Chapter 152 - 151: Marriage Alliance

A festive air for Wushan Castle’s annual celebration and Lurans’s birthday had begun to build.

Numerous flags and banners had been hung around the castle, displaying the sigil and status of Wushan Castle.

The gardeners had long since tended to the flowers and plants. Tapestries and murals were in place, and the hired musicians and dance troupes were all present and rehearsing.

Quite a few nobles were milling about Lurans’s quarters, but they didn’t stay long. Most of them just offered their greetings, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then left.

Seeing Ronin arrive alone, Lurans, draped in his Demon Wolf Cloak, sat in a soft chair. "I was about to have Mosite fetch you in a little while. I didn’t expect you to come on your own. It’s just as well. There’s something I wanted to discuss with you."

Ronin was a little surprised. He had come to hint at his desire for the Sain Territory; he hadn’t expected Lurans to have business with him as well.

"Grandfather, please go on."

"By my calculations, Princess Blanche should arrive at Wushan Castle tomorrow morning. When she does, I want you to lead the party to receive her."

Uh...

Ronin was stunned. This was the last thing he had expected.

Blanche was the youngest daughter of Oduin V, His Majesty Bruno. Ronin recalled that she was... eighteen this year?

"I didn’t expect the Royal Family to send someone to attend your birthday."

"What, you look down on your grandfather?"

Lurans chuckled. "I am, after all, a top-ranking noble of the Oduin Royal Family. Is it really so strange for His Majesty to arrange for a princess to come and offer me her well wishes?"

Of course, Ronin didn’t doubt Lurans’s status. It was just that members of the Royal Family had rarely attended Lurans’s birthdays in previous years, which was why he was curious.

What puzzled him even more was why Lurans had specifically assigned him to do the welcoming.

"Aren’t Dianey and Bretton in charge of the castle’s reception? It seems a bit inappropriate for me, a mere Baron of Mountain Forest Town, to be the one to receive a princess, doesn’t it?"

"Don’t worry, I’ve already spoken with your father and Dianey. They will cooperate with you."

Lurans gave a mysterious smile. "Blanche is eighteen this year. At her age, she should have been married for two years already. Unfortunately, both of her intended marriage partners, Camello and Oleg, contracted incurable illnesses and passed away."

Ronin raised an eyebrow. ’Damn. Two fiancés in a row, both dead. If this were ancient China, she’d definitely have earned the reputation of a husband-killer.’

"Who are Camello and Oleg?"

Ronin was very curious about the backgrounds of these two fiancés, but he had no information about them in his memory.

But he figured that anyone who could be betrothed to a royal princess must have an extraordinary background.

"They were the eldest and second grandsons of Duke Valgis."

’As expected... they were big shots.’

The Oduin Kingdom had only three duchies in total: the Gistana Duchy, the Ferrensburg Duchy, and the Villa Duchy, which had only existed for thirty years.

Valgis was the master of the Gistana Duchy, located in the far west of the Kingdom.

The only thing Ronin hadn’t expected was that the two dead fiancés were from the same family—they were blood brothers.

Lurans sighed. "With the marriage alliances having failed, and in both cases due to the man’s unexpected death by illness, Blanche should have still been able to marry another noble’s son without issue. His Majesty the King was even prepared to betroth her to Duke Valgis’s third grandson, Gano. Unfortunately, certain rumors circulating outside prevented that marriage from happening."

The corner of Ronin’s mouth twitched.

’Damn, His Majesty the King must really have it in for Duke Valgis, betrothing one daughter to three of his grandsons in succession.’

’If this betrothal had gone through and that Gano fellow also died, wouldn’t Duke Valgis have ended up hating the King to death?’

"Do you want to know what the rumors are?" Lurans asked.

Ronin thought for a moment, then said tentatively, "Don’t tell me the rumors say Princess Blanche jinxes her husbands?"

"Hahaha, they don’t use those exact words, but that’s more or less the gist of it."

Lurans smiled. "The rumors say that whoever marries Blanche will die."

’So, such beliefs exist in the Otherworld too.’

It was mainly because these two betrothals were just too bizarre. With two grandsons dead, Valgis was probably unwilling to risk his third.

’If something happened to him too, wouldn’t his line be cut off?’

To be honest, under a monogamous system, it was already quite remarkable for the Gistana Clan to have three grandsons.

However, Ronin didn’t really believe in such things. He was more inclined to believe that someone was secretly working to ensure the marriage alliance wouldn’t succeed.

Of course, there was another possibility: Camello and Oleg had truly died by accident from an illness.

Wait!

Ronin suddenly realized a very serious problem. A sense of unease crept into his eyes as he looked at Lurans.

"Um... Grandfather, Princess Blanche is coming to Wushan Territory to wish you a happy birthday... she’s not here for a marriage alliance with me, is she?"

It was a real possibility. Otherwise, why would Lurans have told him so much and even specially arranged for him to be the one to receive her?

"Hahaha!"

Lurans burst out laughing. "What, are you scared?"

Hearing the affirmative answer, Ronin was completely dumbfounded.

Although marriage alliances were a very common phenomenon among the nobility, he never thought it would happen to him. And it was so sudden; he was completely unprepared.

"This joke isn’t funny at all."

Ronin wore a bitter expression. "That Princess Blanche has already been through two betrothals. Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to offer her to me now?"

"You can rest assured about that. Whether it was Camello or Oleg, Princess Blanche barely met them more than a few times, let alone fell in love."

Lurans said, "As for that ’husband-jinxing’ phenomenon you just mentioned, you don’t need to worry about it. Both of them were in poor health even before the betrothals. Their short lives had nothing to do with Blanche."

Clearly, Lurans was serious about this.

Ronin frowned. ’Am I being forced into an arranged marriage?’

Lurans noticed Ronin’s expression. "You seem a bit unwilling?"

Ronin didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said, "This is all too sudden. I’m not prepared."

Lurans nodded.

"It is a bit sudden. I only sent a message to His Majesty Bruno after you last came to Wushan Castle. The timing is indeed very rushed."

His tone shifted. "But it is very necessary. Necessary for the Wushan Clan, and necessary for your future."

A thoughtful look appeared in Ronin’s eyes.

In the nearly two months that had passed, Lurans had sent the message to the Royal Court. Bruno must have barely hesitated before sending Blanche over.

’Is he worried about not being able to marry off his daughter?’

That was Ronin’s first impression as well, but on second thought, it seemed unlikely.

Besides, Lurans had also said that marrying Princess Blanche was necessary for both the Wushan Clan and for Ronin himself.

In that case, the King was preparing for the future—a future in which Lurans would likely no longer be around.

"Although a noble can change their heir, doing it once is possible, but a second time would absolutely be met with interference."

Lurans said, "I cannot do the same thing again within just a few years. It would only be rejected by His Majesty, and the new heir would not receive a legitimate title."

Ronin had a realization. Lurans’s words implied that in the future, after Wiggin’s death, Bretton might still be the one to inherit the title of Marquis.

"That man Ossen is quite ambitious, and his son is even more so."

Lurans’s eyes narrowed slightly. "I don’t know if he will move against you after I die. That’s why I’m having you marry Princess Blanche; it’s part of this plan."

Ronin understood. This was to bring the Royal Family into the picture. As His Majesty the King’s son-in-law, Ronin’s status would naturally rise. Even if someone wanted to move against him, they would have to find a reasonable excuse and consider the Royal Family’s honor.

As for His Majesty Bruno, he could use this opportunity to increase his control over the Wushan Territory.

Otherwise, why would a princess marry a baron who had lost his right of inheritance? Was Ronin so handsome he could topple nations?

His Majesty King Bruno likely had his own agenda as well.

And for Ronin, if he set aside his personal feelings and looked at it purely from a perspective of self-interest, marrying Blanche did indeed offer considerable benefits.

Moreover, if he ever wanted to conquer this continent in the future, this would provide him with an opening.

After all, both the Oduin Kingdom and the Tricia Kingdom still claimed to be descendants of the Orland Empire, possessing a legitimate right to inherit the Empire.

In that case, wouldn’t his descendants also have a legitimate claim to the kingdom’s throne?

This marriage alliance seemed to benefit all three parties. It looked like Ronin had no reason to refuse.

"Alright, I understand."

Although Ronin was still resistant in his heart, he couldn’t find a reasonable excuse to refuse for the time being. He could only take it one step at a time.

"So, will this be announced at the banquet the day after tomorrow?"

Lurans breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought Ronin would throw a willful tantrum like he used to. It seemed the boy’s personality had also undergone a huge change.

"No, it won’t."

He said with a smile, "This is just for the two of you to get to know each other. The formal announcement needs to be made by His Majesty the King."

Ronin also breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.