After quickly finishing breakfast and making all the preparations, Li Lin, Caitlyn, and the Kiramman couple boarded a carriage, smoothly heading towards the top of Piltover's Council building.
They arrived early.
In the council hall, only Heimerdinger, Mel, Bolbok, and a few representatives from other families gathered in pairs or threes.
Cassandra gave instructions to Li Lin and Caitlyn, then went to her own seat alone.
At this moment, Caitlyn casually scanned left and right, then grabbed Li Lin's wrist, leading him to a more secluded pillar in the hall.
She wrinkled her nose, sounding displeased, "Mom is really something, how can she blame unrelated people for the sake of interests..."
"Members of the council are already divided, and there are conflicts of interest. If your mom doesn't do this, she will become the target of the other council members."
Upon hearing Cassandra's words, Li Lin was initially quite resentful, but during the journey from the Kiramman residence to the council building, he had come to understand some things.
Putting himself in Lady Kiramman's shoes, this kind of thinking, sacrificing the interests of unrelated people for the sake of the family, was somewhat understandable.
Of course, it could only be said to be understandable.
Zaun is already suffering from severe environmental pollution, with constant alchemical accidents. Those who can afford to have enough to eat are already considered fortunate.
If the blame for this planned attack is shifted to the Undercity, and the Undercity is further exploited, fishing in troubled waters, causing more people to go hungry and die on the streets, the second riot might return sooner than later.
This is not the scene that Li Lin, who wants to resolve the conflict between the two cities, wants to see.
"The words are correct, but are you really going to say it as my mom instructed?"
Pouting, Caitlyn glanced in the direction of her mother.
"But what you said also makes sense. If we don't say it this way, my mom will be at a disadvantage...
"She taught me since I was a child to do everything for the family. If I tell the truth and cause my mom to be excluded by other council members, it's not the scene I want to see either."
Caitlyn's inner struggle was evident.
On the one hand, after the first time she and Li Lin went down to Zaun, she saw the living conditions, level, and environment of the people of Zaun, and she had the desire to change Zaun and the relationship between the two cities.
On the other hand, due to the concept of upholding her family instilled by her mother since childhood, she did not want to destroy her mother's years of effort for the family.
Li Lin saw Caitlyn's dilemma and sighed, "You don't need to worry about this kind of thing. Leave it to me; I won't let you down."
Just as Li Lin and Caitlyn had just finished their conversation, the gradually approaching sound of high-heeled shoes came from the side.
Caitlyn shifted her gaze and saw a young, elegant black-skinned woman approaching them—Medarda Mel.
"Good morning, Miss Kiramman." Mel maintained a gentle smile, nodding to Caitlyn in greeting first.
Then, her gaze focused on Li Lin, "Good morning, Mr. Li Lin. It's a pleasure to see you again. Due to some unexpected events last night, we didn't get a chance to properly introduce ourselves."
As she spoke, Mel reached out her right hand, wanting to shake hands with him.
Before Li Lin could respond, Caitlyn, who was beside him, took a step forward, naturally inserting herself between the two.
She showed a very standard diplomatic smile, extending her hand and lightly shaking hands with Mel.
"Good morning, Councilor Medarda. Mr. Li Lin is more introverted and not used to talking with people of distinguished status."
Caitlyn deliberately emphasized the words "distinguished status," giving her entire sentence a subtle hint of gunpowder.
Miss Kiramman, what are you talking about...
Caitlyn deliberately emphasized the phrase "noble status," giving her entire statement a hint of gunpowder.
Miss Kiramman, what does this mean...
The smile on Mel's face froze for a moment, but her upbringing from a prestigious family allowed her to quickly react.
"Hehe, Miss Kiramman is truly humorous," she chuckled, seemingly unaware of Caitlyn's underlying tone.
"As a genius craftsman like Mr. Li Lin, it is necessary to deal with major families. Missing higher opportunities due to personality issues would be a great loss," Mel replied, not backing down.
"We, the Kiramman family, are aware of these issues, no need for additional concerns, Councilor Medarda," Caitlyn countered, unwilling to show weakness.
The two engaged in an unspoken linguistic skirmish over Li Lin, neither gaining verbal advantage.
The surrounding air fell into a momentary silence.
Li Lin sensed the tension and took a step forward, gently wrapping his hand around Caitlyn's waist.
Caitlyn blushed slightly but quickly understood Li Lin's intention. She didn't resist and even leaned into his embrace.
According to the laws of Piltover, marriage was allowed after completing the coming-of-age ceremony at 18.
In high society, early marriages were rare due to most unions being strategic alliances between families. However, if the family approved, expressing mutual feelings and attempting to build a connection was not uncommon.
Caitlyn had mentioned to Li Lin before that Mel was over twenty and rarely interacted with peers. This was partly because, being a Medarda, she couldn't accept someone less capable and there were hardly any geniuses of the same age.
Mel, confident in her charm, believed she could easily captivate a young man emotionally involved in his work.
However, the scene before her shattered that notion.
Mel stared dumbfounded at Li Lin and Caitlyn, the supposed intimacy between them catching her off guard. Her prepared words vanished from her mind.
The Kiramman family was willing to go to great lengths, even using their only daughter as leverage...
"I, a nobody, feel genuinely humbled by Councilor Medarda's concern, but, as Cait said, I'm a humble person and not accustomed to conversing with distinguished individuals like yourself..."
Your performance doesn't seem like you're uncomfortable at all...
Mel took a deep breath, understanding Caitlyn's hidden message.
It was fear of her stealing away Caitlyn's man.
Mel shook her head with a wry smile, realizing that poaching from the Kiramman family was nearly impossible. She could only invest more in cooperating with them in the future.
"If that's the case, I won't disturb you two any longer."
She cast a final glance at Li Lin before turning away without hesitation.
"Let go already!"
After Mel had walked away, Caitlyn, with a delicate blush on her face, quickly pushed away Li Lin's hand, escaping his embrace.
"Sorry, it was a necessary move..." Li Lin spread his hands, apologizing quickly.
"Of course, I know. Otherwise, do you think I would cooperate like that?" Caitlyn turned around, gently touching her flushed face with one hand while the other pressed against her pounding heart, secretly glaring at the distant Mel.
Now, let's see how you continue to seduce Li Lin!
She adjusted her breathing quickly and huffed, "This time, I'll forgive you, but don't let it happen again!"
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T/N: Initially, my plan was to arrange the advanced chapters on Patreon around the end of December to ensure it would be ready for January. However, since there's already a subscriber, I'll make sure to set up advanced chapters for all tiers by the end of the week. Thank you.
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