’m now. No, I started much like you, a young upstart with more grit than gold, scraping by on wits and whatever scraps the world threw my way. I was a commoner, Lys, born in a dusty village not unlike the one you hail from. No noble blood, no ancient lineage to lean on. Just a lad with dreams bigger than his boots."
Lys shifted slightly, his confusion giving way to intrigue. He could feel the weight of the mont pressing down on him as the man before him shared his own story. "My lord... how did you..?"
"Ah, now that’s the tale worth telling," Lord Valtor interrupted with a wink, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone as if sharing a secret long buried. "It was Elowen’s mother, Isolde, who spotted first. I was no more than a wandering rcenary then, fresh from a skirmish on the borders, covered in mud and glory. We’d just repelled a band of raiders, and I was nursing a wound in so tavern when she walked in."
He paused, his smile softening with a touch of nostalgia, his fingers drumming idly on the armrest. "She thanked for saving her life from these raiders. She didn’t hesitate, lad. That very night, she dragged before her father, the old Lord Valtor himself. ’I’m going to marry him,’ she declared, bold as brass. No courtship dances, no endless banquets or flowery letters. Just pure, unfiltered conviction. Her father grumbled, of course, called it reckless, impulsive. But Isolde? She wouldn’t hear it. ’Life’s for the bold,’ she said. ’And this man’s got the fire to match mine.’"
Lord Valtor’s eyes glead with the mory, a hint of moisture gathering at the corners that he blinked away quickly. "Back then, the curse wasn’t there to speak of. So everything was normal. But yet she chose ."
His face showed a hint of warmth while talking about this part, then again, he wiped that expression just as that ca, "So tell , lad, if I had hesitated that day, where would I be? A rcenary, or so knight, or dead in so war field, lying on the ground headless. But I didnt hesitated when she said she would marry , a commoner, ignoring everyone’s crude comnts. And look at now, I’m Lord Valtor now, with lands stretching to the horizon, a legacy built on that one swift decision. Of course, it wasn’t easy; there were trials, betrayals, nights when I wondered if I’d bitten off more than I could chew. But that leap? It forged , lad. Made the man I am. And Elowen... I tell you what! She’s got her mother’s fire, through and through. When she speaks of you, lad, I hear that sa certainty. So tell true, will you take the plunge, or let the mont slip away?"
Lys just stared at Lord Valtor’s face, even when he stopped talking, as if he had been too stunned and moved to hear this epic tale of the man before him. At least that’s what it looked like to Lord Valtor.
’Huh, what is this guy saying? Is that supposed to be a real history that actually took place? Do people really marry like that?’
Lord Valtor saw the stunned look on Lys’s face and took it as his hesitation, so he held up a hand, his tone reassuring but firm. "Take your ti. Of course, you can refuse; no pressure from . But understand what it ans. Being my daughter’s fiancé would grant you a noble title imdiately. And as my gift, I’d provide a territory of your own, a solid piece of land to rule and build on with her. Security for life, wealth to grow, respect from all corners. It’s a good path, lad. Not bad at all, eh?"
Sara’s eyes were wide, her hands clasped tight in her lap. She looked at Lys, a mix of shock and silent urging in her gaze. She didn’t know if she should say sothing or not.
Lys took a deep breath. The room felt tense to him now, the air thick with expectation. He could feel Lord Valtor’s eyes on him, waiting.
After so thinking like that, he finally shook his head firmly. "Thank you, my lord. Really, from the bottom of my heart. But I have to say no. I don’t want wealth or titles I didn’t earn myself. If I’m going to have anything like that, I want to work for it. Build it with my own hands."
Just as he rejected it, the silence stretched inside the room. Lord Valtor raised an eyebrow, leaning back slowly. He didn’t look angry, but the warmth in his smile cooled a bit, replaced by a sharp surprise. He didn’t expect this outco when he offered Lys his daughter’s hand.
The mood in the room tensed like a bowstring. "You’re sure about this? You’re sure you won’t regret it later? Most n in your position would jump at the chance, lad. It’s rare to offer such a thing from a man like . I offered you this because my daughter seed very happy when she spoke of you. Like you were her hero."
Lys nodded, his voice steady despite the knot in his gut. "I’m sure, my lord. Forgive for saying this. It’s a great honor, but it’s not for ."
Sara shot him a sharp look, her face a whirlwind of shock and frustration. She stood up quickly, her chair scraping the floor. "Uhh, Lord Valtor, excuse us for just a mont, please. I...uhh.. I need to say a few things to Lys privately."
Lord Valtor waved a hand dismissively, his expression still calm but with a hint of curiosity now. "Go ahead. Take your ti. I’ll wait."
Sara grabbed Lys’s arm; her grip was tight as she pulled him toward the door.
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