“… Miss Erin?”
Rhode gazed at Erin who was smiling at him curiously. He suppressed a feeling of annoyance in his head and spoke in the most normal tone.
“May I know what’s going on?”
“What do you mean by that, Your Majesty Rhode?”
“Why. Are you. Here?”
Rhode pointed at Erin. He had already sensed the hostile gazes from everyone. Erin tilted her head and pondered for a while. Then, she replied with a smile.
“Oh, this is Big Brother’s order. I’m yours from now onward. Please take good care of me, alright, Your Majesty?”
“… Could you please explain one more time in a less scandalous way?”
“What I said was the truth. Just now, Big Brother told me, ‘from now onward, you’re heading to the Void Territory’. So that’s why I’m here. It’s just that simple.”
Sigh…
Rhode let out a helpless sigh. He turned around and exchanged glances with Marlene and the others before shaking his head. This was truly a dramatic scene. After the ceremony ended, both sides held down the two troublemakers of Mini Bubble Gum and Ashvril. After having a short conversation without including the Dark Dragon Ion, Rhode left with his subjects and decided to check on Lilian after taking a break. But he didn’t expect Erin to follow them all the way back to the temporary residence that the Country of Law had arranged for everyone… Judging from her stealthiness, it wouldn’t be possible that she was in the Thief class… right?
And now, he felt an immense headache at the sight of Erin.
Ion, you scoundrel… You will die a horrible death!
Rhode cursed Ion harshly in his mind before gesturing to Marlene.
“Marlene, I’ll leave her to you. Please help to settle down the princess, understood?”
“Of course, I’ll get everything ready.”
Marlene nodded instantly. Then, she approached Erin and bowed respectfully.
“Your Highness, please come with me.”
“Okay.”
Erin smiled, nodded, and followed Marlene obediently without any arrogance. After the two of them disappeared from Rhode’s sight, he let out a long sigh and shook his head.
Dark Dragon that bastard. This girl is surely here for revenge. Yes, she must be here for revenge!
“Huhuhu, what’s wrong, Master? You look terrible. Why are you complaining when such a beautiful princess throws herself at you?”
Gillian chuckled, swaying her fluffy tail and twitching her ears playfully as though she were really excited. On the contrary, Rhode swept her an ice-cold look.
“Stopping fanning the flames, Gillian. You are also aware that this is a huge trouble.”
Rhode was right. This was indeed a huge trouble.
Even though this seemed like a pleasant task with the attractive Erin, the problem was that even if she was beautiful, he already had a lot of beauties around him, so he wouldn’t necessarily pick her. What was more important was the troubles that she would bring to him.
Rhode didn’t believe that this was a step of the Dark Dragon to form an alliance. Although marrying would definitely strengthen both forces together, the problem was that this wasn’t something deserving of a celebration. Rhode had no intention of forming an alliance with the Country of Darkness because the peaceful coexistence of nations was an entirely different matter. He had intended to not be hostile against the Country of Darkness or express fondness. No matter what, he came from the Munn Kingdom and had to consider Lydia’s standpoint. Moreover, he couldn’t accept ‘undeads’ in his territory. If he walked too closely with the Country of Darkness, there might even be unfavorable rumors spreading in his territory. No matter what, nothing great would come out of a relationship that involved undead creatures. This was why he had planned to let his territory have a neutral standpoint like the Country of Law. Although there was nothing worthy of discussion with the Country of Light, it didn’t mean that he would be inclined to accept undead creatures.
But now, Ion handed his younger sister over and this was obviously a move to pull Rhode to his side!
No, perhaps Ion didn’t have such an intention, but at least he created an illusion that he was pulling Rhode to his side, and it would be enough if it seemed like it for others!
It could also be said that this move by Ion left Rhode in a horrible spot while Ion wouldn’t suffer too many losses. This was because Erin didn’t take up any important roles in the Country of Darkness and was forbidden from getting involved in political and military affairs. Maybe she could obtain some information with her unique identity, but she couldn’t possibly get her hands on the top secrets. This was why Ion wasn’t afraid that Rhode would acquire any intelligence from her. Besides, it was also impossible for Rhode to manipulate Erin like Sonia because Erin was the moon princess—invincible under the full moon. He might even get himself into trouble instead.
Not only that, but Rhode also wouldn’t marry Erin even if he accepted her because he was sure that his entire harem would be blazing in flames, like the aftermath of a volcano eruption. Although there were many women around him, he had never talked about marrying anyone because no matter which choice he made, he would displease the others. This was why he treated them equally. In fact, Canary, Lize, and Marlene were indeed ‘wife material’ and if he were to toss them aside and let Erin take the ‘wife throne’, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Fortunately, Ion didn’t insist that they had to marry each other. If not, Rhode would surely send Erin back to Country of Darkness even if she wasn’t willing to. He would rather fall out with the Country of Darkness than shake the unity and stability of his harem.
Moreover, Erin wasn’t a fool. It was mentioned earlier that perhaps there would be five legendary generals instead of four if it weren’t for her identity that restricted her from participating in political and military affairs. It would be impossible for him to not worry about having someone who was this bright, powerful, and in a possibly hostile position by his side!
Perhaps Ion was aware of Rhode’s intention, which was why he came up with this offensive proposal. If he were to raise this suggestion in an official setting, Rhode would surely reject on the spot. But the proposal would be harder to refuse if Ion handed Erin over directly. Of course, Rhode would still send her back later, but he was also clear that since Ion had made this decision, she would still return to him like a rebounding ball. Moreover, even if Rhode left her behind in the Country of Law, he was sure that she would make her way to the Void Territory. Back then she bravely sneaked into the Munn Kingdom and had tea with Lydia during the war between the Country of Light and the Country of Darkness. So rather than leaving her wandering in his territory later, Rhode might as well place her somewhere where he could monitor her and stop her from heading places she shouldn’t. Even though he didn’t know if Erin would abandon her identity and become a spy, he needed to consider all the possibilities.
If Erin was interested in becoming a spy, she would be an unstoppable one. Besides, even if she had no intention of doing so, in this developing stage of the Void Territory, many core secrets might possibly be revealed. If she were to notice them, Rhode was confident that her wisdom would help her easily deduce the possibilities. The only thing that Erin shouldn’t learn about was his system…
Rhode knitted his brows. He pondered for a long while before finally making a decision.
“Let Canary and Mini Bubble Gum do the monitoring for now while you take care of her too. She doesn’t seem like one who will settle down for boredom, so please watch out for any problems.”
“No problem, Master. Leave it to me.”
Gillian answered swiftly. Then, she placed her finger on her lips friskily and gazed at him in amusement. Rhode noticed her up-to-no-good stare and twitched his brows.
“Is anything else the matter, Gillian?”
“Yes, Master. How are you going to explain this matter to Her Majesty Lilian?”
“…”
Rhode instantly felt his head spinning.
