Chapter 5: Let Me Pursue Her

The King had been watching this side of the hall from the corner of his eye all along; after all, a banquet was hardly a closed affair.

Glein hadn’t lowered his voice, so all the guests nearby could hear him clearly, the King included.

The King strode over to Glein, and when faced with this declaration of affection for his own daughter, the monarch’s expression revealed nothing specific.

Only his eyes seemed to want Glein to understand his meaning.

Dolores’s emerald-green eyes were inherited from her father, but unlike Dolores’s, they lacked warmth.

This “Rock King”, the King of the Land of Land—Felts IV, his gaze possessed the majesty of a king, and a weight “as immovable as a mountain.”

But Glein was already accustomed to such a look from him—in his previous life.

Felts IV opened his mouth and spoke to Glein in a voice that all present could hear:

“I heard what you said to my daughter. I admire your courage, but everyone must bear responsibility for their words, and you, a foreigner, are no exception.”

After confessing his feelings to Dolores, Glein had expected a scene like this.

He needed the right occasion to express to Felts IV his intention to pursue Dolores.

Glein couldn’t wait, because not only did he need to make his intentions clear, he also needed to achieve something noteworthy later, in order to earn the chance to stand alongside other suitors.

Otherwise, if Felts IV were to choose Dolores’s marriage partner, Glein would have little chance of intervening.

“The Duke’s Son, the Church’s Paladin, and the Chairman’s Son of the United Chamber have all brought up proposals of marriage to Dolores.”

“Tell me, what reason do you give me to consider you?”

Felts IV only mentioned a few representative names, but in reality, there were countless people vying for Dolores’s hand.

To not have arranged an engagement for Dolores when she was barely a teenager, and even now, at nineteen, to have no clear betrothal—this was a rarity.

Dolores breathed a sigh of relief, hoping it would all end here.

In the original story, what touched Glein most about Dolores was that scene where the original owner comforted him after he struggled to defeat the vice-captain.

A bedraggled Glein confessed his feelings to Dolores, but in the eyes of the assembled Nobles, it was both absurd and laughable.

The mockery and scornful looks wounded Glein.

Back then, even the King paid Glein no mind.

The kind-hearted original owner consoled Glein—not necessarily out of affection, perhaps simply because he seemed so pitiful.

She didn’t believe Glein was capable, but because of her nature, or perhaps because he seemed so wretched, she persuaded her father to give him a chance.

This, without a doubt, cast Dolores in Glein’s eyes as kind and gentle—the first filter through which he saw her.

But obviously, the current Dolores would not give Glein that lifeline—she could not wait for him to get as far away from her as possible.

Even if it meant she would be left to await a political marriage in the future, at least that would be a year or two down the road.

With a year or two as a buffer, Dolores might find a way to deal with the political marriage problem herself.

She was happy to watch Glein fail or be embarrassed now.

Because what he was doing was confessing to her.

As someone who was male before her rebirth, Dolores naturally felt disgusted facing such affection from another man—her mindset wouldn’t change overnight.

At this thought, Dolores couldn’t help but want to curl her lips in a smirk. If Glein thought she’d speak up for him like the original owner, without preparing anything else—

He was in for a rude awakening.

So, with a playful intent, Dolores glanced at Glein out of the corner of her eye, curious to see his expression.

Would it be embarrassment, surprise? After all, she hadn’t helped him—so unlike the Dolores in his memory!

But Glein pulled out a small piece of branch—though no bigger than his palm, the stem was golden-brown, and a few golden, dreamlike leaves hung from it.

“I once dreamed of a golden marsh. In its center, a rock was carved with the image of a kneeling angel. Looking around, I picked up this branch.”

“A beautiful girl led me through the marsh, across a stretch of the Gray Stone Forest. When I woke, this branch was in my hand.”

“That girl looked like Dolores. She told me to come here, to find her, and to tell her I love her.”

“Day and night, I missed the girl from my dream. When I saw her in reality, I found her far more beautiful than in my dream. I hesitated in the palace, but when I saw her again at the banquet, I knew Dolores was the one I had dreamed of.”

“She wanted me to tell her I love her—and I truly have fallen in love, even if it was at first sight.”

Felts IV gazed at the branch Glein presented, falling silent, his stern expression softening ever so slightly.

For he recognized the branch Glein offered.

As for the scene described, it matched a well-known legend among the people of the Land of Land—the Legend of the Rock and Golden Tree.

Glein, who was not a native of Land of Land, had brought them a Branch of the Golden Tree, an item from their very own legend, imbued with a special power impossible to forge, sharing the same origin as the illusion Felts IV had seen in the ancestral lands.

The branch Glein handed over lent credibility to his words in the eyes of Felts IV.

“I wish to present this to you, but beg that you give me a chance to pursue Princess Dolores.”

Glein’s words were earnest, his expression sincere. The branch he offered was far from ordinary in value; in the hands of Felts IV, it was an important relic, one that could even serve as a symbol of royal legitimacy.

Felts accepted the branch, nodded, and said:

“I can give you a chance, but you must prove you possess abilities on par with the other suitors.”

“One year. I will give you one year to accomplish something that can earn my approval.”

When he finished, Felts IV patted Dolores on the shoulder and softly said,

“You may talk with him about that dream, my daughter.”

With Felts IV’s departure, the guests at the banquet drew further away from Dolores and Glein.

Because Felts IV’s actions had, to a certain extent, granted legitimacy to Glein’s pursuit of Dolores, no one wished to approach and interrupt the two at such a moment.

Dolores, who had wanted to see Glein embarrassed, now found herself in an awkward position, unable to make sense of how things had turned out.

“My dear Princess, is there anything you wish to ask me?”

Glein smiled sweetly, his cloying manner of address still making Dolores feel sick.

Glein wasn’t stupid; he’d had more than half a year to prepare after his rebirth, and with memories of his past life, it hadn’t been difficult to gather some useful treasures before coming to the palace.

Nor was it hard for Glein to fabricate a story.

Yes, the “Dolores in the dream” was made up by Glein.

But that branch convinced the King of his tale—even if not, for the sake of the branch, the King would not openly doubt him.

Dolores could not fathom what power that branch had to make her father accept such an absurd proposal.

But now she could not escape.

At least, not until the banquet ended. For now, it seemed she’d have to remain by Glein’s side.

The mere thought of this made Dolores irritable.

Still, she had to take the initiative and speak up, for she had many questions.

“Could you tell me the details of that dream?”