Chapter 342: The Soldier King Returns?

"Gervas, try this roasted monster meat. Knowing you like it, I specially had the servants prepare it a few days ago!"

"Alright, since it was specially prepared by you, Catherine, I must certainly try it! Hmm, not bad! This monster meat is roasted very well!"

"I'm glad you like it!"

After returning to the dining hall, Gervas and Catherine's performance became extremely well-coordinated.

And this back-and-forth act of the two naturally made the faces of Scarlett, Dorr, and several young nobles grow increasingly ugly.

"Cousin Catherine, don't think your older brother is scolding you, but now that you have become a bloodline heir of the Hernandez family and are yourself a noble Count, you must be extremely careful not to be deceived by those with ulterior motives!"

"Some minor nobles just like to curry favor to attach themselves to the powerful!"

"That's right, Cousin Catherine, Dorr speaks well; before, I, your older sister, have seen countless minor nobles wanting to curry favor with me!"

"However, they have no gold coins and no ability; how could I possibly be easily deceived by their few words?"

"Moreover, heirs of great families like ours should naturally choose a family with comparable foundations to ensure our future happiness!"

Good heavens! Gervas exclaimed, "Good heavens!"

Isn't this the plot of a returning soldier king from a past life?

I have already transmigrated!

And yet I am actually experiencing it firsthand.

"Cousin Scarlett, Cousin Dorr, I do not understand what you are saying!"

"However, I, Catherine, dislike it most when others speak ill of my friends, especially Gervas's!"

"If such a situation arises, then I do not mind directly driving them out of the castle!"

"Catherine, you..." Scarlett's expression changed, and she almost couldn't help but say something harsh.

After all, for the sake of an outsider, Catherine completely disregarded the face of us all from the Hernandez family; this was absolutely intolerable.

Fortunately, Dorr managed to keep his cool and held Scarlett back.

"Cousin Catherine, we have no other meaning; we are merely reminding you!"

"By the way, Cousin Catherine, Mo Lisi and the others learned they were to visit your castle, so this time they have brought gifts!"

Speaking thus, Dorr gave a signal to Mo Lisi and the other four.

And Mo Lisi and the others immediately understood what he meant.

They had indeed prepared gifts beforehand.

Those were to be used only if they fell for Catherine.

Now, they all have fallen for Catherine.

However, the specific situation has changed slightly.

The previous gifts were for internal competition among the five of them.

But now, obviously, they need to present a united front against the outside, bringing out gifts to thoroughly outshine this pretty boy.

"That's right, Young Lady Catherine, our unannounced visit is truly rude, so we have specially brought gifts; now please allow us to offer our apologies!"

The group quickly gave orders to their personal servants standing nearby.

Catherine could roughly guess what they wanted to do and was about to refuse immediately, but Gervas suddenly smiled and shook his head to stop her.

Although Catherine was confused, she calmed down.

Soon, the personal servants of the young nobles returned, and they were each holding gift boxes in their arms.

"Everyone, let me, Dante, go first!"

A young noble stood up first.

The other young men had no objections, so he took the gift box and immediately opened it with his own hands.

Two pigeon-egg-sized magic pearls emitting a faint blue glow appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Young Lady Catherine, allow me to introduce these two; they are the precious Magic Water Condensation Pearls spoken of in legends."

"Everyone knows the oceans are full of dangers, so even obtaining ordinary seafood is difficult, let alone magical items from the sea!"

"And these Water Condensation Pearls, due to their special function, are even more precious than ordinary magical items."

"They can condense pure clear water anytime and anywhere; therefore, as long as one carries a Water Condensation Pearl, one need not worry about lacking water, no matter when or where."

"Although the Southern Region is not arid, it still brings great convenience when traveling."

"Such a pigeon-egg-sized Water Condensation Pearl costs about seven or eight gold coins each, but basically, it has a price but no market."

"Because as soon as one appears, it is bought up at high prices by merchant caravans from the arid duchies in the West."

"And these two of mine were specially gifted by a Vice Commander of the Western Legion when he came to the Eastern Region to visit my father!"

"Now I present them as a gift to Young Lady Catherine! Please accept them, Young Lady Catherine!"

Dante then placed the gift box containing the two Water Condensation Pearls before Catherine.

Of course, while speaking, his gaze also swept over Gervas, his eyes carrying a look of mockery and provocation.

Obviously, this poor little noble Gervas was not worthy of competing with them.

Gervas felt the experience of the returning soldier king becoming more and more real.

This feeling... was truly too satisfying!

The more arrogant these guys are now, the more painful the face-slapping will be later.

After all, I didn't watch hundreds of those domineering CEO falls for the bodyguard novels from my past life for nothing.

Catherine looked at Gervas, found his expression normal, and saw him nod slightly toward her.

So, she signaled her personal maid to accept the gift.

At the same time, she said lightly, "Thank you!"

The young man named Dante was stunned for a moment.

Was his gift, worth more than ten gold coins, worth only those two light words?

Logically, even a duke's daughter should beam with joy upon seeing such beautiful and valuable gifts.

More importantly, the viscount's minor noble standing nearby showed no extra reaction either.

"Now it's my turn!" At this moment, the youth named Liam stood up.

He then waved to the servant behind him.

The servant in his hand was holding a large box, covered with festive red silk.

At his command, the servant tore away the red silk strips above, revealing the true appearance of the wooden box beneath.

This turned out to be a small beast box.

Inside that beast box, there was a small red trinket.

However, because the beast box's window was too small, one could not fully glimpse its true form.

Nevertheless, Liam did not make everyone wait long; he stepped forward personally to lift the lid of the wooden box.

Then, a fiery red little rabbit appeared before everyone's eyes.

"It's a First-Rank Magical Beast, the Fire-Fluff Rabbit!" At this, Cousin Scarlett immediately recognized the rabbit's breed, and her eyes couldn't help but light up.

"That's right, this is a First-Rank Magical Beast, the Fire-Fluff Rabbit!"

"Although the Fire-Fluff Rabbit has no offensive power, its individual size is not large, and its culinary value is completely inferior to other magical beasts, its greatest benefit is that it can radiate heat!"

"Its body temperature is much higher than that of ordinary wild beasts, so it can emit warmth at all times. Imagine, in the midst of winter, being able to hold such a fiery red Fire-Fluff Rabbit; how comfortable that would be!"

"Young Lady Catherine, this is the gift I prepared for you; I hope you like it!"