Chapter 197: First meeting with the parents, strange fragrance in the royal hall?
Inside the castle hall, Stella lightly sniffed the fragrant flowers, suppressing the urge to punch her father.
Sirus, with his thick beard, had an extremely dignified appearance, but unfortunately, his face was full of fawning, completely destroying any kingly majesty.
"Dad is just concerned about your lifelong happiness, how could I entrust my most precious daughter to that boy without even meeting him once?"
"Arthur!"
Sirus was suddenly stunned: "What?"
Stella frowned, crossing her arms and emphasizing.
"His name is Arthur, he's the lover I acknowledge, not 'that boy'!"
Sirus nodded reluctantly, his eyes signaling his wife, who stood to the side, to intervene.
Empress Astrea gently stroked her cheek, a graceful smile playing on her lips.
"The person Stella likes is a Rank A Knight, famous throughout the nations and rare in the world. My dear, I can't find any reason to object."
Princess Princess Luna snorted, completely ignoring her father's pitiful antics, and added.
"Since you're so worried, why not invite him to the castle for a talk? Let me state beforehand, I also trust Stella's judgment."
Watching his wife and daughters all standing firmly in his youngest daughter's camp, Sirus felt like he had swallowed a bitter gherkin; he had pain but couldn't express it.
He subtly pouted, pondering inwardly.
'Hmph, that boy is currently being chased ragged by the entire populace. If I just delay a bit longer, I'll appear before him with the most solemn demeanor and make him lose face completely!'
Whoosh!
A short gust of wind suddenly swept through the marble corridor, and amidst a flurry of colorful petals, a figure arrived with the wind.
Arthur arrived with the wind, his clothes unblemished.
Sirus, who was engrossed in his plan, suddenly stood up, his lion-like eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.
"You!?"
"Arthur?"
"Oh dear ~ Young people are indeed impatient."
"Breaking directly into the palace? This is troublesome. Father King will never let go of this excuse."
However, the turn of events completely exceeded Princess Luna's expectations.
Sirus was tiptoeing, taking small steps completely unbefitting a king, intending to sneak out of the throne room.
His guilty demeanor was clear for anyone to see.
Astrea moved her lotus-like steps gracefully, blocking her husband's path, looking down at the monarch who was still winking and making pitiful expressions.
"My dear, why are you sweating? Are you ill?"
Stella, whose mind had been entirely focused on her lover, now reacted. Arthur was definitely not a reckless person; he wouldn't force his way into the palace without reason.
The girl's gaze suddenly turned cold, piercing her trembling father, her voice devoid of any warmth.
"Father King, do you have something to explain?"
Sirus shivered at his daughter's icy tone, his mind racing to find an excuse.
At this moment, Arthur took two steps forward, raised his hand to ruffle Stella's vibrant red hair, and explained lightly.
"Just a friendly exchange between father-in-law and son-in-law. Father-in-law, I should have passed this test, right?"
"You boy, who are you calling father-in-law… Ow!"
Sirus's retort was cut short as Astrea's high heel stomped on his instep, the sharp pain making him roll on the floor, clutching his foot.
Immediately after, his mother-in-law, with a smile in her eyes, stepped forward and slowly took Arthur's hand, her tone unusually solemn.
"Truly, truly thank you for always taking care of Stella."
"Although no one in our country could keep up with Stella, I was still uneasy when I sent her to study abroad."
"Fortunately, my always-reckless little daughter brought back the most excellent partner for herself."
Hearing her mother praise her lover so highly, Stella, who had just been cold-faced, instantly blushed, while Arthur nodded with a light smile.
"You flatter me. I should be the one to thank Stella for her constant companionship and help."
Sirus, whose foot pain had slightly subsided, looked up and saw the harmonious scene of the three, his expression twisted with jealousy.
"You brat! This King will never acknowledge you!"
Princess Luna tapped her chin with a finger, gently advising.
"Give up, Father King, you can't win against Mother Queen."
His eldest daughter's voice seemed to awaken Sirus. He sprang up from the ground, pointing at Arthur from afar.
"Arthur pendragon! Prove with your strength! Prove that you are worthy of Stella!"
"Strength?"
Arthur released his perception, sweeping it over Sirus's direction, a hint of incongruity flashing in his eyes, but he still asked calmly.
"Are you planning to personally guide me?"
At these words, the three women squinted in unison, their gazes filled with blatant disdain for Sirus.
"My dear, he is a Rank A Knight who defeated Stella."
"I remember you haven't been a match for my sister since three years ago, have you?"
"Let's just forget it. No matter how much Father King tries to act tough, he won't be able to harm Arthur in the slightest."
At this moment, Arthur looked at the king, who was deeply struck and almost shrinking into the ground, genuinely feeling the other party's unshakable low status in the family!
Sirus clutched his head, letting out an unwilling wail, and loudly retorted.
"Who wants to fight him! I want him to represent Vermillion to participate in the [War] against the Kuiduolan Kingdom!"
The three women were all stunned at his words.
Arthur recalled the information he had seen earlier, his tone carrying a hint of hesitation.
"You mean the [War] of interests where Blazers represent their countries? But you just said you wouldn't acknowledge me…"
Sirus, whose mind hadn't caught up yet, subconsciously scratched his head.
"Huh? What does that have to do with whether this King acknowledges you?"
Princess Luna, who was in charge of coordinating this matter, raised her hand to her forehead, forced to remind him.
"Have you forgotten? Only Blazers with a direct connection to the Vermillion Kingdom are eligible to represent it in battle."
Empress Astrea clasped her hands in front of her chest, delivering the final blow with a radiant smile.
"In other words, Little Arthur must first become Stella's fiancé to legitimately participate in the competition."
Sirus: щ(゜ロ゜щ)
"No… I… you all…"
His Majesty the King, who had shot himself in the foot, once again put on a pained expression, trembling as he pointed at the innocent-looking Arthur, a lump in his throat.
Just then, Arthur stepped forward, inadvertently blocking Sirus's path back to the throne.
"Father-in-law, the Vermillion Kingdom currently only has Stella as a Rank A Knight, right?"
The disheartened Sirus couldn't be bothered to refute his address, nodding weakly.
Arthur, having received his answer, also nodded. The next instant, the floor tiles beneath him cracked, and he shot out like a cannonball!
His figure moved like a soaring dragon, bypassing the stunned king. His five fingers, like claws, seized the neck of a female attendant next to the throne, and he slammed her violently into the ground!
Boom!
The immense force made the entire castle shake violently. The dull thud of flesh and solid rock colliding made everyone present freeze in place!
Before anyone could react, countless vibrant flowers rapidly grew from the ground, and a reassuring, exotic fragrance instantly permeated the air!
"Did I allow you to move?"
Pale light ignited in Arthur's eyes, and a thousand wind blades appeared out of thin air, instantly shredding all the flowers, and the fragrance dissipated with them!
But it was too late. The royal family members, who had already inhaled the floral scent, felt numbness and soreness spread throughout their bodies, instantly losing strength and collapsing to the ground.
Stella, the strongest physically, could barely move. She struggled, igniting her protective phosphorescence, and cried out in alarm.
"What's going on!? Mom? Dad? Sister?"
A golden aura swirled around Arthur, gently brushing everyone present. The bone-deep numbness immediately vanished.
Arthur held the half-dead assassin high overhead with one hand, letting blood drip onto the back of his hand, a cold smirk on his lips.
He ignored the faint stinging sensation from the thorns in his palm, his gaze locked onto the assassin's still unfocused pupils.
"A pleasure to meet you,