Chapter 51: Lucas’s Frustration and Wendy’s Nostalgia

The delicacies and fine wine on the table remained untouched, yet the seat opposite was already empty.

Lucas Rhine sat alone at the table, his fists clenched tightly.

‘That detestable, rotten younger sister, relying on the academy’s protection, has become so arrogant, completely disregarding her own brother!’

‘Indeed, all women are the same: not only foolish but also short-sighted.’

For centuries, the Rhine family had commanded the Northern territories, standing tall like an unyielding lion amidst the ice and snow, an object of covetous envy for countless others.

Now, out of familial ties, the family had offered his wayward sister a chance to return, and he himself had traveled thousands of miles to come here in person.

Yet, beholding her disdainful expression, Lucas Rhine gritted his teeth.

‘One day.’

‘One day, she would pay the price for this, realizing the sheer folly of her actions!’

Lucas Rhine took a deep breath, allowing his expression to recompose itself into a placid calm.

‘As a scion of a ducal house, he had to maintain elegance and decorum at all times; he couldn’t possibly lose face over such a trivial matter.’

Still, his own sister’s indifferent demeanor truly presented a vexing challenge.

His father’s insistence on bringing Wendy Rhine home stemmed not only from her status as an academy professor, which would bring honor to the family, but more crucially, from the long-standing marriage contract.

The Sixth Prince of the kingdom, Lyte Granshire, was also Wendy Rhine’s former fiancé.

Although the engagement had been annulled with Wendy Rhine’s escape, Lyte Granshire had remained infatuated with her throughout the intervening years.

Now, Lyte, with his exceptional talents, had carved out a formidable reputation in the Royal Capital, his influence growing rapidly and rivaling that of his elder brothers; he was precisely the kind of ally the Rhine family desperately sought to win over.

The problem, however, lay in Wendy Rhine’s affiliation with the academy; wresting someone from its grasp was akin to scaling the heavens.

Arcadia Academy, the continent’s most renowned magical institution, boasted core members whose individual prowess could rival an entire legion of Archmages, rendering its standing within the kingdom undeniably pivotal.

Furthermore, since its inception, the academy had maintained a position of absolute neutrality, offering complete sanctuary to all its members, be they students or faculty; even the King himself could not arbitrarily remove anyone without just cause.

This was precisely why Wendy Rhine had been able to live peacefully in Erlandmia for decades after fleeing her family.

“Damn it, it should be her honor to marry someone as exceptional as Prince Lyte… I truly don’t understand what she’s resisting.”

Lucas Rhine shook his head, muttering a few curses under his breath.

He didn’t truly comprehend the events of that year.

The day before had been Wendy Rhine’s pre-coming-of-age ceremony, with everything proceeding seamlessly, only for her to inexplicably flee home the very next day, utterly devoid of any logical explanation.

Yet, he could surmise that the reason for Wendy Rhine’s departure was likely intertwined with that marriage.

“This is truly troublesome… I must devise some way to bring her back…”

As twilight deepened, the streets remained brilliantly lit, filled with the boisterous cries of vendors and the intermittent chatter of pedestrians, creating an atmosphere of lively revelry.

The evening breeze swept through, gently lifting the hem of a cloak.

Wendy Rhine’s face, half-hidden by her collar, slowly drifted through the bustling crowd.

‘How long had it been since she last visited this place?’

‘Professor Grant had apparently brought her here a few times when she was a child, but that was many years ago.’

Accustomed to the quiet solitude of the laboratory, the sudden clamor of her surroundings left her feeling somewhat disoriented.

“Daddy, please, just buy me that one!”

“No, you’ve eaten enough today, and something so sweet will definitely give you cavities!”

“It won’t, I promise I’ll brush my teeth every day, just this one!”

“Oh, dear, just let him have it. We rarely get out, so let’s buy it for him.”

“Alright, fine, there’s no convincing you. But this is the last time!”

“Yay! Thank you, Daddy, thank you, Mommy!”

Wendy Rhine paused, turning her head towards the source of the voices.

Not far away, a small boy held aloft a large cloud of pristine white cotton candy, his face beaming with a radiant smile.

His mother, smiling softly, gently wiped away the sugar clinging to the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, while his father stood helplessly to the side, clutching his wallet, yet unable to suppress a wry smile at the sight of his child’s joy.

It was a simple, yet heartwarming, scene.

Wendy Rhine’s heart felt a gentle stir, like a faint ripple spreading across its surface.

‘Perhaps, that was the kind of family she had always yearned for.’

Wendy Rhine harbored almost no affection for her family, yet she couldn’t deny that even within those bleak years, there had been a few cherished memories.

In her youth, her greatest joy had been playing with her two older brothers.

Her eldest brother, Arno, was steady and stern, a veritable replica of their father; her second brother, by contrast, was considerably more timid, yet both had showered their younger sister with care.

‘Perhaps a vestige of innocent fantasy still lingered in her heart, which was why she had agreed to Lucas Rhine’s request to meet.’

However, the transformative power of time upon an individual was immense.

Lucas Rhine was no longer the shy, innocent boy of her memories.

Now, like other nobles, he constantly wore a facade of false smiles, merely going through the motions.

The only difference, perhaps, was his limited experience; his barely concealed schemes and calculations practically spilled from his eyes.

Boom—boom—boom!

With several deafening explosions, the night sky suddenly ignited.

Wendy Rhine snapped back to reality, gazing upwards to see brilliant fireworks ascending, blooming across the horizon.

Their splendid lights streaked across the sky like meteors, adorning the entire night canvas with breathtaking grandeur.

“Wow, how lucky! Look, look, there’s even a fireworks display tonight!”

Ahead, a young girl excitedly tugged at the sleeve of the boy beside her.

“The fireworks are so beautiful! I wish time could just stop right now!”

The girl gazed rapturously at the sky, while the boy chuckled, affectionately stroking her head. “Fireworks are beautiful, but compared to them, I think you’re even more beautiful right now.”

“You… hmph, smooth-talker!”

The girl’s face instantly flushed crimson; she lowered her head, playfully pounding the boy’s chest with a small, indignant fist.

Yet, in the very next moment, as if to salvage her dignity, she rose on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips.

Beneath the kaleidoscope of lights, their figures intertwined, lips pressed together, and an atmosphere of tender romance immediately enveloped them.

Wendy Rhine, observing clearly from behind, instinctively averted her gaze.

Nevertheless, that recent scene remained deeply etched in her mind.

‘That must have been a kiss…’

‘Something only done with someone you love…’

She instinctively touched her own soft lips, her face involuntarily flushing hot, and quickly quickened her pace, eager to escape the area.

However, in her haste, she failed to notice a small figure darting across her path.

“Ah!”

The next moment, a little girl clutching a cardboard box unexpectedly collided with her thigh, tumbling to the ground.