Chapter 214: Chapter: 214 So, you are the most gifted man in the world?

Vivian spoke in a cold, hard voice. “Cancel this marriage right now, or die.”

To Count Zalan, those words sounded like a thousand loud thunderclaps hitting him all at once. His face turned even paler.

He took a quick, sharp breath and said, “Sir Vivian, the marriage has already gone this far…”

“So what?” Vivian cut him off coldly. “I don’t care who it is. You will cancel the marriage right now!”

Count Zalan stayed quiet for a moment. He was afraid of the Zenithara family.

In the past, he had asked Salena to talk to Edward and push him to run for the throne.

Back then, the head of the Zenithara family was busy fighting in the war.

Their previous leader was only at the swordmaster level, just like Count Zalan himself.

Also, the heir, Vivian, had suddenly disappeared.

So Count Zalan thought it was the perfect chance to make a move.

He never expected this problem would come back to hunt him like this today.

He let out a long, heavy sigh and looked at Vivian. Vivian was staring at him with cold, angry eyes.

If there were no people around, Vivian would not hold back.

Vivian would have dragged him down to the ground and cut off at least one of his arms just to feel satisfied.

But right now, too many guests and nobles were watching. He could not act freely.

Also, his own mother-in-law was standing there, Count Zalan’s sister. Because of family ties, he had to control himself a little.

Count Zalan looked around with worry in his eyes.

Then his gaze stopped on Salena. He gave her a sharp, angry look.

In his mind he cursed, ’This useless girl… she can’t even handle one simple thing right.’

Even though he did not act much like a real father, he still wanted to use his position as her father to get out of this trouble.

He spoke again, trying to sound calm. “Sir Vivian… how about we ask Salena herself what she wants?”

Vivian gave a cold snort, showing he was not happy.

But he did not stop the count from speaking. Vivian had come here mainly because Edward liked this girl.

Still, he also wanted to make sure Salena was the right choice for his brother. So he allowed Count Zalan to continue.

Salena stood there quietly, her face pale and her hands shaking a little.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward her now, waiting for her answer.

Count Zalan turned to look at his daughter.

Now his eyes looked gentle and full of care, as if the earlier anger and cold look belonged to a different person.

He spoke in a soft voice. “Salena, my dear… what do you want?”

Salena bit her lower lip hard. She felt no real love or warmth toward this man who called himself her father.

Deep inside, she was very afraid of him.

Even though Vivian was standing right there, protecting her, she still could not find the courage to speak against her father.

Count Zalan stayed completely still.

He kept the same kind and gentle look on his face. But inside her mind, she suddenly heard his cold voice clearly.

[Don’t you dare say anything wrong. Silently agree to the marriage. Be useful to the family for once.]

The words hit her like ice. Salena’s face became even paler.

Her eyes had been shaking with fear, but now they stopped moving. She slowly raised her head. She looked straight at Vivian.

When Vivian saw her brave eyes, his hard expression softened. He gave her a small nod, telling her it was okay.

Salena took one step forward. She bowed slightly toward Vivian and spoke clearly. “I greet the elder brother.”

With just those simple words, she made her choice very clear to everyone in the hall.

She walked slowly and stood beside Vivian.

Then she spoke again, her voice steady. “I do not want to marry anyone except Edward.”

After that, she turned a little and bowed gently toward Raon.

For some reason, Raon had been staring at Vivian with bright, sparkling eyes, completely lost in his thoughts.

Salena spoke softly to him. “Sir Raon, you are a good man. But I cannot love anyone besides Edward. I’m very sorry.”

Her sudden words surprised Raon. He jerked out of his thoughts, blinked, and then gave a warm smile.

“Well… everything is fine now,” he said.

He looked over at his sister Marinate. She gave him a small nod.

In truth, Raon was never truly in love with Salena.

His father had simply ordered him to marry her, so he agreed.

Now that things had turned out this way, it did not hurt him much.

And there was another reason he felt okay. He scratched his cheek, looking a bit nervous.

Then he looked straight at Vivian and asked, “Sir Vivian… can I please get a few pointers on swordsmanship from you?”

The moment those words left his mouth, the whole hall became dead silent. No one dared to speak.

Marinate, who had been watching quietly from the side, let out a soft sigh.

This had started a few years ago.

Whenever she returned to the Arya Empire, no matter who she met, friends, nobles, or young swordsmen, she would always talk about one person: an exceptional young man with unmatched sword skills.

Because of her stories, almost everyone in the Arya Empire had heard about Vivian.

The person most affected was Raon. Since he was a small child, Raon had loved swords more than anything.

When he heard his sister talk again and again about this incredible swordsman, he became obsessed.

He dreamed of meeting him one day. So now, he could not hold back. He had to ask.

Vivian looked at Raon and gave a small, gentle smile. “Come to the estate,” he said calmly. “If I’m there, I will show you a few things.”

With that the silence in the hall slowly broke.

People started whispering.

Some looked shocked. Others looked excited. Everyone knew something big had just happened in front of their eyes.

’Damn it!’ The count cursed inside his head over and over.

He did not say a single word out loud.

He only clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.

He had no choice but to swallow this deep humiliation in front of everyone.

On the other side, Vivian turned toward his mother-in-law. He gave her a small, respectful bow and spoke in a calm voice.

“Your Majesty, I will take my leave now.”

Evelyn—the Queen—smiled kindly at him. Her eyes were warm and gentle.

[Mother, you should visit the estate soon. Charlotte keeps talking about you,] Vivian sent the message directly into her mind.

He could not call her “Mother” openly with so many nobles watching.

[I will come. And congratulations on reaching the grandmaster stage,] she replied through the same mental link.

Her smile grew even warmer as she congratulated him.

After saying goodbye to her, Vivian turned to Marinate.

A small, real smile appeared on his face. “Is he your brother?” he asked, nodding toward Raon.

Marinate gave a quick nod.

Vivian looked at Raon once more, then back at her.

“Not bad,” he murmured quietly.

Raon was very close to breaking through to the swordmaster level.

He could not compare to Edward yet, but he was still strong and talented for his age.

[Come visit Charlotte at the estate sometimes,] Vivian sent another quiet message to Marinate.

Marinate returned a short smile and nodded. But deep inside, her heart felt bitter and heavy.

Years ago, Vivian had gently rejected her feelings. She had pretended to move on and forget about him.

He still believed she was completely over it. He had no idea she was still stuck on him, unable to let go.

During the last years at the academy, she and Charlotte had become very close friends.

Because of that, Vivian still thought Marinate and Charlotte were just good friends. He never suspected the truth.

“Haa…” Marinate let out a quiet, sad sigh.

He really did not know that everything back then had been her acting, pretending she did not care anymore.

After a few more short words with Marinate, Vivian turned toward the door.

Salena followed quietly behind him, keeping her head slightly lowered.

The hall became completely silent. No one dared speak for a long moment.

Then, slowly, whispers started spreading through the crowd like fire.

“He… he really did that?”

“He has some serious guts!”

“Shhh! Don’t talk so loud. I heard Princess Charlotte is going to marry him. And did you see? The Queen didn’t stop him or say anything!”

“Yeah, and I also heard he has some kind of relationship with Princess Marinate too.”

The whispers grew louder and faster. Count Zalan could not stand it anymore. His face turned red with anger.

He stormed out of the hall in a furious rush, his footsteps echoing loudly.

Soon after, the other nobles began to leave as well. Some left quickly. Others walked slowly, still whispering to each other.

Meanwhile, Vivian walked ahead on the long corridor outside the hall.

Salena followed a few steps behind. She looked very anxious. Her hands were twisted together nervously.

Even though everything had ended well, she still felt scared. She did not know what Vivian really thought of her.

After all, she had tried, without meaning to, to create problems between the two brothers. She felt guilty.

She hesitated for a few seconds. Then she spoke in a small, shaky voice.

“B-Brother…”

“Mmm?” Vivian answered without turning around. His voice was calm.

“I’m sorry,” Salena said quickly. “I should have explained everything to Edward first. I should have told him the truth…”

“It’s okay,” Vivian said gently. He finally slowed down so she could walk beside him.

“You don’t need to worry anymore. And as for Edward… he has some good surprises ready for you.”

Salena’s shoulders relaxed a little. A tiny smile appeared on her face. “Thank you, broth—?”

Before she could finish the word, Vivian suddenly appeared right in front of her in a flash.

At the same moment, a soft glowing barrier of light surrounded both of them like a protective bubble.

BOOM!!!!!!

A huge explosion ripped through the air.

The bright light screen that had been floating in the sky above the garden shattered into pieces in an instant.

Sparks and broken magic fragments rained down.

A cold, weird voice that seemed like a male and female talking at the same time echoed.

“So… you are the most gifted man in the world? Vivian D. Zenithara?”

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