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Chapter 196: Final Warning

“A fine night to you, Miss Charlotte. It really has been quite a long time since we last met at the Ascarts’ manor. May I know how your transaction with Lord Brother has been proceeding thus far?”

“Miss Alicia, it has indeed been a long time. Your complexion looks good. It seems like you can sleep perfectly well even without Roel’s accompaniment.”

In an extravagant banquet hall, there stood a girl with auburn hair clothed in a dress of crimson rose, her eyes were tightly locked with a silver-haired girl donning a flowing white gown. There were amicable smiles on their faces as they greeted one another intimately. An euphonious melody was playing gently in the background as elegantly-dressed men and women socialized with one another with wine cups held gracefully in their hands. There were also plenty of guests dancing beautifully at the center of the banquet hall, moving along to the melody.

It was a scene of harmony.

Today was an important anniversary that commemorated the day more than a hundred years ago when, under the witness of the Ascart House, the Austine Empire was pressured into signing a ceasefire agreement with the Rosa Merchant Confederacy and to officially recognize its independence. Diplomatic relations between the former enemies were quickly established thereafter.

This was a day of celebration to remember the hundred years of unyielding tenacity of the Rosaians for freedom, so it was aptly named as ‘Liberation Day’. It was only second to Rosa’s National Day in terms of significance.

This year, however, the celebrations were further ramped up due to the sudden arrival of esteemed guests, bringing about a more festive atmosphere.

The lord of the Ascart Fiefdom, Carter Ascart, had come to visit together with his sole son and heir, Roel Ascart. Along with the Ascarts, there was a group of old retired soldiers who had participated in the founding ceremony of the Rosa Merchant Confederacy. These soldiers had fought alongside the Rosaians back then in their bid for independence during that brutal war back then, making them stalwart allies.

This news had caused huge tremors all over Rosa. From the moment the Ascarts’ convoy entered the city at noon, the streets had been filled with huge crowds. Everyone wanted to see the lord of the neighboring fiefdom who had contributed greatly to the founding of their nation but remained low profile over the years.

Their curiosity wasn’t too surprising since the Ascart House was quite a mysterious entity to them too. It was known as a thousand-year-old noble house filled with outstanding transcendents every generation, but other than that, the Rosaians knew next to nothing about it despite the fact that they were neighbors.

Part of the reason was because the Ascart House had always maintained a low profile. In fact, before Roel began his development plans for their territory, the Ascarts were hardly involved in anything non-military-related.

Knowing how low profile the family usually was, most of the crowd had gathered on the streets not expecting to see anything significant. They were intending to just join in the commotion and enjoy the merry atmosphere. Unexpectedly, they found themselves in for a treat.

Before their eyes was a beautiful blossoming girl, her presence reminiscent of the brilliant full moon in the sky. Her silvery hair emanated a lustrous shine, and her skin was impeccable, almost like a work of art. Her eyes were an intense crimson that even the most extravagant of rubies couldn’t hope to match. When she appeared, the sun seemed to have been overshadowed by an even brighter presence, causing the whole crowd to be dazzled.

Alicia Ascart, this name was going to dominate gossip in Rosa City for the days to come. In terms of limelight, she outshone even Carter as well. Her appearance was sudden but powerful, becoming the new symbol that people would remember the Ascart House by.

Of course, this was mainly the reactions of the common populace and lovestruck young nobles. Those who were in positions of power were spectating this event too, but their focus was somewhere else.

What the politicians were more interested in was the reason behind the sudden visit of the Ascarts. They wondered if it signified a deeper level of bond between Rosa and the Ascart Fiefdom. Rosa’s military was more concerned about welcoming and hosting the respected old veterans Carter had brought with him, so as to ensure that they had a comfortable stay. The patriarch of the Sorofya House, Bruce, had his attention on Carter’s attitude toward the engagement.

And last but not least, Charlotte, as could be seen from the current situation in the banquet hall, had Alicia as her focus. She had now begun the confrontation with her love rival.

She looked about at the harmonious atmosphere all around them and sighed deeply. Admittedly, the Ascarts had dealt with the situation more wisely than she had expected.

She had thought that the Ascart House would dispatch their powerful army to pressure the Sorofyas into handing Roel back, but there were two problems with that course of action.

First, it would be hard for them to do it discreetly, especially since they didn’t want to expose the humiliating fact that their sole successor cum proxy fief lord had gotten kidnapped.

Second, the mobilization of the army could easily lead to the worsening of relations, no matter how friendly the Sorofyas and the Ascarts were prior to this.

However, the Ascarts had chosen to visit specifically on Rosa’s Liberation Day, and the significance of the event justified their action of bringing their veteran soldiers over. Basically, they had successfully secured an advantageous position without compromising anything.

After this, regardless of whether the Ascarts forced the Sorofyas to hand over Roel or decided to settle it in an amicable negotiation, Rosa would be obliged to go along with them or else be labeled with the unseemly action of ‘attempting to withhold the successor of the Ascart House on their territory’. In other words, the ball was now in the Ascarts’ hands.

It looks like I can’t take a passive stance under the circumstances.

Charlotte had clenched her fists tightly as she thought matters through. True to her conviction, she did attempt to make a move. As soon as the banquet started, she headed over to Carter’s side and greeted him.

“You must be Bruce’s daughter, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Charlotte.”

This was Carter’s response to Charlotte’s greeting. His words were polite and his attitude sincere. Despite so, Charlotte still felt her heart sinking upon hearing those words.

Putting aside the others, Carter had to be aware of the 100-year-old engagement contract between her and Roel. Strictly speaking, she could already be considered as the future daughter-in-law of the Ascart House. Yet, Carter chose to address her as a stranger instead, refusing to mention the engagement at all.

No doubt, this was the worst-case scenario for Charlotte. Carter wasn’t even rejecting the engagement; he was denying its existence altogether.

Feeling deeply bitter inside, Charlotte forced herself to exchange some pleasantries with the man before taking her leave. Despite her disappointment, she knew that things had only gotten started. It was too early for her to give up; they weren’t even close to the conclusion yet! Nevertheless, the rejection from her future father-in-law still left her feeling deeply pressured.

It was at this moment that she crossed paths with a silver-haired girl, her fated rival.

Even from their greetings, the scent of gunpowder was already chokingly strong. As they got deeper into their conversation, the two of them began hurling knives at one another, cutting into each other’s wounds.

“Miss Charlotte, I must say that I didn’t expect you to travel such a long distance away just to have a picnic. You even had the time to drop by your own home. It looks like the Sorofyas’ definition of a picnic differs from the rest of us.”

“What can I say? Roel wanted to experience the culture of a different country. It’s our pleasure to have him as our guest.”

“Oh? Do Rosaians consider it good hospitality to kidnap their guests and drag them back to their own homes? I must say, the culture you speak of certainly does intrigue me.”

“Miss Alicia, it looks like you’re having some misunderstandings here. Besides, if you really want to speak of culture here, I have to say that the act of intentionally sabotaging an engagement between a couple is far more underhanded.”

Charlotte’s emerald eyes glimmered sharply, and Alicia’s ruby eyes narrowed as well. The two glared at one another as the joyous laughter surrounding them seemed to drift further and further away. After a long moment of silence, Alicia finally spoke up once more.

“Charlotte, did you think that you would be allowed to act as you please? Did you think that I’d be utterly helpless before you? The only reason why you had a chance at all is because I’ve never really made a move before.

“Consider this my final warning to you. Return Lord Brother to me right now!”