Dodging Danger Through Engagement, Living Off a Woman Before Coming of Age

Aaron opened the envelope, and after reading it, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his face began to twitch involuntarily.

The letter was signed Adrian Klein and contained only one simple sentence: Clea will be visiting the Gaius family in three days, and Aaron should make preparations.

"How was it?" Vico raised an eyebrow at him. "Surprised? Unexpected? Touched?"

"Surprise, unexpected, touching..." Aaron slowly put down the letter, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Grandpa, please don't tell me this letter refers to a special situation."

"Of course not." Tepler waved his hand. "Simply that the heir is in love is not enough to make Gaius's ancestral precepts give way, but if it's an engagement, then that's a different story."

The Gaius family values bloodline above all else, and the only way to overcome their ancestral precepts is through another: engagement is the best solution.

"Hehehe!" Aaron covered his face and chuckled bitterly, "This joke went a bit too far!"

"I'm not kidding," Lisana said seriously. "As long as you get engaged to Clea, you can legitimately stay by her side while she visits the Gaius family, and we have no reason to kick you out of the house."

Besides, you'll also be the son-in-law of the Darwin Family, a status that would make Voldemort wary; even if you leave the castle, he won't easily harm you.

Upon hearing this, Aaron rolled his eyes, feeling utterly speechless.

"I must admit, you have considered things very thoroughly."

"There's only one thing: they didn't ask if I was willing." Aaron said, standing up and placing the Demon Sealing Ring and several Gaius family magic books on the sofa. "I'm telling you clearly, I'm not willing."

"Stop right there!" Lisana shouted. "Do you know what you'll face if you step out of this house?"

Dozens of Death Eater surrounded them, not including Magical Creatures like Dementor, Werewolf, and Giant.

What?

Aaron's eyes widened. He had thought that Voldemort would be more restrained after he learned that he had been taken to Jeans Gaius Castle by Genes, but he never expected him to be so ruthless.

"That's not all," Vico added calmly, "Because of ancestral precepts, we can't even help you."

What exactly did you do to Voldemort? He values you even more than Dumbledore and Harry Potter.

"This is not my fault," Aaron said innocently. "He spent a great deal of effort to conclude that the Gaius family were descendants of gods, and he was convinced that our family held the secret to becoming gods."

"That makes sense then." Tepler scoffed dismissively. "His ancestor Salazar Slytherin had his eye on the Gaius family before, but unsurprisingly, he failed."

Unexpectedly, his descendants still haven't learned their lesson. But he's not stupid; he knows that the Gaius family is not something a mere Dark Lord like him can shake, so it's only natural that he would focus his attention on you.

"To be so self-important is utterly ridiculous."

"But the problem is that Aaron can't beat him right now," Vico said in a deep voice.

"I'm still confident of escaping." Aaron pointed at Abei. "It can now transform into a giant dragon over ten meters long, and it's fast enough. As long as Voldemort doesn't personally take action, I don't need to worry about those Death Eater."

"It's not that simple. Since he has chosen to target you, he won't give up easily."

Voldemort's influence is far greater than you think. If he's determined to find you, there's bound to be somewhere in the entire Magic World where you're hiding.

"He can't find me," Aaron said confidently.

"Interesting." Tepler's lips curled into a slight smile. "It seems my dear grandson hasn't been idle these past few years; he has his own secrets."

"Grandpa understands me best."

"Your grandfather doesn't understand Voldemort." Lisana looked at Aaron and said without hesitation, "I don't know how confident you are in yourself. Your enemy is definitely not someone to be fooled."

Voldemort was also a shadow over the Magic World, but who knows if he had any special methods.

I'm not being pessimistic, but I don't want my son, my only son, to take any risks.

"I can guarantee he won't find me," Aaron said seriously.

He was quite confident in the Divine Thunder Hall, believing that unless a Divination above the Saint Mage intervened, no one could find it.

"Can you guarantee that Voldemort isn't waiting for you outside?"

"Ah, this..." Aaron paused for a moment, then turned to look at Jeans.

"Young Master, I'm very sorry, I really don't know." Jeans said awkwardly, "Even if I knew, I couldn't say!"

"Mean."

"Please, I'm begging you!" Lisana pleaded. "Don't make me worry. Just getting engaged will solve everything. As long as you stay at home, you're safe."

"That won't do." Aaron smiled wryly. "I'm only sixteen."

"In the Magic World, seventeen is considered an adult."

Aaron's lips twitched. "An engagement is too sudden. I wasn't prepared at all."

Moreover, you all know about my relationship with her. From childhood sweethearts to fiancée, isn't this too hasty?

Most importantly, I, a grown man, am relying on an engagement to avoid danger. I'm not even an adult yet, and I'm already living off this woman. If word gets out, I don't want this... Ouch... It hurts... It hurts..."

Before he could even utter the word "face," Lisana couldn't take it anymore and grabbed his ear, pulling him close to her.

Aaron winced in pain and begged for mercy, "Mom, let go! I'm your own son!"

Grandpa, you need to do something about your daughter-in-law!

"Hmph!" Lisana snorted and released her grip.

"What's wrong with living off a woman?" Vico retorted angrily. "Others can't even get a piece of her pie!"

"Clea is someone we've watched grow up. She's smart, beautiful, generous, optimistic, brave, strong, understanding, gentle, and considerate. What about her doesn't make her good enough for you?"

"I'm not good enough for her, okay?" Aaron said weakly.

"You're not allowed to look down on yourself like that," Tepler said disapprovingly. "You're the most promising member of the Gaius family in a hundred years; becoming a god isn't impossible for you."

"Uh... what exactly do you want from me?"

"Getting engaged saves your life, going out means certain death, is there even a choice?" Vico said.

"I won't choose any of them." Aaron let out a long sigh, looked at his three relatives opposite him, and revealed his mid-level Archmage magic power.

"This..." Vico was surprised for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction, "He is indeed my son."

"As expected of my grandson." Tepler praised, "At sixteen, you're already at the mid-level, no, you're almost at the threshold of becoming High-level Archmage. This kind of talent is among the best in the family history. At least your father and I couldn't compare to you at the same age."

However, you should understand one thing: a genius only becomes a genius once they grow up, while a genius who dies young is merely a stepping stone for others. Once a person dies, they have nothing left.

"I understand," Aaron said somewhat impatiently. "Father, the Mother, Grandfather, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just stating a fact. You all underestimate me."

Over the years, being apart from each other has become the norm in our family, which has led to you not knowing much about me. Even Uncle Jeans doesn't know much about me.

Besides all sorts of tutoring classes, my two trips to other worlds were also incredibly exciting, and my growth rate far exceeded your imagination.

The first time I faced the Orc army, the second time was during a change of thrones. I've been imprisoned, fought in wars, and even fought against Saint Mage... Compared to that, Voldemort and the Death Eater are nothing.

I admit I can't beat Voldemort right now, but if I wanted to run away, he couldn't stop me.

For me, leaving home isn't about going to my death; it just means life will be a little harder.

"An engagement is a lifelong commitment, not just for me, but also for Clea's happiness for the rest of her life. This is no joke."

At this point, Aaron made a decision.

He picked up Abei and slowly carried him towards the door. "Uncle Jeans, could you please put my suitcase on the Hogwarts Express when school starts? That shouldn't be against family rules, right?"

Vico and the others exchanged quick glances as they watched Aaron's dejected figure disappear into the distance. A moment later Tepler nodded to his son and daughter-in-law.

"Wait a minute," Vico suddenly said.

Aaron turned around. "Father, please don't try to persuade me anymore. This is my own decision."

"Hmm...to be honest, I'm really pleased." Vico looked at Aaron. "You've really grown up."

"I've grown up a long time ago, but you all still treat me like a child," Aaron said defiantly.

"You're just a child," Lisana said through gritted teeth.

Aaron couldn't help but smile. "Aren't you really worried? The escape is only temporary."

I'll stay in a safer place until I'm ready. Even though Voldemort has already revealed his presence, there are still some places he wouldn't dare to wander into, right?

"That's not what we're talking about," Vico said, then pulled out a second letter from behind his back. "Take a look. This is Adrian specifically instructed us to give to you."

Aaron frowned slightly and opened the envelope.

The next moment, he was struck dumb, standing there in a daze.

The letter contained only two sentences. The first was: Don't forget what you promised me back then.

In the annual Triwizard Tournament, Adrian, using his status as a referee and the eldest sister, used his power to intimidate and coerce others, forcing him to agree to date Clea for a period of time a year later.

He didn't think much about it at the time, only that time could change things, so he decided to just muddle through first.

He never expected time to pass so quickly, and retribution came upon him.

The second line is: You dare to try running away?

It is concise and clear, yet it reveals a faint murderous intent and is full of warning.

"Are you kidding me?"

"What do you think?" Vico said with a smirk. "It seems we've really failed. Despite being our own parents, we don't even have the same authority as our cousin."

Aaron's face twitched, and he felt like crying but had no tears left to shed.

He hasn't even left the house yet, Adrian has already blocked his way. This is just too unlucky.

"My dear grandson! You know the situation now, you are now..."

"I have no choice in the matter."

"You can't say that, it's too serious." Tepler pointed jokingly at the door. "The door is right there. If you want to come, we won't stop you, but... you'll have to bear the consequences!"

"Who said we were going to get engaged?" Aaron sat down helplessly. "Engagement is out of the question. I'll take care of her for at most two months."

"Take care of?" Lisana glared at him. "Just take care of me?"

"No, not at all?" Aaron said guiltily.

"You..."

"Hey, all done, all done."

"Daughter-in-law, don't be angry!"

"But Father, look at his attitude, it's really disappointing."

"Feelings can be cultivated gradually!"

"I've thought about it carefully, and getting engaged right away is indeed a bit too hasty," Tepler said. "You've been through this yourself; you should understand that haste makes waste."

"I don't understand this," Lisana glanced at Vico with a hint of resentment. "All I know is that if I hadn't acted quickly..."

"Ahem!" Vico coughed immediately, interrupting Lisana, "Let's not bring up those things."

"Damn!" Aaron said with a half-smile, "There's something going on... I mean, there's some juicy gossip!"

"Children shouldn't pry into adults' business," Vico said sternly.

"You just said I've grown up!"

"However, this cannot cover up the fact that you are a minor."

Aaron:...

"Forget it, I won't stoop to my own father's level."

Grandpa, if I don't get engaged to Clea, can I still stay at home?

"Yes, but you can't stay too long," Tepler said thoughtfully. "After all, you have indeed violated the ancestral teachings and are unwilling to obey the family's arrangements."

In that case, your identity becomes irrelevant, and your father and I can no longer resist the pressure to keep you at home.

"How long can we stay?" Aaron asked.

"At most ten days to half a month."

If you decide to get engaged during this time, that's great, we'll all be happy.

If you exceed this deadline, then we will have to ask you to leave.

"That makes sense." Aaron pursed his lips, thinking that he still had some time and needed to quickly devise a plan for breaking through and a life plan before the start of the new semester within the next ten days to two weeks.

Then he suddenly remembered something, "What about my tutoring center?"

"Classes are suspended," Vico said. "During this time, you only have the right to visit those ancestors. Does that mean I don't need to remind you?"

Aaron's face immediately lit up with a smile; he understood all too well what that meant.

Just like when he went to see Professor Snape after class to ask him about Potions, Snape would answer his questions depending on his mood.

However, given his relationship with those ancestors, the so-called 'suspension of classes' only meant that he couldn't practice his craft, which might not be a bad thing.

His biggest worry this academic year was that after the holidays Weihert Wicht would test his progress in learning light and Shadow Element Magic. But now that he's been 'suspended from school,' Ancestor Weihert doesn't even have a chance to find an excuse to beat him up.

"What's there to be happy about?" Tepler said speechlessly. "It means you've lost access to the most prestigious educational resources that everyone else is desperate for."

Moreover, all our ancestors were cunning old foxes; none of them were easy to deal with.