The sudden news left Wotton completely stunned.
Wotton truly wanted to marry Nina openly in the imperial capital, not elope.
"Kailan, is this news real?" Lin Lei stared at Kailan, urgently pressing for confirmation.
Kailan nodded gravely. "Grand Magister Lin Lei, His Majesty hasn't made a public announcement yet. But this news came from my father, who learned it directly from His Majesty. As for its authenticity, I trust Grand Magister Lin Lei can judge for himself."
Lin Lei nodded slightly.
The Empire's Left Prime Minister had no reason to deceive his own son, and with Lin Lei's ninth-level Grand Magister Mental Power, he would have sensed it if the other party were lying.
"Regardless, my brother and I are still very grateful for your help, Kailan." Lin Lei expressed his gratitude.
By now, Wotton's muddled mind had finally cleared, and he too thanked Kailan. "Kailan, thank you for telling us."
"Don't mention it. I just hope Nina will be happy in the future. Well, I'll be going now." Kailan gave a slight bow to Lin Lei and Wotton, then left.
Watching Kailan leave, Wotton suddenly turned to Lin Lei. "Big brother, what do we do?" His mind was truly in some disarray.
"What do we do?" Lin Lei said decisively. "First, we prepare to have the women evacuated from the capital."
Lin Lei gazed coldly toward the imperial palace. "We have no choice. I'll send for Yeru immediately. Right now, we can only use the Dawson Trading Company's channels to get Jenny, the Rebecca sisters, and Uncle Hillman's relatives out of the capital first. And their departure should ideally remain undetected by the emperor."
In truth, getting discovered wouldn't matter much.
Even if Emperor Joan suspected Lin Lei, so what? Would he dare offend Lin Lei? After all, he wasn't the God of War. And even if he wanted to—which of his subordinates could stand against Lin Lei?
Lin Lei summoned Yeru that very day. After a thorough discussion, Yeru immediately thumped his chest in assurance. "Old Third, don't you worry. It's just a handful of people, right? Absolutely no problem."
Yeru then grinned. "Actually, Old Third, even if the emperor found out, he'd have to pretend it never happened."
Lin Lei smiled faintly.
After reaching the Saint Domain, while the emperor still held a high position, he no longer posed much of a deterrent to Lin Lei. The person Lin Lei truly feared was the one atop the Mountain of the God of War.
"Try not to get discovered," Lin Lei instructed.
Though Jenny and the Rebecca sisters were reluctant to leave, they understood they would be reunited with Lin Lei and the others someday, so they obediently followed the Dawson Trading Company's arrangements and quietly departed the capital.
In truth, neither Lin Lei nor Wotton had given up their last shred of hope.
They hoped that on March 15th, Emperor Joan would choose Wotton at the Martial Palace. Though the odds were slim... perhaps the emperor might change his mind.
After all, having Nina elope with Wotton meant she'd be separated from her family. And Wotton, old butler Xili, Hillman, and the others had grown accustomed to life in the capital. Until the very last moment, they weren't willing to take that step.
The days slipped by, and March 15th drew ever closer. Throughout the capital—in its streets, alleys, restaurants, and inns—people discussed Wotton, Blumer, and their brothers.
Everyone was guessing who would ultimately wed the empire's seventh princess.
Amid the anticipation, March 15th finally arrived. That morning, an unusually thick fog descended upon the city. Even when the sun emerged around seven or eight, one could barely make out objects ten meters away.
"Phew." Wotton stood at the entrance of the count's manor and exhaled deeply.
The mental pressure of these past days had truly been immense.
"Well, we'll find out the result today. Relax." Lin Lei smiled and patted Wotton on the shoulder. Wotton turned to look at his brother, and seeing Lin Lei there, he felt as though he had a solid pillar of support, and confidence surged back into his heart.
"Mm." Wotton nodded firmly.
Lin Lei and Wotton climbed into their carriage and headed straight for the imperial palace. Due to the heavy fog, the carriage moved at a sluggish pace. Moreover, there were an unusually large number of carriages heading to the palace that day.
Before the palace gates.
Carriage after carriage pulled up, and officials and nobles stepped out, chatting amiably.
"Lord Olivier has arrived." When the nobles and ministers at the gate saw Olivier and Blumer step down from their carriage one after another, they warmly greeted them.
The moment Olivier stepped out and saw the crowd of ministers and nobles approaching, his brow furrowed.
"Second brother, let's go in." Olivier didn't even glance at the nobles. A wave of qi naturally radiated from his body, gently pushing back the surrounding ministers and nobles without harming a single one.
The nobles and ministers exchanged bewildered glances.
"My lords, we've arrived." The coachman's voice rang out, and Lin Lei and Wotton stepped down from their carriage. This time, the ministers and nobles were tactful enough not to approach too closely, greeting them from a respectful distance.
Lin Lei and Wotton, for their part, didn't bother much with the ministers and headed straight for the palace gates.
"Lin Lei." Olivier actually stopped and turned back to greet him.
"Olivier." Toward a worthy rival, Lin Lei held genuine respect. Reaching that level of power required nothing less than years of dedicated, painstaking training.
Lin Lei, Wotton, Olivier, and Blumer walked abreast, heading together toward the Martial Palace.
"Lin Lei, back at the arena that day, honestly, I really wanted to keep fighting you." A friendly smile played on Olivier's face.
"Oh? Then why did you give up? I don't believe you were afraid of Hedson," Lin Lei said with a faint smile.
Both Olivier and Lin Lei could sense each other's strength. That day, when they were forced to retreat by Hedson, it wasn't just because Hedson was powerful—it also had to do with the fact that neither Lin Lei's nor Olivier's attacks had fully unleashed their potential.