After sunset, the Knox family's magnificent castle began to bustle. Quinn Flos, standing on the balcony of the third-floor room, watched the guests arrive one by one. "See that main road? Mrs. Knox was so cruel to send us here through the woods."
"Isn't that the challenge?" Besides, Irish and Seeli were getting ready, while Quinn was still waiting for the maid to bring her clothes.
The hologram bracelet on her hand flickered, she touched her hand to the bracelet, her aunt's face immediately appeared, "Auntie." She greeted.
"Quinn, your uncle and I wanted to let you know that we can't come to Mr. Knox's party. That's all."
"Okay. No problem." This is Mr. Knox's private party, only a select few are invited. If you insist on coming without an invitation, be prepared to get lost in a forest that's much larger than you imagined.
As a family holding an election, the Knox family also invited the Seeds families participating in their family election. This included her aunt and uncle, but unfortunately, they were both unable to accept the invitation.
"Why aren't you ready yet?" the aunt asked, raising an eyebrow at Quinn who still wasn't ready.
"I'm waiting for my clothes." She replied with a smile.
"Oh, then have fun." The aunt turned off the hologram.
"Miss Flos, I've brought your dress." The maid who had met her yesterday finally arrived with the clothes she would wear tonight. The maid also gave her several jewelry boxes and shoes. Quinn took everything back to her room to get ready.
Having her own private room in the large castle, Quinn had done her makeup well. She tried to look as inconspicuous as possible—to draw attention to herself. As she was about to tie her hair, her hand stopped at her temple. The gray floral painting hadn't faded even though it was covered with powder.
She touched the flowers with her hand, examining each of the gray flowers she owned. She took a deep breath. The flower at her temple was starting to wilt, not as fresh as it had been a week ago. Exhaling deeply, she tried to calm herself. This wasn't the right time for her flower to wilt. But this wasn't the right time for her to worry everyone at this party either.
Quinn styled her hair and bangs—covering the gray flower at her temple.
....
The backyard where the party was to be held had been transformed into a spacious, grand hall. Facing a sky constantly strewn with stars and meteors, the scent of blooming flowers added to the extraordinary atmosphere of the former Soul Planet General's party. The guests thoroughly enjoyed their time together, as the butler announced each guest's name one by one.
They—the seven remaining Seeds—walked together from the castle to the banquet venue. Xavier, as the planet's general, stood proudly among the crowd of other important guests. He greeted each guest, his body so strong and his back so broad. Every step he took drew admiration from the crowd. Women who saw him gasped, while girls whom Xavier accidentally passed felt their legs weaken.
General Xavier was incredibly handsome, his sharp eyes like a hawk's, never leaving its prey. His well-defined eyebrows gave him a strong, dashing impression. His high nose and full lips. His sharp jawline moved as he spoke, and a woman standing next to him felt her hand trembling as she held her glass.
Xavier approached his extended family. He had just returned from resolving a matter at the military base. "You're just in time. I thought you wouldn't be able to make it to your father's birthday." The mother patted her son's broad shoulder. The middle-aged woman had to look up to see her son. The little boy she had once carried everywhere had now outgrown her—and become the protector of the entire planet.
"I try to be on time," Xavier said, the untouchable walls around him crumbling slightly as he spoke to his family.
"Of course you have to come. This isn't your father's birthday like in years past. This time our family is hosting the selection, with several Seeds as your future wives. If you don't come, the other Seed families will think you're disrespecting them." The grandmother, dressed in thick, soft fur, commented to her grandson. There was a family name to uphold at this birthday party.
"Now there are only seven Seeds left. Isn't the selection going by too quickly? In other families it can last for over a month, but here, it's less than three weeks." Said Mr. Knox, the dignified former general—the birthday man—looked much younger than his actual age.
As head of the family, the selection process wasn't his responsibility. The selection process was the sole responsibility of the madam. He wasn't particularly involved in evaluating his son's future wife, even though he was curious to learn about the character of each woman who came. Tasting the food prepared by the Seeds was the first and last time Mr. Knox participated. After that, his wife no longer sought his opinion on their future daughter-in-law.
"General Knox, happy birthday." A large man approached the host, shook his hand and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
"Mr. Pan, I'm too old to receive birthday wishes like that." Mr. Pan laughed with Mr. Knox.
"Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Knox." From behind Mr. Pan, a deep-voiced man appeared to greet the host. His face was no less handsome than General Xavier's, and his smile resembled a cunning fox plotting something.
Xavier didn't have a close relationship with Jacob Pan because their characters were very different, so when Jacob Pan looked at him, the general just nodded briefly.
"Young Master Pan, you didn't bring any of your wives today," Mrs. Knox asked. This Young Master Pan was well-known in social circles for having many wives. His first wife, Gun, had never paid any attention to the whispers directed at her.
He was also notoriously cruel to his wives. The kingdom never regulated the number of wives, and Jacob took advantage of this to sleep with every beautiful woman he encountered. He would enjoy them once, then discard them when he grew bored. He took some as concubines, but many were simply for temporary gratification.
Like women and their handbags, Jacob Pan brought a different woman to every noble party he attended. Sometimes it was his first wife, sometimes his third concubine. Sometimes it was a beautiful woman he found who knew where. Mrs. Knox disliked this man's behavior. She was grateful to have a faithful husband, to have one wife. She shuddered at the thought of herself as one of Jacob Pan's women.
"Oh, today is a special day." The man smiled mysteriously. "I don't want them bothering me." Today he was going to meet Quinn Flos. Those noisy women would only distract him. Soon the election would be over, and he could make her his.
...