Chapter 301: Marriage Candidates
CH301 Marriage Candidates
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"Huh? Udara?" Alex was stunned.
Zora nodded wryly.
"Udara is a ward of one of Father’s associates as Merlin," she began. "She’s quite docile and lovely. She and I became like sisters very quickly. However, she has... an issue. She doesn’t open up easily to strangers, yet when she does trust someone, she trusts too deeply—so much that anyone could take advantage of her."
Zora sighed softly before continuing, "She got herself tested by chance when Father had people from the Enclave examined for their number of rune slots on your behalf. As you probably know by now, she has the highest number recorded among everyone tested. I know you are trustworthy, and—since I was already in discussion with your father at the time—I brought up the matter to Udara..."
Zora suddenly palmed her face.
"The naïve lass agreed almost immediately... because she trusted me." She let out an exasperated yet fond sigh.
Alex thought back to his interactions with Udara. He could always persuade her with ease, but he had never considered her gullible or naïve—at least not to the degree Zora was suggesting.
"How did she end up at the Ashen Castle?" he asked, frowning.
"She spoke to your father on the phone," Zora explained. "I don’t know what he told her, but she insisted on going. The Earl made the arrangements, and before I knew it, she was undergoing warrior training under his direct tutelage. I found out she’d been masquerading as your Shadow Guard when you returned today."
"Let me guess—it was Father’s idea?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Seems like it," Zora sighed. "According to her, she told your father she wanted a role that would let her get to know you—the real you—while doing something that could actually be of use to you."
"So Father told her that, since she had one of the best warrior talents he’d ever seen, she should become my Shadow Guard?" Alex deduced.
Zora nodded in confirmation.
Alex’s lips twitched. He rubbed the spot between his eyebrows, nursing the beginnings of a headache. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything.
’What’s done is done. There’s no point digging into the matter any further,’ he thought, choosing the avoidance option with a weary sigh.
"Udara seems to have a story. Do you know what it is?" Alex asked instead.
"Everyone has a story, Alex," Zora replied calmly.
"You know what I mean," Alex said flatly.
"I do know," Zora admitted, "just as I know it isn’t my place to tell. She’ll share it when the time comes."
She stood her ground, even under Alex’s sharp, searching gaze.
"Fine," Alex finally conceded, throwing his hands up in surrender. "But from your understanding—should I be worried? Is it something that would work to my detriment, or something I’d rather know now?"
"Obviously not," Zora replied without hesitation. "If it were, she would have told you already. I would have made sure of it."
She looked at him for a moment, then reached across the table to hold his hand.
"Trust me, she means you no harm. It’s not a secret she’s hiding—it’s just a difficult story to tell. Give her time to find the right moment to open up. It’ll be better for both of you that way, especially since it’s always wiser to hear it from her directly, rather than from outsiders like me."
"Alright," Alex nodded, his tone softening. "I’ll speak to her later. There are some things we need to clear up."
"As you should," Zora agreed with a faint smile.
"Who’s the next candidate?" Alex asked.
"She’s the only one I picked from the list your father sent me," Zora replied. "And as it happens, she’s also a student of the Enclave...
Lady Eleanor Ludevicus."
"Ludevicus?" Alex repeated. "As in the royal clan, Ludevicus?"
"The very same one," Zora said with a laugh.
Alex groaned. "How—and why—did Father manage to get me entangled with someone from the royal clan? And why, out of everyone on that list, was she the one you chose?"
"Don’t worry," Zora reassured. "Eleanor’s branch is far down the royal hierarchy. They’re royalty in name only now. In fact, her situation’s rather grim—her father fell out of favour with the Emperor and lost nearly all his former supporters. The only person willing to step up for the Prince is—"
"My father. The Mad Earl," Alex cut in, gritting his teeth. "And in exchange for receiving his daughter’s hand in marriage, what exactly did Father promise?"
"You’re wrong about one thing," Zora corrected. "The deal wasn’t with the Prince—it was with Eleanor herself. In exchange for protection for her younger brother, who was about to come of age—and would soon become a target for those lusting after imperial blood for all sorts of reasons—she agreed to marry into the Fury family.
"As for her father, the Prince, a sizeable dowry is to be paid to him... one that, hopefully, he wouldn’t gamble away at the Imperial Capital’s casinos."
"I see..." Alex mused. "She’s using the Mad Earl’s Legendary status—and his infamy—as a shield to protect her little brother. Her father’s unreliable, and she knows he’d only drag them both into danger."
"Essentially," Zora nodded in confirmation.
She continued, "As for why I chose her out of all the other options..."
She stood up and walked toward Alex’s side of the table, her tone turning mischievous. "Because she’s similar to Udara and me."
"How so?" Alex asked, brows knitting in confusion.
"The three of us have the sizes to catch your gaze," Zora said with a sly smirk.
Leaning forward across the table, she let her generous curves hang dangerously close to his line of sight. Alex’s eyes betrayed him, instinctively drawn to the motion, and he swallowed hard.
"See?" Zora teased with a triumphant smile as his reaction confirmed her point.
Alex’s face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. He reached out to swat her again, but she was too quick, darting back with a laugh that echoed through the room.
He sighed between amusement and exasperation.
"So, you chose her because you think she matches my physical preferences?" he asked dryly.
"Part of it, yes," Zora admitted without shame.
"And what is my taste in women, then?" Alex challenged, crossing his arms.
"It’s not that hard to guess," Zora said, lifting her chin proudly. "You prefer older women—and you like them big. It’s simple enough to see."
She continued smugly, "Using myself as the baseline—Udara has a bigger rear but a smaller bust than me. As for Eleanor, she has a smaller rear but a bigger bust. A complete set."
Alex blinked, momentarily lost for words.
After opening and closing his mouth a few times, all he managed was, "Thank you for your generosity, milady queen."
"You’re most welcome, Sir Consort," Zora replied with mock regal grace.
Alex could only shake his head with a wry smile.
"Jokes aside," he said after a pause, "why did you really pick her?"
Zora sat back down, her teasing demeanour fading into something more thoughtful.
"Because she will be really useful to you," she replied softly. "In more ways than one."
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