"After thinking it over, Irene and I have decided that we will still marry, but we won’t marry into each other’s families. We’ll keep our own nas. Also, we will hold the wedding in neutral territory, and after that, we’ll live in a neutral territory as well," Aldrey said.
Hearing this, his father and Grand Duke Rivas both frowned, clearly displeased with Aldrey and Irene’s decision.
"Son—"
"Father, this is the best way to avoid making either side feel disadvantaged. I can still be the successor of Flacrest, and Irene can still be the successor of Rivas. I know that as noble families, you and Father-in-law have your own interests, and we believe this is the middle ground that best serves our cause. No one is hard. No one is at a disadvantage," Aldrey cut off his father’s words, causing Grand Duke Flacrest to fall silent.
As for Grand Duke Rivas, a vein bulged on his forehead the mont he heard Aldrey already calling him Father-in-law. He badly wanted to beat this man who had touched his daughter without permission and shout—
"Who are you calling Father-in-law?!"
However, he had to admit that this was the most just decision to resolve the issue. Since neither he nor his daughter would be involved in matters concerning their marriage or their life afterward within their respective family territories, it would not provoke a negative reaction from either family—at least on the surface.
Still, in normal circumstances, this decision would have drawn opposition from those who saw it as a sign of weakness, especially the old-fashioned elders. In this case, however, all those voices had vanished from the surface—because of Aldrian.
He was the deterrent force that made those voices fall silent. The last thing they wanted was to turn Aldrian into an enemy, and the sa went for him. As far as he was concerned, Aldrey and Irene’s decision brought no harm to the family. And if he were not stubborn, he might earn a better image in his grandson’s eyes.
He smiled, then opened his mouth.
"If this is what Irene wants, then I have no objections. I also believe it’s the best course of action in this situation," he said, drawing raised eyebrows from the other leaders in the room.
That easy? They had expected debate, maybe even negotiation—yet this proud man had simply agreed?
Grand Duke Flacrest was also stunned as he looked at Grand Duke Rivas. But when he saw that smile—one that reeked of cunning—he finally realized sothing. He glanced at Aldrian and almost berated himself for carelessly trying to negotiate Aldrey’s decision.
That cunning fox must have wanted to present himself as a fully understanding and much wiser man! He would earn a good image in front of everyone—especially Aldrian—which would make Aldrian see that old fox as soone easier to talk to than him!
He gritted his teeth inwardly, realizing he hadn’t thought it through before attempting to negotiate. That fox was truly clever. To salvage the situation, there was no other choice but to go along with it.
He sighed.
"Alright, I agree. If this is what you want to do, then what can I say? As your father, I can only support you and bless your marriage," he said to Aldrey, then turned to Irene.
"Irene, I hope you and my son have a good life—a blessed life—and all the good the world can offer. I also hope you’ll give another grandchild besides young Aldrian," he added.
His face appeared sincere, and his voice sounded convincing. He glanced slightly at Grand Duke Rivas and saw the man’s face darken, nearly revealing an ugly expression. He smirked inwardly.
"You want to build your image? I also can build mine even more, even though I made a mistake. You may be cunning, but I’m cleverer than you."
The others looked at him in astonishnt. This man was far more shaless—and far more flexible—than they had imagined. Of course, they understood that Grand Duke Flacrest was trying to do damage control, and they were genuinely impressed by how quickly he adapted to the new developnt.
Still, it wasn’t entirely surprising. If he didn’t have this kind of ability, he would have been outplayed by other noble families long ago, and Flacrest would have fallen into decline years back.
Aldrey and Irene, who hadn’t thought that far ahead, were stunned to hear it—but then, they smiled with happiness. Irene blushed, especially after hearing that Grand Duke Flacrest wanted more grandchildren besides Aldrian.
She glanced in Aldrey’s direction, which made him look at her as well, and they smiled at each other. They were already adults, yet in that mont, they looked like young lovers just entering the spring of their romance.
Then, their eyes turned to Aldrian—their pride. It was all thanks to him that this matter had been resolved so smoothly and so quickly.
"So, Father, Mother, I assu you’ve already chosen the place, right? The place for your marriage—and where you want to live afterward?" Aldrian turned his head and looked at his parents.
Hearing Aldrian’s question, Aldrey nodded.
"Yes. We’ll hold the wedding in the Heavenly Direction Church’s territory. And as for where we’ll live—" he glanced at Irene again, smiling.
"We want to return to the secret realm where we were trapped before. With the changes in the Everlasting Silent Forest, I believe we can live there without worrying about being trapped again." He then looked back at Aldrian.
Aldrian raised his eyebrows, then smiled. It wasn’t surprising—after all, that place held many mories for them. A place filled with peace, and a good place for cultivation as well. With its rich energy, both his father and mother would be able to cultivate more quickly, as they had before. Although, due to her pregnancy, his mother had fallen behind.
Aldrian turned to look at his grandfathers.
"So once again, I ask both Grandfathers—do you agree with my father and mother’s request?" he asked.
The two Grand Dukes responded with nods.
"Yes, I agree."
"Yes, absolutely."
They spoke in unison, bringing smiles to those around them.
"Well, as for the wedding venue, don’t worry. Just use the main church—I can arrange everything," Pope Claudius said, making Aldrey and Irene visibly happier.
"Thank you, Your Holiness," they said, bowing respectfully to the pope.
"No problem. How could your marriage be sothing simple? That wouldn’t suit your status," Pope Claudius replied. But everyone understood that, regardless of their status, the pope would not normally involve himself in such a "trivial" matter. It was clearly because of Aldrian that he was willing to step in.
Aldrey and Irene truly felt fortunate to have a son like Aldrian.
The others also did not comnt, as if they agreed as well. It felt as though their arrival had only been to witness the discussion—a discussion that turned out to be surprisingly easy and fast.
"Alright, then it’s settled. All that’s left is to choose the right ti. This, however, connects to what I want to discuss to you all—sothing that will unfortunately have to break this happy atmosphere, because what I’m about to discuss will determine whether the marriage can happen or not," Aldrian said, his expression turning slightly serious.
Seeing Aldrian’s serious tone, all the leaders looked at him with curiosity about what he intended to discuss. Aldrey and Irene also sensed the shift in atmosphere and glanced at Aldrian with wonder.
Aldrian sighed.
"With the current situation on the continent, I’m afraid the prophesied ti is actually much closer than we imagined—so close that we may not have ti to choose the wedding date. I want us to prepare for it," he said, causing everyone in the room to grow solemn.
The prophesied ti—the ti they believe will be the most difficult tribulation to ever happen to the continent—is coming to them. Many predict it will be another great war with the devils, like the one three million years ago. However, with the continent’s power much weaker now, they doubt they can hold on as they did back then.
"Young Aldrian, may I ask what makes you say that?" Pope Claudius asked, his expression solemn.
"With the recent movents of the devils, I have a feeling it is connected to the prophesied ti. So of you might not know or might be wondering about the movents of the other seven deadly sins besides those four. But I have already killed three of them—Greed, Lust, and Envy," Aldrian said.
Hearing this, those who hadn’t known widened their eyes in shock.
So all this ti, the seven deadly sins were no longer seven?
"With three of the seven deadly sins dead, along with their successors, the devils’ power is weaker than ever. I have also destroyed their influence in many places, killing many of them and limiting their movent across the continent. But at a ti like this—when the devils should be storing their remaining power for the prophesied ti—the rest of the seven deadly sins suddenly attacked recklessly with their minions."
"Their objective is unknown, which unsettles . I can sense that the devil lord is planning sothing big with this attack, and it has to do with the prophesied ti. He would not have the seven deadly sins move in such a coordinated manner to slaughter many without a definitive purpose."
"But because we don’t know their true objective behind these movents, we have beco passive, which is a disadvantage for us. Many of us have been killed without putting up much resistance."
"That’s why, at this chance where all the leaders of the major territories have gathered, I want us to unite and decide our next move—to save our future, to save our continent."
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