Shirley stood hesitantly in front of the royal marriage contract. She actually did not want to marry, not to
mention that she despised the man she was going to marry. But it was a political marriage which was
vital to secure the position of the Ximen Clan. The fate of the whole Clan was now tightly connected to
her marriage. If she refused to sign the royal marriage contract, it would be equivalent to defying the
imperial order. Shirley understood the situation and felt very disturbed. She was stuck in a dilemma.
"Shirley..." Bryant who stood beside Shirley could tell that his granddaughter was hesitating so he
reminded her immediately. As much as he did not want to sacrifice his granddaughter's marriage for
political purposes, he had no other choice but to accept this royal marriage contract to marry Shirley to
Rocky because it would be the only way Shirley could ever succeed in leading the Ximen Clan.
Otherwise, without the support from the royal family, it would be very difficult for Shirley to do that. They
did not seem to have any other choice. All in all, it was a win-win marriage. On one hand, to the royal
family, this contract could serve as a way to keep their eyes on the Ximen Clan. On the other, Bryant
wanted to clear the way for his granddaughter to succeed the Ximen Clan through the support of the
royal family. Both parties would get what they need out of this contract. Without a doubt, it was
beneficial to both parties.
"Don't worry. I know what I have to do." Shirley knew her grandfather was urging her to finish the
signature. She pouted then signed her name on the royal marriage contract with her beautiful
penmanship.
The two royal marriage contracts were switched between Rocky and Shirley. Their signatures were
then requested on each contract one final time. Now, the two copies of the contracts with the
signatures of both parties were then presented to the emperor.
The emperor reviewed for a few seconds then gave out an order to bring the imperial seal of the Holy
Dragon Empire. Both copies of the royal marriage contracts were stamped with the imperial seal which
signaled the finalization of the engagement. Afterwards, the contract would also be manifested publicly
for the good news to be shared nationwide. No matter which party ever decided to break the
engagement, the party in question would be a standing joke to the entire Holy Dragon Empire.
"If there isn't anything else, I would like to have your permission to withdraw." Even if Rocky signed his
name on the contract, he was in an awfully bad mood. He knew that his duty had been fulfilled. There
shouldn't be anything else that required his participation so he bowed discreetly to His Majesty and left.
'Basil, I know it's hard for you but you have to stay strong. Don't ever try to give up at any point.' Lena
thought as she saw Rocky left the Hall in a bad mood the moment he finished the signature. Her
delicate hands clenched in worry.
"He doesn't even have his manners," Alston sneered as he watched Rocky walked out of the Hall. But
now that Rocky and Shirley had signed the marriage contract, it also meant that they were now allies.
The uneasiness he felt about their alliance intensified.
On the other hand, Shirley gazed spitefully at the back of Rocky who was now walking out of the Hall.
She did not like him at all. She despised him so much that she even wished to see his dead body lying
inside a coffin the next time they met.
Out of the desire to let off his bad mood, Rocky began to run crazily after he got out of the Grand Holy
Hall. Propelled by his Earthly Stage power, he could run at lightning speed. Only a few moments later,
he was completely out of their sight.
He immersed in his mood of self-pity and ran around aimlessly like a wild beast. As he raced ahead,
the sceneries on his two sides kept rushing backwards. He ran so fast that he created a strong wind
which blew his robe into a swollen balloon. He wanted so hard to find his lost self in the whiz of wind...
After Rocky gave his all to get rid of his sorrow in that crazy run, he stopped as he sweated all over. He
found himself in front of the gate of the dragon field.
"How did I end up being here?" Rocky raised his eyebrows in confusion. He chose to walk inside since
he was already there. He immediately caught sight of the young men drilling at the dragon field. Just a
few days ago, like these young men, he was among the many newly promoted royal spirit manipulators
who trained in this very space. But now, he had reached a cultivation base at the Earthly Stage as the
Prince Basil. The qualitative gap had already been made. He had greatly exceeded the young men he
used to train with.
As soon as Rocky was spotted by the young men in the drilling field, they began to gossip about him.
Mia who was supervising the drill at the moment wondered who was there to grab her spotlight. So she
looked towards the same direction as the young men did.
"What is he doing in here?" Mia was surprised to see that the guy was Rocky because she was there
when the emperor ordered the marriage for Rocky and Shirley. She reckoned that as a soon-to-be son-
in-law of the Ximen Clan, he must be busy preparing plenty of things and should not have the time to
wander around.
"Resume what you are doing..." Mia scolded the young men before she approached Rocky.
Having seen Mia walking straight towards him, Rocky pursed his mouth and smiled to himself.
"What are you doing in here, Your Royal Highness..." Mia intentionally emphasized the 'Royal
Highness' in order to tease him for his ascendance to the royal family.
"Nothing in particular. I was just too bored to go elsewhere. Am I no longer allowed in here?" Rocky
could not help but smile at Mia.
"How do you still have the time to feel bored? I know that you are going to be the son-in-law of the
Ximen Clan. You should be as busy as a bee," Mia discerned there was something odd in how Rocky
looked so she asked in confusion.
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