The Church's Proposal 1

Right before Valeri lashed out, Zoran interrupted. Clearing his throat, he said, "Valeri, let's calm down first, Deborah, and I will not interfere with the decision you and Shin make regarding this. But do remember what I told you before." After saying that, Zoran, Deborah, and Sharuna quickly left the room.

Shin's palms were sweating as he tried to find a comfortable position, left alone with the two girls.

He raised his hands to calm them down. "Let's discuss this calmly. Valeri, we'll listen to Luna's reasoning first, then decide our response. Okay?"

"Fine!" Valeri snapped, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. She thought bitterly, 'Just my luck. First thing after leaving that damn castle, and I'm stuck dealing with this wench.'

Shin nodded. "Luna, you may begin."

Luna rose gracefully and bowed to Shin. Noticing Valeri's glare, she quirked an eyebrow and offered a subtle, mocking smile. Her tone remained neutral as she spoke. "The church has two main reasons for proposing this engagement. First, the abyssal cult is becoming active again. Second, your awakening ceremony."

Shin glanced at Valeri, who maintained her defensive posture, her brow furrowed.

"Why should I care what the church wants?" Valeri retorted, her fists clenched. "I have no reason to agree to this."

"Like I said before, Valeri, I don't care what you think. As long as Shin and his parents agree, that is good enough for me and the church, you alone cannot stop this if they agree."

"Calm down both of you. Let us talk this out. And Valeri, is there a reason why you are so irritated?" Shin asked, wondering why she was having so many outbursts when she had acted maturely at the evening party.

Valeri stood up, glaring at Luna, and started, "Am I going to explain it, or will you do it, Luna?"

"You can do it," Luna stated with a neutral expression. 

"Fine," Valeri grumbled, turning towards Shin and clearing her throat. She continued, "We have known each other since we were kids and have never seen eye to eye. There was always conflict between us. And that is also the reason why I do not want her to become your second fiancee."

"From those social gatherings?" Asked Shin.

"Yes, because we are both in high positions, we got to meet each other a lot," Valeri said.

"Any reason why you never got along?"

"Well, there isn't a specific reason for it. I don't know why it was always me against her." Valeri continued.

"And is that the only reason why you don't want her to become my second fiancee?" Shin wondered aloud.

Valeri stood rooted to the spot, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Shin. Her gaze darted between him and Luna, one hand stroking her chin as she processed his words. Her brows furrowed.

"Yes, that is the only reason," she growled, her voice low and irritated. "Is that not reason enough?"

Shin sighed, his tone firm. "It's not a problem, Valeri. But don't you think your reaction is a bit... immature? Consider the church's perspective. They likely want to use both our names to pacify the populace."

Before Valeri could retort, Luna cut in, her voice calm. "Valeri, perhaps it's time to let go of this personal grudge. After all, we don't need to be best friends to marry the same man."

Valeri's eyes flashed with anger, but she took a deep breath before responding. "Fine! I will give this engagement some serious thought. Happy now?" She shot back, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Shin, sensing the tension, intervened. "That's good. How about we take a break and you think about it for the next couple of days, Valeri?" He proposed.

As the heated discussion ended, Shin excused himself and retreated to his room. Closing the door behind him, he let out a sigh of relief. 'Phew survived that minefield,' he thought. 'Now it's time to check out the new bloodline skills I acquired in the ruins. And to use that potion.'

A smile of pure joy spread across his face as he jumped onto his bed. He made himself comfortable and checked his status.

'The harmonex bloodline abilities are unique; I have to test them out thoroughly to understand and use them properly.'

***

As Valeri stormed through the Luppiter estate, her heels clicking angrily on the floor, she spotted Zoran and Deborah sitting at a table, sipping tea from porcelain cups.

Feeling her heart race, she slowly closed the distance between them.

"Hello," she said while fidgeting with the edge of her dress.

"Oh, Valeri, hello there. How did it go with Luna? We know you two don't have the best history." Greeted Deborah.

Valeri fidgeted with the edge of her dress before sitting down opposite them.

"It is going well… But if you knew about the ongoing feud between us, why did you leave the room?" She asked, tilting her head to the left and furrowing her brows.

"That is to make you mature faster and teach you important things about relationships. Valeri, what if, in the future, Shin goes someplace far away and comes back with a new wife? How would you react to that?" Deborah said, her features relaxing into a gentle maternal smile.

Valeri's whole body froze, her eyes and mouth wide open. 'Ah, of course, Shin is going to travel the world and find new women. Even if I don't like it, Mom said something similar right before he arrived.' Tears welled up in her eyes. Her hands covered her mouth. Realizing she had never thought about that possibility.

Zoran and Deborah, seeing Valeri start tearing up, looked at each other tenderly. With tender looks of warmth and concern, they both smiled softly.

"Valeri, don't cry, please. We know it might be hard now. But we want only the best for you two. So think it over slowly and make sure to discuss it with Shin." Deborah said softly.

Hearing Deborah's reassurance, Valeri murmured while wiping away her tears, "Yes, I will do that." She then stood up quickly, bowed to them, and rushed off to her room.

"Ah, how nice it is to be young. I still remember the times when we used to act like that," she said with a nostalgic smile. "Right, Zoran?" she added.

"Yeah, those were the good old times." He said, slumping in his chair.