An aerial battleship tore through the sky, decelerating as it reached the airspace above St. Freya Academy before slowly descending.
Below was a welcoming party led by Theresa. Everyone instinctively looked toward the opening cabin door.
Soon, Otto stepped out of the battleship at a leisurely pace, followed by Rita, who was dressed in her maid uniform.
His gaze swept across the crowd in front of him before finally coming to rest on Theresa at the head of the group. A faint, imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Theresa's heart was filled with trepidation as she stared fixedly ahead. When Otto's figure entered her sight, she took a deep breath, braced herself, and stepped forward to greet him.
As Otto watched Theresa approach, his gaze unconsciously softened a few degrees. He spoke:
"Don't be so nervous. Your grandfather didn't come here this time to break up any star-crossed lovers. Finding someone worthy of entrusting your life to makes me sincerely happy for you.
However, this involves your lifelong happiness after all. As your grandfather, I may not pry too much into other matters, but I should at least see my future 'grandson-in-law' with my own eyes, shouldn't I?"
Beside him, Rita smiled without saying a word.
Hearing this, Theresa's face turned beet red with embarrassment; she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into immediately.
Even though she had expected this, hearing it from her closest relative still made it somewhat difficult to bear.
But she could only bite the bullet and go along with Otto's words, hurriedly changing the subject in a flustered tone: "Let's not... let's not talk about that for now. This isn't the place for a conversation. Grandfather, please come with me first."
Otto nodded slightly. Then, led by Theresa, he and Rita arrived at a quite decently decorated room.
He scanned the room. Upon finding that the person he wanted to see wasn't there, he let out a slightly disappointed sigh and said to Theresa, "Little Theresa, aren't you going to call Lierre out to meet me yet?"
Otto had long wanted to meet this Lierre who had caused such a stir in the Far East Branch.
"I'll go call her over right now."
Resigned to her fate, Theresa turned and walked out of the room.
The day had truly come, as expected. She just hoped Lierre wouldn't cause trouble at such a critical moment.
On the other side.
Lierre was in the dorms, leisurely savoring tea brewed by Cheng Lixue's own hands, pondering how she should stir up trouble next.
At that moment, the door was pushed open. Theresa walked in quickly, grabbed Lierre's right hand, and pulled her toward the exit, whispering a reminder:
"Grandfather specifically asked to see you by name. You promised before to cooperate with me; you can't back out or change your mind halfway!"
She had sacrificed so much—to the point where the entire Far East Branch knew she had found a partner. If things fell apart at the end, she would truly be fuming.
The sunk cost was a bit high, after all.
"Have a little trust in me. Do I look like the type of person who acts recklessly?"
Lierre did not resist and allowed herself to be pulled along.
"Which part of you doesn't! You're the person who went around shouting that you wanted Schicksal to hunt you down, and you even put those words into action!"
"Hey, what if I was just joking back then?"
"Joking? You contacted the Overseer of Schicksal directly. That's completely beyond the realm of joking. I'd say you've been planning this for a long time!"
"Premeditated? Careful, I'll sue you for slander."
"You...!"
As the sound of their bickering grew distant, several heads that had been peeking out from behind quietly retracted.
"They seem to get along pretty well; it feels like they're friends. But as for being lovers... why can't I feel that at all?"
Kiana looked at the others beside her with a face full of confusion.
Was she the only one who felt this way?
"Haha..." Cecilia gave a helpless smile and said, "Perhaps this is just their unique way of interacting. Let's not make blind guesses here."
She looked worriedly in the direction Lierre had left.
Lierre hadn't allowed her or Cheng Lixue to follow, and even Mr. Joyce had been forced back to his workplace.
"We can't help with anything right now. Everything depends on their own performance."
Murata Himeko glanced at everyone, then shook her head regretfully and joked, "It's just a waste of that room keycard I got. To think they didn't finish the job and seal the deal. That cost me a lot of money back then."
Everyone: "..."
Setting Lierre aside, based on Theresa's performance the day before yesterday, she probably wouldn't dare take things that far even if she were given a hundred times the courage.
...
...
Rita stood behind Otto with a smile, watching Theresa and Lierre sitting opposite them.
Otto was also silently observing the two, not immediately stating his position.
Faced with their scrutiny, Theresa's hands, which were folded on her lap, clenched together nervously. Her Heart pounded, and a layer of fragrant sweat slowly broke out on her palms.
Lierre stared quietly at Otto across from her, not being the first to speak.
For a moment, the room fell into a brief silence.
Finally, Otto chuckled, breaking the deadlock first. He spoke to Lierre in a gentle tone: "Before coming here, I made a special effort to learn about your deeds..."
"Whether it is the miracle of 'resurrecting' people or the panacea claimed to cure all diseases, every bit of it has left me incredibly astonished. At first, I thought that the partner Theresa found might not be human at all, but rather—a God."
"Is the appearance of such a God a blessing or a curse for Schicksal?"
As he reached this point, Otto unconsciously frowned.
Theresa's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
Lierre was in no rush to reply, waiting for Otto to finish the second half of his sentence.
Otto paused for a moment before continuing: "But later, I came around to a different way of thinking. Whether you are a God, a Herrscher, or just an ordinary person who has undergone an Awakening of special abilities... your identity doesn't matter."
Following that, his furrowed brow smoothed out, and he smiled. "After all, we will be family soon enough."
Since Lierre could make it this far with Theresa, regardless of the truth, Lierre at least wouldn't suddenly tear up this 'identity card.' Knowing this much was enough for him.
Before they completely fell out, Lierre would be his grandson-in-law, which meant he could use this point to make Lierre work for him.
"Gra... Grandfather, you... you..."
The tips of Theresa's snowy-white ears were completely red as she stammered, unable to finish a full sentence.
Beside her, Lierre followed Otto's lead. She extended a pale index finger and said with a smile, "In other words, I am the future Great Overseer of Schicksal, right?"
She didn't care what Otto was planning; she simply wanted to visit the Schicksal headquarters!
Absolutely no other motive!
Rita glanced at Lierre in surprise. This person was truly bold; before things were even official with Theresa, she was already eyeing the position of Overseer.
"What did you say?!"
Theresa almost thought she had misheard, staring at Lierre with wide eyes.
Liar!
What happened to not acting recklessly!
Otto gave Lierre a rather surprised look. After less than half a second of thought, he immediately gave a promise: "Of course. As long as you successfully establish enough prestige within Schicksal, when the time is ripe, the future position of Overseer belongs only to you—provided that you marry Theresa."
Faced with Lierre's rebellious statement, not only was he not angry in the slightest, he was actually somewhat pleased.
One needn't fear ambition; one only fears those who take an interest in nothing.
"!"
Theresa's face flushed red as she looked at Otto in disbelief, her large eyes practically screaming "clueless."
Wait, did no one ask for her opinion?
Rita: "..."
Poor Lady Theresa. Not only had she muddled her way into becoming a sacrificial lamb for a marriage alliance, but even the future position of Great Overseer had been snatched away by someone else.