Chapter 163: Giving the Gift

Chapter 163

Giving the Gift

The eldest young lord of the Setter family, whose immense power had brought everyone together, spoke clearly and confidently. His eyes locked onto Ellie’s, as if he truly wanted to convey the meaning of his words to her. They had already discussed Ellie’s status, and she didn’t see any problem with fabricating a story about their engagement, claiming that her father had saved his life.

This was merely a narrative they had constructed to make everyone believe it, preventing further scrutiny into their ambiguous relationship. The agreement was solely to help conceal Ellie’s abilities. Meanwhile, the Setter family would benefit by avoiding unwanted alliances from those seeking to exploit them.

The strength of the Setter family was more than enough to make many nobles want to offer their daughters, not to mention that this eldest young lord was immensely powerful. To avoid such complications, the idea of introducing a fiancée during the event had been discussed from the beginning.

They had agreed that their decisions might change in the future. Ellie might secretly plan to spend her life within the Tower of Eternity, staying out of external affairs, while Owen might be busy supporting the Setter family. These were matters left for the future.

Originally, there shouldn’t have been any genuine feelings between them. Ellie had intended for it to remain that way—until she met the eldest young lord of the Setter family!

It was strange that every one of his actions was so carefully considered. The excessive attention he gave her was more than what one would offer to a business partner, making her heart flutter.

She did not deny that she was a woman who was always open to love, even though she had been disappointed before. Despite this, Ellie didn’t want to search for love and exhaust herself again. Having been alone before, she knew that even without a lover, she could continue living. Thus, she had no expectations for love in this new life.

Her plan was simply to become strong enough to hide in the tower, live happily, have good food, and a comfortable place to rest. On days when she was bored, she could go outside and wander around, not having to work hard as she used to. She intended to let this life be one where she constantly learned fun new things.

Yet now...Owen’s gaze was making her waver...

She didn’t know if she was imagining it, but it seemed as though she heard a promise from the person in front of her, that he would try harder for her from now on. His words asking for a chance seemed genuinely directed at her!!

Thump thump, thump thump...

Her heart suddenly pounded so hard it felt like it would burst from her chest, making it impossible for Ellie to look him in the eye any longer. She turned her gaze away, lest the intensity in his eyes make her say something foolish.

Well...Who wouldn’t like a man who was serious about relationships? Especially coming from someone as stern and seemingly unromantic as him, it highlighted his effort and sincerity even more.

While Ellie struggled to compose herself, the single sentence from the eldest young lord of the Setter family caused everyone’s hearts to drop. Who would have thought that the great young lord, whom all eyes were on, would declare that he already had someone he had chosen!

Everyone present had harbored the faint hope that this unmarried eldest young lord might be a potential match for their family through marriage. If that opportunity arose, just imagine the immense benefits their family would receive. Even the Fernal family had brought their daughters along with such thoughts in mind.

Even though they were rivals, there were only a few opportunities to transform from competitors to allies. The first was to mutually benefit from each other. After that, they could join hands to become the only two powerful families, distancing themselves even further from others. At that point, even being the 2nd-ranked family would be acceptable, as no other family could surpass them. However, upon hearing such a declaration, everyone’s faces fell.

Despite sensing an ill omen from the start when they saw the girl adorned in luxurious attire, the eldest young lord’s announcement hammered the nail in even further.

The Setter family did not believe much in taking wives into the household because they disliked dealing with domestic issues. They preferred confronting problems head-on and focused on hunting. This was why even some women in the Setter family became strong hunters.

Because of this, when he declared his intentions regarding his partner, many gave up hope, but some wanted to learn more about the woman beside him!

Additionally, many were still shocked by his statement about his “abilities still too weak.” That remark seemed to trample on everyone’s pride. He and his words were no different from his father’s earlier boasting. For such a strong person to claim he was still weak—did he intend to destroy everyone’s confidence? Yet, this young lord’s words were filled with sincerity, making everyone realize he genuinely meant it.

That’s because Owen wasn’t boasting like his father. He truly believed what he said...

Compared to the young girl beside him, who had given him a new lease on life, Ellie was the most valuable person. In his mind, she was someone beyond his reach. However, he truly didn’t want to let her slip away. Therefore, every word he spoke came from his genuine feelings, which confused many people.

However, the real confusion began when they saw the “gift” he had prepared to ask for a chance!

“W-Wait, in Young Lord Owen’s hand, wh-what, what is that!!?”

“Huh? That...looks like. Is it...?”

“My God!! Don’t tell me the gift he mentioned is this!!”

“That’s...It’s real! It’s a city-controlling stone!!”

Exclamations echoed continuously after seeing the young lord lift the city-controlling stone before him, demonstrating that he truly intended to give a city to the young girl beside him as the gift as he mentioned.

“Impossible! How can they bring out a city-controlling stone like this? It’s impossible!” One person exclaimed in disbelief, his voice loud enough to make everyone turn and look. He was none other than the Emperor of the Rhea Kingdom.

While the Rhea Kingdom managed to conquer only a few cities, the Ares Kingdom was giving one away to a beloved woman merely as a gift to ask for a chance. Such an act...was truly outrageous!!

“Even though the city-controlling stone can be taken out of the area, it must be bonded immediately upon seizing the city, right?”

Someone else chimed in, though he didn’t know much about the city-controlling stone, having only heard others talk about it. There weren’t many who knew much about it, as those who encountered a city-controlling stone would not let time pass without making a bonding contract quickly. Thus, they could secure ownership of the city’s resources. It was almost unheard of for someone to bring it out of the tower.

“No, I’ve heard about this before. It seems that after seizing the city, there is a 6-hour window to bond with the city-controlling stone. This means the stone they’re holding is from a city they just seize. Otherwise, it would have returned to its original place by now.”

An informed person explained. They once had to wait for the family head to arrive at the city to complete the bonding contract, so they came to know that there was a time limit. It was quite frustrated when they were delayed for 6 hours. Fortunately, they had several people stationed there. Even though they didn’t seize the city on the first attempt, they managed to reclaim it. Otherwise, someone might be so frustrated to the point of exploding.

“What does this mean? Are you saying the Setter family has conquered another new city?”

“They’ve just taken over cities on the 6th and 4th floors, and now they’ve conquered another city...”

“Is there any other explanation then? This city-controlling stone clearly has never been bonded before, so it must be from a city the Setter family just conquered.”

“Isn’t this gift too grand? Saying it can’t be used as a betrothal gift—what does that mean? If a gift of this magnitude isn’t enough, I can’t imagine what would be needed to impress on their wedding day.”

People were speculating wildly about the gift that the eldest young lord of the Setter family wanted to give Ellie. It seemed like they were witnessing the most shocking event of their lives just by attending the Setter family’s gathering.

Ellie looked at the gift the eldest young lord of the Setter family presented. She narrowed her eyes, wanting to ponder deeply. There was no doubt that the value of this gift was immense. For him to suddenly give her a city was not something anyone could easily do. Some families would never allow it, not even the members of the Setter family. However, considering the status of the genius eldest young lord, and the fact that Owen and his people had seized this city themselves without any involvement from the Setter family’s people, it was understandable that they had no right to claim fairness.

Yet Ellie felt a certain bondage that Owen hadn’t mentioned. True, a city was immensely valuable, but it also meant that this city would bind her.

In the future, no matter where Ellie became the city lord, with the status of city lord...the city control panels would immediately connect, allowing those overseeing the cities to know which cities she controlled. This meant that if Ellie bonded with this city, she wouldn’t be able to hide from Young Lord Owen’s watchful eye.

Her brows furrowed tightly. Owen seemed to understand what Ellie was thinking. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, so only the two of them could hear.

“This is a city on the 4th floor, which used to be inhabited by elves. I think you should accept it.” His gaze was serious but with a hint of slyness that startled Ellie.

Who would have thought that this young lord was no different from his younger brother? Previously, she had heard that Aman always had a plan for everything he did. But now, did she need to include his elder brother in that assessment as well?

As if he knew she wouldn’t accept the city to avoid being bound, he chose a city that she would definitely be interested in to entice her!

“This city is not near any other cities, so you will have complete privacy. Surrounding the city are various tribes strong enough that no other humans can defeat them. Moreover, I will not send any of the Setter family’s people to govern it. Only 1 or 2 of my own people will be there to oversee things.”

“The creatures that protect the city’s castle, which houses the city control panel, as well as the entire city’s area, have been captured by me from the beginning. They are under a slave contract, so they will not harm you.”

"With your botanic elemental power, entering an abandoned area filled with elven civilization will significantly enhance your development. There’s no need for you to seek power from the 1st floor at all."

"Of course, if you still want to have some fun, that’s entirely your decision. I won’t interfere with your choices. However...this city was conquered for you. Even the Setter family doesn’t know where it is. If the Setter family doesn’t know, neither will anyone else."

"Do you think a city this marvelous and perfect for you to hide in is sufficient for me to ask for a chance to care for you...?"

Owen lifted his head and looked at the crowd with a cold gaze, acting as if he hadn’t just said anything significant or intimidating to Ellie.

Nonetheless...the young woman could only squeeze his arm harder as a small act of revenge!!

Who would have thought this man was even more cunning than Aman! How were his words different from a threat? Suddenly telling her that she didn’t need to go to the 1st floor, but could have fun if she wanted to—wasn’t that a direct admission that he knew she and “Luke” were the same person!!