Chapter 55 Marriage Proposal, A Conspiracy

Within the Kingdom of Herlock was the long river that had surrounded the area that was called "The Halo River". On the other side of it, Philomena was looking at the full moon in the sky over toward the direction of the Great Basin, her heart was feeling a sense of nostalgia and longing.

In the Gregorian world, there was also a moon but it was even larger and rounder than anywhere else. At that moment, just as Philomena was recalling her life in the Great Basin with Sade and Prescott from five years ago, the voice behind her caught her attention. Philomena did not respond, instead, she continued looking at the moon from far away. She wasn't surprised by the person who stood behind her at all. As the figure saw that Philomena had no interest in responding, she wasn't angry but slowly walked forward and stretched out her arm to touch Philomena, the stubborn child that was standing in front of her.

The soft moonlight was glowing, the figure's long fiery red hair draped over her shoulders, and she was holding a reed wooden staff in her hand that made her look extremely graceful and dignified. She also wore a red pin that was made of pure silver on her chest. The red pin that was made of silver was widely known as a token of proof for mages who had been approved by the Magic Empire. The color shown on her pin was a representation of her power and strength and its red was representing the fire element. She was a Fire Magister, even though her youthful face didn't match her title.

"Don't act like this. No matter what, he's still the king of his country. It is normal for rulers to take the initiative to propose a marriage for their children to stabilize his kingdom." The red mage lady smiled.

"Besides, you're already nineteen years old and a princess of the kingdom. Princes and princesses would've already had a child by your age.

"Let me tell you, I..."

Before the red mage lady could finish her words, Philomena, who was in front of her, reached out and patted the hand on her head. Her cold voice immediately interrupted her. "Oh, If that's the case, then Amelia, you're already 29 years old. Doesn't that mean that your child should be studying at the Mage Academy by now?"

Philomena's expression was a little cold. Those who were familiar with her would be able to tell that she was already angry. Amelia looked at Philomena's annoyed expression and it stopped her from teasing Philomena any further, she stopped talking and hurriedly apologized.

"I'm sorry my dear Philomena, I was wrong. You don't have to have a baby." Amelia profusely apologized while Philomena was so angry that she didn't know what to say to her.

She did not put the blame entirely on Amelia. Philomena was born in a royal family and she knew her fate since she was only a child. Even though her father had always been spoiling her, he was still the king. He couldn't possibly follow Philomena's every need. This specific reason was why Philomena wanted to study magic since she was young. She knew that if she were to become a mage, she wouldn't have to do what her father bid her to.

As everyone knew, magic was otherworldly, and it was the essence of power. Anyone who controlled magic would control power as well. Philomena had been advocating freedom since she was young, and when her father wanted to send her to the Magic Empire to study magic, she was exhilarated. It meant that her father permitted her to pursue magic instead of getting married. But as the ruler of the Kingdom of Herlock, he also had to be fair for the sake of the country too. Therefore, he simply could not respond to Philomena's request directly.

…

Five years ago, there was a retaliation force against the Long-Boned Apes, and Philomena was lucky enough to meet Prescott to make a pact with the Ancient Dragon and go to the Great Basin together and to take care of Sade.

In the next three years, Philomena felt she was the luckiest girl alive. Under the guidance and training of Prescott, her magical ability had improved significantly. She finally became stronger and with an equivalent qualification of a Magister. From beginner to a high-level Magister, Philomena was able to learn many forms of offensive fire magic. With the help of Prescott and the Green Jade Python, she had successfully accumulated a large amount of combatting abilities. It was the time of her life that Philomena couldn't forget even after her return to the Kingdom of Herlock, five years later.

However, Philomena noticed that after the Green Jade Python had returned her to her home, the world seemed to have changed. Her father, who used to be stern and solemn yet extremely loving to her, had become reclusive and mysterious. Not only did he ignore her but he was also very cold to her, but Philomena gradually got used to it after some time. To rub salt to the wound, Philomena listened to her mother's suggestion and moved from the palace to the Mage Tower that was recently built. Philomena's strength was already an equivalent of Magister-level power; she was qualified to stay in the Mage Tower and that was precisely what she did for the next two years.

Finally, after some time, Philomena suddenly received news from the palace that her mother was sick and her father had summoned her. She immediately headed to the palace and when she arrived, all she wanted to know was about her mother and her wellbeing. Philomena couldn't have guessed what her father did next.

She didn't get any news from him regarding her mother's situation. Instead, she received news that made her confused. The kingdom's Minister had proposed a marriage between Philomena and his son, which Philomena's father had agreed upon. It was completely a decision that was categorically unacceptable for Philomena! She couldn't possibly wrap her head around why her father would agree to such an important decision without consulting her.

Philomena heard some horrible things about the Minister's son, that he was toying with women, tricking them for his pleasure over the years. There was also a report that the Minister's son was abusive towards his maids and servants. Philomena knew straight away that she couldn't possibly marry such a terrible person. What Philomena did not know was that the news of her marriage to the son of a Minister would be widely spread in the kingdom the next day.

...

At this moment, in the northeast area of the Kingdom of Herlock, a group of riders rode from the Magic Empire, along the Magical Beasts Mountain Range, and headed south toward the Kingdom of Herlock.

"Roland, we'll be arriving at the borders of the Kingdom of Herlock in two days. I believe that that kid, Kroft, and his father had already taken care of that woman, Philomena." A man dressed in noble clothes displayed a spiteful expression on his face. He even kept drawing an S shape in the air with his empty hands.

"When I was in the academy, I fell in love with Philomena. Now that five years have passed, not only has she become even more beautiful but she's still a virgin as well. I felt alive when my thoughts of doting on her came through!" The man said.

"Really? That kid, Kroft can handle it?" Another rider asked.

"I heard that Philomena was taken away by a dragon and mysteriously returned years later. Not only did her strength reach the Magister-level but it was even speculated that she received the favor of the Dragon Lady. Do you think now is the right time to execute our plan?" The same man was questioning the plan by telling his companion what he knew.

"Besides, what if you got caught? The Kingdom of Herlock…" A short-haired man who was also dressed in noble attire frowned and said worriedly.

"What about it then? The Kingdom of Herlock is just a border kingdom that was located in an extremely remote area of the empire. If it wasn't for their strategic location that could withstand the impact of the Magical Beast attacks, the Kingdom of Romit would have annexed the Kingdom of Herlock a long time ago." The man smirked.

"I hope the princess has agreed to this. Luckily, the Third Prince had taken a liking to her. Besides, I heard from the kid, Kroft that the Queen of the Kingdom of Herlock is sick and could only be cured by the treasures of the Kroft family. Coincidentally, Kroft's father took the opportunity to propose marriage to the king for Philomena to marry Kroft. When the time comes, we will take action and execute our plan!"

"Sigh, you all are too paranoid. It's such a rare opportunity. Now, you should think about how to play the right hand when the time comes." The wretched man in noble clothes had a sinister smile on his face as he maliciously giggled, his saliva spewed everywhere as he was talking. Just as he was still imagining all sorts of unbearable scenes in his mind, a cold and sinister voice suddenly appeared.

"Ahem! Vern, don't forget the Third Prince's plan. If you mess up this time, I believe that the Third Prince will be more than happy to chop off your leg!" Hearing this voice, Vern, who was the man in noble clothing with a wretched look on his face, instantly stopped his disgusting behavior, especially when he heard the word "Third Prince" his face had instantly turned pale. It was obvious to everyone that the Third Prince was someone dangerous from the way that Vern was acting when he heard the name.

Vern became obedient after the warning. Everyone quieted down and continued on their journey. After all, they still have one or two days of travel ahead of them. Right now, they needed to rush to the nearest settlements before nightfall. According to the map, the place closest to them was an elf village that was located between the mountains and forests.

...