A clan who had its private estates in the Holy Dragon Empire meant that it not only had a regional
jurisdiction of an area, but also was allowed to recruit troops and form its own forces. For example, the
Ximen Clan and other large clans of Holy Dragon Empire all had their own estates and armies and held
respective influences in the empire. Of course, the prerequisite for anyone to acquire an estate was
gaining the absolute trust of the emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire. Without this one thing, one would
never be officially offered an estate. The emperor had a deep-seated fear that anyone with a private
army would try to stage a revolt. Gradually, by relying on his strong army, he might become
domineering and disobey or even try to overthrow the emperor's rule. If that happened, it would be a
nightmare for the emperor. It was because of this paranoia that the emperor seldom offered anyone an
estate.
So, when the emperor announced that he would bestow an estate upon Prince Basil, it also indicated
that he trusted him most among all his sons.
"Your Majesty, I think the matter of offering an estate to Prince Basil still needs to be discussed further.
After all, he's still quite young and I'm afraid it will be tedious for him to take on such a heavy
responsibility," Priest Dean immediately advised. He was determined to stop the growth of Rocky's
power, knowing that Rocky might take revenge for the times that he had been unkind to him. What
puzzled him most was why the emperor's attitude towards Rocky had changed dramatically. Was it just
because of Rocky's outstanding performance at the Dragon Birth Festival? To an extent, his guess was
correct, but there were many other reasons as well.
Other officials also seconded Priest Dean's advice, one after another.
"I also have considered that. I'm thinking of arranging a royal marriage for him. Basil has to get married
before he can obtain the estate. Those are the terms of my offer. Once he gets married and settles
down, he will naturally shoulder all the responsibility," the emperor said seriously. He was not making a
hasty decision to offer his son an estate. As the emperor, he had to be cautious about any of his
decisions.
As soon as the officials heard the emperor's words, they breathed a sigh of relief at the realization that
the emperor's offer would be very conditional indeed.
"Your Majesty, may I ask whom you are eyeing to become Prince Basil's betrothed?" Priest Dean asked
hesitantly. Usually, a royal marriage was a union between the major clans of the Holy Dragon Empire.
He had to find out which clan would gain the support of Rocky and would stand behind him in turn.
"The Ximen Clan," the emperor said simply and narrowed his eyes. He was waiting for his officials'
comments. He knew they would have a lot to say about his arrangement.
The officials including Priest Dean and other princes were quite started, to say the least.
As the largest clan of the Holy Dragon Empire, the Ximen Clan was quite influential, its grasp extending
to nearly all corners of the kingdom. Its power was beyond comparison and other clans typically did not
dare challenge it. Among ten of the Holy Dragon Empire's royal spirit manipulators, there was one from
the Ximen Clan. Thus, it could be seen that the status of the Ximen Clan in the Holy Dragon Empire
was so high that it was far beyond the scope of ordinary people.
Moreover, the Sky Army led by General Bryant of the Ximen Clan was the strongest and the best elite
army of the Holy Dragon Empire. It was an invincible force and was known for terrifying countless
enemies on the battlefield before the war even began. The Ximen Clan was consequently one of the
most important pillars of the Holy Dragon Empire, if not the most prolific one. If they changed their
allegiance and stopped being loyal to the emperor, they could try to overthrow his rule and throw the
Holy Dragon Empire into a chaotic, bloody mess.
But the Ximen Clan was well-known for their loyalty to the Holy Dragon Empire for generations past. All
the members of the clan had pledged their allegiance to the royal family and had never been suspected
of any disloyalty.
The reason for the startled looks that the officials wore was primarily because of the Ximen Clan's high
status in the Holy Dragon Empire. If the emperor arranged a marriage between Rocky and a daughter
of the Ximen Clan, Rocky would become the son-in-law of the Ximen Clan and gain the clan's loyalty.
Without any question, it would be a very terrible thing for those who had crossed Rocky. With the power
of the Holy Dragon Bead and his marriage into the most powerful clan, no one in the Holy Dragon
Empire would dare to belittle him. He would have so much power at his fingertips! Naturally, anyone
who had been Rocky's enemy would want to stop the arranged marriage.
"The Ximen Clan? But Your Majesty, I don't remember there being any eligible woman from the clan..."
Priest Dean asked, a little confused.
"Of course there is! Doesn't it have a young lady? The granddaughter of General Bryant! If I remember
right, she is also the most talented royal spirit manipulator of the Ximen Clan to have lived in recent
decades," the emperor replied at once.
"Your majesty, are you talking about Shirley?" Lena asked, feeling rather stunned.
"Yeah, I mean her. I think she is the best choice. She is about the same age as Basil. And they have a
similar background. Their marriage would be a perfect match!" the emperor nodded, apparently greatly
satisfied with this arrangement.
'Shirley? Isn't she that mean and aggressive girl with a flat figure? Basil's father is going to marry her to
me? How can anyone stand her bad temper? He must be kidding! Geez!' Rocky's thoughts raced. He
grimaced a little. He had suffered great pain when Shirley had lost her temper and hit him so hard. It
had been a shameful experience. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he'd be forced to marry her!
As soon as other people present heard that the emperor planned to marry Shirley to Rocky, their
expressions looked rather peculiar.
They all knew a lot about Shirley, a young and tough lady. Although she looked gorgeous, with her
long, muscular legs, she was also fond of dressing rather masculine. She was also known for her fiery
temper. A good number of princes and aristocrats had suffered a lot when they tried to chase after her
and learned that her temper was easy to be stoked. Most of them avoided her as much as they could.
Of course, there were some of them who just wouldn't give up after their suffering and continued to
chase after her. But they all met a miserable end just the same.
Apart from that, Shirley always acted in undue confidence and looked down upon her peers. Her
confidence was built on her outstanding talent as a spirit manipulator, coupled with her identity as the
granddaughter of General Bryant. Even more, she was so arrogant that she refused to be courteous to
the young men from the royal family. Although countless men showed great interest in her, they were
all eventually driven away by her aloof and superior characters. Gradually, she turned into their dream
girl, and only as far as that.
So, the officials on the spot all believed that if Rocky married Shirley, he would probably suffer a lot. Of
course, Rocky himself was thinking the same. But just as he was about to refuse the emperor's
proposal, he heard a tender voice ring out abruptly, "I object."
It was totally unexpected that this opposition had come from Lena, the nineteenth generation witch of
the Holy Dragon Empire.
If Rocky raised an objection, it would be understandable. However, Lena's objection was pretty
strange, because the arranged marriage didn't have anything to do with her.
She had spoken impulsively, blurting it out. She couldn't be more aware of Shirley's bad temper. She
believed that if Rocky married Shirley, then he would be bullied by her every day. She had to come to
his defense! There was also a secret reason that she had to speak for him. Since she had been
growing up with Rocky, she always had a particular concern for him. Lena was in denial, but her
feelings for him were deep.
"Lena, why do you object?" the emperor asked, a little bit surprised. Like others, he also thought it was
odd for Lena to object to his arrangement.
Rocky himself, too, thought it was odd. He thought, 'Maybe Lena likes me, so she doesn't want me to
marry Shirley.'
"Because..." Lena cast a glance at Rocky and responded seriously, "Basil's strength has just reached
the Earthly Stage. The most important thing for him now is to try his best to improve his strength. If he
diverts his attention to married life, he will not be able to progress as quickly and efficiently as before. I
think it's better to put off the arranged marriage."
Upon hearing Lena's explanation, Rocky was a bit disappointed. It turned out that Lena was just
worried that the marriage might hinder his improvement in strength.
"The Witch made a good point. Yet, their marriage is still imperative," the emperor said and nodded. He
agreed with her reasoning, as it was also one of the many things he had taken into consideration. He
had taken many things into account when it came to the marriage of Shirley to Rocky.
Seeing the emperor's expression, Lena seemed to guess what he was thinking and became slightly
stunned, while her hand clenched a corner of her robe. If the emperor was really thinking like what she
was guessing, she would be more unwilling to see Rocky marry Shirley. Nevertheless, if the emperor
persisted in his idea and carried it out arbitrarily, she would be helpless. As a Witch of the Holy Dragon
Empire, she was not allowed to disobey the emperor.
"Your majesty, if it is for that consideration, I think Prince Basil was not the only choice. Other princes
are also qualified to be the possible candidates," Lena said at once after a moment's hesitation.
Although she knew it would be hard to persuade the emperor to give up the arrangement, she still
wanted to have a try.
"But, I'm afraid it has to be Basil this time," the emperor said in a firm tone. Meanwhile, he thought that
Lena showed excessive concern for Basil. He had to talk to her after the meeting. He had thought that
other officials might have a second opinion about his arrangement. But it never once occurred to him
that Lena would be the first one to object.
Lena frowned deeply and grew quiet. She had summoned all her courage to protect Rocky in her own
way. But obviously, she had failed.
When the several other princes and officials heard the puzzling exchange between the emperor and
Lena, they were completely confused. But they were smart enough not to ask further. If the emperor
chose not to say why in public, then it was no use probing.
'It's strange. I can sense that he seems to be hiding something from us...' Rocky thought, also feeling in
his gut a suspicious sense.
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