Death... and me

The group then passed through the palace's gate. Rean and Roan looked at the guards around and had to admit that the Empire's strength was truly impressive. The weakest guards at the palace were at the very least at the Nascent Soul Realm. This kind of realm was considered god-like in small countries like Jialin. Nevertheless, they were nothing more than simple guards in the Imperial Family.

Some of them used different uniforms as the energy emanating from there was much higher. Droman then told the two that they were all at the Soul Forging Realm, just like him and Old Worm. As Rean's master, Droman obviously followed him for this encounter. Well, it was because of his existence that this marriage was happening to begin with.

Not too long after, they finally arrived at a hall where a banquet was prepared for them. 

"Please come inside. My parents will be here shortly."

Harmalia and Turen nodded as they took their seats. Even now, they were having issues calming themselves down. Everything here was just too luxurious—a stark contrast to their life in the Varen Tribe.

It was then that Rean heard his mother whisper a question.

"Rean, is it really okay for us to be here? I can't help but feel like we're out of place."

Rean nodded as he replied.

"I know how you feel since I feel the same. It took quite some time for me to get used to the Imperial Capital. Of course, I have to admit that this hall is quite imposing."

Suddenly, the door on the other side of the hall opened. From inside, Nivol and Ariana came in. But that wasn't all. Behind them, two other couples followed. Qia looked at them and smiled.

"Brother, sister, I see that you brought your partners as well. That's great!"

They were Qia's siblings with their own husbands and wives. Qia told Rean before that they also went through political marriages.

"So I can finally meet my brother-in-law, huh?"

Qia's older brother came forward as he extended his hand. He had heard from his parents about Rean being Droman's disciple, so he understood what this marriage meant for the Sasamil Imperial Family.

"I'm Luan Sasamil. Nice to meet you."

Qia's sister also did the same thing.

"And I'm Fumina Sasamil, Qia's older sister."

Rean smiled as he reciprocated their gestures.

"Oh, hi! I'm Rean Larks, Qia's groom."

Fumina then looked at Qia by his side and was taken aback for a moment. Soon after, she sent a Spiritual Message to Luan.

'Mother told us that Qia got a bonus from this political marriage. Pay attention to Qia's expression.'

Luan was surprised by that message, so he quickly looked at Qia. Sure enough, he also noticed. Qia was their sister, after all. They were not that far off in age, with Qia being nothing more than five years younger than Luan, the eldest. Thanks to that, they grew up together. Obviously, they knew their youngest sister very well.

'That's not the usual fake smile.'

Fumina nodded.

'She seems to be really looking forward to it. No wonder mother appeared to be happy when she told me that.'

Both siblings couldn't help but sigh. Nevertheless, they were happy for her. At the very least, she found someone she really wanted. It's not like they hate their partners. Neither side treats and is mistreated. Unfortunately, their relationships were a lot... colder...

Luan then put his hand on Rean's shoulders before saying.

"I'm counting on you."

Rean didn't quite understand what he meant by that but nodded nonetheless.

"Leave it to me."

While Rean talked with Qia's siblings, Nivol and Ariana also complimented Rean's parents.

"So you are Rean and Roan's parents, huh? I'm really impressed that you were able to bring out such amazing siblings considering the place you came from. Even as an Imperial Family member, I'm quite jealous of their talents. Especially since they have this special connection regarding elements. Truly impressive."

Ariana shook her head as she said.

"That doesn't matter that much, dear. What matters is that our Qia has finally found the one she loves."

Harmalia was a little nervous, but she still tried to be as polite as possible. Turen did what he could as well. They could tell that their status was a lot further apart than what they first imagined. Well, they were simply afraid of offending Qia's parents.

Qia's parents didn't care, though. For them, what mattered was Rean's status as Droman's disciple. Well, Ariana still thought that her daughter's luck was great. 

"Come on, let's sit and eat. We need to discuss a lot about the upcoming marriage. We would like to make it official as fast as possible."

Harmalia and Turen nodded. Well, the fact was that they were in constant contact with Jury. After so long and with so many Spirit Stones provided by Rean, they had finally reached the Energy Gathering Realm. Now, they could finally use Spiritual Sense to talk. Well, it's not like Jury had much experience in this kind of situation anyway, but he did his best to help.

For Rean and Roan, that was a good thing. So he quickly agreed with the idea.

"Qia and I would love to marry straight away as well."

With that, he could go back to Jialin sooner and begin his Circuitry Formation Studies.

Nivol nodded as he looked at Droman.

"What does Sir Droman think about the current situation?"

In the end, Droman's opinion was the most important in Nivol's eyes.

"Hahaha! Can't you see how much those two want to be together? Why should we prevent that from happening? Just make it so that the ceremony starts as fast as possible. Besides, I have a lot of work to do back in Dalamu because of the Communication System. So the faster, the better."

Nivol happily smiled as he replied.

"Great! I thought that it would be the case, so I already began the preparations. The marriage will happen five days from now. Does everyone agree with this time?"

Rean, his parents, and his master nodded. That would be for the best.