CHAPTER 615: THE KING’S ARRANGED MARRIAGE 6

TL: Rui88

Early in the morning, a dense clatter of horse hooves echoed through Binny Street, where the Alda legation was located.

A troop of riders on fine horses came to a stop directly in front of the Alda legation.

The guards on duty at the gate watched this scene in astonishment.

They were somewhat at a loss, because the flag flown by the troop was emblazoned with the emblem of the Ordo royal family.

Every horse in the troop was magnificent, and the knights riding them were all clad in exquisite armor that shone brilliantly in the morning light.

After the knights stopped, they surveyed the Alda legation before them with scrutinizing gazes.

“Excuse me, are you from the royal palace? What is your business here?”

One of the guards boldly stepped forward to inquire.

“Have Paul Grayman come out!”

A rather authoritative female voice rang out. Although the tone was very harsh, everyone who heard it guessed that the owner of the voice must be a great beauty.

Clop! Clop! Clop!

After a flurry of chaotic hoofbeats, the knights parted in the middle of their ranks to form a path.

A young woman, mounted on a white horse, dressed in a light green hunting suit, and wearing long boots, slowly emerged from the passage.

The young woman’s face was veiled with gauze, making it impossible to see her specific features, but from the large, clear-as-water eyes exposed to the outside, one could tell that the girl beneath the attire definitely matched the guess made based on her voice.

The white horse beneath the young woman trotted back and forth in front of the legation gate, snorting from its nostrils as if it too were provoking the guards.

This was clearly someone not to be trifled with. The helpless legation guard had no choice but to say:

“Please wait a moment, I will go in and announce you immediately.”

“Hurry up!”

The young woman shouted sharply. The expressions on the faces of her entourage of knights also froze, and they all fixed their gazes on the legation guard who was about to go in and report.

“Yes! I’ll go right away!”

The somewhat frightened legation guard quickly scurried away.

“Who is it?”

A loud shout came from inside. The person who ran out was Paul’s captain of the guard, Victor.

“Someone is looking for Lord Grayman.”

The guard reported truthfully, trembling.

Victor knitted his brows. He saw the royal flag flown by the troop.

Yesterday, the royal family had come to seek a marriage alliance with Lord Grayman, yet today they were so discourteous. Could something have changed?

Victor’s gaze fixed on the young woman in the middle of the troop.

She seemed to sense Victor’s attention and also turned her gaze towards him.

‘Hmm?’ Victor was startled. ‘Those eyes… I seem to have seen them somewhere before.’

The young woman slowly pulled down the veil covering her face, revealing her true appearance that had been hidden all along.

Victor’s eyes widened, and an expression of disbelief took over his face.

“Lady Dias?”

Yes, that face was clearly that of Betty Dias, who had already left the Northwest Bay.

“Long time no see, Victor.”

“Betty” also recognized the captain of the guard. Having frequently visited the lord’s residence in Lakeheart Town, she was naturally acquainted with Victor.

“However, perhaps you should use a different form of address for me…Eileen Rodney!”

“What?” Victor nearly bit his own tongue.

Wasn’t Eileen Rodney one of the former king’s two daughters?

Seeing him in a daze, Eileen reminded him, “Quickly have Paul come out to see me! I have something important to say to him!”

Her tone was filled with an unquestionable authority.

…

“Lord Grayman!”

An urgent shout from outside interrupted Paul’s reading.

He lifted his head. “What is it, Victor?”

Victor’s tone was filled with panic, an emotion rarely seen in the captain of the guard.

“Someone has visited our legation and issued a duel challenge to us… or rather, to you!”

“A duel?”

Paul’s ears perked up. “Did I hear that right? Someone challenged me to a duel?”

“Yes!” The captain of the guard nodded, confirming it without a doubt!

“Alright!” Paul said helplessly.

He had long known what a figure Catherine Rodney was in the hearts of the kingdom’s young male nobles.

He had also prepared himself for all kinds of harassment during this period.

“Oh! Victor, why didn’t you just chase that scoundrel away?”

“My lord, I couldn’t chase him away!”

“Insolent!” Paul was somewhat annoyed. “What’s the use of me bringing you, the captain of the guard, to Crystal Shine?”

Victor looked aggrieved. “Sigh, you’ll know when you go see for yourself.”

Paul, leading Victor, soon arrived at the main gate.

“Be-be-be… Betty?”

Looking at the delicate face on the white horse, Paul was dumbfounded. Wasn’t that his former Head of the Department of Education?

“Ahem!” Victor reminded Paul. “She is actually Princess Eileen Rodney.”

What? Betty is Princess Eileen Rodney?

Before he could even express his excitement at seeing an old acquaintance, Paul was plunged into shock.

With a clang of a sword being drawn from its scabbard, a longsword was suddenly thrown from Princess Eileen’s hand.

“Swish!”

The longsword plunged into the ground between the two of them.

Paul looked at the longsword, then at Eileen. “What do you mean by this?”

“Paul Grayman!”

Eileen shouted angrily, “You actually want to marry my sister?”

Uh… it was your brother who sent people…

Paul was about to explain, but was cut off by Eileen’s words.

“Then accept my challenge to a duel! Let’s see if you are worthy of marrying her!”

A duel? With you?

“Hahahaha!” Paul burst out laughing. “Betty… oh, it should be Princess Eileen, you’re not joking, are you?”

“I am not joking!” Eileen’s face was serious.

Victor, at the side, was a little panicked.

‘No way? Is the princess serious?’

He had just thought that “Lady Betty” was playing a joke on an old acquaintance.

…

Twenty minutes later, in the flat and spacious courtyard behind the legation, two people dressed in armor and holding wooden swords faced each other.

“Let’s get this straight, Eileen. I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a woman and a princess!”

“Heh heh, then bring your full strength!”

In the end, the two of them did not engage in a real duel. Given their respective statuses, even if they had agreed, their subordinates would not have.

So the swords in their hands were replaced with wooden ones.

Paul held his sword with both hands and sized up Eileen opposite him.

‘Hmph, hmph, truly overestimating herself.’

‘Perhaps you are usually quite lively and active, but you are still just a girl.’

“A delicate woman!”

Paul described Eileen with some contempt, though he only muttered it softly so no one could hear.

He slightly tensed his body, pushed off the ground with his feet, and charged at Eileen.

“Clack!”

A crisp clashing sound.

Eileen blocked Paul’s attack with the wooden sword in her hand.