The Plan

"... Please don't mind me."

Celinina had clearly heard Maria's words, but she quickly gritted her teeth and resolutely submitted her application to Maria.

She looked at Maria intently, her words serious.

"I can manage on my own..."

"..."

Maria did not reply.

Meanwhile, Vimi offered its own answer.

"Miss Texas is also a distinguished guest of the Bellone Family... If possible, we would like to invite you all to the Bellone Manor..."

Vimi's words were clever, but while speaking, she kept stealing glances at Maria.

Clearly, he had received orders to bring Maria back.

After thinking for a moment, Maria looked at the stubborn Celinina beside her.

Finally, he nodded gently.

"Can."

The group didn't waste too much time.

Less than half an hour later, the group arrived at the Bellone Family.

Celinina was led by several bodyguards to rest in a nearby flower garden, while Lavinia voluntarily left to search for Leontuso.

As for Maria... she was carefully invited to a secluded meeting room.

There were already two people waiting for her there.

One was Maria had met, the head of the Bellone Family, Bernardo.

The other one was a man with a very downcast face.

Upon noticing Maria's arrival, the two men almost simultaneously stood up to show their respect for Maria.

Meanwhile, Vimi tactfully left the room, handing it over to several important figures.

Everything in the room was very quiet...

So... you were looking for me?

Maria quietly walked to the side, nodded to Bernardo, and then sat down in a chair with her eyes slightly lowered.

"Who are you?"

"... My name is Alberto, Alberto Saluzzo, and I am now the head of the Saluzzo Family."

The man's shoulders slumped, and his face lacked the demeanor one would expect from the head of a large family. He simply hung his head, appearing extremely weak.

"My father was the late Saluzzo, who passed away just a few days ago..."

Please accept my condolences.

Maria was somewhat confused; she didn't actually know what the other person was talking about, but out of respect for the deceased, she still offered words of comfort.

The man chuckled bitterly a few times, then silently raised his head and looked at the woman in front of him.

She was very beautiful... She possessed an elegance that seemed to emanate from her very bones. Although her clothing made her appear sharp and assertive, it was easy for anyone with discerning eyes to see the rich upbringing she exuded.

This can be seen from Maria's calm sitting posture.

After observing for a while, she shook her head and slowly began to speak.

"Everyone was actually prepared for Father's passing... even though it was so sudden."

"But before my father left, I learned some news from him."

"... About me?" Maria tilted her head, looking somewhat curious.

But clearly, Maria was wrong this time.

Her past actions were undoubtedly a blatant slap in the face to the families in Siracusa. They would never pass down the fact that someone had single-handedly defeated most of the Siracusa families and then swaggered away.

Old Saluzzo was talking about something else entirely.

"I have noticed... that Miss Texas now was trained by you, hasn't she?"

"Celinina? Yes... Is there a problem?"

"I hope... my child can learn from you too."

Everyone here is intelligent, so the conversation proceeded smoothly with almost no beating around the bush.

In fact, even if Alberto wanted to maneuver, he had no room to maneuver.

After all, he was the one begging Maria, and Maria didn't need him.

"Study?"

Maria frowned slightly.

Alberto, on the other hand, appeared very sincere.

"Yes... I hope, my child, Lappland, can study with you..."

"..."

"I'm not a particularly outstanding person... In fact, I've never considered myself a qualified successor. At the very least, the Saluzzo Family under my leadership will never maintain the same top-tier status as it did under my father." The man said, bowing his head again.

But Maria roughly understood what the other person meant.

The power of the Siracusa Family was not constant, but rather a dynamic balance that varied depending on the leaders of each family.

At present, the only families in Siracusa that can truly be called first-class are the twelve largest families. Among these twelve families, Texas, led by Salvadore, and Saluzzo, led by old Saluzzo, are undoubtedly the largest and truly top-tier families.

Alberto was clearly aware of this.

He is a very intelligent person.

Or perhaps, he is a very shrewd calculator.

He knew he couldn't continue leading the Saluzzo Family to such a top-tier status, so he placed his hopes on the next generation, paving the way for their future.

Judging from the current situation, the Texas Family has far more resources than it has to offer. The family members are still powerful, and maintaining their strength for two or three generations is not a problem.

While the relationship between Lappland and Celinina is not yet clear, it is evident that other factors are not yet significantly influencing the two children.

If the two children develop a strong bond at this stage, they will naturally be able to support each other when it comes time for them to inherit the family business.

And judging from what Maria saw and heard in the future, the man did indeed do this.

Although the relationship between Texas and Lappland is complicated, they are indeed the closest of friends who understand each other best.

Only...

"I'm sorry, I don't have any plans to take on more apprentices at the moment."

Maria shook her head and refused.

It wasn't that she had any particular preference for Texas; it was simply because she had things to do right now.

In fact, if Maria had known about the existence of the Great Beast of Siracusa beforehand, she wouldn't have even bothered to take down Texas.

With the Great Beast threatening her, she must focus her attention on the Great Beast itself.

Teaching disciples and such... that can wait until later.

"So that's how it was..."

The man wasn't surprised to hear Maria's refusal.

Rather, if Maria had agreed so readily, he would have doubted the ideas of his elders.

Perhaps, Salvadore's judgment wasn't always accurate.

But... it's impossible to get him to give up.

It's not just about considering the family's future...

More importantly, he needs to consider the current situation of his family...

The day when they officially go to war with the Gray Hall is not far off...

"Celinina?"

In the garden, Celinina had just arrived to continue her flexibility exercises when she discovered that someone was already sitting there.

A girl she had only met once.

"Lappland?"

Celinina tilted her head and looked at the other person.

She didn't have many thoughts about Lappland. From her perspective, the two of them had only sparred a few times, and there was nothing memorable about it.

So he just nodded and didn't say anything more.

But clearly, Lappland didn't want it to end like this.

She frowned and decisively took a step forward.

"Celinina... fight me!"

"... A duel?" The little girl tilted her head. "Why?"

I will defeat you!

"... Why?"

Do you need a reason to defeat me?

"You can't beat me...and I don't know what reason we have to duel." Celinina shook her head, clearly not wanting to get entangled with her any further.

Meanwhile, seeing that Celinina was unwilling to make a move, Lappland gritted her teeth and decisively stepped forward.

"Don't even think about running!"

She reached out, trying to grab Celinina.

The speed is several times faster than before!

Such a drastic change surprised even Celinina.

How did she suddenly improve so much?

But...

Looking at the determined girl, Celinina remained silent for a moment, then silently gritted her teeth.

That speed...

Much slower than Lady Maria...

Chapter 227 The Plan

Lappland seems to have an obsession with defeating Celinina.

Celinina didn't know why the other person had such thoughts... After all, in her opinion, she and the other person didn't have any particular entanglement.

The two of them had only practiced against each other a few times, and then one of them won.

But Lappland clearly didn't see her victory that way.

Her intense competitive spirit made it impossible for her to accept losing to a girl around her own age...

Moreover, it's not the kind of victory where both sides fight with all their might, resulting in a life-or-death struggle.

Celinina downplayed it from beginning to end.

This was even more unacceptable to Lappland.

Therefore, even though Celinina had no desire to fight, she refused to let her opponent go.

Instead, after a sharp shout, he decisively charged forward.

But this was something Lappland hadn't expected at all.