Quinn immediately remembered Irish's earlier statement that the general himself would be attending this banquet—which turned out to be true. Who knows what kind of informant Irish had during their election at one of the Knox family residences, allowing her to learn news that only the homeowners knew.
The general had shed his military attire, now wearing a form-fitting navy suit. While perfectly draped, the attire unfortunately accentuated the general's beautiful physique in his own unique style. No less striking than the military attire he always wore on news broadcasts, the suit he now wore still reflected General Xavier's powerful aura, but with a different look.
Perhaps their eyes met briefly, perhaps not, because Quinn immediately looked away when the Knox family lady spoke. "Since everyone's here, let's have a taste of the food. We can enjoy our meal while making small talk. Don't worry, you don't have to worry, it's just a regular dinner."
Every dish that arrived was something Quinn had never seen before in her life. The restaurant didn't belie its fame and popularity, as every dish was delicious. Conversation had been brewing since the food arrived, but Quinn hadn't said a word since her arrival. It wasn't that Mrs. Knox had forgotten her, but rather that Quinn was trying to keep quiet during this meal.
Unfortunately, not long after, it wasn't Mrs. Knox who got her talking, but Knox's grandmother. "You, your name is Quinn Flos, right?" asked the grandmother.
"Yes. You're right," she replied curtly. She didn't say anything further or explain anything, as the conversation continued. The grandmother also fell silent for a moment.
The old woman laughed a moment later, "I haven't heard of the Flos family in a long time. The last time was when I was very young, maybe I was only 10 years old when I met one of the Flos family." Wow... that was a long time ago. Most Soul Planet people can live to be 200 years old. Judging by her physique, the grandmother was probably over 150 years old.
Quinn tried to speak in a flat and light tone, "I am the last of the Flos family."
"Don't say that. You can ask your parents to give you a sibling." The old woman said jokingly, unfortunately Quinn immediately wiped away the smile with her words, "both my parents are dead, and I don't have any siblings on either my or my father's side." Not only did the grandmother become silent, almost everyone at the table felt that the atmosphere in the room had become very awkward.
Luckily, Mrs. Knox acted quickly and said, "I'm sorry, we didn't know about that. You can consider us your family. All the girls in the election are your sisters." Quinn simply nodded, because to her, those were just empty words that had no clear basis. Maybe now Mrs. Knox could say Quinn could be part of her family or pay attention to her, but when she found out about the existence of the gray flower on her temple, it was certain that Mrs. Knox would throw her out right then and there.
"If we're talking about family, isn't Seeli the youngest daughter of the Snow family? You have a lot of older sisters, right?" Their conversation turned to Seeli. "Yes, I have many older sisters and one older brother. Now everyone has a lot of expectations for him." The slightly awkward atmosphere finally disappeared and melted away. Their conversation continued for the next few minutes.
"It's been two years since I joined the Eagle Sky Legion. General Xavier is the one who guided me until now, and I'm also in the same squad as General Xavier." As Youna spoke, she didn't forget to glance at the general sitting across from them. Now she wondered if the current seating arrangement was planned so the general could properly observe each candidate her mother had chosen.
"Back then, you were so innocent and incapable of doing anything. I wonder how someone like you managed to join our army," the general said. His tone was friendly, hinting that he and Youna were already familiar with each other.
"But now you are one of the most talented warriors." Rewarded with praise, Youna could barely hide her blush, "I am indeed talented." She replied to cover up her blush.
"And what about you, Miss Snow? Do you know anything about the military?" This was the first time the general had taken the initiative to ask his future wife directly. His voice had lowered from before. Fortunately, the innocent Seeli didn't notice the general trying to pressure her, so she answered thoughtfully. "After military training, I chose to pursue a career in medicine. From the start, the military really didn't suit me. You could say I was the weakest trainee. Even my friends in the same training couldn't believe the flower growing on my forehead was red."
"Oh, really? Then how about I invite you to the barracks and train with me? Would you be willing?" General Xavier asked again.
"If it's just accompanying, that's fine, but for training, I'll refuse. Everyone has their own passions, and fighting like that isn't for me." Quinn wasn't sure if Seeli was aware of what she was saying. Knox's family was a military family. His father was a former general, while his mother was a former deputy general of Soul Planet's best army, and now the son was the best young general in history, with an SS-class as his mark of dominance.
Saying so openly that neither the military nor fighting is her passion also implies that she's not particularly interested in the Knox family tradition. This is just a guess; who knows, maybe the Knox family is broad-minded and not old-fashioned, and appreciates the differences among their peers.
But the general's smile already showed his response to Seeli's answer. He liked it.
"So what about you, Miss Flos? Are you interested in the military?" She paused for a moment, thinking that there was no harm in speaking her mind.
"I used to have a great interest in the military. I always wanted to be a part of it." There was a pause, and a look of relief crossed Mrs. and Grandma Knox's faces. "Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to make that happen now. Not now, or in the future."
Xavier became interested in Quinn's answer, he leaned forward, his attention now completely focused on the woman who looked like she wasn't from this planet. He had to admit that Quinn Flos possessed a beauty unlike any other. "I don't know what's stopping you from pursuing that dream. But letting something limit your desires, doesn't that sound a bit... weak? If you want something, you have to go for it."
Deep in her heart, Quinn wanted to say that no matter what she did, her dream would never come true. Even if she came to the military headquarters now, begging him to accept her as part of their ranks, Xavier himself would reject her and tell her to bury her dream.
She still needs medicine and plants to sleep. She won't be able to protect the planet in this condition.
Taking a deep breath, Quinn gave the general a cold, sharp stare, "It's easy for someone like you to say it, but for someone like me, I can't even dream about it."
.....