Chapter 53: A Man in thirties cannot understand a teenage girl

"Hmm?" Blake looked at Aether with a quizzical expression, his gaze probing. "Is something wrong?"

"O-Oh, no... It's just that I didn't hear about this before," Aether replied awkwardly, feeling slightly doubtful.

"Yes, even I didn't know that the Empress was conducting a tournament for her daughter's engagement," Stella added, her brow furrowing with doubt as she processed the unexpected revelation.

"Well, it's not announced to the public. Only a select few members were called for the tournament.... It's a test for the person chosen for her daughter's hand," Blake explained, shedding light on the clandestine nature of the event.

"I see..." Stella nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the new information. Meanwhile, Aether couldn't help but stifle a laugh inwardly, 'You've really gotten yourself into something, Kai. Your future mother-in-law is quite the character!... hehe' he mused silently, struggling to suppress a grin.