Chapter 611
610 The Old Father's Thoughts
Chapter 611, Section 610: The Old Father's Thoughts
"A ball?" Inanna, who was rubbing the body of the cannon fodder, looked up when she heard this. A look of confusion flashed in her pink eyes as she repeated the words her father had just uttered.
“That’s right, a ball!” Duke Alama puffed out his chest, his voice booming, trying to sound full of love and joy. “My dear daughter, your eighteenth birthday was delayed because of the intense war. Now that the situation has eased a bit, this belated celebration must be made up for! I have already extended invitations to many outstanding young men in the kingdom, inviting them to come and celebrate with you and witness the splendor of the jewel of the St. Clair family!”
"Eh—?!"
Upon hearing that many strangers would be gathering, Inanna's brows furrowed immediately, and she even stopped kneading her hands.
If she had a choice, Inanna would like to celebrate her birthday with the Puji in the Mushroom Garden.
Unfortunately, the eldest brother didn't know his own birthday and never asked.
She wasn't complaining about anything; in her opinion, Puji probably didn't have the concept of a birthday.
The key issue is that her father is now bringing in a large group of people she doesn't know at all and has no interest in, which is nothing short of social torture for her.
She's not the type to enjoy these kinds of situations.
Seeing her daughter's resistant expression, Alama rubbed her hands together slightly, adopting a gentler, more persuasive tone:
“My dear daughter, you are now the kingdom’s youngest war hero, a rising star in everyone’s eyes. You are destined to stand in a higher position and shoulder greater responsibilities in the future. You are indeed familiar with these old guys like Lorenzo, but you can’t deal with only us old guys forever. Those young people are the future of the kingdom! Take this opportunity to get to know them and build some connections. It will only benefit you, your family, and the future of the kingdom, and will not do you any harm.”
Eric, the old butler standing behind him, chimed in at the opportune moment: "Master is absolutely right, Miss. This is indeed a good opportunity."
Inanna glanced suspiciously between her father and the butler, wondering why she wasn't notified until everything was arranged.
Why did the two of them come together, as if they were afraid she would refuse?
However, Alama's words do make sense. Inanna is not the kind of willful young lady who only cares about herself; she understands the responsibilities that come with her identity.
Although somewhat reluctant, she eventually nodded in agreement.
In his arms, the number four dog, which had been waiting for a long time but hadn't received any more stroking, finally couldn't help but snuggle up.
Inanna then snapped out of her daze and began absentmindedly kneading its soft mushroom cap again.
As she left the room, Alama quietly wiped non-existent sweat from her forehead—thankfully, she hadn't been rejected outright.
It must be said that with Inanna's current power and her reputation as a "war hero," there is really no one in the United Kingdom who can force her if she is determined not to do so, not even her father.
Because they were worried that their daughter would reject them outright, this matchmaking event was carefully packaged as a "belated birthday party."
Furthermore, apart from Inanna herself, who was kept in the dark, all the young talents who received the invitation and their families received some kind of unspoken hint from different channels—the Duke of Alama was choosing a future partner for his promising only daughter!
Alama was actually quite conflicted; she felt like she was scheming against her own daughter by doing all this.
But he couldn't just stand by and watch Inanna grow old alone with Puji like that!
Look at those two Lorenzo boys!
At the time of their marriage, the woman was fifteen years old and the man was sixteen.
This is the normal marriage age among the nobles of the United Kingdom! Eighteen years old isn't too late, really. The real problem is that Alama can't see even the slightest hint of that kind of interest in his precious daughter!
Which of the other noble girls of the same age didn't yearn for a romantic encounter, their eyes lingering on those handsome young knights or talented young mages?
Only Inanna, all day long, either stayed in the Duke's mansion rubbing Puji all day, or went to the Puji Dungeon to play with more Puji.
In this matter, Alama is not considering whether Puji means an opportunity or a threat to the kingdom. Just looking at Inanna, if things continue like this, she might not even have a boyfriend by the time she turns twenty!
How could he, as a father, not be anxious?
Of course, Inanna was his precious daughter, not a burden he was eager to get rid of. Even if he was in a hurry, he couldn't just marry his daughter off to anyone.
For example, that guy named Aiding.
Although he holds the title of viscount and his abilities are enough to secure him a real fiefdom in the future, he's almost as old as I am!
My daughter must never marry this old man!
So Alama didn't invite Aidin to the banquet at all, even though he had some connection with Inanna.
In comparison, Warren, the young man who had served as Inanna's adjutant and performed well in the Battle of Dragon's Roar Valley, was much more pleasing to the eye.
Although he came from a baronial family, he had a respectable family background, was highly capable, and had good character.
Alama even secretly sent people to investigate carefully, confirming that the other party was not a hypocrite who was two-faced, and was a son-in-law candidate worth considering.
Of course, even though Alama personally had a good impression of Warren and had specifically invited him, the final decision still rested with Inanna herself.
In fact, all the young people who received invitations to this banquet had been selected by Alama.
Those with tarnished reputations, questionable character, or physical abnormalities are not even qualified to step into the banquet.
Alama doesn't care if he offends anyone; if anyone disagrees, they can come and "reason" with him in person.
If any lucky man does manage to win Inanna's favor, Alama will conduct an even more thorough investigation to ensure that her daughter does not entrust her with the wrong person.
His only worry now is that... his daughter will end up not liking any of them.
"Surely... not one of them would be unacceptable?" he muttered uncertainly, as if seeking reassurance. "I've gathered all the young men in the kingdom of this age group who are top-notch in terms of family background, ability, and appearance. Eric, what do you think?"
The old butler behind him bowed slightly and suggested, "Master, Miss is so outstanding that ordinary greetings and introductions are unlikely to attract her attention. Perhaps... we should give the young people some opportunities to showcase their abilities."
“That makes sense!” Alama’s eyes lit up, and she immediately had an idea. “Just dancing and drinking is too boring. We need to arrange some entertainment at the banquet that will allow them to shine…”
He began to consider how to cleverly design the process so that it would be both dignified and give the candidates the opportunity to present their best selves to his daughter.
……
Inanna, who was in the room, was completely unaware of this at the time.
However, Lin Jun overheard everything openly.
(End of this chapter)