Chapter 541: The Future Son-in-Law

Lian did not answer right away, he did not know why everyone seemed so interested in asking him this question, this was not a question he could answer that easily.

Love was not something that could be accepted or rejected based on a passing desire.

In the end, he only said.

"If you mean whether I can sit here right now and say that I love her and that I know exactly what I feel, no."

He was silent for a moment, now that he had started, leaving it unfinished would be worse.

"But seeing her is important to me." His face was calm, and there was no sign of worry or fear.

He had no problem saying this, and he was not embarrassed about saying it either.

Rhaenar did not laugh, he did not joke either, and his expression became a little more serious.

"That was a good answer."

"I wasn’t expecting a compliment." Lian looked at him.

"It wasn’t a compliment, but from a boy your age, I expected to hear a more stupid answer."

"That sounded a lot like a compliment too."

"Don’t get too hopeful."

The young Vorhelm smiled and finally reached for his cup and took a sip, the tea was good.

At least this part of the meeting was simple.

Rhaenar said nothing for a while, then put his cup on the table and locked his fingers together.

"Don’t misunderstand one thing, my problem is not that I think you are not good enough for Seris."

This sentence was unexpected.

"If that were the case, I probably wouldn’t have arranged this meeting at all."

His gaze became deeper for a moment, that unpleasant feeling passed through the back of Lian’s neck again, he felt as if this man was looking inside him.

"My problem is that you might become someone who can no longer be ignored very soon...if Seris gets what we expect tomorrow, she will become the future of the Pendragon Family."

"And if your father chooses you, you might become the future of the Vorhelm Family too."

Two names, two families from the six great powers, and that was when Lian saw the matter from another angle.

Rhaenar said.

"From that moment, a possible relationship between the two of you will no longer be only about two people."

His voice was still calm.

"Several families would do anything to stop two great powers from getting too close to each other, and they would cross lines that you cannot even imagine."

"No one wants to see a union between the Vorhelm and Pendragon Families, even I have no interest in having any connection with those crazy people."

"I have no problem with you, you don’t seem arrogant, stupid, or stubborn like them, but the problem is that you have the Vorhelm name, and that alone is enough for the entire Pendragon Family to stand against this union."

"This is what I asked you to stay away from."

"I understand." Lian said, he understood, if his relationship with Seris was going to move forward, there would be very big obstacles.

He did not care at all about the opinions of the Vorhelms, they had no right to interfere in his life.

But could he say the same about Seris and her family? For that girl, the Pendragons might be very important.

In the end, all of this was only about possibilities for the future, who knew? Maybe their relationship would never go beyond that of two normal friends.

"But you’re not going to do it, and you still don’t want to change your mind." The Patriarch said sarcastically.

"No, my mind cannot be changed."

"I changed my mind, you really are a Vorhelm, stubborn just like them."

A few seconds later, the Patriarch stood up, this movement itself meant the meeting was over.

Lian also stood up.

Rhaenar walked toward the window and put his hands behind his back, looking at his city for a moment.

"I won’t ask you to stay away from her anymore."

The young Vorhelm raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You changed your mind pretty quickly."

"I didn’t change it, I just understood that my request wouldn’t make you do it, I shouldn’t have expected a Vorhelm to be reasonable."

That was reasonable.

"Then I’ll say something else."

This time when he turned around, the smile had almost completely disappeared, and for a moment, it felt as if the whole world was about to fall apart.

"If you ever decide to truly enter my daughter’s life, don’t change your mind halfway."

Lian held his gaze.

Rhaenar continued.

"I have no problem with Seris’s enemies, she can kill her own enemies...she probably even enjoys doing it."

"But I have a problem with someone who gains her trust and then breaks it, no matter what else I am, I am still that girl’s father."

There was no direct threat, there was no need for one.

"I don’t leave people halfway." Lian answered calmly.

The Patriarch looked at him for a few seconds, and then his smile returned, the same calm and almost friendly expression from the beginning of the meeting.

"We’ll see."

The young Vorhelm lowered his head slightly, not enough to be a bow, only the respect that was necessary.

"Then, for now."

"Enjoy the ceremony."

He walked toward the door, opened it, and left.

A few seconds of silence filled the room, Rhaenar picked up his cup, there was still some tea inside.

He took a sip.

Then a quiet laugh came from the dark corner of the library.

"Well, Your Highness?"

He did not even turn his head.

Aurelia Pendragon stepped out from the shadow of one of the tall bookshelves, her usual happy smile on her face.

"Are you satisfied with your future son-in-law?"

"It is still not clear whether he will become my son-in-law or not."

She came closer.

"That wasn’t an answer to my question."

This time Rhaenar looked at her, and Aurelia made her smile even wider.

"You like him, don’t you?"

A few seconds of silence filled the room, the Patriarch did not deny it, and instead looked toward the window again.

"I wouldn’t mind if the jewel that the Vorhelms ignored for years eventually came to our side."

"So you admit that he is a jewel." She laughed.

"That doesn’t mean he is worthy of my daughter."

"Ah."

Aurelia placed a hand over her chest in a dramatic way.

"We finally reached the strict father part."

"Since when have you become so interested in this matter?" Rhaenar gave her a short look.

"Since Seris, for the first time in her life, tolerated a man...let me correct that, a living creature, without having to endure it."

He stayed silent, and Aurelia came closer to the window.

"I think the part about whether he is worthy of Seris or not should be her decision."

"I thought you would support my decision, not a Vorhelm."

"I do, that is why I don’t want your daughter to lose a good choice because of her father’s pride."

Rhaenar let out a short sigh.

"And I really doubt you will find a better husband for Seris than that boy."

"You sound very sure."

"Seris seems to be the same."

This time the Patriarch looked directly at her, and she smiled.

"She just hasn’t realized it herself yet."

A few seconds later, he turned his head toward the city again, from the height of the central building, almost all of Verendal was beneath him.

Thousands of guests, six great families, representatives of twelve ancient associations, and the new generation that would stand before one of the oldest relics of the Pendragon Family tomorrow.

He whispered very quietly.

"We’ll see."

Aurelia tilted her head slightly, the man’s expression revealed nothing, it was not clear what exactly he was thinking.

But one thing could be understood from the calmness in his eyes, he had not made a final decision about Lian yet, and it seemed that he was sure he would have more chances to get to know him very soon.

Lian had not left the central part of the estate yet.

A long stone hallway was in front of him, and the evening light fell across the floor through the tall windows.

His steps were calm.

But his mind was still going over the meeting from a few minutes ago.

Rhaenar was different from what he had imagined.

He expected a cold man, maybe arrogant, maybe someone whose absolute power for decades had made him forget how to speak normally with someone weaker than himself.

But what he had seen was almost the opposite.

The man joked, laughed, drank tea, and even when Lian directly stood against his request, he did not raise his voice or change his expression.

And that made the man even more dangerous.

Control.

That word was the best description.

That man had control over everything, as if there was nothing in the world that could ruin his mood.

As if he had become indifferent to everything.

During the entire meeting, Lian had not even been able to sense a noticeable leak of the man’s Mana.

Someone who had completed five Evolutions.

Rhaenar only needed to breathe for him to turn into a pile of ash and completely disappear from existence.

This was the power of a Celestial.

But the man had sat in front of him like an ordinary human and talked to him.

The young Vorhelm walked down the stairs, if the peak of human power was something like Rhaenar, he was still very far from it.

And this distance was not the kind that would disappear with two more Levels or a few thousand Stat Points.

Strangely, this thought did not upset him, on the contrary, having something that he still had to reach was not bad, he wanted to reach that level of power more than before.

Today, more than any other day, he understood how weak and limited he still was, as if he were a prisoner inside a much larger prison.

Power had made him think he was free, but he was wrong, he was still a prisoner, only becoming stronger would allow him to break free from all his chains.

So he had to become stronger.

"And you’re still alive!" A cheerful voice came from behind him.

"Miss Aurelia." Lian did not even feel the need to turn around. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Aurelia reached him a few seconds later, with the same usual smile and the same energy that seemed to never run out.

"Did you enjoy meeting the strongest Pendragon?"

He stopped and looked at her.

"I would appreciate it if you told me next time before I arrive that I’m going to meet your family’s leader directly."

She raised both hands.

"Sorry, but I really didn’t expect it either." Her face did not show even a moment of guilt.

Lian looked at her for a few seconds, he did not know why, but he felt that the woman was not telling him the whole truth.

Still, there was no point in arguing about it, something else was more important to him.

"Anyway, where is Seris?"

The change in Aurelia’s smile was so fast that he immediately regretted asking the question so directly.