"Ah, Earl!"
"Hello, Earl Albert."
When Lock appeared at the venue, the surrounding nobles all smiled and greeted him warmly.
Regardless of whether they knew him or not, facing the most sought-after figure in the Royal Capital at the moment, actively building a relationship with him was absolutely the right move.
Not to mention, some of them had already joined the Golden Princess's faction, making them 'their own people' with Lock.
Lock walked on the red carpet, smiling and nodding to the people around him in response.
This was what he disliked about noble parties; there was too much hypocrisy. Don't be fooled by these nobles who are now smiling and flattering him; once he shows any sign of weakness, they will be the first to stab him in the back.
Without getting too entangled with these people, Lock moved forward, ascending the steps of the staircase.
On the landing of the stairs, Ramposa III was already standing, dressed in royal attire and wearing a crown, with Princess Lana, elegantly dressed, by his side.
It had to be said that the renowned Golden Princess was indeed exceptionally beautiful, especially after putting on her white engagement dress, which added a touch of holiness, making one feel an urge to protect this delicate young woman.
Lock stepped onto the platform and bowed to Ramposa III, "His Majesty the King!"
"You've arrived, Lock," Ramposa III said like an ordinary old man, a benevolent smile on his face, as if he genuinely treated Lock as his son-in-law, inspiring a great deal of goodwill.
If this young man truly loved his daughter and wasn't marrying Lana for political reasons, then as her father, he could more confidently entrust Lana into his hands.
Ramposa III sighed inwardly with a hint of regret.
But he quickly composed himself, and after Lock moved to his side, the Old King took a step forward, facing the kingdom's nobles and their wives and daughters below the platform.
"Distinguished elites of the kingdom, I, as king and as a father, thank you for attending the engagement ceremony of my daughter, the Golden Princess."
"My Lana is about to be united with the valiant Earl Lock Kote Albert, a member of the Albert Family. This Earl once helped my Warrior Captain sweep away the Empire's rogue soldiers at the border, protecting the kingdom's people from harm. Furthermore, he won the Royal Tournament, proving his bravery, and even rescued my daughter from a ferocious monster tide. Such achievements lead me to conclude that this is a young man worthy of trust!" Ramposa III recounted Lock's deeds with an impassioned tone, focusing only on the positive aspects, and not mentioning a single word about his secret acts of building up his own forces and threatening the royal family.
The nobles below cooperatively let out exclamations of awe. Everyone knew this was merely a carefully rehearsed play, and they were all actors in it, only needing to play their roles well.
"Therefore, I need all of you as witnesses! Today, I bestow my daughter, Lana, upon Earl Lock Kote Albert!
Ramposa III solemnly declared, then looked to his left and right, extending his hands to Lock and Lana.
Lock cooperatively walked to the Old King's front, standing directly opposite Princess Lana on the other side.
The Old King gently took both their hands, then placed them together, and said to Lock, "Earl Lock, I entrust my daughter to you. Please treat her well."
"As you command, His Majesty the King," Lock responded like an oath to the Old King's words, yet his heart remained unmoved, even feeling a bit uninspired.
But upon hearing his words, the Old King seemed to let go of a heavy burden, sighing in relief.
At the same time, he also released his arms that had been enveloping the hands of the two newlyweds, allowing Lana's small hand, clad in a white silk glove, to fall into Lock's grasp.
Through the thin silk, Lock could still feel the softness of that small hand. He took out a pre-prepared jewel ring from his pocket and placed it on Lana's finger.
"Let us cheer for the newlyweds!"
Once the ceremony was complete, Ramposa III loudly announced to the nobles below the stage.
The entire hall immediately erupted in a unified cheer, and the nobles clapped enthusiastically, offering their blessings to Lock and Lana.
At the entrance of the grand hall, Climb looked at Princess Lana, who had a shy, blissful expression on her face. Although his heart was filled with mixed emotions, he still offered a smile of blessing.
As long as Her Royal Highness was happy, he would support any decision she made.
As a guard for tonight's engagement party, his work was just beginning. Although no one would dare to disturb Earl Lock's engagement ceremony, he still had to ensure the smooth running of the party.
His light green eyes swept across the entire hall, taking in all the nobles attending the party as objects of his attention, diligently performing his duty as a guard.
After the engagement ceremony was completed, it was time for celebration.
Lock, as the main character, needed to converse with each of the attending nobles, thanking them for their presence, while Lana walked alongside him, holding his arm. This was destined to be a tiring task.
Amidst the clinking of glasses, Lock had already walked around the grand hall with Lana, and the entire venue was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Then, as the music began, the nobles invited their partners to the dance floor, performing the Royal Kingdom's court dance.
Lock and Lana, naturally, were no exception. The center of the dance floor was reserved for them, and as the court music swelled, the two embraced.
Lock's right hand rested on her slender waist, and a soft sensation was transmitted through, accompanied by a unique fragrance that wafted into his nostrils.
"I think I forgot to say something, so I'll say it now. You look very beautiful today, Lana." Lock said with a faint smile.
As an elegant gentleman, even if he didn't particularly like it, he had to say this polite phrase to his dance partner, especially since Lana was also his fiancée today.
"Thank you, Earl," Lana replied with a captivating smile and a soft voice, "This is a rare opportunity. May I ask you a question?"
"Ask away."
"The Earl seems to like Lakyus very much. I wonder why? Is it her beauty?" Lana asked, looking directly into Lock's eyes with curiosity.
Today, she had learned from Lakyus that Lock had once again extended an invitation to Blue Rose, and Lakyus had sought her opinion. Lana, already under Lock's influence, naturally did her best to facilitate the matter.
However, this also sparked a question in her mind. While Blue Rose's strength was considerable, that was only in comparison to ordinary people.
Leaving aside everything else, even Climb, who had undergone a complete transformation, could now steadily defeat all members of Blue Rose except for Ibiruei.
Although Lana had only learned about Climb's situation afterward, this also proved one thing: it was not difficult for Lock to cultivate a subordinate who surpassed the realm of heroes.
So, was Blue Rose truly worth Lock's two invitations?
Lana felt that the key point still lay with her close friend, Lakyus. And if there was anything about Lakyus worth paying attention to, it was certainly not her strength.
Considering that Earl Lock was a man, what could have attracted him to Lakyus was probably only her appearance.
However, Lana, confident that she was not much inferior to Lakyus in terms of looks, had not received the same level of attention, which made her feel a little resentful.
"More or less," Lock admitted directly without pretense. "As a normal man, it's not strange to like beautiful women."
"It shouldn't just be that, should it? What else about her attracts you?"
Lock's eyes shifted slightly, falling on Lana's faintly smiling face. "You're asking why you and she receive completely different treatment from me, aren't you? Actually, there's nothing strange about it. I admit that perhaps purely in terms of appearance, you might be a little stronger than her. It's just a pity that she possesses a quality that you do not."
"What quality is that?"
"Purity," Lock's lips curved slightly. "I'm talking about purity of heart. Although on the surface you appear to embody all the virtues a human should have—kindness, wisdom, friendliness, loveliness—the darkness hidden within your heart is something I strongly dislike. Perhaps this is due to your environment, or perhaps it's your innate personality, but dislike is dislike, and I won't hide it for any reason."
"...How did you know? I had no contact with you before this," Lana asked, slightly silent for a moment, unable to comprehend.
In response, Lock looked mysterious and said, as if joking, "If I told you I could see through a person's heart at a glance, would you believe me?"
Lana seemed to understand something, a brilliant smile appearing on her face. "I see. I'm a little envious of Lakyus now, to have earned your favor."
Lock said nothing more and, guided by Lana, entered the melody of the next dance.
Although he had also learned some court dances, he was a bit rusty since he rarely used them. However, with his strong physical abilities and the guidance of Princess Lana, who was skilled in dancing, he managed to dance quite respectably, avoiding any embarrassment.
The two slowly immersed themselves in the music, performing an excellent dance together.
The surrounding nobles were gradually drawn in by their passionate dancing, disrupting the rhythm of their own dances, and then discreetly exited the dance floor, becoming spectators.
When the song ended, only Lock and Lana remained standing in the center of the dance floor, surrounded by a round of enthusiastic applause.
---
A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San