Dekan's Proposal (Part 1)

Let's go back to one day ago.

The back garden of the temporary residence arranged by the royal family of the Vihart Kingdom for the Elector Duke the Salon Empire.

It was getting late, and the moonlight under the night sky was dim.

The courtyard was poorly lit, but a figure could be vaguely made out as it gradually emerged from the shadows.

This furtive behavior did not arouse Clay's suspicion.

Clay, who is in charge of security for this estate, went to bed early today.

The figure in the garden was none other than Dekan.

After asking Clay to confirm that no one was around the mansion, Dekan left with peace of mind.

Then, surprisingly, a person came into the quiet courtyard.

Tomorrow is the Card Creation Ceremony of the Vihart Kingdom.

Logically speaking, the night before such a grand event would be nerve-wracking, and as the Elector Duke of the Salon Empire, he would certainly be the focus of everyone's attention.

But for Dekan, he had seen too many scenes and was already used to even the grandest occasions.

However, at this moment, Dekan was tightly clutching a bouquet of flowers in his hand. These flowers were cultivated from seeds he had brought from the Devil King Tomb and were flowers that could not be seen in this world before.

Nobody knew what Dekan was going to do.

He was pacing back and forth in the garden, looking somewhat nervous.

Yes, it's nervousness.

He wasn't nervous when facing the Bishop of Ruin Evans at the third rank.

Even when he faced the Bishop of Corruption Fahim head-on, he wasn't nervous.

Later, when the fifth and sixth tiers fought against the Chaos God Agamemnon and Menelaus, Dekan felt no tension whatsoever.

But now, he holds a bouquet of carefully prepared flowers in his hand.

I have absolutely no idea how to phrase this!

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will face a problem tomorrow.

If you win the Card Creation Ceremony, the winner can choose to marry a member of the royal family or receive a large sum of money.

While theoretically choosing the reward and reconsidering the marriage proposal later would be the most profitable option...

But if Dekan makes that choice, he might infuriate Delois to the point of resurrection!

The answer is already clear!

If you're a man, propose!

"Ahem... what should we say then?"

Dekan coughed twice and muttered to himself.

If you ask him if he's nervous, he really is.

I don't even know why I'm so nervous!

Dekan was actually worried that if they actually won the Card Creation Ceremony tomorrow, they would embarrass themselves because they hadn't prepared in advance.

I originally planned to hide in my room and prepare myself in front of the mirror.

But it just doesn't feel quite right.

He even got criticized by his Master:

"When you practice in front of the mirror, it always makes me feel like you're proposing to Delois. Besides, Delois shouldn't be as embarrassing as you are. And also, you and I look so alike, proposing to each other in front of the mirror really feels weird to me too."

The result was a righteous and stern rebuttal from Dekan:

"Let me tell you, even Delois would get nervous! I guarantee that although he seems more composed than me, he's just like me at heart!"

Master: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Dekan: "Heh, Master, face reality. Your brother is just that kind of person. Don't try to romanticize Delois and refuse to accept the fact that I am your brother."

Finally, after an argument, the Master gave up arguing with Dekan and took Dekan's dinner away.

After dinner Dekan considered it again and again.

We've decided to practice in an environment closer to the end of tomorrow's ceremony.

The spacious and elegant courtyard under the moonlight is quite lovely!

So he found Clay, had Clay scout out the area around the mansion, and then sent Clay away.

He was the only one in the courtyard now.

You can practice with confidence.

Everything is to prevent embarrassment tomorrow!

So Dekan faced the flowerbed, imagining Cornelia standing before him, and began to maintain the inexplicably confident demeanor of the Elector Duke, saying:

"Cornelia, I'm now a world-renowned hero. Marrying me would be a great deal..."

"... Uh, isn't it too stupid to say that?"

Dekan shook his head, then adopted a deeper tone:

"Cornelia, from the first moment I saw you, my heart was captured. Will you spend the rest of your life with me...?"

"Wow! No, no, I can't say that!"

"And she scared me half to death when we first met!"

Dekan recalled the dent on his dormitory door and had to admit that it was the first time in his life he had felt his heart flutter.

--Although I was so frightened that my heart skipped a beat.

"... When did I realize I liked her?"

After thinking for a moment, Dekan muttered to himself.

Back at the Demon Academy, I only considered her a close companion.

Helping her lure the Sprite Cat was simply so that she could challenge the second Shadow World in a better mood.

We had a great time playing together in the Wild Mountain Ancient Mansion in the mountains. Well, we were already quite close back then, but it was more like we were playmates.

In Tristin, on the night of victory celebration, sitting beside her and watching the fireworks together, I felt that making her smile was the greatest reward for a day's hard work.

The Holy Rite Church has become completely accustomed to having her by its side every second.

Every day she went to the Randir Kingdom to participate in the seventh-tier team assessment, she was beautiful no matter what.

By the time he reached the sixth level of the Demon Realm Prison, he could no longer deny the fact that he was completely infatuated with her.

The unbearable desolation and loneliness he felt during the two years they were separated in the Philoven Kingdom, the suffocating solitude he experienced as Delois in the Holy Kingdom, and their reunion in the Norton Royal Capital...

But exactly, from what moment did it begin?

It seems we need to figure this out before we can come up with the perfect vow!

Dekan scratched his head vigorously, seemingly not having many ideas for the moment.

It feels like knowing the answer.

However, it's not so simple to present the process in words.

While struggling with his dilemma, Dekan unconsciously paced back and forth, shaking his arms, nearly shaking off a bunch of the Demon Realm flowers, leaving only a bare, comical flower stem in his hand.

"Sigh! Life's most important decisions are so difficult. I don't want to say a single wrong word, I don't want to regret it. What would Delois do if it were me..."

While Dekan was lamenting.

"Pfft, how embarrassing. Now you know the difference between yourself and Delois."

The Master's Taunt thoughts echoed in Dekan's mind once more.

It's like having a brother who appears glamorous and successful in public, but only the sister who has lived with him for over a decade knows his shameful nature.

The Master was already used to it.

Dekan fell silent.

He was in a good mood lately and hadn't originally planned to hold a grudge against his Master.

But recalling the dinner that had been stolen, the frustration that had been building up inside her surged up again, along with her anger.

Dekan sneered, muttering to himself:

"' Delois is my proud brother'—that's what Talomati said, right? And as punishment for Taunt me, arguing with me, and even stealing my food, I'm going to shatter all your illusions."

What are you going to do?

The Master gradually sensed that something was amiss.

Dekan smiled and shook his head, but did not answer his Master.

Next, Dekan, as if in despair and completely letting loose, clutched his chest and, like a fanatical actor in the climax of a play, shouted towards the flowerbed:

"Cornelia, my Cornelia!! When you are by my side, even the darkest night turns into a refreshing morning! I crave no other companion in this world but you! My imagination cannot conjure up any other image that I could love but you! Every time I see you, my heart is captured, and I willingly become infatuated with you! My heart, my love, I am such a fool that I even shed tears of joy upon hearing your heartfelt words of affection!!"

Dekan finished speaking as if he were having a seizure or going mad, as if all the pressure in his heart had been completely released.

After taking a few deep breaths, he felt much better.

Although today's practice has been completely ineffective.

But he felt that a lot of things that had been weighing on his mind had been released.

Of course, this also completely baffled the Master.

Dekan was very satisfied.

Dekan then fell silent.

The Master has also left his vocal cords at home.

Just as Dekan was about to retort with a Taunt about his inferior sister...

"Rustle..."

Suddenly, Dekan sensed a slight movement in the grass in the distance.

Aside from the sound of branches and leaves being tripped.

There seemed to be a faint... chuckle?

It sounds like he couldn't hold back his laughter any longer!

Dekan felt a chill run down his spine.

I hope no one sees me acting crazy.

Clay had already scouted the area!

"Dekan ..."

Before Dekan could even go forward to investigate, he heard a delicate, timid voice coming from afar that nearly made his soul fly away.

"Connie... Lia?"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Dekan felt utterly devastated, as if he were sitting on pins and needles, and his voice became slightly hoarse.

His hands even started trembling.

In that instant, Dekan began frantically recalling every single word he had just uttered!

He had no idea how much of his embarrassing behavior Cornelia had witnessed.

Unfortunately, Cornelia herself happens to be here, but thankfully, it's Cornelia's here!

So that no one else will see it and I won't lose face back home!

In the distance, a beautiful figure slowly emerged from the darkness, gradually becoming clearer.

Her eyes blinked and stared straight at Dekan, her gaze filled with three parts joy and seven parts shyness.

She must have seen Dekan's embarrassing behavior just now.

Even in the dim light, you could see that her little face was flushed.

Dekan's first two statements were probably alright.

The crazy quote that followed made Cornelia laugh and extremely embarrassed.

After a long while, Dekan stammered:

Cornelia, you... what are you doing here?

Cornelia suddenly lowered her head, her small hands twisting the hem of her clothes, her voice so low it was almost inaudible:

"Cat Teacher sent me here. She said you were putting on a good show..."

It was truly a good show.

This play was just a bit too intense.

Dekan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and quickly scanned his surroundings to investigate. He discovered what appeared to be a pair of bright cat eyes gleaming in the grass some distance away.

Sure enough, the cat was there too!

After being stared at by Dekan with a deathly, lifeless gaze, Cat Teacher finally jumped out of the bushes, obediently approached Dekan, and admitted:

"I bribed Clay- nyan... to report crucial intelligence to me and Morion at critical moments, meow..."

Upon hearing this, Dekan was so angry that he couldn't speak, feeling both ashamed and annoyed.

They thought that by keeping Clay under their noses, the biggest threat in the world would be eliminated.

Unexpectedly, Clay, who was right next to me, was also in danger!

Even though he is Clay's boss.

But when faced with the temptations of Cat Teacher and Morion, this guy probably didn't hesitate for long before saying, "I'll have to pay more."

Etc.

Morion?

Dekan felt as if a cold wind had swept through his heart.

Another figure emerged from the grass in the distance.

Morion raised his hands in a gesture of repentance.

He wore a wry smile, clearly indicating that the current situation was different from what he had anticipated.

I had received a message from Clay that I heard Dekan might be practicing his proposal in the courtyard.

So Morion and Cat Teacher rushed over with Cornelia at the first opportunity.

According to the normal script, we should be able to witness the beautiful scene of "Dekan's awkward and clumsy confession being witnessed by Cornelia".

And indeed, they are almost identical...

But I didn't expect Dekan's final surge to be so exaggerated...

"Tell me, are there any accomplices?"

Dekan felt very calm now.

With Morion's skills alone, it shouldn't be possible to hide so well, to the point that he himself was completely unaware that there were two people and a cat hiding in the bushes.

It's very likely that Mie was also brought along by them.

"..."

Morion fell silent.

It seems there's something to say but can't express it.

Finally, after staring at Dekan with an extremely complicated expression for a long time, he turned around and looked towards the direction of the bushes.

Dekan witnessed Morion's reaction.

The next second, another rustling sound came from the direction of the bushes.

Dekan covered his face and laughed.

Although he was smiling, his hands were trembling.

Because he saw--

The entire Norton family and friends delegation that came to the Vihart Kingdom this time.

They emerged in groups from the bushes, like criminals caught in the act.

Their expressions varied.

Almost all of them were trying to put on a guilty expression.

But almost none of them could suppress a smile.

It's obvious.

They never expected Dekan to pull such a big stunt on them.

Hahaha, hahaha...

Dekan laughed as if he were Fan Jin, who had just passed the imperial examination.

He felt that he had finally grasped the state of mental clarity.

******

Author's Note:

I'm sorry, I was supposed to finish writing the entire Dekan proposal chapter today, but I didn't finish even after 5 a. m... I'll have to finish the second half tomorrow. I felt groggy and not in good shape after working so hard yesterday... Xi Zhi apologies...