Ian didn't kiss her for a long ti. This was a risky move that could lead to scandal if not handled well.
He was already prepared to be fiercely scolded by his aunt. However, contrary to his expectation, Margaret stood in a daze, quietly caressing her kissed lips. Her face was peach red, adorned with a shy expression akin to that of a young girl unfamiliar with romance.
Ian looked at her for a mont and couldn't help but ask,
"Aunt, this... isn't your first kiss, right?"
Margaret quickly snapped out of her reverie at his question. However, she remained silent and appeared surprisingly calm.
"Ian, I don't feel well. Tell your uncle that I went ho early."
After saying this, she swiftly left his arms and disappeared into the dim light. Ian wanted to stop her and confront her, but for so reason, he couldn't.
'I kissed my aunt, but why am I upset?' he thought, clearly confused.
'It seems there is no quest.'
He was prepared for another quest but there was nothing. Moreover, Evelyn also disappeared like her sister, so he could only be disappointed.
As he wandered aimlessly, the lights in the venue ca on, and the court dance officially ended with loud applause from everyone.
Ian noticed his father signaling to him from afar, beckoning him to co over since the highlight of the party was about to begin. Beside his father stood his uncle, Thomas.
When Ian approached, Thomas looked at him and asked, "Ian, where is your aunt?"
"Ah? She wasn't feeling well, so I asked her to leave early and rest at ho," Ian replied with a smile, almost subconsciously.
"Oh? Okay," Thomas said nothing more and shifted his attention to the third prince, Dorian Ashford, who stood from his throne.
"Ladies and gentlen, ti flies so fast that we are all caught off guard. Without realizing it, twenty years have passed since the previous campaign. Sigh, I wasn't even born at that ti."
The third prince quickly captured everyone's attention as he continued,
"Our Ashford Empire has stood strong on this land for a thousand years, and it has been our tradition, passed down from our ancestors, to open the wildlands. This ti, it is the responsibility of our generation."
"Our great Emperor, Lucian Ashford, has issued a decree to march forward, kill the monsters, and elevate our Empire's prestige across the continent."
After praising, the third prince then accepted the scrolls from the Adviser and called,
"Let the representatives from each dukedom step forward to accept the decree."
Unlike a typical Imperial decree, the pioneering quota had already been decided in prior etings. The third prince was rely handing out official docunts to initiate the process.
"Ian, you go," Duke Eldric said from the side.
The representative of the dukedom was generally the heir likely to lead the pioneering operation to open the wildlands. Naturally, this responsibility fell to Ian.
However, in the novel, Ian had been so determined to follow Lyra to the Academy that he handed this opportunity to his uncle.
"Okay!"
Ian nodded and walked toward the stage along with four others. As for Duke Alex, he himself walked forward as his son was still too young to lead such an operation.
As Ian approached the stage, he noticed his uncle Thomas's surprised expression. Thomas likely never expected Ian to agree to such a dangerous venture, especially at the cost of leaving Lyra behind.
Given Ian's reputation, his father was likely just as stunned as his uncle. When he asked Ian to go, Eldric was prepared for refusal. After all, he knew how much grit his son had.
"Duke Stro."
"Duke Bloodstone."
"Duke Weston."
"Duke Veilstrider."
The Third Prince, Dorian Ashford, addressed each representative by their future title, "Duke," to emphasize their status. He then handed each of them the prepared scroll.
Ian accepted his scroll respectfully and returned gracefully, while his parents watched, still confused by his behavior.
In truth, to avoid public embarrassnt, Eldric had been prepared to accept the decree himself. After all, they couldn't afford to keep the third prince waiting.
"You, kid. Since when did you beco responsible?" Eldric asked with an exaggerated expression.
Ian didn't know how to respond to his father's remark, which was so contrary to his usual deanor.
"Are you sure you want to go to the border?" Elara asked, her worry evident.
She turned to Eldric and asked, "Can't we delegate this to soone else?"
"Yes! He's still a kid. It seems too dangerous to send him to the battlefield on a whim," Thomas added, attempting to persuade Eldric.
Whether his concern was for Ian or sothing else was open to discussion.
"How can we do that? This tradition is ant to train the heir. He's already grown; he needs to learn responsibility. Moreover, since he has already accepted the decree in front of everyone, he can't back out now. Otherwise, it will tarnish our reputation," Eldric said sharply, reprimanding both his wife and brother.
Seeing that Elara was still worried, his tone softened as he added,
"Don't worry. It's not as though he'll be at the frontline fighting monsters. I'll ensure all necessary preparations are made. There won't be any issues."
"Mom, you don't need to worry about . I won't go anywhere dangerous," Ian said, ward by his parents' concern.
In his previous life, even if he'd searched with a lantern, he wouldn't have found such warmth.
"Yes, don't worry. I've been fighting on the border my whole life. With there, Ian will be safe," Thomas assured hypocritically.
Realizing that the pioneering quota was now set in stone, Thomas refrained from pressing the issue further and began planning differently.
Ian observed his uncle's seemingly caring deanor but chose not to say anything. His family had no idea about his ambitious heart. For now, it was better to stay quiet and avoid revealing his intentions, especially since he lacked actual power.
Although Ian suspected his father was aware of Thomas's ambitions, he doubted Eldric had expected outright betrayal from his brother.
Seeing no way to change the situation, Elara said nothing further.
As they were about to continue their conversation, Duke Alex approached with his wife and two daughters.
"Haha, you kid! You gave a big surprise. I thought you would reject this mission. Congratulations!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)