Chapter 7: She’s not here? That’s for the best.

The male steward was momentarily stunned when Shu Yue mentioned Emily. Then a strange glint flashed across his eyes.

That look seemed like he was sizing her up, though he hid it very well.

However, Shu Yue’s perception had become much sharper. She clearly noticed the subtle change in his gaze.

Why is he looking at me like that?

Shu Yue felt puzzled but did not ask aloud.

After a brief pause, the male steward quickly regained his composure and continued in a gentle, polite tone.

“Miss Emily went out earlier. I’m not sure when she will return. If Lord White wishes to see the young miss, I can inform her once she comes back.”

“There’s no need. You don’t even have to mention that I came.”

Shu Yue shook her head, refusing the man’s “goodwill.” She had asked about Emily not because she wanted to meet this fiancée she had only seen once, but simply to confirm whether the other party was present. She was thinking about how to deal with her if she caused trouble. After all, Shu Yue had no idea how to handle women.

Since Emily wasn’t here, that was for the best. It saved her a lot of annoyance!

Shu Yue’s expression became noticeably more relaxed and cheerful. This, however, confused the male steward beside her. In his view, if Lord White had come to visit Baron Lester, wasn’t it to meet the young miss?

Yet why did he look so relieved after learning that Miss Emily was not around…

As the steward of the baron’s family, his status was naturally lower than Shu Yue, who had just received a noble appointment. Even without a title, she was still a noble and not of the same class as him.

But compared to Emily, it was far from enough. He did not believe that the youth named Lia White before him was worthy of the noble young miss.

In his eyes, Emily was being married down to an illegitimate son, and Shu Yue was nothing more than a freeloader living off a woman.

News of Emily and Shu Yue’s engagement had already spread. At least within the Lester family, everyone knew about it.

The background of the Lia White that Shu Yue had replaced had also been dug up: he was the illegitimate son of the White Knight, Wood White. However, because he was illegitimate, he had not inherited the White Knight’s common bloodline. His mother was just an ordinary woman, so this illegitimate son’s talent was extremely mediocre. At fifteen years old, he still had not broken through to first-tier combat power.

Emily, on the other hand, had already reached first-tier at thirteen and was now at the early stage of second-tier. In another two or three years, she might even surpass her brother and become a woman who had reached third-tier combat power. With that strength, she could obtain the status of a viscountess.

At that point, Grey Pine City might no longer be able to contain her!

Looking at it this way, Shu Yue, who had obtained this engagement, had probably stepped in golden dog shit. Their talents were about the same, so why should this person get to enjoy such a high-level soft meal?

It simply made people envious, jealous, and hateful!

The public announcement of the engagement had brought Shu Yue quite a bit of hatred, though she herself was still completely unaware of it.

The male steward felt contempt toward Shu Yue in his heart. Even if Lia White was the illegitimate son of the White Knight, the White Knight was already dead, and Lia was just a powerless bastard with no backing.

Only Shu Yue and the male steward entered the estate. Anna and Mundo were left outside. Shu Yue did not insist on bringing them in. She followed the steward all the way to the usual area for receiving guests.

It had to be said that a baron’s residence was built with true grandeur. They walked for quite a while, passing through the landscaped front courtyard before entering the large Gothic-style building. The interior was very spacious, without the slightest sense of oppression, and the lighting was excellent, keeping everything bright and airy.

They turned onto a side path. One side of the wall gave way to evenly spaced thick stone pillars that supported the weight from above while keeping the view as open as possible.

Shu Yue turned her head to look. It was an extremely wide open training ground. Quite a few people were currently sparring there. It seemed this was the Lester family’s martial practice field, and those sparring were the younger generation of the Lester family.

She did not pay much attention. She had come with a purpose, so she naturally had to complete the main task first.

At the same time, several luxuriously dressed young people on the training ground also cast appraising glances their way. The leader was a handsome young man with chestnut hair who bore a ninety percent resemblance to Baron Lester. He looked very young, about eighteen or nineteen years old.

His handsome features and upright posture made him an outstanding male in the eyes of most women.

Belang Lester, the second son of Baron Lester. Since his elder brother had passed away early, he was now the de facto eldest son and the primary heir to the baron title. He was the one the other branches of the Lester family needed to support, and could be considered the young family head of the Lester clan.

He recognized Shu Yue at first glance, naturally as her current Lia identity.

He naturally had to pay attention to his sister’s fiancé. After all, his sister’s talent was higher than he had expected and even put pressure on him. But a woman was still a woman—she was meant to be married off.

That was how it should have been, but things were different now. Emily was marrying a newly appointed noble through an engagement granted from above. With no power or influence, Shu Yue would have no choice but to rely on his wife.

In other words, not only would Emily not be married off, she had even brought in a live-in son-in-law. She would still be Emily Lester and now had the qualifications to compete with him for the right of inheritance.

Thinking of this, a chill rose in his heart.

Belang’s face remained perfectly masked with a warm smile and graceful, pleasant speech that made people feel like they were bathed in spring breeze.

At this moment, the spar on the field had ended. A youth with a very arrogant expression had defeated the attendant he was sparring with.

Clap, clap, clap——

After three claps, Belang smiled and said,

“Sart, your strength has improved again.”

“Hahaha, of course!”

Sart laughed loudly, clearly quite proud of his recent progress in strength.

Belang suddenly looked into the distance and let out a light sound of surprise.

This action naturally drew the others to look over as well. The youth named Sart was no exception. He followed the gaze and locked onto the somewhat slender black-haired youth.

Seeing this, Belang took the opportunity to speak.

“So it’s him…”

“Him?”

Sart frowned with his thick eyebrows, looking puzzled. He thought to himself, who is this effeminate guy?

Seeing that he had taken the bait, Belang smoothly continued and introduced him to the hot-headed Sart.

“He is Lia White, my sister’s fiancé.”

“…”

As soon as these words came out, Sart’s face darkened. He had always regarded Emily as his woman. After learning that Emily suddenly had a fiancé, he had been furious and wanted to question her, but he never got to see Emily or Baron Lester himself.

He never expected to meet Emily’s fiancé here today. How could he not be angry?

Sart’s expression turned as dark as water. He spoke coldly.

“What is he doing here?”

“Probably came to see my sister. After all, Emily has already grown into a graceful young lady.” Belang said casually, his tone calm and gentle, making it impossible to tell he was guiding the conversation.