A Private Betrothal

The Chamber of Secrets.

The green crystals embedded in the stone pillars emitted a pale green light, which filtered through the gaps between the pillars and cast dappled shadows on the ground.

In the dim light of the Chamber of Secrets, what came into Skylar's view was Eleanor's delicate face, which was filled with worry.

"Um... about that puppet..." Skylar said somewhat embarrassedly.

Before Skylar could finish speaking, a hot, delicate body embraced Skylar. Eleanor's hands gently brushed against Skylar's handsome face, and Skylar could clearly feel her hands trembling slightly.

"Skylar," Eleanor's usually magnetic voice was now somewhat hoarse. She gently shook her head. "Forget about those puppets." She looked directly into Skylar's eyes and said earnestly, "Please tell me honestly, are you really alright?"

Skylar was very strong; no one can deny that.

To outsiders, Skylar is intelligent and studious, possesses an astonishing and unique talent for magic, and his strength far surpasses that of wizards of the same age. He is unmatched among students in magic schools throughout Europe and even possesses combat power comparable to that of an adult.

Among those who were even slightly close to him, and in the eyes of Draco and Eleanor, Skylar's strength had already surpassed that of the top elite Auror, making him qualified to compete with archmages, but he was still slightly inferior to orthodox archmages such as Dumbledore and Voldemort.

However, Skylar had no reason to lie—assuming what he said was true, Eleanor couldn't even imagine how dangerous it must have been for him to face the combined attack of three mages alone last night—even a near-death experience wouldn't be enough to describe it.

This time, it was Skylar's turn to look surprised.

In that instant, that inexplicable emotion filled his chest again, and he suddenly understood.

It was a feeling of being moved.

Eleanor wasn't concerned with those precious human puppets at all; in her heart, their importance paled in comparison to even a fraction of Skylar's personal safety.

"Eleanor, don't worry, I'm alright," Skylar said softly. "It's true, I'm not lying to you. Although they were very strong, I made ample preparations beforehand. Fortunately, everything went smoothly according to plan, and I returned safely without any major incident."

"You knew beforehand that it would be so dangerous, yet you chose to face it all by yourself?" Eleanor's eyes welled up with tears as she spoke with some displeasure.

"Uh... this..." Skylar scratched his slightly itchy scalp, somewhat speechless.

"Promise me, for the sake of those you love and those who love you, don't bear the burden of everything alone anymore... You must take good care of yourself..."

Eleanor could no longer control her emotions, and tears streamed down her face. She choked out, "I'm so scared... If something had really happened last night, I would never have seen you again."

Eleanor has always been a strong-willed person. As the eldest daughter of the first family in Germany, she aspired to inherit the family business and become the head of the family from a young age, so she was very strict with herself.

After joining Durmstrang, she abandoned meaningless social activities. Apart from Poliakov, a family friend, she was always indifferent to others, focusing solely on magical learning and research, pursuing great strength to prove that she was capable of becoming the Patriarchal position through sheer ability.

Even after she owed Skylar a debt of gratitude for saving her life on the Ghost Ship and developed romantic feelings for Skylar, she maintained her strong-willed personality and boldly declared that she would pursue Skylar.

She has absolute confidence in her abilities and charm!

But at this moment, she finally faced her own feelings.

Ultimately, she's just a normal girl who wants to be in a relationship and be cared for.

A warm feeling welled up in Skylar's heart; he knew he was truly moved by Eleanor's sincerity.

Recalling his near-death experience last night, Skylar cherished everything he had now.

Eleanor was exceptionally talented; her family background, personality, manners, abilities, and appearance were all enough to make Skylar's heart flutter.

Unfortunately, Skylar already had girlfriends, and more than one.

He had always warned himself not to get involved in any new romantic entanglements, but when faced with the deep affection of his beloved, he always found himself helplessly falling for her tender advances.

Since ancient times, even heroes have found it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman; Skylar could only console himself with this thought.

"Eleanor," Skylar said with deep pity, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to worry..."

Eleanor looked up and her eyes met Skylar's.

Skylar's eyes were no longer as cold as before. Eleanor knew in her heart that her sincere efforts had finally paid off; she had successfully broken through the boy's tightly closed defenses.

Eleanor suddenly burst into laughter through her tears, gently pressing her head against Skylar's chest to feel his heartbeat.

"You wretched, wicked man! I haven't cried in over ten years, and today you've seen me like this in front of you... oh, how embarrassing!" Eleanor said with a hint of coquettishness.

Skylar gently stroked Eleanor's soft hair, saying with a slight smile, "Actually, I was already attracted to you when you confessed to me last time, but I always chose to run away. That's because..."

Eleanor looked up and pressed her finger to Skylar's lips. She saw the sincerity and determination in his eyes and knew that what Skylar was saying came from the bottom of his heart. "You don't need to explain. I understand... You're an excellent young man, and you must have no shortage of female admirers, but I don't mind that. I just hope that I can have a place in your heart, and that will make me content."

Skylar gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks with his fingers, and said with a smile, "I promise you, I will never run away again—from now on, no matter what happens, I will never let you leave my life." His tone was firm yet gentle, as if he were making a vow to her.

The atmosphere had built up to this point, but Eleanor suddenly said slyly, "So, you damaged their puppet, how are you going to compensate them?"

"Ah, this... this is my responsibility. I won't let you and the Hohenheim Family bear this loss in vain, no matter the cost..."

No sooner had Skylar finished speaking than, before she knew it, a pair of fiery red lips had sealed Skylar tightly. The two embraced each other, their breaths and heartbeats mingling as they kissed passionately, as if trying to merge the other into their very souls.

Skylar gazed tenderly at Eleanor, whose cheeks were slightly flushed, and said softly, "This summer, I will personally visit the Hohenheim Family to propose to your parents. I want to marry you."

Eleanor's face flushed red, reaching her ears. She lowered her head and hummed in agreement. She knew that although Skylar already had many lovers, her parents did not object to their marriage. Her father had even stated that he would bestow upon Skylar the position of "son-in-law of the family" and give him the family's core heritage, "Human Alchemy," as his dowry.

In other words, after Skylar revealed his feelings and made a promise, their relationship was already set in stone, with no further obstacles.