章 30: 30 Engagement
[A/N: From now on, I will be using italic text to differentiate the characters' inner thoughts from their outward speech during conversations.]
Following her finger, my eyes lay on the a sight that would irk me immensely for years to come.
The nine student council main members were seated with each of them wearing grave
expressions as they witnessed the sight in front of them.
Their body language gave away their annoyance.
One of the members even covertly rolled their eyes.
Taking notice of my arrival, they all craned their heads toward me.
"Please proceed to the stand in the middle, junior Ren."
With a normal and slightly relaxed expression, I did as I was told.
"You have been summoned here to atone for the grave sin that you have committed." The council president stated in a heavy tone.
His eyes however, narrated a different tale.
He is probably thinking something along the lines of 'let's get this farce over with'.
Facing me directly was the father and daughter duo of the Raven household.
As soon as I recognized them, I knew that my life would never know peace again.
The daughter was in tears as the father consoled her.
"B-But…dad… he already promised me…and h-h-he e-even…" at that point, she burst into even more tears, making her seem too overwhelmed to continue.
"It's okay sweetheart, I will have him take responsibility. You won't have to worry about that anymore. Just leave it to me." He reassured in a gentle and loving voice.
The moment he lay eyes on me, his expression drastically shifted from gentle to cold.
These snakes are literally trying to accuse me of assaulting his daughter. So shamelessly at that. Where would a commoner even come to contact with a duke's daughter let alone have an opportunity to assault her? Ah, to be a scapegoat.
The student council president interrupted my thoughts.
"The trial shall now begin. The victim is unable to continue her side of the story at this moment. We shall hear the story from the accused."
"If I may inquire, what exactly am I accused of?"
"How dare you feign ignorance after what you did to my daughter!"
The young lady beside him held his hand and dramatically shouted : "Dad, d-don't harm him…*sniffle*… I s-still…" and she burst into tears again.
"Of course, darling. As long as he takes responsibility."
"You will take responsibility, right?"
"How dare I, a mere commoner even be in the same room as the heir of one of the great ducal households? To even breathe in the same air as you is a once in a lifetime opportunity in itself, let alone laying my hands on such a lady."
Translation: How the hell can a commoner like me even know the appearance of the bitch behind you let alone privately meet and even assault her?
"Are you going to deny this when we have solid proof?" He questioned before playing the footage of the assault featuring both me and the vixen beside him.
"The law states that if a man deflowers a woman he is not already married to, he must take her hand in marriage. Failure to do that will result in execution."
"Of course, I agree that this is the best course of action in the event that I am the person in question. Otherwise, it might be unnecessary to proceed further."
Translation: That would only apply if I was the culprit. Since I am obviously not that person, it will be best for you to receive common sense and stop right where you are.
It would be suspicious if I submissively agreed.
[Wait. You don't have a problem with being sold off? You!]
It's not that I don't have a problem with it. There is simply nothing I can do to refuse them in this situation.They clearly have no intention of letting me go. The reason for that is more concerning than the current situation.
"Great. I knew my daughter wouldn't choose an unreliable young man. She seems to have made the right choice." He exclaimed jovially.
I responded with a simple smile.
"The engagement party will be in 2 days time. Both you and Amelia will now stay in the same dorm. Your rooms shall be next to each other. In the meantime, you will return with us back to the Raven estate."
"Your grace, it is an honor to accompany you to your estate. However, I must request a brief night long return to my dormitory, for I still have several belongings and family mementos that I must personally gather and pack."
"We will send a team over to assist you with that. As a member of house Raven, it is unbecoming of you to perform such menial tasks. You are free to supervise them."
"I express my deepest gratitude."
The novel was finally correct about one detail.
'The members of the Raven household are such snakes, that even the most legendary con artists would be like naïve children next to them'.
He continued rambling about the preparations for the engagement and what members of the prestigious Raven household should and should not do.
The members of the student council left not long after the sham trial was over.
I on the other hand, was whisked off into a luxurious hover car by the duo.
The ride there was absolute torture.
Amelia Raven clung to my shoulder and rested her head on it the entire time.
To make it worse, she kept talking gibberish saying things like:
'I missed your warmth.'
'I always knew that you would make the right decision and choose me.'
'You are mine, so you will stay by my side forever right?'
'You will hug me again, right?'
'This reminds me of that faithful day.'
'You will only have eyes for me.'
'And when we get married, we will name our first child Sylvia if she is a girl. And if it's a boy, we will name him after you.'
And I had to sit through all of this and nod with a smile.
I deserve an Oscar for not showing any signs of my irritation outwardly.
I didn't know that my skin was this thick.
[She also deserves one since she put on such a convincing act.]
Sure. Let's see how long she can keep the act going. At the very least, it will be entertaining.
[Wipe that depraved grin off your face—It's giving me chills.]
"Fine." I chuckled as I unlocked the door to my assigned room in the ducal household.
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