Strangely, when the task in the Nether Fire Land ended, the gods didn't announce the results or the progress for the pillars of divine power. The leaders of the nine fiefs were pacing anxiously, but they didn't make any moves.
A few days passed peacefully, but behind the calm, another storm was brewing that was powerful enough to shake the nine fiefs.
"Leader, the leader and Godly Genius from the Genie Fief are here and they want to see you." Gilbert paused from discussing business with the elders and some senior family officials and looked up when an unexpected report entered the conference hall.
"What? Why are they here?" A bad feeling was rising in his chest like bile after too many drinks.
The elders and officials exchanged hesitant looks. They assumed that the leader of the Genie Fief had come to apologize for the chaos his daughter had caused during the engagement ceremony, but they weren't positive about that.
Gilbert couldn't avoid it now that they were here. He stood up and headed to the gate with the elders and officials to welcome them.
When they saw the party approaching, Adrian and Gloria got down from their mount.
They had no guards with them, which made Gilbert even more concerned. After all, Adrian was the leader of the Genie Fief. The only reason he wouldn't have guards with him would be to avoid drawing attention to himself.
"Welcome, Adrian! It's been a long time!" Gilbert said, holding his arms out. In the past, he and Adrian had been good friends and they had risked their lives together. But after they became leaders of different fiefs, they lost contact with each other.
"Hi, Gilbert. It's been ten years, I think." Adrian was laughing loudly.
"Yeah, time sure does fly. Ten years have passed. We are getting old," Gilbert replied, sighing as he reflected on his past.
"I don't know about that! You still look domineering, Gilbert!"
"And you are as eloquent as always, Adrian!"
"Nice to see you again, Leader Gilbert," Gloria chimed in, bowing like an obedient girl. She looked nothing like the arrogant person who had caused a scene in Gilbert's mansion.
"Why don't we go and talk in the hall?" After looking at Gloria, Gilbert gestured behind him and led them into the conference hall.
When they were inside, everyone grabbed a chair and sat down. Then, Adrian got straight to the point, saying, "Today, I brought my daughter here so we could discuss two things. First, I want to apologize to you on behalf of my daughter. It was unkind of her to try and ruin the engagement ceremony. I am really sorry for that. When she got home, I punished her, but I still thought it was necessary to apologize to you in person."
"Oh, you don't have to be so formal with me. We are old friends, almost like brothers, and Gloria is like my niece in that case. It wasn't that bad," Gilbert said generously.
"I must apologize. Otherwise, people will think that I'm not a good father," Adrian insisted.
"Uncle Gilbert, I am really sorry for what I did. Please forgive me," Gloria pleaded, standing and bowing low.
"Dearest niece, please stand up. Let bygones be bygones. Let's not discuss it further," Gilbert responded. Now that Adrian had brought his daughter here to apologize, he wanted to avoid acting high and mighty. Besides, there was another matter that had to be dealt with. So he added, "But the engagement covenant..."
"I will return it, but you need to promise me one thing before I do that," Gloria replied immediately.
"What? Are you trying to negotiate with me?" Gilbert asked, frowning slightly. He was already being generous by not faulting her for her rude behavior. Logically speaking, she should be returning the engagement covenant without requesting anything.
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