A Strange Engagement

A Strange Engagement

"Father, why are you being so polite to her? She's just a little merchant," Themis whined.

"My dear daughter, she's no little merchant." Earl Moken rubbed his brow and sighed. She was his only daughter, yet at her age she still didn't know how to behave. He had no idea what to do with her. After choosing his words carefully, he said, "Themis, you're a woman. Going after another woman isn't a clever move, and going after a powerful woman is even more foolish. You can't lose your temper just because someone else is in the limelight and has caught Boite's attention."

He couldn't exactly tell his daughter not to be jealous just because someone else was prettier than her.

Having heard the reason, Lincoln's eyes flashed with amusement. He decided to teach the girl a small lesson, quietly using divine power to strengthen her constitution, especially her stomach and intestines. He gave her a particularly healthy body that could easily absorb nutrients.

"Hmph! Boite was practically drooling when he saw her last time. Just wait till I get my hands on him!" Themis huffed angrily, then suddenly came to her senses. "Besides her looks and her business skills, how is she powerful?"

Earl Moken frowned again and took a deep breath. For a woman, those qualities were more than enough, not to mention... This time his voice carried a hint of anger. "Themis! Use your brain for once, just to prove that the thing on your shoulders isn't a ball of vines. To build a merchant guild from nothing into a name known across the continent in less than five years—is that something one can achieve with nothing but beauty and brains? Even the Lido Family, rulers of the empire, relies on the fame of its founding monarch, the Deity-level powerhouse Aofen Lido, to keep the throne. Lady Aier must have a powerful figure backing her, at least a Saint-level powerhouse!"

Seeing her father get angry, Themis drew in her neck and quickly grabbed his arm, shaking it as she wheedled. Moken continued, "If I'm not mistaken, that Lincoln we just saw is probably the Saint-level powerhouse."

At the mention of Lincoln, Themis craned her neck to watch him walking away. "He looks so young. That can't be right. But he really is handsome! How come Aier gets all the good things..." Seeing Moken's stern gaze, Themis's voice grew quieter and quieter.

Moken looked at his daughter with exasperation. She was criticizing Boite for nearly letting his eyes fall out, but she wasn't any better herself. When they got home, he'd have to tell his wife to keep a close eye on her. They couldn't let Themis keep doing whatever she pleased.

The banquet hall was bustling, and a few noble men and women had already taken to the dance floor. Lincoln and Aier stood in a corner, wine glasses in hand, taking in the scene. From time to time, nobles came over to chat, but Aier did all the talking while Lincoln never said a word. The gap between their levels of life was too great. To Lincoln, these mortals were like children. Unless they offended him, they couldn't stir up the slightest emotion in him.

Time passed quickly. The appointed hour arrived, but neither the princess nor her fiancé appeared. Even the king and queen were nowhere to be seen.

Aier suddenly asked, "Lincoln, would you like to have a grand wedding?" When Lincoln merely turned to look at her without replying, she added, "The kind of grand wedding that all four Supreme Planes and Seven Divine Planes would know about."

Lincoln understood. He gazed at Aier with affection and put an arm around her shoulders, gently drawing her closer until her ear rested against his cheek. "Whatever you say. But now isn't the time. Let's wait a few more years. There'll be a better opportunity."

Aier smiled and said, "Whatever you say!"

The appointed hour was nearly past, but neither side of the wedding party had shown up. The guests were already buzzing with speculation. From what Lincoln heard, the princess being engaged that day was the king's youngest daughter, whom he treasured like the apple of his eye. The groom-to-be was supposedly the disciple of an old Sword Saint. He was only twenty, yet already an Eighth-level Warrior—a genius. But the young genius apparently had no desire to become the king's son-in-law and had been resisting the arrangement all along.

"He's a king, after all. Surely he could find any son-in-law he wanted. Why force this match?" Lincoln asked. "And the groom-to-be is a Saint-level powerhouse's disciple. He could go along with the king on other matters, but he should be able to decide his own marriage. Could it be that his Saint-level teacher is also backed by the kingdom?"

Aier shook her head. "I'm only interested in business. I don't understand the marriage arrangements of nobles."

At last, the princess could bear it no longer. Led by the queen, she slowly descended from the second floor in a pure-white gown, setting off a wave of warm applause. The princess wore a veil, but to Lincoln and the others it made no difference. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she was youthful and charming, with a pleasant air about her.

The princess looked somewhat shy. The queen announced, "Thank you all for coming to Themis's engagement ceremony today. To show our gratitude, we've prepared some small gifts. But you'll have to pass a test to win them." As she spoke, the queen clapped her hands. The maids brought out a row of lanterns, each inscribed with a riddle. Behind them, another line of maids held trays bearing jewelry, swords, medicinal herbs, and other items. "Anyone who wants a gift can go to the corresponding lantern. Each lantern has a riddle written on it. The first person to solve it will win the corresponding gift."

"We also hope everyone will take part and spread Themis's blessings, rather than letting them remain in her hands." The queen smiled warmly as she encouraged the guests to join in.

Lincoln and Aier exchanged a smile. It was a tired old trick, but an effective way to buy time.

Before long, the riddles were solved one after another, and the gifts found their owners. Lincoln took another sip of wine and turned toward the entrance. A young man was being led into the hall by an old man, his hands bound behind him. His clothes were fine but disheveled, his hair a mess, and sweat was clearly visible on his face. He was still struggling, but he couldn't make a sound.

"Is that him?" Lincoln looked at the young man with slight surprise. He exchanged a glance with Aier, and they recalled how, half a year earlier, they'd been passing through the Magical Beast Forest when they happened upon a Seventh-Level Magical Beast. Lincoln had been about to release a trace of divine might to scare it away when this young man appeared out of nowhere and fought a difficult battle to kill the dire wolf. To thank him for coming to their aid, Aier had given him some valuable supplies.

Back then, the young man had only been a Seventh-level Warrior. Now he was an Eighth-level Warrior.

The young man noticed Lincoln and Aier too and kept signaling to them. But his battle aura had been sealed, and his voice was blocked by Wind Divine Power. All he could do was jerk his head around and wave his hands.

"Dragging him here to get engaged like this is just too disgraceful. What is the royal family thinking?" Aier couldn't help saying.

"Do you want to help him?" Lincoln asked. The founding monarch of the Putuoluo Empire, Aofen Lido, had been no more than a Wind Element Low-God. To Lincoln, he was no different from a mortal. Still, Lincoln was a little curious. Why would a Deity-level being be so intent on "matching" an Eighth-level Warrior with one of his descendants in marriage?