The Innkeeper

Lex smiled politely at the mother, while doing his best to resist cursing her. It was extremely important to get along with her because her family was the main target for the existing quest. He also had to keep in mind that while he had to make this wedding as exquisite as possible, he had to cater to the family's wishes and requirements as well. To do all that, he had to maintain a cordial relationship with them, so he had to put up with the unnecessarily eager mother…

"My name is Lex. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"No, no, the pleasure is all mine. My name is Jolene, but everyone just calls me mom."

Before the conversation progressed any further, Pvarti had finally recovered from the… from the tackle he received from Jasmine and spoke up.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, this is moving way too fast. I didn't agree to any of this. Don't think I'm a man who can be forced into things!"

Although Pvarti usually played a very casual and carefree character, Lex had to admit that it took a certain level of conviction and determination to reject such a marriage, even at the risk of personal consequences. If his personality was really of the lovable town idiot, he would not have been able to bear such a burden. Lex had genuine respect for that aspect of him.

Unfortunately, Lex was invested in this wedding now, so…

"Allow me to have a word with him," Lex said with a smile before anyone else could speak up.

Using the spatial manipulation formation, he formed a separate room, containing only Pvarti and him. This way no one would be able to hear them speak. Lex also surrounded themselves with dark Imperial Shields, blocking their sight to prevent lip reading.

"The situation does not seem to be in your favor," Lex said, a trace of sympathy in his voice. "Tell me what you want, I'll try to help you get it."

"I want to be free from that girl," Pvarti said, his voice extremely forceful yet somehow lacking conviction. "I mean, didn't you hear her? She played with my entire life on a whim, when I was being kind to her! If I stay with her, she'll play with my entire life as if it were a game!"

Lex nodded, as he could clearly understand what Pvarti was saying, but didn't immediately respond. Instead, after a short pause, he asked, "tell me Pvarti, what do you envision your future as?"

The young noble was taken aback by the sudden question, but did not hesitate to answer.

"I may not have the financial support of my family anymore, but they can't take my knowledge away from me. I have the understanding and the techniques required to raise my cultivation further. I'll grow strong, and eventually start my own family. Maybe I'll even take control of a small region somewhere."

"An admirable goal," Lex commented, genuine praise in his voice. "But now, I want you to imagine the scenario for a moment. Let's imagine that you've managed to dissuade Jasmine's family, and have once again rejected the wedding. You did this so that they don't interfere with your life, or in your own words, play with your life anymore. Do you really think they will just let you be after that? Or let you grow strong? Or establish your own power?"

Pvarti frowned. This was not the first time he had thought of this concern. Truth be told, he had only formed a tentative plan of relying on the Midnight Inn for refuge if things got too troublesome. But the fact that the Inn was too expensive to rely on indefinitely without any real income was a major issue.

"I don't want to force you into something you don't want," Lex continued upon seeing that Pvarti was not replying. "However, I will give you a suggestion. Just think about it and consider for yourself what is best. Regardless of whether you get married or not, the interference of Jasmine and her family in your life will not be over. If you do get married to her, and you happen to reenter your Noel family, then she will be forced to join your family, instead of you hers. Then you will have a lot more control over the situation. Moreover, with the power and resources of both families available to you, you will be able to go much farther than you can go by yourself."

Lex paused for a moment to let Pvarti absorb all this information, and contemplate for himself what was the right course of action. Just because Lex had presented the information did not mean he believed that Pvarti would follow it blindly. He had to let him reach the conclusion on his own.

In fact, Lex planned to divert Pvarti's attention by adding another layer of complexity to the situation. It burdened Lex's innocent heart with immense guilt to do this, but it was for Pvarti's own good, and was not at all hitting two birds with one stone.

"If I'm being perfectly honest, although I genuinely think this is the best course of action for you, I also have a bit of an agenda in persuading you towards this marriage."

Pvarti narrowed his eyes and looked at Lex. Although he had not mentioned it, he of course noticed that Lex had taken a side for the marriage instead of helping him.

"The reason I'm telling you this," Lex lied in a very modest tone of voice, "is because without your help, even if I push this wedding forward I won't really gain anything. That's why I'm being up front with you as well. If we can come to an understanding, we can move forward with the situation, making sure to benefit the both of us. If not, then I can help you avoid the family's pressure, and you can figure out a way you think is more suitable to handle this situation."

"What exactly do you need?" Pvarti asked suspiciously.

"I need information. Extremely sensitive information. I want to know why the human royal family, as well as the other races, aren't fully resisting the Kraven invasions. There are secrets related to the Kraven that only a very few know, and I want to find out what it is. Even Aegis, the crown prince of Hum, did not have this information - though that was mostly a result of his own lazy attitude.

"I believe that Jasmine's family will have some records or details about the truth. If you can join their family, and become an important member, then you can help me get that information. In exchange, I can use some resources from the tavern and the Inn to help you increase your importance to the families. That way, you solidify your position, and gain the support you need, and I get the information that I want."

While Lex was not lying about wanting information about the Kraven, that was not his priority at the moment. He was just using one truth to hide another - that he really wanted Pvarti to agree to the wedding!

"Jasmine's family is a vassal force of the Cornelius family, so they definitely have an important position in the empire," Pvarti confirmed. After spending a few moments to consider, he decided that what Lex said was the truth. If that was the case, then he could rely on Lex to help him. After all, nothing was more reliable than a relationship of mutual benefits.

"Fine, what you say makes sense. But you have to help me negotiate with them and make sure they agree to my conditions before the wedding takes place. Jasmine HAS to join my family instead of me joining hers. Otherwise, I'll never be anything more than a puppet, and I cannot accept such a thing."

"It's only fair," Lex agreed with him shamelessly, and shook his hands. Once they had reached a resolution, Lex dismissed his shields and dispersed the separate room.

"I have excellent news," Lex announced with a massive smile "After a brief conversation, Pvarti has realized that he indeed desires this union."

Lex looked towards Jasmine, and continued.

"Naturally, as a prime dominant alpha male specimen, he has to ensure that Jasmine can match his caliber."

Ensuring that Pvarti's demands would be met would require Jasmine's support, and since Jasmine was such a fan of how 'manly' Pvarti was, that was the only card he had to play to convince her.

He was cringing internally as he spoke, yet his words seemed to resonate with Jasmine. No one had dared make demands of her family in such an up front manner before, and it excited her even more. Pvarti truly was the man of her dreams.

Suddenly the look in her eyes became feral, and she once again pounced on Pvarti, but this time her brothers responded in time and caught her beforehand.

"Lex, why don't you and I speak privately for a moment as well?" Jolene asked, winking at him.