Everyone had a shocked expression upon hearing that the Krisen King wanted to hold a tournament to decide the one who would win his daughter's hand.
Which man had never dreamed of winning the hand of one of the most beautiful women on the continent? Of course, they wanted to win Lily's hand, too, but the more options they had before them, the higher their chances would be to get at least one.
Reva was anyway out of the picture, and Valentina was nowhere to be seen, and her situation was quite scandalous, especially since she was closely involved with the traitor Damien.
And so the most beautiful women of the continent remaining were these two, though nobody was really expecting Yuria to look for a man, especially since everybody knew how her father was very protective of her and also pampered her.
She didn't seem like the princess who would want to get married, and so people were skeptical about this announcement, especially when they had previously heard rumors of her picking a suitor based on the winner of an alchemy tournament.
The Gale Emperor saw how some didn't seem convinced, and so he looked at the Krisen King and asked, "King Krisen, it seems some are too shocked that they still can't believe what I said. Do you want to have the pleasure of confirming your intention of picking the best man for your daughter?"
The Gale Emperor only had a smile on his face, though inwardly, he was laughing, seeing how taut King Krisen's expression had become.
Yuria clenched her fists as she wished she could just slice this bastard of a Gale Emperor into pieces for cornering her father like this by using her name.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})She knew that her father was put on a spot because if he claimed that he never wanted to hold any tournament, it could make him appear as a liar, especially since the Gale Emperor proclaimed that it was the Krisen King who wanted him to announce it.
Since the Gale Emperor was the utmost authority in the empire, people would naturally be more inclined to believe him instead of the Krisen King.
And at a very precious time like this, the last thing the Krisen King wanted was to suffer a backlash on not only his reputation but his kingdom as well, especially since he could be seen as going against the imperial family as well if he indirectly claimed that the Gale Emperor was lying.
In people's eyes, there was absolutely no reason for the Gale Emperor to lie or make a joke about such a matter.
But on the other hand, the Krisen King loved his daughter more than anything. So how could he just sell her out for political reasons, especially when he knew she already loved someone? He had never felt so helpless and angry in his life. Just his answer could determine everything.
Yuria's expression suddenly relaxed when she felt something and subtly smiled before she looked at her father and nodded, indirectly telling him it was fine.
The Krisen King had no idea why his daughter was telling him to go ahead when she already had a man. Still, seeing her expression, he knew that his daughter wouldn't say anything without any reason, and so he looked at the Gale Emperor and said with a polite smile, "Of course."
He then looked at the people as he continued, "Since this gathering is sacred in a way, I decided to see if I could pick the most suitable man for my daughter since my little girl had grown up before I realized it. There can never be a better time than when all the talented young men from all the empires have gathered here. I am sure this will pave the path to a better future for my daughter and our kingdom as a whole."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Everybody, especially the young geniuses, had their expressions brighten up upon finally receiving a confirmation from the Krisen King himself.
They had never heard something like this from him personally before, and so this time, they were sure it was all for real, especially since he announced it in the presence of all these grand figures.
Lily became worried for Yuria as she held her hand and asked with knitted brows, "Yuria…why—"
"It will be fine, Lily. Don't worry," Yuria said with a wink, making Lily look at her with a perplexed expression, wondering why she seemed so confident.
The Krisen King was forcing himself to keep smiling while inwardly he couldn't help but feel very anxious and worried. The last thing he wanted was his daughter to become unhappy because of him.
He never knew the Gale Emperor would be so pissed off about not letting Yuria marry Tristen.
"Well, now let me announce the rules. Since this was an impromptu announcement, we will be holding it right here in the middle of this hall after constructing an ethereal barrier to make it safe for us to watch. And coming to the specifics, anybody under the age of 25 can participate…doesn't matter which empire or noble house they are from. But their cultivations should be at least at the First Level of the Sky Ethereal Realm. I know this might seem high but considering that the fair maiden in question is not only talented but also the prettiest moon of my empire, we expect no less," The Gale Empire said as his gaze swept through the excited crowd.
Ruthren already knew about the tension between the Krisen Kingdom and the imperial family, though he was least bothered about this since it didn't concern him as far as he knew.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})However, he noticed that Yuria and Lily were really getting along despite not having many interactions in the past.
"Since we don't have much time here, everybody would only get 1 chance. So a loss will result in elimination for sure, and the last man standing will win. The rules will be as usual, like the standard sparring rules. So who wants to enter first, and who wants to challenge the one who enters?" The Gale Emperor announced while some of the Elders quickly put up a transparent, ethereal barrier in the middle of the hall.
