Chapter 371
“Grandfather, stop talking nonsense p>
Setan’s expression darkened instantly, his voice firm and resolute.
“That engagement with Princess Nina was canceled long ago. I won’t enter another political marriage, and I will never marry her p>
Then, without a shred of hesitation, he added, “Other than Nina, I won’t marry anyone p>
A trace of frustration flashed across his face. The engagement had been dead and buried for ages; why was his grandfather suddenly dragging Princess Nina into this now of all times?
Instinctively, Setan’s eyes darted toward Nina, a sudden spike of anxiety tightening in his chest. Would she dislike him now, knowing he once had a fiancée? He was already struggling just to win her affection.
Now, the ground beneath his feet felt even shakier. The more he overthought it, the more flustered he became until, completely at a loss, he shot Rin an aggrieved glare. This was all his grandfather’s fault.
When Nina turned to look at him, her expression was a complicated, indescribable mix of emotions. Part of her desperately wanted to laugh—so, was he refusing to marry her, or insisting on it?
But beneath the amusement, genuine surprise flickered in her eyes. Setan still didn’t know she was THAT Princess Nina? She had always assumed he’d figured it out. After all, he had been standing right there when Drago came looking for her, and she had never made any effort to conceal her identity.
Nearby, her other mates exchanged glances. Then, their shoulders began to shake suspiciously.
They were fighting a losing battle against their own laughter. The absolute fool still had no idea.
A dozen amused eyes landed on Setan, everyone silently cheering him on.
Remember those words, lion. Don’t marry her. Absolutely don’t marry her.
Their household certainly wasn’t lacking in lions anyway.
Keil’s shoulders trembled so violently he looked ready to collapse. He had never laughed so hard in his life.
How could this old lion family produce so many jokes in a single day? He desperately wanted to bolt back to his room and laugh until he couldn’t breathe, but he was far too invested in the drama to leave.
Behind him, Viann, Riadan, and the others were in no better shape, each waging a silent, agonizing war against their own amusement.
Before Nina could break the spell, Yian suddenly jumped into the fray.
“Exactly!” He pointed an emphatic finger at Rin. “Father, the engagement was canceled years ago. How can you simply reinstate it now? I don’t agree p>
For once, Yian was profoundly grateful he had insisted on breaking the arrangement back then. Otherwise, his son’s happiness might have been ruined forever.
Rin snorted, his glare sharpening. “And what gives you the right to disagree? You were the one who broke our promise in the first place p>
He jabbed a finger toward his son’s chest. “I, Rin, have always honored my word. Because of you, my lifelong reputation for integrity was dragged through the mud p>
Yian’s bravado instantly deflated. “Well his voice weakened, “I was thinking about what was best for Setan p>
At the time, Princess Nina’s reputation had been infamous throughout the Beast World.
What kind of father would willingly send his son into that situation? Then, out of the corner of his eye, Yian spotted Ming standing nearby. His confidence rushed back in a torrent.
“Besides, we weren’t the only ones!” he announced dramatically, pivoting to point at his neighbor. “Ask Ming. Didn’t your city withdraw too? With the rumors surrounding Princess Nina back then, any sane family would have done the same thing p>
“Don’t drag me into this,” Ming shot back, his denial coming so fast it was borderline suspicious. He patted his chest in profound relief. “Spiritcat City never canceled the engagement p>
Thank heavens his foolish son had arrived in time back then. Otherwise, he’d be standing right beside Yian in the hall of shame today.
Yian paused, blinking. “Wait… that’s true.” Then his eyes narrowed. “But didn’t your son run away from the marriage? That’s basically the same thing p>
Ming immediately turned his head away, staring intensely at a nearby wall. There was no rebuttal for that. His son had done something incredibly stupid. What was he supposed to say?
A few feet over, Mino covered his face with both hands. Some memories were truly better left buried.
Sensing blood in the water, Yian quickly shifted targets, his finger locking onto Taru. “What about you, old fox? Your family withdrew too, didn’t it p>
Taru immediately looked up at the sky, suddenly struck by profound, selective deafness.
My, the weather is quite lovely today p>
While pretending the rest of the courtyard didn’t exist, he quietly reached out and kicked Finch’s ankle. This was entirely his fault.
Finch kept his head bowed, accepting the kick in silence. Fair enough. He couldn’t argue with that.
Seeing that Taru refused to take the bait, Yian turned his sights on another victim.
“Then what about the Wolf Clan?” He pointed directly at Aron. “You people pride yourselves on honoring your promises, and yet you canceled the engagement too p>
Aron rubbed his forehead, his expression growing increasingly awkward.
This damned lion. Why was he dragging everyone into the blast zone? Was the goal today to publicly excavate every embarrassing mistake from their collective pasts?
Yian wasn’t done. He glanced toward the final corner. “And Sea Blue City wasn’t any different p>
Without a second thought, Keil smacked Lex on the back of the head. “Look at the trouble you caused p>
Lex covered his head, his face a portrait of pure grievance. He already knew he had made a mistake. Did he really need to keep getting blamed for it years after the fact?
By now, half the courtyard looked like a support group for reformed engagement-breakers. The innocent mates standing on the sidelines could only watch in awe as one unfortunate father after another was dragged into the light, forced to publicly recount their family’s most humiliating blunders.
The atmosphere had devolved into something so utterly absurd that even Nina had to bite her lip, completely powerless against the urge to laugh.