Once he left and the store was closed, Song Yue finally realized that they were alone. As for Alina and Allen, she knew that they aren't humans and could no longer bring herself to look at them as humans as she did before.
During the last night, her emotions were unstable. So, she didn't think too much about it but now, as her emotions were stable, she suddenly remembered that she was living alone with a man, a particularly handsome one at that. Her heartbeat couldn't help but beat wildly due to nervousness.
Thankfully, Mark was the same as before. That eased her up a lot. Slowly, they became busier with normal talks, although it's just mostly Mark telling her about his adventure in the Western Moon kingdom.
"As they are almost at the end of their conversation with the clock hitting 10 p.m., Song Yue put forth a sudden request.
"Eh? You want to train in firearms?" Mark was slightly surprised at first but then he thought that she was trying to get stronger now that she was on her own.
"Great Grandpa gave me some weapons he bought here," replied Song Yue. She added, "There's also a Panzer, which I want to master more than anything else."
Mark didn't give too much thought and nodded right away, "Alright. We can train in the early morning for two hours daily."
"That's great. Thank you, Owner Lu." As Song Yue let out a smile, Mark waved his hands with a smile, "we aren't at working hours. You can be less formal and call me by my name. Not to mention, we are getting engaged. It is the least we can… Hmm, what happened?"
Song Yue's face turned red as her legs suddenly became restless. "Nothing, I was just tired."
"Ah, Sorry…" Mark apologized and suggested that she should go and have some sleep. As she returned to her room and locked the door, she placed her hand on her chest. Her heartbeat spiked up for a few moments before she scolded herself. "What are you getting embarrassed for such a simple statement, you idiot. It's not like you are a little girl. "
Taking a deep breath, she went to bed to sleep.
Three days later;
During the past couple of days, the news about Song Yue's stay with Mark was spread all over the city. As the Song Clan cannot take her away by force, the elders opted for damage control.
They created a new rumor based on past events. Now, according to the story cooked up by the Song Clan, Mark and Song Yue fell in love at some point after the public trial.
Due to his enmity with Mark, Song Yun didn't agree with their relationship. As a result, Song Yue eloped in the middle of the night, ten days ago and since then, she was staying with her lover.
The silence of Song Yue and Mark on this rumor turned into a fact. And this piece of news brought mixed reactions from the public. The commoners supported the couple, stating that the boundary between a commoner and a noble cannot stop love.
Some noble clans like Ji Clan, Zhang Clan, and Nie Clan were infuriated that Mark is getting bolder day after day. The Emperor stated his neutrality but secretly blessed them in his heart. After all, Song Yue was also like his daughter.
As for the four princes, the crown prince doesn't care because Song Yue no longer has any value without the backing of her clan. The Second Prince doesn't interfere in the matters of others but he treats Mark as a valuable partner and to some extent, as a friend. So, he is naturally happy for Song Yue.
The third prince is currently out of the Empire for diplomatic reasons and the fourth prince has nothing to do with either of them.
Song Yun's residence, Imperial City;
Song Yun was having a morning tea with an elder named Song Mu who was the strongest in the clan (excluding Song Tai) prior to Song Yun's breakthrough.
"If you ask my opinion, Lord Song, as the Patriarch of the clan, you made the right choice but as a father, you are the worst," said Song Mu and calmly took a sip.
Song Yun clenched his fist with a frustrated look on his face, "If only that damn Lu Zhen doesn't exist, everything would have gone well for us."
Song Mu shook his head and said, "Right now, you shouldn't think about him but focus on internal matters. You know that your elder brother, Song Chang is vying for your position for a long time and he was bitter about the fact that he was forced to step down.
Since you are an Exalt realm Spirit Warrior, the elders won't be going against you but your brother won't lie down. Before he makes some idiotic mistake that threatens our position in the Empire, you should… Hmmm…"
Before he finished with his suggestion, a lightning sparrow stopped beside them like a flash of lightning, taking them by surprise.
It let out a chirp and dropped a heavy scroll from its tiny back. It fell right on the table. As both of their attention momentarily shifted to the scroll, the sparrow flew away at the speed of sound.
"What is this? A message from someone?" asked Song Mu.
"I guess." Song Yun opened the scroll only to see beautiful calligraphy in the form of an invitation. As he read the details, Song Yun's expression changed from puzzled to anger and he couldn't help but burn it with his ether energy.
"I will not leave him alive…" Feeling as if he was being mocked by Mark for being invited to his own daughter's ceremony, Song Yun lost his senses for a moment before the elder stopped him with reasoning. "Stop it. If you go ahead, the Song Clan won't support your decision and you will lose everything. Think calmly for a second, Lord Song. Even you know that you can't beat him. Even if you return alive because of mercy, Song Chang will make sure to bring you down. Tell me. What will you gain from this? Instead, you will only become the loser."
Song Yun snarled at him, "So, you want me to accept him as my son-in-law and admit my defeat like a coward?"
Elder Song Mu didn't take offense to Song Yun's tone. He calmly replied, "All I'm telling that it is bad for you if you confront him head-on. I didn't say that you can leave him without giving any trouble."
"What do you mean?" asked Song Yun as he frowned. He couldn't understand what this old man was trying to suggest.
Song Mu reminded him of his newest ally, "It is a fact that you were forced to annul the engagement due to Ancestor's interference. But, it is only known to us. Because of the rumor, people think that you annulled it because Lu Zhen is stronger. If you can make the Ji Clan think the same, then, they could retaliate against Lu Zhen to take back their daughter-in-law as you have yet to pay them compensation for going back on your word."
Song Yun thought for a bit and rejected the idea, "Ji Clan was weak. The only reason I wanted to form an alliance with them was because of the Western Yan's strategic location and their status as one of the twelve major noble clans of the Empire. They don't have the power to defeat Lu Zhen."
"You forgot about the Church of Nuwa, Lord Song."
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