Harem System In A fantasy World

Teressa gave Zenith and Mira an odd look before simply shrugging, wondering what that exchange was all about.

She looked remarkably similar to her daughter, Tessa, possessing the same lovely features.

Her skin carried a healthy tan, while her flaming dark-red hair fell loosely around her shoulders, and beneath her robes was an athletic figure that hinted at years of physical training.

Unlike Tessa, who preferred to wear her clothes tightly fitted to her body, Teressa favoured much looser robes that concealed most of her figure.

Her eyes were also black rather than Tessa’s crimson, but aside from those differences, the resemblance between mother and daughter was uncanny.

The hall’s vibrant atmosphere was suddenly punctuated by the increasingly loud beat of drums as people began taking their places near the centre of the room, preparing to dance.

"So, what do you say, Elion? How about we have that marriage ceremony today? I’m sure you won’t mind. Tessa mentioned that she needs to return to the academy with you tomorrow morning, so perhaps we won’t be seeing each other for some time, especially since she will be venturing into that dangerous, secluded world soon."

"Well..."

Elion gave it some thought.

Paul was right, but today?

’Really?’

Was such a thing even possible?

Didn’t these sorts of ceremonies usually require a great deal of time and preparation?

"Don’t think too much about it," Paul said, waving a hand dismissively. "It’s nothing fancy. Just a short ceremony where you take your vows, and I, as the patriarch, dedicate your relationship to our ancestors and so on."

He shrugged as though they were discussing nothing more important than what they would have for dinner.

"That’s basically it."

Elion stared at him for a moment.

"You’re making marriage sound remarkably easy."

Paul laughed.

"Why make it complicated?"

Tessa’s face had already turned bright red; she walked over toward the front and sat down beside her father.

"Father..."

"What?"

"You can’t just decide something like this without asking me!"

Paul looked at her in confusion.

"Didn’t you already agree to be his woman?"

Tessa’s mouth opened, but she didn’t have anything to say in her defense. She looked toward Elion helplessly.

Elion couldn’t help but laugh.

"Your father certainly has a unique way of handling things."

"See?" Paul slapped his thigh. "The boy understands!"

Teressa shook her head from nearby, though the smile on her face betrayed her amusement.

"Just ignore him, Tessa. You know how he gets when he’s been drinking."

"I’m not drunk!"

"You’ve been drinking since midday."

"That doesn’t mean I’m drunk!"

Paul immediately took another enormous gulp from his cup.

"Hoho..."

An amused voice suddenly sounded from near the open entrance.

Despite the lively atmosphere and the music still echoing throughout the hall, the newcomer’s voice carried easily across the room, somehow seeming to cut through the noise itself. More strangely, the moment he spoke, the overall volume of the hall seemed to drop by a level.

"Would you look at that? Having such a grand celebration without me. How sneaky of your father-in-law."

The person stepped into the hall with an almost exaggerated air of confidence, his chest puffed out as though he were entering a place that belonged to him.

The people who had been dancing quickly moved aside, forming a path for him and the small group of roughly ten escorts following behind him.

Elion’s gaze swept over the newcomers.

The man smiled broadly, looking completely at ease.

Yet the reaction of everyone else told a very different story. The musicians had stopped playing, and the dancers had fallen silent.

Even the conversations that had filled the hall only moments ago had disappeared.

The previously lively atmosphere had become solemn in the blink of an eye.

Elion narrowed his eyes slightly.

Judging by the way everyone had suddenly gone quiet, he was inclined to believe that this person was considerably less welcome than he was making himself seem.

Paul’s expression had also changed.

The drunken grin had vanished.

His enormous cup slowly lowered from his lips as he stared toward the newcomer.

Paul groaned.

"What do you want, Adonis?" He pushed himself to his feet.

"Why the sour mood?"

The elegant young man responded with a smile, gesturing for his entourage to stop behind him as he continued walking forward.

Elion looked the young man up and down.

There was something oddly stupefying about his presence, and it had little to do with his extravagant white-and-gold attire.

His facial features were rather plain, almost to the point of being forgettable, but that was about it.

His presence, however, was anything but ordinary.

There was a domineering quality to it, an almost natural sense of superiority that seemed to radiate from him without any conscious effort.

And that was saying something coming from Elion, even though he could just as easily brush it off; that didn’t mean other people would be able to do the same.

It would explain why the clansmen had suddenly gone quiet when he appeared, and why most of them were so tense as well.

He had initially assumed the man was young, but upon closer inspection, he could easily have been approaching his thirties, which was still considered remarkably young for someone of his apparent status.

Elion pushed those thoughts aside.

Right now, he was more interested in making Aria comfortable.

She had decided to take up residence in his arms, comfortably cradling her back against his chest while he sat behind her.

The young man continued.

"I was notified that my bride-to-be had returned after her sudden disappearance."

He placed one hand against his forehead, his expression twisting into exaggerated distress.

"And imagine my horror when I arrived at my future in-laws’ home only to discover that not only were they hosting such a grand feast, but I wasn’t invited either!"

Elion raised a curious brow.

He could have made several assumptions about who this person was and why he was calling the Crimson Family his in-laws, but the sudden silence, Paul’s reaction, Tessa’s sour expression, and the man’s own words made the situation rather obvious.

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