"To a long, prosperous partnership!" Tristan raised his glass. "Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone but Thirteen drank wine and champagne. He didn't want to get drunk, so he only filled his glass with fruit juice.
Drinking alcohol seed to trigger a drastic change in his personality in a way he still couldn't understand even now that he was older.
During his grandfather's birthday several years ago, he even drank wine to use the Drunken Fist.
When he asked, Erica and Sherry only told him he didn't have to worry because his drunken self was still very respectful to them.
He was just more open and didn't reject their advances like the sober Zion would.
Out of curiosity, he asked them to record what he was like when he was drunk, but both girls rejected the idea.
When asked for an explanation, they said that the drunk Zion and the sober Zion should stay in their respective fields.
In the end, Thirteen managed to convince them.
When he saw how he acted when he was drunk, he thought he acted like one of his Hosts, who was very carefree when it ca to flirting with the ladies.
'I just hope they don't drink a lot tonight,' Thirteen thought, eyeing Erica, Sherry, and Shana, who were sipping their champagne while looking at him.
The three ladies were smiling, but instead of feeling warm, a cold chill ran down his spine.
In order to shake off the feeling, he focused on eating instead.
Since there were servants around, Shana and her family mbers acted like they were simply hosting so VIP Guests in their ho.
However, he was certain that after they finished eating and were seated in a more private place, they would begin discussing so important matters concerning both families.
The casual talk at the table made the atmosphere quite lively. Even the battle-hardened Lawrence couldn't help but smile whenever he saw his granddaughter giving Zion so side glances from ti to ti.
Perhaps he was even happier than Tristan and Cynthia about Shana marrying Zion in the future.
The teenage boy was more competent than the scions of the Monarch Clans and those from the Prestigious Families, who only had ulterior motives in striking an arranged marriage with their family.
Now that Shana had a partner, Lawrence only needed to find a good husband for Rianna. Once it was settled, they would no longer have to worry about the future of his granddaughters.
He even opened up this matter to his other granddaughter, but Rianna only said that she already had soone she liked.
There was no problem other than her refusal to confess who it was.
In the end, Lawrence and Tristan had no choice but to give her ti and wait for her to open up in her own will.
Regardless of who it was, the two adults would make sure to run a proper background check on that person. If he was clean, they would approve of him.
If not… well, there were many fishes in the sea.
They could probably send him on a fishing trip, after which he would never be seen ever again.
An hour later, everyone retired to the study room where Lawrence and Tristan conducted important discussions.
This was also where Shana and Thirteen had revealed their relationship to Tristan and Cynthia, keeping it a secret from the others.
"In your trip to the Cygni Continent, there are a few things that I want to remind all of you," Lawrence said. "The main forces of the Monarch Clans and the Prestigious Families will only arrive three months after your arrival.
"They will initially send only their heirs and the most talented mbers of their families to gain experience during the early stages of the invasion. With the higher-tiered gates set to open in four months, their primary objective for now is to harvest Jinn cores and monster parts."
"While we don't expect any major infighting, competition and clashes of interest are inevitable, especially when a Clan claims a temporary hunting ground as its own."
The Grand Marshal then glanced at Zion, who had stated he planned to take his battalion to visit the different strongholds stationed at the front lines.
While he was certain that none of the Monarch Clans or Prestigious Families would dare to target and assassinate the teenage boy at this ti, he still decided to give him a warning.
"Zion, I'm not sure if you realize it yet, but you carry a heavy responsibility," Lawrence stated. "As such, your life no longer belongs to you. Take extra care on your journey, and even if it ans sacrificing your n, you should prioritize escaping if you ever face a dangerous situation.
"Make sure to avoid dangerous locations. The Alliance needs you, so don't do anything reckless. Do you understand?"
Erica, Sherry, and Shana remained silent. But knowing Zion, he would probably dive headfirst wherever the trouble was brewing with the "I can handle this" expression on his face.
"Yes, Sir," Thirteen replied.
"Good." Lawrence nodded. "Douglas Griffin called yesterday to inform that he would be sending elite mbers of his family, along with his private forces, to assist you and serve as your bodyguards."
The corner of the old man's lips rose a bit before he continued whatever he was going to say next.
"He was even kind enough to give a list of the personnel that would serve as your bodyguards. But… all of them are ladies." Lawrence smirked. "Objectively gorgeous ladies."
The faces of Erica, Shana, and Sherry didn't show any expressions of surprise or disgust at the Monarch's very obvious attempt to use a honey trap against Zion.
In fact, they were even looking forward to it, interested to see how these ladies would react when they realized that the person they were supposed to seduce was stiffer than a brick and as indifferent as an iceberg floating in the arctic seas.
Lawrence, who was paying attention to the three ladies, noticed that none of them showed any expressions of concern, worry, or anxiety.
He could even feel sothing akin to pity in their eyes when they heard about this bit of information.
"Understood, Sir," Thirteen replied. "I'll make them useful to my cause."
"Are you not worried that you will wake up with them lying on the bed beside you?" Tristan asked out of curiosity.
"I'm more worried about waking up in the morning and finding dead bodies beside ," Thirteen replied before lightly caressing the side of Tiona's face with his finger.
"Tiona may look harmless, but she's still a Domini Mortis. If she hissed at those girls, they would think twice about trying to sneak onto my bed at night."
Tristan chuckled because that was indeed the truth.
To this day, they still couldn't comprehend how the teenage boy had managed to ta one of Solterra's most venomous snakes, a creature revered by many as the ssenger of the Fiend, Apollyon, said to wield the power of Death itself.
This Fiend also went by another na, Abaddon, which was why no one dared to ta or kill a Domini Mortis because they were his ssengers to the world.
"There is one more thing that I would like to discuss," Tristan said. "Zion, Shana, two years from now, we will discuss the date of your marriage to each other. Of course, it will be the marriage of Erica and Sherry as well.
"Don't misunderstand. We are not forcing the four of you to marry right away. We just want to discuss when you plan to have the wedding, so we can make preparations for it."
The three ladies looked pleased by this sudden turn of events.
Two years might sound like a long ti, but it was actually really short.
By then, the Cygni Invasion would have already ended, giving them so buffer ti to discuss this important occasion.
"Okay." Thirteen nodded. "I am open to discussing this matter two years from now."
Hearing his reply, Shana also nodded her head in agreent.
Lawrence, Tristan, and Arthur shared knowing smiles with each other. They thought Zion or Shana would reject this proposal, but the young man accepted it quite easily.
The adults had already prepared so backup plans just in case the teenage boy decided to delay or make excuses about the topic.
Fortunately, Zion was straightforward and agreed to have the marriage talks after two years.
"Before I forget, there is one last thing that troubles ," Tristan stated. "I know that Roland liked Shana very much. Please, make sure to act properly in front of him, so he won't notice anything amiss.
"Right now, the Hero Party still has a role to play. Their purpose is to inspire and raise the morale of the army. We can't have their team dissolved during this crucial stage. That said, kindly avoid having a falling out with Roland, okay?"
"Yes, Sir," Thirteen replied. "I'll make sure to behave properly."
Shana also understood the role she needed to play, so she didn't oppose her father's statent.
She and Zion had their responsibilities.
So, they would only act as lovers behind closed doors and make sure that everyone thought they were only comrades working together for the greater good of humanity.
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