Book 3 Chapter 7.4 - Night
This was Persephone's birthday evening party, so almost everyone knew about Su and Persephone's relationship. However, the young ladies here were mostly children of great families. They were young, flamboyant, and unbridled, not attaching much importance to Persephone, or perhaps at the least didn't fear her. In their opinion, if they could seize Su as their guardian, then that would be the best, and their families would definitely support them as well. Even if they couldn't, having a taste of him wasn't bad either.
After all, this was an era flooded with desires.
Su moved two more steps to the side, but he found that the amount of space he had was becoming less and less. Unless he used his abilities to move out of the way, he was going to be squished right between these two girls. However, in this evening banquet, using any type of ability that transcended the category of ordinary humans was considered a major disrespect and provocation towards all of the major figures here; this was something that the old woman had advised him seriously again and again. If there weren't these type of restrictions, superior sight and imaging abilities like long range sensation and transparent surveillance weren't exclusive to Su, so if someone used this type of ability on Persephone or other respected ladies, action would inevitably be taken.
Right when Su was about to fall into a hopeless situation, the body of the girl on the left was already almost sticking to his. Her body was incredibly hot, and she was not hiding the fact that there were no undergarments underneath her thin evening dress at all. Su could clearly feel an extremely well rounded, supple and soft object rubbing back and forth against his left arm. The protrusion at the tip was already hard, so he could clearly feel it on his skin.
"Young ladies, could you let me pass?" Su respectfully asked.
"Lieutenant Commander Su, won't you invite us for a drink?" The reply he received wasn't the one he wanted.
At this moment, Su suddenly sensed eyes rest on his body. He turned around, just in time to see Persephone who was surrounded by a group of people look over. However, she didn't look like she was going to help Su out of his predicament at all, instead almost undetectably winking her eyes before turning around to welcome an elder that had just walked into this hall.
"Dear Uncle William, your distinguished self came too?" A genuine smile appeared on Persephone's face as she gently embraced this calm and ordinary looking old man in a friendly manner.
The elder named William laughed and said, "Phoney, how could you not let me know about such a lively event? I had to rush over in the afternoon, fortunately, I did not come too late. I wasn't even able to prepare proper formal attire!"
The elder laughed in a straightforward and unrestrained manner, causing the atmosphere in this hall to become a bit strange. The guests all moved to the side on their own, giving the elder and Persephone a bit of space. Everyone's expressions were extremely serious, with no one joining in on this old man's hearty laughter.
After laughing loudly a few times, the old man then said, "This time, I didn't come alone. That useless nephew of mine came too, saying that he still wants to see you. I already told him a long time ago that no matter what kind of methods he uses, of course, the best being forceful methods, directly pushing you down on bed, then I would give him the qualifications of the rank one successor, and simultaneously give you the number two position. As for your father and those other Arthur family old fellows, I'll take care of it all. If it comes down to it, I'll just stake this old life of mine on the line." He didn't even blink his eyes when he spoke the words 'forceful methods', and his tone when speaking didn't change in the slightest.
Persephone smiled extremely brilliantly, as if his words weren't inappropriate in the slightest. It was almost as if she treated the elder's words purely as praise. "Uncle William, I've always been giving him opportunities! It's just that in the past few years, his luck seems to be a bit bad."
The elder laughed. Suddenly, he shouted loudly, "We are talking about you! What are you still standing outside for?"
A man who was so calm that he seemed a bit slow walked in front of Persephone. Slightly bending his body at the waist, he said in a refined and courteous voice, "Long time no see, beautiful miss Persephone. I wonder if you've already forgotten about me."
Persephone replied with a perfect attitude, saying, "It hasn't even been a year since we last met, so how could I have forgotten the renowned General Rudolph?"
The words Persephone and the elder exchanged were astonishing, but both of them seemed easygoing and natural as they spoke. The faces of the guests in the hall changed slightly. These individuals' ages varied from old to young, with men and women included, but the trait they all shared was the rough and valiant aura that exuded from their bodies. They were all dragonriders that came from the northern battlefield, so they were clearly different from Dragon City's dragonriders that paid more attention to appearance and etiquette. These were all individuals that had been won over by Persephone's charm and accomplishments after endless battles. Following the death and injury of two great knights, the Holy Crusaders suffered heavy losses and pulled back their battlefronts, giving up many strategic locations and greatly improving the northern battlefront's situation. It was only because of this that they had the chance to follow Persephone back to Dragon City and do some sightseeing.
At this moment, the elder's eyes stared brightly at Persephone, unknown whether his passionate gaze contained kindness or something else. He didn't seem to care what everyone else here felt at all and directly said, "Now that you have already reached rock bottom with the Arthur family, you might as well become my adopted daughter! I'll directly appoint you the position of rank one successor, so when I die, the family will be yours. However, there is one condition, and it is that the inheriting family must possess the original family's bloodline."
When the old man spoke this sentence, the guests couldn't tend to etiquette at all. They immediately erupted with discussion.
Sivanberg William, the current family master of the William family, was an iron-blooded figure that had kept his word for the past twenty years. With his skills and control over the family, to other families, something like appointing an outsider to inherit the William family would seem outrageous, but for him, it might very well become a reality. Towards this proposal, those that were opposed to it definitely occupied the majority, but no one would dare bring it up. They wouldn't even reveal the slightest bit of disagreement, at least not while he was still alive.
Persephone released a faint smile that seeped into the hearts of everyone present. She gave Rudolph who was standing completely expressionless on the side a look before asking, "Uncle sees too much in me. Does your distinguished self not fear that the William family's members might be opposed to this?"
The old man laughed loudly and said, "Their opposition is useless!"
Persephone's eyes swirled with radiance. With a sweet smile, she said, "Then is your esteemed self's intention for me to select Rudolph as a guardian or to select someone else from the William family?"
Sivanberg shook his head and said, "That isn't an absolute necessity. On the topic of men, I won't restrict you. You can even bring Su in. If he is willing, he can also join the family."
"Such good conditions?" Persephone's eyes lit up, as if she was already starting to become tempted.
The old man playfully scolded, "When have I ever gone back on my word? Alright, you youngsters have some fun. I finally came all the way to Dragon City, so I'm going to find some old fellas to chat with. Rudolph, you should just stay here."
This short episode quickly passed, but this event that was nothing different from an underwater missile made it hard for the minds of Dragon City's distinguished individuals to calm down. O'Brien was standing by a window, gently swaying the wine glass in his hand at a constant rhythm. However, those with powerful eyesight would discover that O'Brien's hand was trembling ever so slightly.
What exactly was Sivanberg trying to do?