The street bustled with people.
Shalria, dressed in simple, stylish clothes, looked like any other girl. No one suspected she was a Celestial Dragon.
This is terrible! For a woman like her, being ignored was simply unacceptable.
Tears welled in Shalria's eyes as she tugged at Roya's sleeve. "Vice Admiral Roya, this is going too far!"
Roya simply raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"
He sneered. "I just don't want us to attract attention."
Shalria was indignant. "Commoners should be honored just to glance at me! You've made me look like one of them!"
She was truly on the verge of tears.
He had not only removed her Bubble Headgear, forcing her to breathe the same filthy air as the commoners, but he had also taken down her elaborate noble hairstyle, a clear symbol of her status. Now, she looked like any ordinary person.
"Stop your whining," Roya said, his voice edged with impatience.
Did she really think he would pamper her? His heart was as hard as steel!
"Let's go!" He turned and strode away, not even bothering to look back. "Nobody knows who you are right now, so you better stay close. Otherwise, something awful might happen, like getting sold as a slave. Heh heh heh."
"I..." Shalria shuddered. She wanted to snap back, but without a single guard by her side, she felt utterly vulnerable.
Quickly, she gathered her skirt and hurried to catch up with Roya. "Walk slower! I can't keep up!"
"Okay." Roya slowed his pace.
They arrived at the Soap Bubble Amusement Park.
The roller coaster, powered by a crazy amount of electricity, zoomed around the tracks at insane speeds, sparks flying everywhere.
"Aaaaaah!!!" A woman's scream echoed through the air.
Next, they rode the pirate ship, then the merry-go-round...
After trying all the most exciting rides, Roya picked up Shalria, whose head was spinning, and placed her gently inside a cabin on the Ferris wheel.
The guards who had been secretly watching over her were in a panic, barely able to restrain themselves from rushing out to protect her.
That Vice Admiral Black Hair is definitely toying with Shalria!
Inside the Ferris wheel's bubble cabin, Roya handed Shalria a juice box. He looked genuinely puzzled. "You seem terrified. Why are you forcing yourself to ride these things with me?"
"Don't underestimate me!" Shalria's legs felt like jelly, but she tried to sit up straight, desperately trying not to lose her composure.
"I am a Celestial Dragon! How could I fear these mortal games? Besides, besides..." She bit her lip. "Vice Admiral Roya, you do know the real reason for this outing, right?"
"Of course, I know," Roya said bluntly. They both knew what was happening, so there was no point in pretending. "We're going to have a political marriage. We're going to become husband and wife."
"That's right." Shalria looked at Roya, took a deep breath, and said, "Since we're in a public place, we can't do anything that might damage the dignity of the Celestial Dragons, especially any public displays of disagreement."
In public, they were always being watched. Everything they did had to reflect the noble image of a Celestial Dragon.
Kneeling, special clothing, Bubble Headgear...
The whole point of these things was to show the world how great the Celestial Dragons were, and to make the common people respect them even more.
Besides, she was going to be Roya's wife. How could she disrespect her husband in front of others?
"I see." Roya was beginning to understand.
So, it 's her Celestial Dragon status that's making her act this way. She wasn't trying to cooperate with him; she just couldn't embarrass him in public.
What she was really protecting was the reputation of the Celestial Dragons as a whole. Her personal feelings didn't matter. It 's like those kings and queens , he thought, Even if they hate each other, they have to pretend to be in love in public.
Roya nodded with a smile, his opinion of her changing slightly. "I thought you were just as much of an idiot as your brother Charloss."
"Don't speak ill of my brother!" Shalria glared at Roya. "Charloss was just spoiled by Father. That's why he sometimes does... outrageous things."
"Is that so?" Roya chuckled.
He didn 't believe for a second that Charloss wasn't a bit dim.
"It's getting dark. Let's go eat."
"Okay."
They went to the most expensive hotel on the Shambordy Islands.
After a five-million-berry meal, they stayed at the hotel in the most luxurious VIP suite on Sabaody, second only to the one in the Golden City.
Roya sat on the sofa in the living room, looking at Shalria, who was slumped on the opposite side, and was genuinely surprised.
Throughout the day, he had actually done quite a few outrageous things, like sending away her attendants and making her change her clothes.
He had originally wanted to test her limits, but he hadn't expected her to be so compliant, which made him feel a little guilty. Had he gone too far?
And now, Shalria was sitting across from him, not trying to protect herself at all, seeming to truly see him as her husband.
Roya was puzzled. "Don't you have any objections to marrying me?"
"Of course, I don't want to marry you." Now that they were alone, Shalria dropped the act. "I never thought I would marry a mortal. There's no worse choice."
"But the marriage has already been decided. Even if I hate it, I have to accept it. This is my fate."
"I will assist you, Saint Roya; you have my word!"
Since she couldn't change things, fighting it would only make her look bad. All she could do was accept Roya.
Besides, in the education she had received in the Holy Land, a woman had to obey her husband, and the husband was the center of the family.
And, thinking positively, Roya possessed great power, which might make their family even stronger.
The nineteen families in the Holy Land seemed to have the same status, but in reality, there were considerable differences.
The number of family members and the seats on the Knights influenced how prosperous a family was.
"Saint Roya?" Roya's gaze was strange.
This is Feudalism, right?
And a really intense kind. Roya felt that he was beginning to understand the thinking of royalty and nobility.
In this political marriage, Shalria clearly valued it more than he did and was trying hard to become a good wife.
He was actually the one who benefited from this.
The Feudal way of thinking clearly favors men.
Thinking about it carefully, Shalria was the only victim in this marriage, practically sacrificing everything. She was just like those princesses in ancient times who were married off to other countries to make peace.
"Saint Roya." Shalria nervously tried to change the way she addressed him. "Tomorrow, I want to buy some slaves. Can you come with me?"
"..."
Roya's face darkened. His guilt faded.
"Shalria, I hate slave trading. You don't need to buy slaves in the future, understand?"
"But..." Shalria hesitated for a moment and explained quietly, "In the Holy Land, people will look down on you if you don't have slaves."
"Nobody dares to look down on me!"
Anyone who dares to look down on me will be crushed!
"It's late. Let's rest."
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[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 915 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
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➡️ /Boundless_Beacon
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