Chapter 61: Discussing Marriage
Jima’s stomach felt a bit full. The bread with gravy had made her feel a little bloated. Yet she still felt a hint of hunger; she had expended quite a bit of energy earlier, and she was considering when she might get a chance to replenish her magic.
Finally, this banquet could hopefully pass peacefully.
Jima glanced around, ignoring the heated gazes aimed at her face. She couldn’t spot the poet Deesha, who had adventured alongside her.
Perhaps his charm helped him secure a seat at the table.
At that moment, a scowling Lisi stepped out from the doorway, her slim waist still captivating. Beside her was a beautiful woman with an egg-shaped face, smiling as she held Lisi’s hand, leading her toward Jima.
The egg-shaped beauty was dressed in a white robe adorned with shimmering golden threads. She had a mature figure and bore a resemblance to Lisi, making her look like Lisi’s older sister.
Jima had an ominous feeling.
Sure enough, the two women stopped in front of Sir George’s table.
“Good morning, Sir George, knight from Bartow,” the egg-shaped beauty smiled.
“May I ask what you need?”
“I came to find a fiancé for Lisi,” the egg-shaped beauty said. “I heard you saved my daughter’s life in the goblin nest? Quite impressive; a handsome young man with strength.”
Lisi turned her head away, her face flushed, and said helplessly, “Don’t say that.”
George’s expression twitched as he questioned, “Are you two joking?”
No sooner had he spoken than the egg-shaped beauty laughed and waved her hand. “Ah, no, no. Do I look that young? I’m her mother! You’re quite the charmer, young man.”
But George’s brow furrowed.
“Mom, I have things to do.” Lisi tried to pull her mother’s hand away but was held tight.
“Oh dear,” the egg-shaped beauty laughed, “I’m just looking out for you. Don’t be like me, who never encountered a suitable young man and had to marry—”
“Mom!”
Lisi interrupted.
“Alright, alright.” The egg-shaped beauty turned to face George. “Young man, I see you’re quite a catch. Would you be interested in being friends with Lisi? I can arrange it.”
George remained silent, sensing that this was a lie, including the earlier statement.
“Well, silence means agreement,” the egg-shaped beauty smiled. “Now you are a prospective fiancé.”
“Mom, what are you doing?” Lisi’s face turned completely red.
“I took a liking to this young man at first sight. I heard he is very brave in battle, yet you’re being willful and ignoring him. You mustn’t let a future husband slip away.”
“This is too sudden.”
Lisi turned away, realizing that the guests around were all looking their way. She wished she could dive underwater to hide her face.
But Jima noticed that part of her blushing came from shyness.
George remained silent and did not respond. Jima coldly remarked, “Ah, what a dilemma. Carelessly, a mother-in-law delivers a beauty to the door. My master’s romantic opportunities have always been abundant.”
“Jima.” George shot her a glare and then said, “I’m sorry, but I won’t marry.”
“I won’t marry either!” Lisi exclaimed.
If only things would develop as they say, it would be nice.
Jima felt a pang of heartache.
What kind of romantic luck is this? **A mother-in-law delivering her daughter to the door? Even YY novels wouldn’t dare write this. Is George some kind of human aphrodisiac?
“Quite normal,” the egg-faced beauty smiled. “The two of you don’t know each other well; consider it a chance to meet a friend. Now, let’s head to my garden to chat. It’s a way to apologize for my rudeness to Lisi.”
George sensed that this was no lie and nodded, “Alright.”
Apologize? It must lead to bed. How did I not notice earlier that Branshi that rascal had such a lovely daughter and granddaughter, leaving a poor virgin with a windfall?
Jima angrily chewed on a fishbone, deeply feeling the injustice of the world. She felt even more driven to surpass that scoundrel George; she could not stand those “dragon-hero” types of men.
Not only did Jima feel this way, but the surrounding onlookers, witnessing the scene, were also taken aback. Many rubbed their eyes in disbelief at what they were seeing. The princess of Shalin City was being “delivered to the door” just like that?
“Mom.”
Lisi practically pleaded.
“Oh dear, I’m just helping you understand your fiancé’s values.”
“I’m not ready at all.”
“Then does that mean you agree?”
Upon hearing this, Lisi’s ears turned red.
The egg-faced beauty smiled as she brushed Lisi’s hair from her forehead, gently saying, “Then you should go back and prepare to have fun together. George and I will have a little heart-to-heart first.”
With that, she let go of Lisi’s hand.
Lisi covered her face and, like a fawn, fled from her mother’s embrace toward the door.
Jima coldly observed her retreating figure, secretly praying that Lisi wouldn’t be tsundere.
The egg-faced beauty led George and Jima past the lower table and up the stairs. Under the astonished and envious gazes of countless people, George and Jima’s figures disappeared behind the door leading to the verdant garden.
In a spacious parlor, thick egg-yellow curtains blocked the harsh sunlight from outside. Inside, luxurious furniture was adorned with an ambiguous hue.
Behind the transparent glass windows lay an open-air garden, where tall trees grew in black alchemical soil, laden with plump orange-yellow fruits.
The windows were small, allowing only a glimpse of part of the garden. Jima glanced at the garden’s dense, soft grass, recalling the fierce confrontation she had a few years back with three maids of varying skin tones on that very grass.
Time flies.
Soon, she would be able to hear, just a wall away, the sound of a virgin losing his virginity. How unpleasant.
What puzzled Jima was how the enthusiastic Lisi’s mother, the egg-faced beauty, did not invite George to sit in the garden she had personally built but instead sat in the parlor.
On the other side of the wall stood a row of maids. As George and Jima took their seats, they stepped forward to serve tea and presented a plate of snacks.
The egg-faced beauty waved her hand and said, “I just want to have a good conversation with my guest.”
The maids then filed out, and within a minute, only the three of them remained in the parlor.
George sat upright, not touching the tea before him. He kept his gaze fixed on the egg-faced beauty, as if he were interrogating a criminal.
“I understand that anyone would be caught off guard facing my request, unable to believe it,” the egg-faced beauty smiled. “It’s as if my daughter, the granddaughter of the lord of Shalin City, is an unmarriageable ugly duckling.”
George nodded.
“But please understand a mother’s urgency.” She didn’t explain why she was urgent but asked, “I heard that you assisted slaves in escaping?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not a minor issue, of course strong individuals always have the privilege of being willful,” the egg-faced beauty said with a charming smile. “I know outsiders view the laws of Shalin City as evil, especially the Hall, which always meddles in affairs that don’t concern it, wanting to intervene even though it is as far away as if in another world.”
Jima muttered, “The demon realm is even further from the Hall, yet the demon king was still stabbed to death at his bedroom door by a Hall assassin.”
“The disaster of Shalin City,” the egg-faced beauty continued, a fold in her robe, “Shalin City has been targeted by the Hall, and the protector has died. Why hasn’t the Hall intervened against Shalin City? Just like how they acted against the demon king Kima.”
Jima interjected, “Because the demon king didn’t have many human slaves.”
“My charming girl, I’d like to hear your adult opinion more.”
That would be the official opinion indeed.
Jima hoped George would stand firm in his “belief” before such beauty. If not, she’d surely die of jealousy right then and there.
“The Hall seeks order; only order can bring prosperity, civilization, and goodness,” George said. “Even if the Hall was powerless after slaying the great noble, to break the system of slavery, even if they did break it, they would still be unable to establish a new and better order.”
The egg-faced beauty nodded appreciatively.
Seeing that the situation was going awry, Jima interjected, “So my master means that the safety of Shalin City is built upon the compassion of the Hall.”
The egg-faced beauty ignored Jima and continued asking: “So what do you think, if the slaves of Shalin City riot, executing, raping us, breaking order and creating chaos, would the Hall intervene to help?”
“No, that would only aid the oppressors.”
“What if we’re willing to make concessions to the Hall?”
George shook his head, “The Hall’s blade will not turn against the victims.”
Jima felt a bit anxious. This question was too direct; she suspected that George’s identity had already been exposed.
Perhaps there were five hundred executioners hiding in the garden, and if George’s reply was unsatisfactory, the egg-faced beauty would smash her cup, and five hundred executioners would rush into the parlor simultaneously.
The egg-faced beauty raised her teacup and asked, “Then if that group of filthy, lazy, and morally depraved slaves, along with the poor, formed a rabble, heading toward the noble district, burning, robbing, and killing, but were blocked by soldiers, who would you help?”
George was silent for a moment and said, “I would try to restore order, punish those who take advantage of the situation, and impose a curfew.”
“You didn’t say which side you stand on.” The egg-faced beauty drank her tea. “Standing in the middle of the road, one is easily run over by a cart.”
“I stand on the side of order.”
“Even if Lisi becomes your wife, wouldn’t you be unwilling to confront the rabble?” The egg-faced beauty seemed somewhat disappointed as she asked.
“I will not marry.”
“Take your time. Having a pleasant experience is also good, even if it’s just eloping.” The egg-faced beauty said, “As long as you protect her safety, I would be satisfied.”
George opened his mouth but said nothing. He gave Jima a look, and Jima said, “My master has used up his 140 words for today.”
“Such a pity; I wanted to continue discussing values with George.” The egg-faced beauty smiled, “I’ve noticed he seems to have too much irrational sympathy for slaves and the poor; he should go to the slums and see the greed, sins, and laziness of those at the bottom for himself.”
George shook his head.
Jima translated: “He says you are high and mighty, unaware of the sufferings of the world.”
“I have personally experienced the baseness of the poor,” the egg-faced beauty said. “Over twenty years ago, the great noble thought of everyone in the city and sealed off the plague-stricken area. The great noble’s daughter, overwhelmed by unrealistic compassion, wanted to assist that group of poor people, and after going in, found out deeply. Indeed, the reason the poor are poor is that they are lazy, stupid, and greedy. If they were just a bit more diligent, how could they end up as poor? They deserve it. Afterward, she published a book called ‘The Poor Who Refused Virtue.’”
Jima felt there was something off about the way she spoke. Why did she refer to herself as “the great noble’s daughter” instead of using “I”?
George didn’t reply, and there was a touch of disgust in his gaze.
“Though there are some differences in our views, I believe love can bridge this small gap,” the egg-faced beauty smiled.
George shook his head and gave Jima a look.
Jima said: “My master means that he already has a childhood sweetheart, who is both generous and beautiful. He also has an elf lover, whose legs are long and beautiful. He doesn’t lack for pretty girls—”
Just as Jima was about to continue, she was interrupted by a tap on the head from George.
However, the egg-faced beauty paid no mind, covering her mouth as she laughed, “You look quite beautiful when you’re jealous. George is really lucky.”
“Not at all! I’m just stating facts!”
“I have some things to attend to in the garden. I’ll give you some time to discuss.”
With that, the egg-faced beauty stood up and walked toward the door behind the two of them, opening it and gently closing it.
As the sound of the door closing echoed, Jima whispered, “I’ve guessed the true purpose of the egg-faced beauty.”
“What is it?”
