Lena and Rocky were strolling down the banks of the river in the moonlight. A soft breeze fanned them
gently when it grew too humid. As they walked, they saw many people float boat lanterns down the
river, on which their wishes were written.
Lena looked back at Rocky, pursed her lips and then led him towards the edge of the bank. It seemed
that something was weighing heavily on her mind.
Rocky quietly observed her as she bought a boat lantern from a peddler. She tucked her hair behind
her ear and began writing something on its side.
"Are you making a wish?" Rocky came nearer. "Don't you dare sneak a look!" Lena instantly hid the
boat lantern behind her back.
"Oh, come on! It can't be anything that serious," Rocky said curiously. Lena seemed to be too
protective of it.
"Please buy me a festive lantern over there. Make sure it's the most beautiful one." Lena took a silver
coin from her waist pocket and tucked it into Rocky's left hand. Then she nudged his elbow. Glancing
back at her, Rocky shrugged his shoulders and went off to fulfill her request.
When Rocky came back from buying a colorful lantern, he saw Lena standing at the riverbank,
watching the boat lanterns flowing through the river in front of her. She looked rather morose and bitter.
'What has happened to Lena?' Rocky wondered to himself and approached her.
Looking earnestly into his eyes, Lena said seriously, "Basil, I have something to say…"
"Yes?" Rocky nodded his head in reply. 'Is she going to declare her undying love for me?' Rocky
thought to himself.
Lena walked down along the bank of the river, Rocky closely following her. A few minutes later, they
had reached a row of willow trees. A cool breeze from the river fanned their robes languidly.
"Basil, please keep in mind what I told you today, because I won't say it a second time. I would never
dare ask for something which is out of your reach. But today you must agree to one thing," Lena told
Rocky seriously. Her eyes were sparkling with love and passion, her face glowing in the moonlight.
"Just say the word, Lena. I am willing to put my life on the line every day for you. I would even agree to
one hundred things!" Rocky swore, expressing his loyalty.
"You don't need to say that. All you have to do is to take care of yourself, since you are going to be the
son-in-law of Ximen Clan. And you will become an independent man of virtue. You need to stand tall
and never back down. But first of all, please do take care of yourself!" Lena said, her voice trembling,
as she gazed at the festive lanterns on the river.
"What do you mean, Lena? You think I'm not capable of doing such things already?" Rocky's forehead
knotted in a frown.
"I know you are repulsed by the idea of marrying Shirley. It's expected that you will at least try to
decline the arranged marriage made by your father," Lena replied, gazing back at Rocky. She seemed
to have read his mind.
"True. A bad marriage is worse than none. I'd rather be single all my life than be married to that horrid
woman. I was planning on asking you to plead my case with His Majesty," Rocky said lowly, shaking his
head with a grimace at the thought of marrying such a nasty person.
"All I want you to do is to marry Shirley," Lena said with a grim face.
"What are you talking about? Are you insane?" Rocky was stunned into silence. His shock rooted him
to the spot. He had never expected that Lena would demand that he promise to do this! Before their
evening tryst, Lena had been staunchly opposed to the arranged marriage. Was she throwing some
sort of peculiar tantrum?
"You must marry her. Once you do that, you will achieve supremacy over anyone in the Holy Dragon
Empire!" Lena explained with certainty.
"Why did you want me to marry her? Just for that nonsensical power?" Rocky's heart sank when he
heard Lena's explanation. "It's for your own good and for the good of the future of the Holy Dragon
Empire. You have to remember that defying your father will only end in tragedy for you. His Majesty has
placed high hopes in you. If you let him down, it would be disastrous. Even if you're his flesh and blood,
and his son, don't forget that he had no trouble removing your status as a prince!" Lena said
adamantly, staring at Rocky with a solemn expression. It was obvious that her statements were backed
by the one-on-one meeting she had had with the emperor. It was during this meeting that the emperor
had implicitly criticized Basil for his whimsical and irresponsible character.
"Listen to me! I am not the man I was. I have a right to determine my own future. There will be nothing
serious if I am not a prince." Rocky rolled his eyes, laughing coldly. Lena's face darkened.
"Don't talk nonsense! It's not as simple as you might think. Don't you know why His Majesty demoted
you to commoner status? For the sake of Consort Karen, His Majesty was secretly helping you and the
force of the Holy Dragon Bead which fused with your body. His Majesty also has sowed a terrible seed.
At present it has sprouted!" Lena shook her head and sighed.
"What are you talking about!?" asked Rocky. He was completely baffled by Lena's explanation. He had
totally been in the dark about the new plan, which had caught him in the crossfire between the royal
family and the major clan forces.
"The royal arranged marriage has always been made to contain the forces of the major clans in the
Holy Dragon Empire. The Ximen Clan is the only one that has the ability and strength to confront the
royal family. A few years ago, His Majesty had originally made an arranged marriage for Alston and
Shirley. Because Shirley was too young at that time, the head of the Ximen Clan therefore declined this
marriage. His Majesty had no choice but to make a casual arranged marriage for Alston and one of the
girls of the Ji Clan. However, in recent years, the powerful Ximen Clan have been at the height of their
popularity. Slowly, they've become quite a trial to His Majesty. Since then, His Majesty seemed to be
doing nothing, but actually he was just biding his time…" Lena hesitated. She was unwillingly telling the
truth about Rocky's peculiar predicament. He was in a tough spot, where there would be pressure from
all sides.
"So, my father made an arranged marriage for me solely for the purpose of containing the Ximen Clan.
Why me? Why couldn't he have made an arranged marriage for the other princes?" Rocky asked, with
a deep frown on his face. "I am not the only prince of the royal family. Why did he choose me, of all
people?"
"Unfortunately, except for Alston, all the other princes have an average intelligence and strength. Up to
the present day none of these feckless and irresponsible princes have ever reached the level of the
Heavenly Stage. Even if His Majesty offered one of them in marriage, Bryant would decline it under the
pretext of the groom not being suitable and strong enough. Bryant would never subject his
granddaughter to that," Lena explained simply, frowning. "You had fused the force of the Holy Dragon
Bead in the ritual, and His Majesty was filled with hope for your potential. That's exactly why His
Majesty allowed you to be trained at the dragon field, in the capacity of a royal spirit manipulator.
Otherwise, at that time, His Majesty would have stripped you of your prince's rights along with the force
of the Holy Dragon Bead!"
"It's very clear that His Majesty reinstated my title solely for the purpose of containing the Ximen Clan.
What a crafty plan!" Rocky laughed coldly, shaking his head. He had entertained the idea that perhaps
the emperor was merely conscience-driven and was missing him. But the fact showed that Rocky
himself was foolishly sentimental.
"If you hadn't reached the level of the Earthly Stage… If you hadn't fused the force of the Holy Dragon
Bead in your body… It's a great pity that things have happened this way, Basil. I thought that perhaps
His Majesty reinstated your prince-hood for the sake of your mother. But when he decided to call for an
arranged marriage for you and Shirley, I finally figured out that all his motivations were solely for the
purpose of containing the major clan forces. After all, as an emperor, His Majesty has to give top
priority to the overall situation and the overall interests of the Holy Dragon Empire!" Lena said sadly,
her eyes shining with tears. This very reason was precisely why she had given an implicit warning to
Rocky not to act recklessly, as she knew his tendencies.
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