Chapter 155: 155 Hesusu

Three Griffins landed opposite the Royal Griffin team; they spread their wings at one another and let out low cries, which seemed to carry a sense of threat and warning.

Fortunately, these Griffins were all professionally trained mounts, and they did not have the impulse to start a fight the moment they met like water buffaloes.

A tall man leaped down from the back of the white Griffin in the lead.

He was not wearing armor like the two Knights behind him, but was instead dressed in a well-fitted, magnificent formal suit.

With golden-brown hair and pale purple pupils, there was no doubt that this person was His Majesty Bruno's younger brother, Hesusu.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect it to be so lively here."

Hesusu strode forward, his voice extremely loud and hearty.

"I thought everyone was here to welcome me when I was looking down from the sky, but now it seems everyone is welcoming my niece."

Luoning stepped forward, and Blanche let go of his hand at just the right moment.

"Wushan Castle also welcomes your arrival, Count of Yueguang Valley."

Hesusu glanced at Luoning, the smile on his face turning to displeasure.

"I say, Wushan Castle is a Marquis family after all; to arrange for a young person like you to welcome Her Royal Highness on such a grand occasion, isn't that a bit too rude?"

Hesusu had actually questioned Luoning in a lecturing tone in front of all the nobles; this was something not only Luoning had not expected, but even many of the nobles had not anticipated.

One must know that on many occasions, especially large public ones, nobles always maintain etiquette.

However, as the saying goes, people keep to themselves when it doesn't concern them; most, besides being surprised, watched Luoning with amused eyes as if watching a play.

Faced with such a situation, how would this Baron of Shanlin respond?

In fact, Lulansi could have appeared to welcome the Princess, or he could have chosen not to.

Although Blanche was a Princess, Lulansi was a Marquis; there was no great disparity in status between the two of them.

Whether to receive her or not was acceptable either way.

Luoning smiled slightly and explained in an unhurried tone: "Grandfather said that young people have more to talk about, so he arranged for me to receive you. If there is any lack of hospitality, I ask for the Count's understanding."

"Even if you were to arrange for a young person, it should have been Buleidun, who holds the right of succession, right?"

Hesusu followed up on Luoning's words: "Could it be that Lulansi intends to defy the laws passed down by the Empire and appoint two heirs at once?"

Suddenly, an inexplicable tension spread; many nobles cast sidelong glances—what exactly had Count Hesusu come here for?

In the crowd, Buleidun wanted to rush up to defend Luoning, but was held back by Daianni: "You won't be able to help Luoning with anything by going out on an occasion like this."

She also could not figure out what this was all about; in the past, when there were birthday banquets for Lulansi, Hesusu would not have made a special trip over.

After all, the other party was the King's brother; on a day like an anniversary, even if he didn't go to the Wangong, his own territory had many matters that needed attending to.

Hesusu coming here really surprised her.

Luoning was naturally unhappy in his heart; if he were on Earth, he could have started retorting long ago.

But now he could not.

He was currently representing Wushan Castle and representing Lulansi; even if provoked, he had to try his best to maintain the proper poise and etiquette.

"Buleidun is still young; it is naturally more appropriate for someone like me, who is of a similar age to Her Royal Highness, to welcome her."

He looked the other party in the eye, without a hint of nervousness or fear on his face, and said in a lowered voice: "Count Hesusu, you and my grandfather are both vassals of the Kingdom; some things should not be said lightly, even as a joke."

Hesusu's eyes turned slightly cold; what did this brat mean by that—was he threatening him?

"I heard you have changed quite a bit; seeing you today, it is indeed so."

At this moment, Princess Blanche spoke up at the right time: "Uncle Hesusu, hurry and enter the castle with me."

The atmosphere eased instantly.

Hesusu laughed and walked past Luoning: "My dear Blanche, I didn't expect to see you here."

As he spoke, he gave Blanche a light hug.

"The last time I saw you, you were only up to my shoulder; now you've grown to be almost as tall as me."

The two exchanged a few cheerful greetings, then Hesusu greeted the nobles on both sides of the path, and surrounded by the group, they entered Wushan Castle.

Luoning still stood at Blanche's side, but this time he focused more of his attention on Hesusu; his intuition told him that this person had come to cause trouble.

From the moment he landed, Hesusu had a posture of usurping the host's role; not only was he arrogant in his attitude toward Luoning, but he also gradually stole the spotlight from Blanche, as if he had become the protagonist of the day.

Those who didn't know better would have thought this welcome banquet was hosted for Hesusu.

Luoning pondered the possibility of why the other party had come here.

Count Hesusu's territory, Yueguang Valley, was located in the Southwest Territory of the Wushan Territory; to its west was the Royal Territory, to the north was the Screaming Sea, to the south was a relatively chaotic zone, and to the east it bordered Jianjiao City of the Wushan Territory.

King Bruno had two younger brothers: Hesusu and Feilunsi.

It was surprising to say, but Feilunsi was the master of the Feilunsibao Principality and was a Grand Duke;

Hesusu was not only not a Duke, he hadn't even managed to become a Marquis, only settling for being a Count.

Although the scenery of Yueguang Valley was quite good, it was hard to believe there wasn't some reason behind such an arrangement.

Besides this information, Luoning also noticed one point: it seemed the Bolante Bandit Group that plagued the Wushan Territory was active in that southwest area.

Was there a shadow of Count Hesusu behind this bandit group?

After the unexpected interlude, the group arrived smoothly at the newly decorated grand hall.

Here, Lulansi personally received the Princess and announced that Wushan Castle would hold a banquet that evening to welcome Blanche.

As for Hesusu, ever since he entered the grand hall and saw Lulansi, this guy had behaved very restrainedly, completely losing the aggressive stance he had before.

After a bout of liveliness, Lulansi left with the other nobles, leaving only Luoning and Blanche in the large hall; even the guards had remained outside.

Having lived two lives, Luoning had never even experienced a blind date, let alone a political marriage; to be honest, he felt a little bit of nervousness and was full of awkwardness.

"Um..."

He didn't want the atmosphere to go cold, so he took the initiative to speak: "Let me reintroduce myself: the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Wushan, Baron of Shanlin Town, Luoning."

"I know about you."

Blanche raised the corners of her mouth in just the right arc; her smile was neither too flamboyant nor too restrained, making one feel relaxed at a single glance.

In truth, only she knew in her heart that she was also feeling awkward and apprehensive at this moment.

Ever since the objects of her previous two arranged marriages had died of illness, rumors of her being a husband-killer had spread, and with no one coming to propose marriage in the years since, she had fallen into a state of apprehension and low self-esteem.

She was clearly a Princess of the Kingdom; why had she ended up in a position where she was shunned by others?

Therefore, when she heard from her father this time that he intended to marry her off to a Baron who had been stripped of his Marquis succession rights, although she felt resistant in her heart, she still agreed to come and take a look.

It was just that what she had not expected was that the young Baron before her was far more excellent than she had imagined; his demeanor, bearing, and presence of mind were all very good.

"Shanlin Town, what kind of place is that?" she asked.

Luoning thought about it seriously and replied with a smile: "It is a remote, barren place, yet one that possesses great potential."

This statement appeared conventional, but in reality, it had laid out Luoning's situation.

What value did a Baron of a remote, barren region have?

As for the claim of possessing great development potential, anyone with normal judgment was very clear about how much water that statement contained.

He had originally thought that Blanche would show a look of astonishment or even displeasure upon hearing this, but the expression on her face did not change at all.

"I believe that with your wisdom, you will certainly be able to bring great changes to that place," Blanche smiled.

(End of this chapter)