Ravus' words were greeted by the three women in the room with different reactions but the same sense of surprise. Amber's eyes were wide as she had not expected to hear such a thing, Aveline slightly knitted brows on her expressionless face as she was looking at Ravus, and Salina raised an eyebrow with a surprised expression on her serious face. Among these women, the experienced family leader was the first to recover from her astonishment.
Salina straightened a little on her seat and her beautiful face became even more serious. This was no longer a conversation with her daughter's childhood friend, but a conversation between Redwood and Drakoneth Families.
"Ravus, may I assume that your family vouch for what you are saying?" Salina asked solemnly.
Hearing this, Ravus confidently placed his hand on his chest and replied.
"Do not worry, Lady Salina. Everything I will say here is within the consent of my family. I desire to marry Amber! I have my parents' permission, and with your blessing, I wish to be officially engaged to her right now!"
Hearing these words, Amber narrowed her eyes slightly and gave the man standing next to her a look of contempt. She then bowed her head and remained seated on her chair without uttering a word. Meanwhile Salina began to speak, her voice grave and her expression fierce.
"Young man, I think you know that there is no one else in the Redwood family right now but Amber and I. And you're asking me to betroth my daughter to you. You know very well what that means, don't you?"
"Yes, I know!" Ravus' voice was steady and resolute
A threatening red light flashed from Salina's eyes and the air around her became heavy with the aura she began to emit.
"Boy, are you really telling me that you want to absorb my family into your family? In my presence! To my face!?!" her voice sounded like it was coming from the ninth level of hell.
Ravus' blood ran cold. He could feel the aura of the leader of the Redwood Family on him. That alone almost brought him to his knees. But Ravus tried to resist as best he could. The black dragon necklace around his neck activated by itself and blocked most of the overwhelming sensation around him. With this momentary relief, Ravus hurriedly began to explain the situation.
"Lady Salina, please listen to my explanation! I have absolutely zero intention of doing such a thing!"
"..."
Salina stared at Ravus for a while without saying anything, her frightening eyes glowing red. The light in her eyes slowly faded when she saw agitated yet determined expression on the young man's face. With that, the whole place slowly returned to the way it was before.
In fact, Salina's outburst had its reasons. Since Amber was the only person who could be the heir to the Redwood family, many opportunistic noble families had sent their young children to seduce her to take advantage of this situation. Some even went further and resorted to sinister means. Of course, given Amber's personality and power, these young people were all kicked out one by one and returned to where they came from.
But this made, an overprotective mother like Salina to constantly worried about her daughter. To put an end to this, Salina even went further and personally attacked some of these noble families and killed a few fools. Nevertheless, the paranoia had once taken hold in her mind. So when Ravus suddenly brought it up, Salina, who was literally having flashbacks of these events, could not restrain her anger.
Now that she heard Ravus' words, Salina realized she had overreacted a little too much and began to calm down. After all, Ravus was Amber's childhood friend, not an insolent noble brat. In Salina's eyes, Ravus had been a good friend to Amber, even though her daughter hadn't cared much about that friendship for a long time.
"... I'm all ears, Ravus. I hope you had good reasons."
Ravus was really relieved to hear these words. Of course he knew why Salina was so angry, after all he had underhandedly eliminated some of these foolish nobles too. Salina and Ravus were on the same page when it came to Amber's safety, but where Salina took a more straightforward approach, Ravus tended to act from the shadows.
With a deep sigh, Ravus restrained his trembling legs. The light from the dragon pendant around his neck faded and it went dormant again. Thinking that he was already past the hardest part, Ravus put on his serious expression again and began to speak in a determined voice.
"I know the situation of the Redwood Family, Lady Salina. I have no intention of annexing your family into my family through marriage and claiming your heritage. Quite the opposite, in fact." Ravus did not speak for a moment to increase the impact of his words.
Salina paused for a moment at his statement. Then her eyes widened in astonishment.
"You mean..." she sounded as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Yes! I want to get engaged to Amber right here and join your family through marriage! That is why I ask your permission, Lady Salina!" Ravus said confidently.
Having the wind at his back now, Ravus continued to speak with a confident smile on his face.
"This marriage will make the two families truly one, but at the same time the Redwood family will not lose anything. While I will join your family, my dear brother shall succeed me as the heir of Drakoneth Family. I have already had the necessary talks with my father long ago and he has agreed."
These were incredible words. Ravus, successor of one of the biggest families in the Trianta Empire, a young man with an incredibly bright future, saying that he was going to give up everything he had for a marriage. Salina was really shocked.
"... Why are you going so far, Ravus? Not only will you lose everything, but you will be treated by those who don't like you as a mere dependent in-law. All the nobles and even the common people will mock you." After a moment's pause, Salina spoke with a serious expression. "Is your father forcing you to do this? If so, I can speak to Kaldor on your behalf. It's not right to interfere in another family's business, but since you've been Amber's friend for many years, I can be a bit forceful this time."
Ravus smiled warmly. As serious a woman as Salina was, she was always considerate of those she deemed good. All his years of trying to appear respectful in front of Salina seemed to have really paid off. With so many good things coming together, he was almost certain of a positive result.
Ravus bowed respectfully with one hand on his chest.
"I am truly pleased to know that I am so high in your eyes, Lady Salina. But no one forces me to do this, nor do I force myself to do it."
"... Then why?" Salina asked curiously.
"Why am I going so far? Hahaha, of course there is only one reason." he said with a laugh.
Ravus turned his head towards Amber and looked at her with an indescribable love in his eyes.
Amber's head was bent forward and her hair hid her facial expression. So you couldn't see what kind of expression she was wearing. She still had one leg over the other and her arms were crossed under her breasts.
"I love Amber more than anything else, and if all I have to do to hold her hand is to give up my current position and endure the ridicule of a few nobles, I call that a cheap price." Then a gentle smile spread across this well-built man's face. "Even if I had to sacrifice more, I still would not hesitate."
Depending on the perspective of the hearer, these words could have been interpreted as a sign of endless determination or the delusions of a fool. But in reality, Ravus was merely a prisoner of his own obsession, blind and reckless as he sought to achieve his own desires.
Even if Edwin didn't show up, it was the only way for them to get married. He himself had already planned this a long time ago. In fact, he had intended to get Amber under his control and increase the chances of a favorable outcome to this proposal. But the unexpected stranger's influence on Amber drove Ravus into a hurry.
When Salina heard these words, she couldn't help but be worried about Ravus. Yesterday, talking to her daughter, Salina had learned of her affection for Edwin. And if Ravus had such strong feelings for Amber and got a negative answer, his disappointment would be really immense.
"I cannot say the last word on this matter, Ravus." she said.
Salina finally shifted her gaze from Ravus to Amber. Amber's hair still hid her expression, so Salina couldn't tell what her daughter was really thinking. Even though Ravus had asked for her permission, for Salina, what her daughter wanted was the final call.
"Amber, you heard Ravus. You have the final say. I will support you no matter what your decision is." Salina spoke to Amber in a warm voice. She had no intention of interfering with her daughter's decision, whatever it might be.
In the end, all eyes, including Aveline's, were on Amber. Her words on the matter would be the final resolution. A few seconds passed and Amber suddenly pushed her chair back with her long legs and stood up slowly. Just then Ravus, who had been looking at her, spoke hopefully. There was only one step left and then everything would be wonderful.
"Amber, I've been in love with you since we were little, and now I'm here to make it official. Amber Redwood! Be my wife! I promise I will make you the happiest woman in the world and I will never let you down!"
Ravus was sure Amber would accept his proposal. So what if Edwin was a little handsome! Could he make the same sacrifice for Amber as he did? Could he provide Amber with as much political power as he had given her? Could he love Amber as much as he loved her?! He wasn't even a noble! With these thoughts occupying his mind, he waited silently for Amber's response when she suddenly started to move. There was a very confident expression on Ravus's face.
Amber lifted her head and the beautiful face hidden by her hair finally appeared in front of Ravus' eyes. Amber's face had the serious expression he was used to seeing many times. There was no happiness or any other emotion in her eyes. She was just looking at him with an indifferent expression.
Ravus became tense at her look and swallowed nervously. A bad feeling began to build inside him, so he hastily attempted to find a solution in his mind. He felt that if he could not make Amber accept him right now, things might not turn out the way he wished for.
"A-Amber think about it please! How much a great couple we could be if you and I were together. Think of all the things I am prepared to sacrifice for you! You will have not only your family behind you but also the Drakoneth Family. Imagine how much stronger we will be because of this union! Besides, you will be married to someone who truly loves you! You will have everything without losing anything-"
He hadn't finished his words when Ravus' voice was interrupted by Amber's stern and indifferent voice.
"Ravus!"
"... Y-Yes, Amber, I-I'm listening."
Hearing Amber's voice, Ravus stopped talking and looked at Amber with both expectation and nervousness. Afterwards, only Amber's serious voice was heard in the room.
"Ravus, I refuse to get engaged to you!"
"..."
She continued speaking, ignoring the fact that he was frozen in place.
"First of all, you said that you love me and that you would sacrifice anything for me, but what you missed is that I never asked you to sacrifice such things. What you willingly sacrifice is your business, not mine." Amber sounded indifferent.
"Secondly, you asked my mother for permission to get engaged to me. In front of me and without my knowledge..." Amber frowned and continued. "Ravus, if you cared about me as much as you claimed, you would have asked what I thought instead of asking my mother's permission first. Who do you think I am? A commodity that you can get by asking permission?" Amber's voice was a little high. It was obvious that she was angry.
"..."
Hearing these words, Ravus knew he was screwed. If he was going to ask her mother, he should have talked to her about it beforehand. Now it seemed as if he didn't care about her opinion. In his haste, he had forgotten to take Amber's character into account.
"Thirdly, you said that my family would benefit from this marriage. You are right, if I marry you in this circumstances, many people might not be able to stand against the combined strength of two powerful noble families."
Ravus began to speak excitedly. "T-Then, my proposal-"
"But..." Interrupting Ravus, Amber continued. "I do not want to be married for such a purpose! Even if it is considered normal among noble families, my life cannot be sealed by these idiotic customs! Maybe I am throwing away a great opportunity, but I will not abandon my free will for any gain!"
At her words, both Salina and Aveline, who were listening quietly from the side, smiled a little. They really appreciated seeing this little girl, who had once followed them all around, grow into a confident and determined woman.
"I... Amber please listen to me! I really love you..." As he said this, he desperately reached out his hand towards Amber.
Ravus, this mighty fighter, was now speaking almost pleadingly. But Amber ignored this and continued.
"Fourth and most importantly, Ravus, I have no feelings for you," she said in a determined voice. "And besides, there is someone else that I do love."
These words were the final blow for Ravus. He weakly dropped his hand in the air, lowered his head to the ground and remained motionless with a completely devastated expression.
Seeing him in this state, Salina was about to speak to intervene, but Ravus with difficulty raised his head towards Amber. Then he began to speak with an unexpected calmness.
"Amber, is Edwin the one you love?"
Amber was stunned for a moment. But since she had made her own decision, she decided not to take a step back. She raised her head slightly and spoke boldly.
"Yes! I love Edwin! He is the very person I want to marry in this life!" Amber declared loudly to everyone in the room. Even the servants outside the room could hear it. Even if there were rumors going around after this, she really didn't care, anymore. Before she went to sleep last night Amber spent a lot of time thinking, and she had made up her mind. She would speed things up from now on!
After her words, she turned towards her mother.
"Mom, my answer is- Huhh????"
Amber stopped mid-sentence when she saw her mother looking at the door of the room with a strange expression, Amber was confused. She turned her head in the direction Salina was looking. There, in front of the now opened door of the dining room, Amber saw Olivia with her hands over her gaping mouth and her bright brown eyes staring at herself in amazement.
But rather than this adorable maid, her attention was drawn to the incredibly handsome young man with long blond hair who was standing just behind Olivia, staring at her with an expression of disbelief.
"Ed-Ewdin?"
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(For Some Extra Chapters)
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