At that moment, the royal members and ministers exchanged looks as they found that it was
reasonable for the two to get married soon. After all, the emperor didn't cancel the engagement even
though the public had thought that he had been dead before.
"I, Prince Basil, hereby declare that my engagement with Miss Shirley is invalid, effective immediately."
However, Rocky shocked the crowd as he deviated from people's expectations.
Everyone's minds were rattled as they heard this. In fact, they found that Rocky was being so bold to
declare that especially when Bryant, the chief of the Ximen Clan and Shirley's grandfather, was around.
"But, Your Royal Highness, is that the emperor's decision?" Bryant asked in a low voice as his face was
covered in shame.
"You heard me right, Chief Bryant. Miss Shirley and I are no longer engaged," Rocky said with firm
resolution as he looked into Bryant's eyes seriously.
Bryant trembled and became very furious when he heard Rocky's words, but as a man of honor, he
composed himself immediately. Instead of lashing out, he shot a confused glance at Rocky. This was
not what the emperor and he decided upon. He felt humiliated because Rocky announced it to
everyone without even discussing with him, or at least informing him in advance. He found it rude, and
he even suspected that Rocky deliberately made the Ximen Clan unable to back down with good grace
because of pressure.
Meanwhile, Marcia also sighed inwardly. Although she had expected that Rocky would turn down the
emperor's proposal, she still believed that it was better for him to inform Bryant beforehand to avoid
hurting his face. But now, it was too late for her to convince Rocky to do that.
However, Rocky thought about this carefully and considered what he thought was just and fair. He had
thought of discussing with Bryant, but he knew that there was a huge possibility that Bryant might
refuse. Thus, in order to force Bryant to agree, he decided to announce it to the public first and then
apologize to Bryant after. In his mind, making a hasty decision was the best way to resolve such a
situation involving marital engagements.
At the same time, everyone present saw the visible displeasure written all over Bryant's face. In fact,
they all felt that Rocky's announcement was a one-sided cancellation. If that were true, then things
would certainly become a little awkward. This might lead to a conflict between the Ximen Clan and the
royal family, affecting the current situation in the empire.
At once, Rocky turned to Bryant with a sincere expression and said, "Chief Bryant, I believe you know
why I made this decision better than anyone else."
Bryant furrowed his brows slightly. Deep in his heart, he knew and understood that Rocky didn't want
him to marry his granddaughter off just for the empire's sake. And from this aspect, he had to admit that
Rocky was braver than him. On the other hand, he was still annoyed that he was not prepared for any
of this to happen, simply because he was so sure that the two would get married. As a proud chief of
the largest clan in the Holy Dragon Empire and one of the Three Great Generals, he felt quite
embarrassed by such a blunt refusal in public.
"Since Your Royal Highness has made a decision, I have no other choice but agree." After finishing his
words, Bryant turned around and left in front of all these people.
"That would be all the announcements and nothing further. Help yourselves, please!" Rocky said to the
royal members and the ministers as his eyes followed Bryant's back.
Soon after, all the people also left in groups of threes or fives.
The next day, the announcements were made in black and white and were posted across various
boards in the entire Holy Dragon Empire. Since all the three announcements were so unexpected, it
was inevitable for some rumors to arise.
Although Rocky cancelled the engagement, the trouble it brought was still not over.
Later that day, a delicate figure rushed into the Crimson Palace in the most aggressive manner, which
gave both Sabina and Lucilla quite a shock. Immediately, both of them thought critically on how to solve
the problem at hand.
"Miss Shirley, what can I do for you?" Sabina asked at once.
The delicate figure was none other than Shirley, Rocky's former fiancee.
"So, where is he? Tell him that I am here, and I want to talk with him now!" Shirley shouted at the top of
her lungs in anger.
"Oh, you mean Basil? Sorry, but he's not here," Lucilla replied with a gentle smile.
"He's hiding from me, isn't he? Such a coward! He has to face me anyway," Shirley snorted, refusing to
believe that he wasn't there. She barged inside, but Rocky was nowhere to be found.
"He's not here. I'm telling the truth." Seeing the expression on Shirley's face, Sabina knew that she
must have come here for the announcement that Rocky made the day before.
"I'm patient. I can wait for him here. I just need to talk with him," Shirley huffed and sat down furiously.
"Miss Shirley, please listen to me. It's for your own good that he cancelled the engagement. As far as I
knew, he won't agree to marry you just for the sake of the Holy Dragon Empire. He thought that will
only bring you grievance if you do that," Lucilla comforted gently from the side.
"But, I don't want him to think for me. I have my own brain, thank you. My grandfather has already
prepared me for this. Screw that guy! He even cancelled the engagement without informing me
beforehand. Now I'm an abandoned woman, and I want to beat the hell out of him!" Shirley said bitterly.
Both Sabina and Lucilla could understand how she was feeling. Moreover, they thought that Shirley
was right about it. It was hard for her to accept that Rocky announced it without consulting her,
therefore, hurting her pride. But they also believed that Shirley would understand once she heard
Rocky's reason. After all, he had nothing but good intention for doing so.
"Basil said he would be back in a few days. It's okay if you want to wait here, and we're glad to have
you around," Sabina said to Shirley directly.
After thinking for a while, Shirley realized that Sabina was being sincere. As a result, she gave them a
loud snort and left.
Meanwhile, Rocky was on his way to the Lan Clan's area, which was located on the other side of the
Holy Dragon Empire.
Rocky was about to see Mia at that time. He could still remember how Mia helped him tremendously
when he was fighting with Alston, and the time when she also went to the Dragon Master Clan to
rescue the emperor. Rocky was so occupied back then that he didn't have time to even thank Mia
personally. The Lan Clan was the richest clan in the Holy Dragon Empire, and they controlled the key
branches of the economy. Therefore, apart from showing his gratitude, Rocky also wanted to talk with
Mia about his plan to set up beast hospitals in this empire. He needed the clan to be on board with his
plan because he needed their financial resources to give him the capital that he needed.
After two hours of travelling, Rocky had safely arrived at the Cloud City.
This city was the entire Holy Dragon Empire's trade center. One could find a variety of shops standing
in the main streets where streams of businessmen busily made their transactions with cargoes behind
them.
At that moment, Rocky strolled all the way to the Lan Clan's mansion. As the richest clan in this empire,
the Lan Clan's resident was not as luxurious as Rocky had thought. Instead, it had such a unique
design, more like some antique architecture. But of course, people should never underestimate
something based on its sole appearance. Wall paints peeling and rust on door handles were only part
of the proof of how rich this clan's culture and history were.
Soon after, Rocky knocked on the door and told the gatekeeper his purpose. After waiting shortly, he
was taken into the mansion by a butler. As he was walking along the corridor, he found that the place
was tastefully and classically arranged, from the pavilions to terraces and open halls, up to the main
buildings. However, although it looked better inside than from the outside, it didn't show any lavishness
too.
"Perhaps there is a reason why the Lan Clan became the richest clan after all," Rocky murmured to
himself thoughtfully.
Not long after, he was led into a living room, where almost a dozen people sat and waited. There were
men and women, each adorned with brilliant jewels and pearls around their necks, with spirit
manipulators of the Earthly Stage standing close behind them. Apparently, all of them were wealthy
businessmen.
However, as soon as Rocky stepped inside, all eyes immediately fell upon him. With judging eyes, the
people hurriedly turned their heads away from him after seeing how terrible and ragged his clothes
were. Rocky was by no means a rich man in their eyes and was not even comparable to the status of
the spirit manipulators behind them. At that moment, he even felt that they took him no better than a
beggar on the street.
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