BXBX NOVEL Chapter 288
Teresa nodded once and looked at Lilith. She raised a smile and announced, “It’s almost the end of August, so how about doing the wedding in seven days? ”
“Hmm... twenty-fourth August? ” Lilith asked.
“Yes, my little angel. But first.” Teresa turned her gaze on Vincent and continued, “Let’s discuss an agreement before I let you take my daughter away from me.”
“You don’t have to put it like that, mother-in-law. You and father-in-law can visit and inspect your daughter’s living conditions with your two eyes.” Vincent shrugged his shoulders and sarcastically added, “I bet Maid Xu will keep in touch in secret, hehe.”
Teresa slightly smirked for an answer.
After an hour discussing what to write on the magic contact, both parties seemed satisfied with their role and valuables’ exchange.
However, the first thing Vincent, Kazumi, and Lilith heard caused them to stare at Teresa with a concerned expression and puzzled frown.
Teresa didn’t want to get healed if the magic seeds could grow the Nine-Headed Hydra Flower with no problems. All is fine if she can survive without being blackmailed... if the Blackheart would sell them after what happened, that is.
.....
Teresa mentioned how she has two more blooms in her possession, and she took one yesterday. It meant Iris had to somehow regrow at least one flower with any amount of blooms in twenty days.
It was a tall order, and it would put a lot of pressure on Iris when she hears about this. Fortunately, Teresa said she would help if she could, so Vincent took the offer and asked for mana potions.
Vincent asked for mana potions to make the magic seeds grow since they feed on mana. However, he doesn’t know how much the seed will be able to grow in the promised time.
Thus it became a gamble Teresa was willing to take. She later asked to become Vincent’s retainer at her final days when she saw Lilith unhappy with the gamble. She had to say this before Lilith broke into tears by the serious life and death subject.
Teresa changed the subject and also requested to leave her husband with the curse. The change around Leonis would become more eye-catching than hers, and it would take the Blackheart family less time to blame the Lionheart family for being involved in their son’s death.
Teresa wanted to gain enough time for the Royal Faction families other than Leonis’s friends to help against the main force of the Noble Faction, the Marquis Blackheart family.
Teresa hoped the attacks would start slow and minor enough for a particular man to return to Lusterfall City and offer protection.
Vincent tried to change the subject and mentioned a few things they should agree on. After a lengthy discussion, seven subjects they agreed on were ready to be written on a magical contract.
Teresa included a way for her daughter to be happy even if she had to share her man with two extraordinary classes such as the Druid and Syingerst classes. The mama lioness wanted a chance for her daughter to compete.
First, the wedding was to take place in seven days starting from today. Lilith would marry Vincent Agius first, and later he will marry four women as the noble without rank Vincent Lionheart.
Second, Lilith was to become the primary wife of the new Lionheart family branch. Vincent named it the Emerald Lionheart branch. The main was to be referred to as the main Golden Lionheart family for easy recognition.
Third, Vincent was to gift what he promised as the bridal gift and write the instructions in detail. It was going to be easy with Kazumi’s help.
Fourth, the main Lionheart family was to support the Emerald Lionheart branch for two years financially. However, it only included clothing and food. Maintenance and bedding for the new people living in the mansion were to be paid by Vincent, and Lilith couldn’t help with her savings.
Fifth, Vincent must protect Lilith from harm and give her a happy life.
Sixth, if any of the conditions from Vincent’s side fail, then he has to divorce and leave Lusterfall City and never return.
Seventh, if any of the conditions from Teresa or Leonis side fail, then the parents will have no say in what Vincent does unless when it involves Lilith or her safety is endangered.
Teresa asked to wait until she convinces Leonis without revealing Vincent as an otherworlder.
Vincent decided to leave the mother and daughter to chat in private. He had other things to do and people to meet.
Vincent left the bedroom and closed the door. The plan to become a noble and meet the requirements to marry Ester was about to be attained at the end of the seventh day.
Vincent saw Maid Xu waiting for him a few rooms away for privacy. He went to ask where Lupa was resting.
Vincent told Maid Xu how the marriage would happen soon and to ask Lilith for the details instead of him before he left to check on Lupa’s condition.
Demel Blackheart’s bedroom wasn’t too far from his office. Vincent heard a strange noise coming from behind the closed door.
Vincent opened the door and found Leonis rummaging Demel’s office. There were around six magic pens and about a dozen or so papers resembling a magic contract.
“Damn enchanted safe! I need to wait a few days for the enchantment to consume the mana. Then will I be able to open it? When will we not need that daughter stealer?...” Leonis was so focused on opening the safe that he didn’t notice the door slowly opening and a man staring with a smirk.
“Your wife agreed to our marriage, and it will be in seven days. ” Vincent interrupted when Leonis was rummaging like a rat for a way to hit the jackpot and deny Vincent’s bridal gift.
Leonis turned around. Sweat appeared on his forehead the moment he saw Vincent. He was caught stealing, yet his ear heard a few words, which made his heart race even faster than being caught red-handed.
“Baroness Teresa Lionheart, my future mother-in-law, needs to write a magic contact. I suggest you bring her a pen and a document from the table.” Vincent said as he approached the shocked Leonis. He smirked when Leonis looked at him with a shocked expression.
“Overheat. ” Vincent said to gain the mana absorbing ability. He arrived beside Leonis and extended his hand. He grabbed the safe’s opening door handle and channeled Overflow to suck the mana dry.
.
[The Host refined and assimilated 1 mana. Mana stat is now 10.]
[The Host refined and assimilated 1 mana. Mana stat is now 11.]
[The Host refined and assimilated 1 mana. Mana stat is now 12.]
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*Click* The locking mechanism opened. Vincent turned the handle and the safe opened. It made Leonis scratch his head when he saw the enchanted safe open after holding the handle for about two minutes.
[Intresting, intresting. I guess you can become a famous thief now and raise mana at the same time, hehe.]
“H-how did you open the safe without damaging it?” Leonis was currently eating shock and surprise for breakfast. His eyes feasted on an impossible feat.
Vincent stopped using Overheat, and he returned to normal. He took a good look inside before Leonis could poke his head, and his eyes sparked by the contents inside.
[Wow, there are so many jewels and money! We are rich!]
However, Vincent was of a different thought.
“Leonis, these are all yours. I wasn’t in the office, and you reacquired all or some of the money lost from blackmail. I simply took a peek and told you about the fateful date and left.” He said.
Vincent turned around and left the office before the dazed Leonis could process what he heard and gave a reply. The jewels and money in front of his eyes were disrupting his thinking process. The marriage of his daughter in seven days added to his mental processing query.
[... you lost so much money it’s not even funny...]
-I don’t need that much money while they do.-
[I... I understand how you might be thinking of helping the Lionheart family. I now feel ashamed for being greedy... your judgment makes more sense the more I think about it.]
-Lilith’s parents should be able to thread on the path of sustainability now. They should be able to take it easy when it involves losing business opportunities because of the Blackheart family interference.-
[Regain the stolen nobility status with the funds, isn’t it?]
[Not bad, not bad. It could work if they can keep clients who aren’t afraid of the Blackheart family threats or even outsource their business and go global.]
-Let’s tell Teresa your idea later.-
Vincent arrived in front of Demel Blackheart’s bedroom. He opened the door and saw Lupa sleeping on the bed.
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[Name] Lupa
[Soul Synch] 50%
[Race] White Wolf Beastman
[Age] 22
[Condition] Healthy, Minor eye Irritation
[Traits] Shapeshift Control, Enhanced Senses
[Class] Beast Shapeshifter
[Stats] Strength 15 || Agility 23 || Perception 38 || Mana 0
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Vincent worried she might have trouble seeing after overusing Primal Insight, but a smile instead of a worried frown appeared on his face after taking a good look at her status window. Lupa’s condition was almost healed, thanks to Iris.
Vincent was relieved to see Lupa better. But Kazumi’s following words urged him to play a joke on the seemingly sleeping wolf girl with unnatural sounding fake snoring.