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Chapter 354 Chapter 354 Put On Hold

He was a little angry at his daughter's behavior. It seemed to be true that girls changed for the worse once they found someone they loved. They would change their allegiance to favor their loved one unconditionally and would begin to think of their own family as their enemies.

"Father, just tell me why you called me over. I still need to go back." Clara was acting impatiently as if she couldn't wait to go back to the Smith family.

"Let's have dinner first. We can talk later."

Marico's tone had an air of finality, asserting that his decision was non-negotiable.

However, Clara, being Clara, wasn't one to accept defeat without a fight.

"OR... we can talk right now," she retorted, a spark of defiance in her eyes, "and you can tell me all about why you called me over all of a sudden." Her words hung in the air, challenging the assumed conclusion.

Even though her eyes were full of defiance, her voice came out all meek like that of a mosquito. It was as if she was trying to test how deep the waters were.

Despite how impatient she was, Clara didn't want to truly piss off her father who could be quite scary once angry.

A long sigh escaped his mouth as if he had been hoping to avoid this conversation indefinitely if possible.

"I called you home to talk to you about your engagement with Zach," Marico's voice carried a slightly hoarse quality, a testament to the passage of years that had affected the pitch of his voice.

"What about it?" inquired Clara with uncertainty evident in her eyes. She had a bad feeling in her heart as she made eye contact with her father's serious gaze.

She wondered if her father wanted to expedite their marriage now that Zach was a Viscount but judging from the serious look on his face, Clara knew that the probability of that being true was quite bleak.

"Your engagement with him has been put on hold for the time being." revealed Marico as he waited for Clara's expected outburst.

"What do you mean? Why? For how long?" Clara shot a few questions in succession. She couldn't believe that her father was doing this to her while knowing how much Zach meant to her.

The news seemed incomprehensible, a jolt to her understanding of her father's unknown intentions.

"I don't know."

Marico squeezed the news out of his mouth painfully, as if the mere act of doing so was causing him infinite pain.

Clara's emotions erupted like a volcano, spewing forth her anguish and frustration. Her voice, a tumultuous storm of hurt and disbelief, lashed against her father's stoic announcement.

"Why are you doing this to me, Father? You know how much Zach means to me! You know how much I love him!"

Clara's words were a desperate plea, as if trying to reach the heart she knew was buried somewhere within her father's stern facade.

"I've waited for so long, believing in this engagement. How can you just break it off like this, without any clear reason?" Her voice trembled, on the edge of breaking, mirroring the fragile state of her emotions.

Marico looked pained, as if the words he had to deliver were cutting through his own heart.

He responded, his voice laden with sorrow, "Clara, this decision is not mine. I really don't know the reason behind this. It was the royal family; the princess who just arrived doesn't like this relationship for some reason. She has disseminated a royal order for the annulment of your engagement to Zach and she isn't willing to listen to reason or argument."

Clara was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe that it was not her father but an outsider who was deciding her fate without any shame whatsoever. And to top it off, her father was acting meek as if he couldn't do anything for her.

"How long has she delayed it for then?" Clara asked in a cautious manner as if taking each step with caution. Based on her luck so far, she had come to abhor all kinds of surprises that she was getting right and left.

"As far as I could tell...indefinitely. It looks like she doesn't want you to marry him altogether."

"She can say whatever she wants then. I am not pampering that princess by catering to all her whimsical thoughts. It is high time she learnt that not everything will go her way."

Marico knew his daughter best and could already tell that she was headed down the road that would eventually lead to a disaster. As a father, it was his duty to guide her towards the right path even if it meant hurting her or going against her will and wish.

"Even if it is based on a temper tantrum, it is still a royal decree. We can't do anything. Just lower your head this once."

"If I lower my head once, it will keep happening over and over again. They will force me to lick the ground under their feet next while still acting as if they were still on the moral high ground. I will not let them walk all over me like this." thought Clara as she shook her head as if to deny the part of her that wanted to give in to the royal decree.

She felt a lot better after clearing her head but the fury in her heart didn't die down.

"Can't that royal witch stay away from my personal matters?" Clara seethed silently, her mind concocting dark theories.

She silently cursed the princess in a thousand different ways for trying to destroy the foundation she had built for her relationship with Zach after countless toils and effort.

At one point she even began to wonder if the newly arrived princess had come to Byzantium city bearing a hidden agenda. Because the first thing the princess had done was to drive away Christina who had been the closest woman to Zach at the time.

Following Christina's departure, the princess had changed her target to Clara who was obviously closer to Zach than anyone else. It was as if she was picking them apart to pave the way for herself.

Therefore, she couldn't help but wonder if the princess was harboring designs on Zach and wanted to get rid of the women around him to succeed in her venture.

The princess shouldn't have any right to interfere with her relationship no matter who she was.

Who Clara chose to love or who chose to love her back didn't have anything to do with the princess.

But for some reason the princess had still decided to erect obstacles in her path.

Clara grew angrier the more she thought of the high and mighty bitch known as Princess Candice. Just because she had power and royal backing, she was doing as she pleased, going so far as to meddle in someone else's personal matter.

"Have you told her that you don't agree to her request? She shouldn't be shameless enough to disregard our opinions altogether, right? It's been a long time since my engagement to Zach. Why are they only raising their opinion now?"

"And how do you expect me to do that?" asked Marico helplessly with his shoulders hanging loose by his side like that of a man who has lost all hope and worldly desires. Although he knew that the answer was probably going to be full of bullshit that her daughter believed to be true, he still didn't deny her outright. He gave her a chance to explain herself thoroughly.

"Say it to her face obviously. Such important matters must be conveyed in person. You were the one who taught me that, remember?"

Marico ignored her sarcastic words as if he didn't even register them.

"And should I also bury the rest of the family and my daughters with my own hands? Because I wouldn't even get to do that once the royal family decided to take action against my disobedience. Even your fiancé might not escape unscathed the moment I go against the royal family. Is that what you want?"

Clara's displeasure knew no bounds. She didn't even let her father go with his dignity as she said whatever came to her mind before storming out of the mansion in search of the princess Candice so she could kick her ass for making such a decision on her behalf. Clara felt that the princess needed someone to beat her royal ass red before she could even begin to understand reason.

The table full of dishes was left untouched. Since Clara had stormed off without taking a bite, Marico felt like he had lost his appetite as well. It was as if she had run off with his appetite in tow.

Marico understood his daughter's feelings as well as he had been the one to give wind to her ideas at the beginning. But that was due to the potential Zach had displayed.

And if he were to be honest, he did it because there were a lot of benefits to befriending Zach as was evident from the current status of the Windsor family.

Zach had not only helped them rise to the top of the city, but he had also become the most important person other than the royalty and the government in the entire city. Not to mention that Marico was only alive because of Zach otherwise he might have already died from sickness and the Windsor family might have long since become a part of the Hunter family.