Chapter 330: Matters Of The Heart [Part 2]

"Lady Tianna also loves Jason," Tianna replied firmly. "She wishes for him to win the tournament."

Aria couldn’t help but gasp in shock after hearing something she shouldn’t have. Still, she already thought of Jason as a kind big brother, whom she wished would find his own happiness.

As a lady, she wished to support his love and let him marry the person whom he wished to spend his entire life with.

With that, Aria gave Leone a hopeful look, wishing that the young man would grant Natalia’s wish to let Jason enter the tournament.

"Very well, then." Leone nodded. "I’ll let Jason enter the tournament. And I’ll make sure he wins."

"Death is a very common occurrence during the tournament." Tianna bit her lip in slight hesitation. "If you think Jason can’t win against his opponent, please ask him to surrender. Lady Tianna will think of a way to handle the aftermath."

She had already seen Jason’s fighting ability during the monster stampede. Based on his performance, he was a strong warrior. However, compared to someone like the prodigy of the Grimhowl Tribe, he still was not strong enough.

"Don’t worry, My Lady." Leone smiled faintly. "By hook or by crook, Jason will win the tournament. Even if I have to put laxatives in the food and drink of his opponents, I will ensure his victory!"

The corners of Tianna and Aria’s lips could not help but twitch after hearing those words.

They were barbarians. And as barbarians, they believed that honorable battles shouldn’t be fought using underhanded means.

Seeing their expressions, the young man coughed lightly.

"I was just joking!" Leone defended himself. "It was just a joke, you know? Even without tricks, Jason would win hands down. Just who do you think I am? Back in the Kingdom of Britannia, people hailed me as the Ultimate Matchmaker! The people I paired up would always end up together!"

"I doubt it." Tianna made sure to show him a doubtful expression.

"You dare doubt me?" Leone patted his chest in a challenging tone.

"No." Tianna wanted to roll her eyes in response, but she held it in. "I don’t doubt you."

Leone nodded back in satisfaction. "Trust me. I’ll make Jason the champion. Of course, after he wins, I hope he gets what he wishes for. If he wishes to marry Lady Tianna, then she better marry him, okay?"

Since he had already told her that he was going to give it his all to help Jason, Tianna met his gaze with unwavering resolve.

"If he wins, I promise that Lady Tianna will marry him," Tianna replied. "Even if it means going against her father’s wishes."

"Good." Leone extended a hand for a handshake. "You have a deal."

"Deal." Tianna took Leone’s hand and shook it twice before letting go.

Now that the important matter had finally been resolved, Tianna decided that it was now time to go.

Leone walked her towards the door before calling out to Jason.

"Please escort her back to the villa," Leone ordered. "Also, make sure Elias doesn’t disturb her tonight."

Elias would often find time to chat with Natalia, hinting he wouldn’t mind making her his concubine.

Of course, Tianna had already politely rejected his advances, but Elias still hadn’t given up.

Although Vlad was always there to make sure that the heir of the Grimhowl Tribe didn’t go out of line, at the end of the day, he was still too young to fight him in a battle of words.

Both sides had bodyguards, so things didn’t escalate out of proportion. However, Leone knew that Tianna just didn’t want to give Elias hope.

He had already assigned guards to protect Tianna and Vlad, adding to their own personal protectors.

Since this was the Aslan Tribe, no one would dare to mess with their people.

"Understood." Jason nodded. "I’ll escort her back."

"Um, the cave is dark, and the ground is uneven," Leone said, doing his best not to smile. "To ensure that no accidents will befall our lady, how about you hold her hand along the way? Both of you are already friends, right? Holding hands is perfectly fine as a friendly gesture."

Tianna glanced back at Leone and gave him a thumbs up in her heart.

Seeing her reaction, Leone gave her the "watch and learn" smirk in return, showing her how he earned the title of Ultimate Matchmaker.

However, Jason was a gentleman. Even though this was an order given to him by his chieftain, he wouldn’t hold hands with a girl if they were uncomfortable with it.

"You don’t need to hold my hand if it makes you uncomfortable," Jason said calmly. "I’ll just carry a torch to light our way."

"I-I don’t mind holding hands," Tianna replied. "The path is dark. I don’t want to stumble and sprain myself."

She had always wanted to experience what it was like to walk while holding hands with the person she liked.

Her father was a very strict person. Aside from family, no one else was allowed to touch or hold her hand, whether it was public or private.

On top of that, Tianna herself didn’t want to hold the hands of strangers.

Of course, Jason was different.

If it was him, then she would be more than happy to walk hand in hand with him.

Leone watched the two of them go with a smile, thinking he had done an amazing job in setting the two up.

In the meantime, Daedalus and Hassan took the opportunity to leave Leone’s house and shadow him respectively. They, too, wanted to make sure that Leone would have some privacy during the night.

A moment later, the young man felt someone hug him from behind.

Aria had also come to watch Jason and Natalia walk towards the exit of the cavern.

Although she didn’t look like it, Aria’s intuition was usually spot on. Though Leone didn’t say anything, she had already suspected that Natalia was none other than Lady Tianna.

"Leone," Aria said softly while leaning on his back.

"Yes?" Leone asked, resting his hand over Aria’s hand, which was resting on his waist.

"Does Jason know who Natalia is?" Aria asked.

She didn’t even ask if Leone knew who Natalia was. She was very confident that the young man was already aware of her identity.

"I don’t know," Leone admitted. "I think a part of him already suspects her. Though the other half strongly believes that Tianna is too precious for her father to risk having her here at the Aslan Tribe."

After all, if Natalia really was Tianna, why would her father leave her here?

She was the Oracle of the Warclaw Tribe.

She was their precious princess and saintess.

Such a person would not be left behind without over a thousand warriors guarding her.

Right now, the bodyguards of the Grimhowl Tribe and Warclaw Tribe were restricted to just fifty people.

This was also the reason why Elias never suspected that Natalia could be Tianna. How could the prized jewel of the Warclaw Tribe only have fifty guards?

In fact, he believed that the fifty guards were there to protect Vlad.

Jason also shared the same thought. Perhaps the most important reason was that Natalia was so bold and welcoming.

In his mind, Tianna was this soft-spoken girl whom he couldn’t even reach or hold hands with because of his status.

If he only knew that he was currently holding hands with the person he was pining for, Jason would have been over the moon.

When the two were no longer in sight, Leone turned around to hug Aria with one arm and used the other to close the door and lock it.

The young man then planted a kiss on Aria’s forehead before hugging her tightly with both arms.

He still had promises to keep.

And miles to go before he sleeps.

As for the details of what happened after the door was locked... it will be left to everyone’s imagination.