Chapter 136 - The Knot In Lina’s Heart
"These are the building plans I have for the Lower District. I pray you will do a good job in completing the construction project without problems." Elizabeth said, she sat inside the Great Hall and gesture to her maid, Lily, to hand over the building plans.
"Yes, your majesty. Just leave it to us." Bromley accepted the task enthusiastically without checking the contents of the building plan the maid gave them.
"Mm, good. You may go." Elizabeth bid them to leave, after the task was handed over.
"Err... your majesty..." Bromley said hesitantly. He found it hard to bring up this matter in the presence of the Queen.
"What else is there? Is there a problem?" Elizabeth said with creased brows, not understand Bromley's hesitation.
"I... Err... We..." Bromley found it harder and harder to speak when he saw the Queen's frown deepened.
"I wonder if we can talk about marriage between our children. What do you think of our daughter, your majesty?" In the end, Hazel said. Men aren't reliable, she thought.
The prince and their daughter may be seeing each other and even taken the last step, but they were not at ease.
In this day and age, it was the parents that decides the marriage of their children. They are decision makers and had the final say.
If the Queen doesn't approve of their relationship, it would be their daughter that suffers a loss since she is no longer pure.
"Oh, so it's this matter. I have met your daughter. She is good. Very pretty. Quite suited for my son." Elizabeth nodded her head in approval as she said this. In fact, any girl would win her approval as long as they are pretty.
Bromley and Hazel heaved a sigh of relief when they heard this. It seems their daughter left a good impression on the Queen.
"Then about the marriage engagement our children..." Bromley pressed. He found the courage to continue on the topic after he found the Queen had no problem discussing it.
"There's not much to say about it. I agree." Elizabeth said.
"That's great! Thank you, your majesty." The Cromwell pair bowed to Elizabeth.
An engagement already exists between the prince and their daughter, but that was their Old man Dwight taking matters into his own hands. The Queen had not agreed to it then., but now she did. Everything was finally set in stone.
"No need for thanks. We will become in-laws. However, if my son wants to gift me 5 daughters-in-law then that's how many I will accept." Elizabeth said domineeringly, before advising, "You should be worrying about how to face the Lancaster family instead."
The more daughters-in-law she has, the more grandsons. The chances of their Crawford royal family line ending would be reduced to a bare minimum when there are many descendants.
The couple froze when their heard the Queen's words. They hadn't expect the Queen to dote her son to such degree. Worse, they had forgotten about the engagement between the Duke's daughter and the prince.
But then they thought, this shouldn't be a problem, right?
The Duke wouldn't for them for trouble, right? They sweated at the thought. Wasn't the Duke's daughter unhappy with the marriage anyway? How close was the Duke's daughter and the prince?
No matter close it is, it can't be closer than their daughter. After all their daughter already did that with the prince. Bromley felt smug about that thought then he froze.
When he found out the prince was doing his daughter, he was so angry. How can he be happy about it now? Bromley felt conflicted.
Bromley soon bid farewell to the Queen and pulled his wife away quickly.
"What's the matter, my husband? What's the rush?" Hazel asked with bewilderment.
Bromley didn't directly answer her but drew circles on her back, sending chills up her body.
Hazel blushed with both anger and amusement, she pouted, "Didn't we do all night? You already want to go again?"
Bromley was like an animal in heat that needed to vent, whenever he is frustrated.
"It can't be helped. You know... we only have a daughter all these years and daughters will eventually be married outside. Don't you want to give me an heir?" Bromley reasoned with some awkwardness.
"Then... should we go back?" Hazel said coquettishly. Bromley nodded rigorously and pulled his wife away.
...
"Wow, so this is what it looks like inside the palace." Lynne exclaimed, as Leon took her around.
"Yeah, it's not bad." Leon responded, before shaking his head and said, "Come, I'll take you to meet someone. I hope you two would be able to get along."
The palace was much better designed than any other structure in the kingdom, but it still falls short of what he had seen back in the Divine Realm.
Arriving at the Guest Courtyard, Leon quickly spotted Aria sitting in the open environment.
Leon was instantly entranced by the temperament and aura Aria exuded, while she was cultivating.
'So similar... really too similar..." Leon inwardly sighed woefully.
In his past life, he had slept with many women, but there was only one person he truly loved, his childhood friend, maid and sisterly Aria.
If his father, the Divine Medicine King was who he owed the most to, the second most would be Aria.
Because of Aria's talents in cultivation, she reached the Divine King Realm very quickly, while he was only a Divine Origin Realm at that time. She became the youngest Divine King in history, but no one knew of her prowess because she continued to be a low profiled maid for his family.
It was also because of her cultivation that set them apart because of his own weakness. She was like the sun in the sky, while he was just another pebble on the road. Their distance was too far apart and made him feel unworthy of her.
Although, he had the noble status as the son of the Divine Medicine King, it didn't account for much. The Divine Realm was a place, where the strong reigned supreme. As such, gossips would inevitably spread, and their reputation would be tarnished if something was to happen between them.
If a Divine King found a mortal to be his queen, there would some gossip, but many would accept it. However, if a Divine Queen finds a mortal as her consort, it was blasphemy. Such were the double standards of powerful men of the Divine Realm.
Thus, he never confessed his love, but he had a good brother he would consult all his problems and worries to. That was also the beginning of his fall from grace.
His 'good brother' suggested to visit brothel to build up his confidence as a solution to his problems, but that was also the same time he fell into the vicious cycle of debauchery after tasting the forbidden fruits.
Although Aria didn't mind, he felt he had betrayed her feelings and let her down. Their relationship became estranged after, and he would sink deeper into debauchery to drown his sorrow.
He knew he was building mistakes upon mistakes, but he continues to do it like one would continue to drink alcohol to drown their sorrow. He was a lost cause, a wreck.
It was only after his father taught him [Heart of Saint Mantra] and pulled him out of the vicious cycle, did his return to the right path. However, the mistakes were already committed, and he could no longer face Aria.
Looking back on his previous life, he was indeed a pathetic and cowardly person. Even now, he still was... but he's been constantly striving to improve himself and his breath of mind.
Humans were imperfect beings. They make mistakes, learn from them and grow. Making a mistake wasn't terrifying. Not being able to correct their mistake or learn from it, is.
On this note, he had come a long way. F*ck insecurities! F*ck cowardice! F*ck what other people thinks! A man should charge courageously and confidently into love and leave no lingering regrets.
Seeing Leon just standing there in deep melancholy, Lynne knitted her brows without understanding and asked, "Is this the person you wanted me to meet?"
"Yes." Leon snapped out of his reminiscence and answered, then said seriously, "I hope you both can become sisters and get along."
Hearing the solemnness in his tone, Lynne made a small pout, "That would depend on her."
She understood that she couldn't keep Leon to herself, but she was still slightly hurt. However, this was her choice like one would know they would get burnt, but they would still fly into the fire.
Aria opened her eyes, when she heard the tranquility of the courtyard disturbed by the voices. Her eyes brightened when she saw Leon. Her emotion did not fluctuate in the slightest at the sight of another woman by his side. As long as she still had a place in his heart, that was enough.
Leon smiled and pulled Lynne over, before making them hold hands and saying, "You are both my woman. I hope you two will be get along as sisters from now on."
Lynne was inwardly unwilling, but Aria just flashed her a warm welcoming smile with her pearly white teeth showing.
Although, Lynne couldn't see her full face, in terms of temperament, she already lost. As the say went, even if you don't like the person, you shouldn't punch a smiling face. It would only make her seem like a little woman. Lynne put on her own smile and shook her hands.
While this was happening, Lina watched everything unfold from inside her room with a complicated gaze.
Unexpectedly, the Saintess she met was also her love rival... but was what she felt towards Leon really love? Apart from a favorable impression and a gargantuan debt of gratitude, there was also a feud between their families.
Her father might not show any care on the surface, but she felt she was not doing her own family any justice to fall in love with the son of the person that put their family through so much misery and hardship. Thus, she felt very conflicted and wasn't sure what she wanted in life either.
"What's wrong, my daughter?" Robert asked with concern.
Sorting out her thoughts, she suddenly answered with determination, "I want to go on a journey to find my true self."
Her parents were immediately shocked by her words, but no matter how they ask, she was unwilling to disclose her reason.
Robert shook his head with a sigh and said, "If that's what you have decided, father will no longer stop you."
Lina nodded with eyes growing red, " Thank you, father. Thank you, mother."
Her parents had been her biggest worry, but now, their cultivation was already recovered. She could focus on herself without worry.
She began to prepare necessities for her journey, while parents lectured her on how to take care of herself.. After the preparations were done, she gave them three kowtows to show her filial piety, before she left.