"...."


    "...."


    An hour had passed since the duel time, and still, there was no sign of Kaelith arriving at the duelling ground. The tension in the air was palpable, and the crowd''s murmurs grew louder with each passing minute.


    "Did the Elder really not care for his tribe?"


    "Well, it''s been an hour already," another replied, shaking their head in disbelief.


    "Haha... Now the High Elf tribe is in a predicament," a third added with a mockingugh, clearly enjoying the High Elves'' difort.


    The murmurs of the crowd were almost loud enough to reach Maelona''s ears. She rubbed her forehead, feeling a mix of annoyance and anger. This was not how she had envisioned the day going.


    Seated beside her, Liora couldn''t help but smile. She nced at Maelona, a teasing glint in her eye. "What happened? It''s been an hour, you know~" Her tone wasced with mockery, the smirk on her lips widening.


    Maelona''s lips twitched, and she snorted in response, her patience wearing thin. But before she could retort, Liora continued with her teasing. "Of course, he might be busy with his ''secret'' mistress and will eventuallye... right?"


    Maelona gritted her teeth, and her frustration was evident.


    Aether, sitting beside Aria, couldn''t help but feel the tension. "What happened?" he asked quietly, sensing theplex dynamics at y but not understanding them fully.


    Aria sighed her reluctance to share her mother''s personal life evident, "Well, you could say... my mother was kind of like me... or maybe I am like her." She hesitated, not wanting to delve too deeply into the past.


    "Oh..." Aether nodded, respecting her reluctance and not pressing further. His attention turned to the duelling ground where Liora''s husband stood alone, his eyes fierce but his legs...


    ''His leg is shaking?'' Aether noticed, frowning, ''Is he scared or ill?''


    As more time passed with no sign of Kaelith, Liora sighed dramatically. "I don''t think anyone would wait much longer... Don''t you think so?"


    Maelona gritted her teeth harder. This was a patriarchal duel, meaning only male tribe members could fight. If it were otherwise, she would have already torn apart this infuriating woman.


    Just then, Aria stepped forward, her resolve evident. "Why don''t you allow me to fight?" Her voice was strong and filled with determination. Liora chuckled dismissively, but before she could respond, Aria added, "I am the Arcane Queen, so I don''t think there''s anything wrong with it."


    Liora''s chuckle turned into a fullugh. "Haha... Darling~ You should know, it''s not about whether you are the chosen one or not... it''s about our rules... Only males are allowed!"


    Aria clenched her fists in frustration. If her father didn''t arrive, they knew their tribe would fall below the Darkfang''s rule, a fate they couldn''t afford.


    Liora''s satisfied smile grew as she stared at Aria, savouring her difort. Then, turning to her son and looking back at Aria with a smirk, she said, "I heard you defeated my son... no, almost killed him, right?"


    "Yes..." Aria frowned... not only her but also Kaelen, who sensed something was terribly wrong.


    Liora''s smile widened as she turned her gaze to Maelona, "I am pretty sure you understand what''s going to happen now, right?"


    Maelona nced at Liora, already predicting her aim.


    "If your tribe don''t want to fall... why don''t we arrange a marriage between my son and your daughter... since she was divorced, right?"


    The crowd fell silent, the weight of her proposal sinking in.


    "M-MOTHER!! This is not what we —"


    "What?" A single nce from Liora silenced her son, making him sit back in fear.


    Kaelen''s forehead was drenched with sweat, anxiety evident.


    Ignoring him, Liora turned back to Maelona, whose calm reaction surprised her. "What do you think?" she asked.


    With a carefree attitude, Maelona replied, "I don''t mind."


    "Mother?" Aria''s eyes were filled with disbelief, but Maelona continued.


    "But her future husband needs to agree to this," Maelona added, pointing at Aether.


    Aria''s face flushed immediately as everyone turned their heads, looking at Aether with keen interest and surprise!


    "Future husband? This human?"


    "Did her grace go crazy? Letting a human marry our princess?"


    "I mean, she was barren, right? So that human might be the only option for them,"


    "Who the hell is he?"


    "Even so, I think she should have epted their offer... now everything is going to fall!"


    The murmurs grew louder as they looked at Aether with curiosity, who was staring at Maelona with wide, surprised eyes.


    Aether sighed deeply before shaking his head, a small smile ying on his lips. "Mother-inw... you are too much!"


    It was clear that Maelona wanted Aether to step up instead of hiding. After all, he had did many experiences with her daughter, and it was only natural for her to expect him to take responsibility.


    [+200 AP]


    Maelona''s face beamed with satisfaction. She then turned to Liora, her smile turning sly. "Do you think I would just give up so easily?" she asked, her voice dripping with confidence.


    Maelona had already nned a backup, which was why she had insisted that Aria bring Aether along.


    Kaelen frowned, his mind racing. ''Where have I seen him before?'' he wondered, trying to ce the familiar face.


    Liora''s frown deepened as she questioned, "Future husband? Only those who are married wo—"


    "A-Aether?" Aria was taken aback when Aether gently grasped her shoulder, leaning in to touch his forehead to hers. He then rubbed their noses together affectionately.


    "HUH!!"


    "WHAT THE...."


    "...."


    "Is this eptable?" Aether nced at Liora, who was staring at him in stunned silence.


    "I guess not, then?" Aether murmured before kissing Aria''s lips passionately in front of everyone. The crowd''s cheeks turned crimson with shock and embarrassment.


    [+10 AP]


    [+10 AP]


    [+10 AP]


    [+10 AP]


    [+10 AP]


    [+10 AP]


    .....


    ...


    This was the first time many in the crowd had seen such a tant disy of affection, especially involving the High Elf tribe''s princess.


    "I see..." Liora grinned, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Aether. "Then go on, Human!"


    Aether felt a bit uneasy at her grin but shrugged it off. He jumped onto the duelling ground while Maelona gently ced her daughter down, who was too stunned by the disy to react, back on her feet.


    Maelona watched the scene unfold with an intrigued expression.


    Aether looked around the duelling ground, his eyes scanning the gathered audience. His gaze finally settled on the dark-haired wolf man who stood at the centre, frowning at him with a mixture of amusement and disdain.


    "What level are you, child?" the wolf man asked, his voice dripping with condescension. His previously trembling legs now stood firm as if he hadn''t been scared at all.


    ''This guy....'' He thought he was slightly annoyed for unknown reasons..."Hmm? Well, what about you, sir?" Aether asked respectfully, maintaining hisposure.


    "Hmph! What''s the point of knowing when you are about to—"


    "Bang!"


    BBBOOOOMMMM!!!


    "He talks too much!" Aethermented nonchntly, blowing on his fingers as if they were a smoking gun.


    Liora''s eyes widened in shock as she saw blue mes enveloping the entire ground. The intensity of the mes was unlike anything she had ever seen.


    "This guy..." Kaelen frowned, his mind finally clicking into ce. He remembered the first day he had encountered Aether, the sight of the mes triggering his memory.


    "You know him?" Liora asked, still watching the ground intently. Kaelen nodded and exined everything he knew about Aether, including his connection to Aqualina as her servant.


    "Servant?" Liora''s surprise was evident in her tone.


    "Yes, Mother! I don''t know how this happened, but we could use this to destroy their reputation. The High Elf tribe marrying a servant is a disgrace, don''t you think?" Kaelen''s prideful expression made it clear he thought he had made an astute observation.


    Liora nodded with a surprised smile. Kaelen, feeling even prouder, was about to shout to the crowd... make them feel despair when,


    "My son... let''s wait for now."


    "B-But Mot--"


    "Let''s wait"


    "U-Understood"


    Liora smiled slightly before turning her gaze to Maelona. "Looks like she found something amusing..."


    However, Maelona didn''t reply. Her eyes were fixed on the white-haired man stepping onto the stairs.


    "Kaelith?"


    Both Liora and Kaelen frowned at hearing that name, ''Why is he here?'' they wondered in unison.