German Ally

When Skylar said that, his intention was simply to demonstrate his absolute confidence in his own abilities; he had no other purpose.

However, he underestimated his own charm with women.

His family background and appearance were already extraordinary, and the powerful strength he displayed made him even more admirable. The confidence he inadvertently revealed in his casual words gave Eleanor a strange sense of security.

Eleanor's eyes burned with intense passion. Coming from a family with a long and distinguished lineage, she had always been expected to succeed her family. As a result, she had always been exceptionally competitive and had extremely high standards for choosing a partner. She looked down on none of the Pure-blood playboys in Durmstrang. In her heart, she had originally planned to remain single for life, focusing on inheriting the family business and becoming a powerful woman who would lead the family to glory.

Because, in her heart, to become her partner, one must allow her to act like a little girl and be able to rely on her with peace of mind when facing the pressures and helplessness of life. To achieve this, one must be stronger than her in terms of intelligence, methods, connections, and strength.

Although Skylar was two and a half years younger than her, Eleanor did not dislike Skylar. The masculine aura and mature male charm that Skylar exuded were definitely stronger than any of the seventh-grade boys Eleanor had ever seen. When talking and arguing with Skylar, Eleanor sometimes even had the illusion that she was conducting a verbal test and confrontation with some high-ranking Pure-blood patriarch.

Look at Poliakov, her close male friend. He actually comes from a prestigious family in Eastern Europe, and the two families have various intertwined alliances. So the two have known each other since childhood and played together. However, he is naturally unruly and undisciplined. In terms of personal strength and mental skills, he is like a little brother. Even his manners when eating and drinking are appalling, making him almost disliked by everyone in the school. If it weren't for Eleanor, it would be uncertain whether he would have been chosen as one of Durmstrang's twelve representatives to come to Hogwarts.

Look at Krum, the school's big star. He's always got a gloomy face, acting like the whole world owes him something. He's a lone wolf at school, never making connections or building a following. He probably doesn't even have a single close friend. In the eyes of Pure-blood families, individual strength is insignificant, and societal resources are often controlled by intricate little circles. Even someone as powerful as Voldemort had to use his charisma to win over his first and most loyal followers during his school years. But Krum, relying on his fame and Karkaroff's favoritism and protection, looks down on everyone in the entire school. He really thinks he's some unparalleled genius.

The only thing that made Eleanor hesitate was that Skylar already had a female companion.

Although the wizarding world has a limited population, and in order to encourage reproduction, wizarding governments in various countries adopt a very lenient attitude towards marriage laws, especially towards Pure-blood families who are major taxpayers and the financial backers of the Ministry of Magic, polygamy is actually not uncommon in these families, but it is rarely openly seen by the general public. (The original world is always written from the perspective of Harry, a wizard from the Muggle world, and has very little contact with the upper echelons of wizarding society. In his view, Auror might already be the highest profession in wizarding society.)

However, Eleanor was no ordinary woman; she was the eldest daughter of the Hohenheim Family, the most powerful family in both Germany and Switzerland, and the designated successor to the family head. To ask her to share a husband with other women would undoubtedly damage her prestige within the family, and could even jeopardize her seemingly assured Patriarchal position. She knew, after all, that several of her cousins, from the collateral branches of the family, were also quite ambitious.

Unless--

Skylar could reach a level where he could disregard all social rules, at least on par with Dumbledore's power and status at his peak. In that case, even just being one of his lovers would be enough to provide strong support.

"You know what..." Eleanor gently bit her lower lip, "... when you said that, you sounded so powerful and domineering..." A slight, mischievous smile played on her lips as she said, "No wonder you can attract so many girls and make them so devoted to you..."

"Ah--" Skylar hadn't expected Eleanor to suddenly bring up this topic, so he could only say, "You mean Daphne and the others..." Thinking of his girlfriends, a happy smile curved Skylar's lips, "I once thought that the path I was on didn't deserve any personal feelings, but they were able to tolerate me endlessly, even when I was at my lowest point... Hey, I really am very lucky, they are all very beautiful and wonderful girls, and having their hearts is the greatest blessing of my life."

"And what about me?" In a flash, Eleanor stepped forward, leaning gently against Skylar, and asked in a seductive, low voice, "Do you think I... am pretty?"

Because Eleanor's clothing was very thin, when her voluptuous body pressed against Skylar, the soft touch came through the thin gauze dress, and a blush rose on her delicate face, and her bright, watery eyes were once again shrouded in a layer of mist that shone with a captivating light.

Skylar instinctively looked away from her eyes, but when he looked down, he saw a pair of snow-white breasts exposed by the opening of her low-cut, sheer bodice. His heart began to pound uncontrollably again, and a feeling of emptiness and tightness rose in his chest. Skylar closed his eyes and whispered, "Of course you're beautiful, and no less so than any girl I know."

"Since you say I'm no worse than anyone else..." Eleanor seemed to have made up her mind and was ready to go all out. She reached out and gently stroked Skylar's face, whispering, "Not to mention Human Alchemy, I can give you all the heritage of Hohenheim, as long as you become my husband... I know you already have other women, but I don't mind their existence. I can even promise you that I will never come to Great Britain to cause you trouble, and will stay in Germany to be your foreign lover, waiting for you to come and spend wonderful time with me..."

Honestly, it would be a lie to say that Skylar wasn't tempted at this moment. The combination of beauty and power is something few people in this world could resist.

However, whenever Skylar thought about adding another girlfriend to his already complicated emotional world, images of Daphne, Morrie, Astoria, and Meredith would flash through his mind, along with the unquestionable trust on their faces.

Each of them met and became acquainted with Skylar when he was still a fledgling individual, and they have accompanied Skylar all the way, remaining by his side through thick and thin. Meredith is even still missing, waiting for Skylar to rescue her. If he were to easily allow a new woman to enter his emotional world, it would be extremely unfair to each of them.

Skylar sighed heavily and gently pushed Eleanor away from his embrace.

"Eleanor, thank you so much for your kindness," Skylar said, looking directly into her eyes without wavering. "You're a good girl, and you deserve someone better than me."

"I can share the Book of Truth with you," Skylar said slowly. "As for your family's core heritage, it would be best if you could offer it in exchange. If not, I won't force you. I only hope you will remember our alliance and not do anything to harm the House of Malfoy's interests..."

Eleanor bit her lower lip tightly. She had finally obtained the Book of Truth that Skylar had promised. She knew that someone of Skylar's status would have no reason to lie to her about this, but for some reason, she didn't feel the excitement of getting what she wanted. Instead, she was filled with bitterness and disappointment. But she was a strong woman destined to be the head of the family. She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself, and her eyes regained their usual shrewdness.

"Very well," Eleanor said in a deep voice, "I can draw up a contract here, stipulating that, without harming the interests of the Hohenheim Family, the Hohenheim Family will be allied with the House of Malfoy for generations to come, following the House of Malfoy's lead, and cooperating with the House of Malfoy's every action with unlimited manpower and resources."

The two extended one hand and clasped it together. Both were advanced alchemists, so naturally they had to use the alchemist's unique method to form an alliance.

On Eleanor's fair hand, an alchemical array resembling an eyeball first appeared, shimmering with a dazzling golden light. Skylar recognized it as the "Eye of Horus," a very famous alchemical artifact from the Egypt school of alchemy. Skylar smiled, and a Black Dragon head, red on the outside and black on the inside, appeared on the back of his hand, faintly exuding a violent aura.

The Eye of Horus and the black dragon head seemed to come alive at the same time, "swimming" towards where the two were shaking hands, intertwining and bursting out with a bright light, plunging the surroundings into a blinding white.

"Ah!" Eleanor exclaimed, and a powerful suction suddenly appeared at their handshake, causing Skylar and Eleanor to embrace in an awkward position.

The bright light faded.

The two separated again.

A shy blush spread across Eleanor's face, and Skylar's face was burning as well.

This was definitely an accident.

This was originally supposed to be just a contest of alchemical prowess. Neither of them had imagined that their alchemical encounters would produce such an awkward effect.

Skylar looked at the back of his hand, where a black dragon-head shaped key had appeared, while Eleanor's hand had a lock image on it, with the Eye of Horus on the lock face. Strangely, the overall shape of the lock was heart-shaped.

Skylar cleared his throat twice and said, "The contract is established. From this day forward, the Malfoy and Hohenheim Family are allied, and will stand together through thick and thin, protecting each other."

[The "ally," the Hohenheim Family, has been acquired!]

Eleanor seemed a little distracted, and she gave a soft "hmm" in an almost inaudible voice.

"Well..." Skylar glanced at her face, determined to leave as soon as possible. "Now that everything is resolved, and you're still feeling unwell, I won't disturb you any longer. Get some rest and I wish you a speedy recovery."

"Wait a minute," Eleanor said hurriedly when she saw Skylar was about to leave.

"What's wrong?" Skylar asked.

"Our alliance is established, but I haven't yet repaid your kindness in saving me, nor for gifting me such a precious Potions."

"Isn't it all the same?" Skylar raised an eyebrow.

"It's different," Eleanor shook her head slightly. "Families are families, and I am me. Although you said you would save me for the sake of a friendly alliance between our two families, I still want to thank you in my own name. Thank you, Skylar."

"Okay, I accept your thanks," Skylar said with a smile. "To be honest, even if we hadn't joined forces, there's no need to be so polite. We're friends, aren't we? I already considered you a friend the day we fought at the bottom of the lake."

Eleanor didn't answer, but instead stared intently at the heart-shaped lock on the back of her hand, as if deep in thought. Suddenly, she looked up, a determined glint in her eyes. "I understand—"

"I like you, it's inexplicable, but I just like you. It's your right to refuse to be with me, but you don't have the right to refuse my feelings for you."

"Now I'm telling you, I want to pursue you. This has absolutely nothing to do with family, heritage, or alliances. At this moment—" Eleanor's eyes shone brightly, even Skylar was swayed by her aura, "I'm just a little girl who wants to grasp her own happiness. I don't want to miss out, and I don't want to regret it for the rest of my life—"

"So—" Eleanor gave a sly smile, "Whether you like me or not, I'm determined to pursue you!"

After saying that, without waiting for Skylar to recover from this domineering confession, she took the initiative to go up to him and kiss Skylar lips fiercely. Then she quickly turned around, jumped back onto the bed, and pulled the covers up to cover her entire body, including her head.

Skylar touched his lips, which were slightly sore from the forceful kiss, and looked at the culprit who was now hiding under the covers, refusing to show himself. He could only give a helpless bitter smile, leave with the words "I'm leaving," and close the door before departing.