Annelise Valentine walked over the path cleared by the betrothal gifts and stepped into the brightly lit drawing room.
The moment she stepped inside, she was once again taken aback by the scene.
Her grandfather sat in the seat of honor, rolling a string of walnuts in his hand. Her parents were seated on the sofa to the left. Across from them, Jett Westgate's parents sat with graceful poise, accompanied by a sharp, capable-looking middle-aged man—Jett's second uncle.
Only Jett Westgate was nowhere to be seen.
The elders were gathered together, chatting and laughing. The atmosphere was perfectly harmonious.
At Annelise Valentine's appearance, everyone paused for a moment and looked at her in unison.
Seth Valentine immediately said, "Aidan, Evelyn, I'm so sorry. Please excuse her behavior. My wife and I have spoiled our daughter rotten—she has no sense of time! We all agreed to have dinner together, but she just had to cut it this close, making the elders wait for a junior like her. It's simply unacceptable!"
Evelyn Sutton looked toward Annelise at the door with a loving gaze. "Seth, don't say that. Annelise is such a wonderful girl. She has personality and her own mind, and her looks and bearing are simply flawless. We couldn't be more fond of her. What's a little waiting? She's our own child—she deserves to be spoiled."
Aidan Westgate chimed in, "Evelyn is right. Annelise, my dear, I even held you when you were little. You were only this big back then."
With that, he gestured with his hands to show her size. "A soft little bundle who would smile at everyone she met. In the blink of an eye, you've blossomed into such a beauty."
Evelyn Sutton immediately smiled and echoed her husband's words, "Exactly. The more you look at this child, the more beautiful she gets. It's like she stepped right out of a painting."
"It's just that Aethelgard and Veridia are so far apart, which makes traveling back and forth rather inconvenient. You don't visit Aethelgard often, so it's hard for your auntie and I to see you."
"But that's all settled now. Once Annelise and Jett are engaged, visiting will be much more convenient. We can see you whenever we want."
Annelise felt a bit overwhelmed by the favor shown by Jett Westgate's parents. She could only manage a stiff smile and mumble, "S-Sir... Ma'am."
Evelyn Sutton suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, Annelise. Jett is in the tea room next door. You young people have things to talk about. Don't just sit here bored with us old folks. Go on, go see him and have a chat."
'Alone with Jett Westgate? I'd rather stay here and face this inquisition!' Annelise thought, her scalp tingling with dread.
But before she could voice her refusal, Seth Valentine, sitting beside her, chimed in cooperatively, "Go on, go on. Your Auntie Sutton is right. It'll be a while before the kitchen is ready. You two can meet first and try the fine tea Jett brought."
After speaking, he even shot Annelise a look that said, 'Behave.'
The elders from both sides were working in perfect concert, leaving her with no way out. Even her grandfather gave a slight nod, urging her to go.
She took a deep breath and nodded to the elders. "Alright, I'll go over now."
With that, she turned and headed toward the tea room next door.
She reached the doorway, then turned right around.
'See Jett Westgate? Whoever wants to can go!'
Annelise had a clear destination: the ancient tree in the backyard of the Valentine Ancestral Home.
This ancient tree was a treasured landmark of the Valentine Ancestral Home, named "Shade Tree."
It was said that this crabapple tree was even older than the ancestral home itself. Its trunk was so thick it would take five or six people to encircle it. In the summer, more than half the backyard rested in its shade, making the area pleasantly cool, which was how it earned its name.
When she was a child, this was her perfect secret base for escaping piano practice and the elders' nagging.
She leaned against the trunk and looked up, watching the setting sun through the gaps in the layered leaves. She let out a long sigh and muttered to herself,
"Oh, tree... Do you think the heavens saw my life was going too smoothly and decided to throw a high-difficulty dungeon at me?"
"What kind of person is he? Just yesterday we were fighting to the death, and today he's piled up so many betrothal gifts there's no room to even walk!"
"Tree, where's his sense of shame? Do you think he tossed his face into the Azure River along with a wagon wheel?"
"And what's the deal with coming to the ancestral home to see my grandfather? Can't win a fight so he runs to the parents? Ptooey! What a sore loser!"
"And this engagement! On what grounds? Just because our elders arranged it years ago? Do I have to be treated like an object and just placed wherever they want?"
"Oh, tree... I don't even know if he's ever been in a relationship, what he likes to eat, what he likes to do, or if he snores when he sleeps. Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life with him just like that?"
"I'm only twenty-two! My wonderful life, my glorious youth..."
Just as she was getting worked up, a deep voice suddenly came from the other side of the tree trunk.
"Never been in one."
"?"
Annelise's voice died in her throat.
"I like Aethelgard cuisine, and spicy food occasionally. I enjoy skiing, fencing, and golf. Though, you've renovated the golf course, so I might have to find a new place for that."
"As for sleeping, to the best of my knowledge, I don't snore."
Blood rushed to Annelise's head.
Jett Westgate was leaning against the other side of the massive tree, watching her from the shadows.
'He was... behind the tree the whole time?!'
Annelise felt like a cat caught by the scruff of its neck, all her fur standing on end.
"Y-You... When did you get there?!"
Jett Westgate's figure moved, and he stepped completely out of the tree's shadow.
"A little while before you."
"Weren't you supposed to be in the tea room?"
"Weren't you supposed to be in the tea room as well?"
"..."
Annelise was instantly speechless.
They stood a few steps apart under the ancient tree, and for a moment, neither of them spoke again.
Annelise found the silence even more unbearable than being caught by him moments ago.
In the end, it was Jett Westgate who broke the silence. "You really don't want to marry me that much?"
Annelise nodded almost immediately, a series of "uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huhs" tumbling from her throat.
She cleared her throat, sensing this was a good opportunity to negotiate.
"Westgate... uh, Jett," she switched to a slightly less formal address, trying to close the distance between them.
"Look, the two of us... we've only just officially met today, right? We have absolutely no emotional foundation between us, do we?"
"Besides, our personalities don't seem very compatible. I like excitement, I love to have fun, and I can be a bit impulsive sometimes. You, on the other hand, seem like a very steady person who plans everything out. If we're forced together, we'll definitely argue every single day."
"Most importantly, marriage is a lifelong commitment! We can't just throw two people who don't love each other together because of an engagement set by our elders. That would be irresponsible to our own lives!"
She leaned in closer, lowering her voice with a hint of cajoling and conspiracy.
"So, how about we form a united front? We can figure out a way to call off this engagement together... What do you say?"
Jett Westgate listened quietly until she finished, pausing expectantly. Only then did he slowly begin to speak.