Everyone in the banquet hall stared in shock at Linton and Baron Sirdes. What was going on between these two? It was odd enough that they arrived together earlier, but now Baron Sirdes insisted on making Linton his son-in-law? Something was definitely off.
Jorabo was equally puzzled. A marriage alliance with Baron Sirdes wasn't a bad thing, but why Linton? He had previously tried to arrange a marriage with Baron Sirdes, only to be politely rejected (after all, Jorabo was divorced, and Baron Sirdes wasn't interested). Yet now, Baron Sirdes seemed desperate to marry Linton into his family. This left Jorabo feeling a bit uncomfortable.
But more pressing than his discomfort was the fact that this situation was becoming a huge problem. Jorabo had already arranged a marriage for Linton with a noble family in the northwest—the Greenlyn family. They had already agreed, and now with this sudden engagement to Baron Sirdes, wasn't Linton breaking his prior agreement? Jorabo had no idea how to handle this.
After thinking for a moment, Jorabo spoke up. "Lord Sirdes, I had no idea about this marriage agreement before. We've already signed an alliance with the Greenlyn family, so could we perhaps…"
"Absolutely not!" Baron Sirdes interrupted immediately. "The Greenlyn family? That impoverished clan from the northwest? How could they possibly compete with me for a son-in-law?"
Baron Sirdes' words left everyone even more astonished. It was clear that he was determined to back Linton. Was it really true that Linton had saved Baron Sirdes by sheer luck, as rumored? But that didn't quite make sense—Baron Sirdes was a skilled warrior. Even though his strength had declined with age, he shouldn't have needed someone like Linton, who was known as a weakling, to save him. What exactly had happened? It was hard to imagine.
Jorabo was at his wits' end. He had everything arranged, and now this mess had been thrown in. He glanced at Linton with annoyance, feeling that this whole situation must have been orchestrated by him. Somehow, Linton had managed to drag Baron Sirdes into this, creating trouble on purpose. Still, Jorabo didn't dare to offend Baron Sirdes. Not only was he a senior figure in his life, but Sirdes also had more land and power than Jorabo, making him a noble not to be trifled with.
"Lord Sirdes, perhaps we can discuss this matter at length? We'll need some time to negotiate with the Greenlyn family, don't you think?" Jorabo suggested. "How about we settle this after my wedding? Does that sound alright?"
"What's there to discuss? This engagement is already set in stone! What's the matter? Is the Meloway family thinking of breaking their alliance with me?" Baron Sirdes seemed eager to finalize things, fearing he might miss this golden opportunity.
His words carried a serious threat—breaking an alliance was no small matter. He had made it clear that he wasn't joking. If they didn't agree, the situation could be treated as a breach of contract, leading to unpredictable consequences.
The atmosphere grew tense. No one expected Baron Sirdes to be so forceful about this. Just as Jorabo was struggling to figure out what to do, someone entered through the doorway.
"Wilson! You old rascal, you made it!" The newcomer was a man who looked nearly sixty, even older than Baron Sirdes. His hair and beard were grey, but he was still quite robust, clearly someone who exercised regularly. He seemed well-acquainted with Baron Sirdes, casually calling him by name.
"Luwen, you old dog! Still alive, huh?" Baron Sirdes greeted him warmly, embracing him. Linton immediately realized who this was—Luwen Meloway, his second uncle and his father's younger brother. Since his father's death, Luwen was now the eldest in the family. According to Eck, Luwen was still serving in the military, though Linton didn't know when he had returned.
Luwen had likely served in the army alongside Linton's father, which explained his familiarity with Baron Sirdes. From the way they interacted, it seemed their relationship was similar to what Linton's father had with Sirdes—they were close friends.
"You've been hard to find lately. You didn't even show up to my brother's funeral," Luwen remarked, sounding annoyed.
"I've been busy," Baron Sirdes sighed. "But you're here at the perfect time. Do you remember the marriage agreement I had with Jorga? We were just discussing it. It seems your family doesn't want to honor it anymore."
"Marriage agreement?" Luwen was momentarily confused, but then something clicked. "Oh, the childhood betrothal? Does that still count?"
"Of course it counts!" Baron Sirdes replied quickly.
"But your daughter's no longer with us," Luwen pointed out.
"She's gone, yes, but the marriage contract was never canceled," said Baron Sirdes.
"I see… So you plan to marry another daughter off instead? Are you sure about this?" Luwen asked.
"What's there to doubt? I'm absolutely sure!" replied Baron Sirdes.
"You old fool…" Luwen was clearly touched by the gesture, but after glancing at Linton, he sighed. "Look, I understand your intent, but my nephew is incompetent. I can't let him ruin your daughter's life. Let's forget about this."
Luwen meant well. He believed Baron Sirdes was only insisting on the marriage because of his loyalty to Luwen and his brother, but that would only lead to trouble. If Baron Sirdes' daughter married someone as worthless as Linton, they would be ridiculed by the nobility. Luwen wanted his nephew to marry well, but he also cared deeply for Baron Sirdes' children and didn't want to see them suffer.
But Baron Sirdes wasn't having it. "What's wrong with the Meloway family? Does neither the younger nor the elder understand? The contract is in black and white! Are you really going to back out now? Do you think so little of me?"
"Why are you so upset? I'm just looking out for my niece," Luwen responded.
"How is this looking out for her? If I hadn't come today, this marriage wouldn't even be happening! Now, give me a straight answer—does the Meloway family intend to honor this marriage contract or not?"
"Yes, yes…" Luwen saw that Baron Sirdes was genuinely angry and, not wanting to upset him further, nodded in agreement. "Jorabo, this marriage was arranged by your father. We can't break the contract."
"But, Uncle, what about the Greenlyn family…" Jorabo began.
"To hell with the Greenlyn family!" Luwen waved dismissively. "They're small-time nobles from a backwater region. Just send them a rejection."
Jorabo was speechless. While it was true that the Greenlyn family wasn't very powerful, they were still a noble house with a baronial title. How could he just reject them like that?
"This is settled," Luwen declared. "Alright, Wilson, now you can relax. We'll finalize the marriage after Jorabo's wedding. Now, let's drink."
"Fine, fine, as long as it's settled," Baron Sirdes said, satisfied. "Come on, let's drink."
Though they had reached an agreement, Linton was still frustrated. In theory, Baron Sirdes' daughter should be better than anyone from the Greenlyn family, but Linton still didn't want to get married.
"Wow… Looks like you've struck gold! Happy now?" Gassen, who wasn't the best at reading the mood, patted Linton on the shoulder.
"Happy? Not at all," Linton replied.
"Huh? What's there to be unhappy about?"
"Do you know the motto of the Meloway family?" Linton asked.
"Wait, we have a family motto? Why don't I know about it?" Gassen was confused.
"'Settle for nothing but the best.' It means we don't compromise," Linton explained. "So, tell me, who's the most beautiful woman in the empire? The one who's still single?"
"Haha, you've got to be kidding me!" Gassen laughed. "That would be Princess Arlan, the third princess—widely considered the most beautiful woman in the empire. What, you think you can marry her?"
"See, you lack ambition. A real man should dream big," Linton said, spreading his hands.
"Alright, alright. I've dreamed about that too," Gassen waved him off. "But how do you plan to achieve that dream? You're already engaged. Are you going to call off the wedding?"
"I could give it a try…" Linton began, but before he could finish, a servant rushed in and whispered something to Jorabo. Jorabo's expression immediately changed, and he urgently said, "Quick, invite them in."
The banquet came to a halt as the atmosphere grew tense. Soon, the servant returned, leading in two men clad in armor.
"Are you Baron Melovey?" the leader asked Jorabo as soon as he entered, his tone carrying the attitude of someone in a high position. Jorabo quickly stood up to respond, clearly aware of the high status of these two men.
"Yes, I am," Jorabo replied.
"I am Barry, Captain of the Maple Leaf Guard," Barry introduced himself.
"What? The Maple Leaf Guard?" Everyone present was shocked, except for Linton, who had never heard of this Maple Leaf Guard.
The other party didn't care whether Linton knew or not and spoke directly to Jorabo, "The Empire's Third Princess, Princess Yalan, is missing. According to intelligence, she should be somewhere nearby. We request that Baron Melovey send people to assist us in finding the princess."
"Huh?" Everyone was stunned.
(End of chapter)